Blog
Why Did My 1980s Slab Crack?
Few things are more concerning than pulling up the old carpet in a house you just bought and seeing a crack in the concrete slab. This issue is quite common in older homes and the attached driveways. It is often due to the poor construction methods used at the time. Here’s why. All concrete slabs […]
Who is responsible for identifying rodents?
The answer may surprise you… A common source of problems after the close of escrow can be the presence of rodents. Significant lawsuits have been filed over contaminated attics and ducts. So who should be identifying rodents in a home during the contingency period? This is a gray area that needs to be discussed to […]
High Water Pressure can Cost You Money
Optimizing Your Irrigation System Can Save You Money As the weather warms up, your water usage increases due to more frequent irrigation. Unfortunately, much of the water used for irrigation is wasted in the form of over-spray. With water rates sky-rocketing, controlling waste is perhaps the easiest adjustment you can make to save money. The […]
Nearly 1 in 10 Homeowners Will Experience This Costly Repair
Damage From a Water Leak Can Cost As Much As The Average Luxury Car Whether it’s a fire, plumbing flood, or burglary, you probably have insurance to cover your losses. But simply having your stuff replaced doesn’t account for the turmoil or disruption that one of these disasters causes. Water damage repairs cost an average […]
Do you know someone whose house has flooded?
Almost everyone has either had a flood or knows someone who has. Did you know that sewage backups are not covered by most homeowners’ insurance policies? Or if they are, coverage may be limited to a few thousand dollars. That’s because sewage backups are considered “external” rather than “Internal” events – like a flood due […]
Home Inspections Can Save Home Buyers A Lot of Money
The fastest return on your real estate investment… It is often said that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. That is particularly true when buying a house. Even though most houses in California are sold “as-is”, we feel that a buyer still deserves to know what condition the house is in, […]
Avoid a Flood in Your House
High water pressure can cause flooding During a home inspection, one of the very important items we check is the water pressure inside your home. San Diego has very high water pressure in many neighborhoods. The pressure is reduced into your home with the use of a pressure regulator which usually looks like the device […]
The Coming AC Wars
As if negotiating real estate transactions isn’t tough enough, there is a huge issue that is right around the corner. Older AC units will be obsolete in 2020. Houses built as recently as the late 1990’s are likely to have AC systems that use FREON, a refrigerant commercially called R-22. FREON was classified as an environmental […]
Philip Smith, Certified Inspector NACHI, CREIA, IAC2
Philip Smith is a home inspector with certifications from InterNACHI, CREIA, and IAC2. Having a passion for inspecting homes, I joined The Real Estate Inspection Company after owning and operating an inspection business for 15 years. I have been a Certified Home Inspector since 2004 and have inspected well over 4,000 properties in San Diego, […]
Pool Safety Requirements
Sadly, the second largest cause of death in California is drowning. In 1996, California introduced the Pool Safety Act. This Bill required several safety measures to help prevent accidental drownings. It has been revised several times, and in it’s most recent revision requires at least two of seven safety devices. Also in 2018, it became […]
