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Clothes dryers evaporate the water from wet clothing by blowing hot air past them while they tumble inside a spinning drum. Heat is provided by an electrical heating element or gas burner. Some heavy garment loads can contain more than a gallon of water which, during the drying process, will become airborne water vapor and […]

Its not a matter of if, but when… Power outages don’t have to be inconvenient. You don’t have to lose all the food in your refrigerator or freezer. You don’t have to miss your favorite TV shows. And you don’t have to burn candles – if you don’t want to. There are alternatives. In our […]

Whether you are thinking of doing repairs around the house, or if you are buying a house that has been “refurbished”, you need to know what permits are required.  Permits are required to ensure that a house is safe. If you are changing the structure, or moving water, gas or electrical, you may very well […]

One of the biggest disappointments in the home buying process is getting a home inspection report with tons of stuff you didn’t expect. It is one of the main reasons that buyers back out of a purchase. Often it is not the severity of the items in the report, but the realization that an older […]

Where and When are Smoke Alarms Required? One of the responsibilities of a home inspector is to check the presence and functionality of smoke alarms in a home. Smoke alarms were required first in 1973. The codes pertaining to smoke alarms have expanded since then. In 1973, one smoke alarm was required for the whole home. In […]

Superman had x-ray vision. Doctors use x-rays and MRI’s to look inside your body. The military and police use infrared to find suspects hiding in the bushes. Each application allows the user to observe things that are not visible to the naked eye and allows them to do a better job. A few top notch […]

Various Types of Circuit Breakers Definition: A Circuit Breaker “Opens” or disconnects an electrical circuit when certain conditions are met. History The first circuit breakers, called fuses,  were developed as a result of house fires. Actually, many current building codes were created to reduce the occurrence of fires, or to help prevent death due to fires […]

Being a Landlord adds Liability If you are buying a property to be used as a rental, remember that you are assuming substantial liability. It is far more important for you to repair and maintain a rental than your own house. If a tenant gets injured, you could be held liable. We have performed hundreds […]

This article is one in a series of articles written to inform buyers of various items that may be found during an inspection. This is an excerpt from our white paper series “Insider’s Guide to Buying a Home Built in the 1980’s”. Over the years technologies and materials that went into the construction of a […]

I was recently asked to appear on a Real Estate radio show hosted by Rebecca Austin, an award winning Broker and President of  New Team Realty in Carlsbad, CA and host of “Home Help Radio” KPRZ 1210 AM. Rebecca had a great topic for the show geared towards home sellers. Over the past 10 years […]