What First Time Home Buyers Need to Know.

A regular real estate home inspection and a first time home buyer inspection differs slightly in the fact that I highly recommend a first time home buyer needs to be there during the inspection. Someone who has owned homes before already understands where to look for the main water shut off, The main septic clean-out and where re-set buttons are on the garbage disposal, and The furnace or how to set the temperature on the hot water heater or how to prime the furnace after running out of oil. These are just a few things I like to point out to new home buyers. How do you expect someone to know how to change their furnace filter which only takes a minute, if they didn’t even know they had one! Or how to put a mirror in the chimney clean out to see if it needs cleaning or not. All people know to take lint out of their dryer but new home owners might not know you should clean out the lint vent leading outside at least once a year. New home owners may not understand the importance of making sure outside faucets lead away from the basement or the importance of having proper ventilation in the attic. All good home inspectors have no problem helping out new home buyers at no extra charge for this service and I highly recommend all first time home buyers ask if the Inspector is first time home buyer certified. I also like to let all clients of my inspections to feel free to call anytime about any questions they may have about their home even if it is a year or so later. I enjoy being there for you and being allowed the opportunity to be of assistance. If I didn’t like this profession I would be doing something else

How to Disinfect your Well

WELL DISINFECTION PROCEDURE: – Plan on it taking 24 to 48 hours for this procedure.
1)Thoroughly mix about 2 quarts of unscented chlorine
bleach with about 4.5 gallons of clean water. Use1 gallon of
bleach for wells over 100 feet deep.
2) Remove the well cap or sanitary seal and pour
the bleach solution directly into the well.
3) Connect a water hose to the closest  facet and run water through it until there is a strong odor of bleach.
4) Using the hose , flush the inside of the well casing or the interior walls of a dug well. Wash the well cap clean. Close the well cap, wait about  1 to 2 hours prior to continuing  to Step 5.
5)Run water through each faucet inside and outside the home until there is an odor of bleach. As soon as you smell
the  bleach from a tap, turn it off and go to the next one. If you cannot smell bleach, repeat steps 1 through 4.
6)Let the water stand in the pipes for 8 to 10 hours hours or
more best would be  overnight.
7)Flush the bleach from the well. Remember chlorine is toxic to plants and grass, so try to drain it away from your lawn or septic system.  Flush the system until you can no longer smell the bleach. This usually takes up to 4 hours. If your well might be pumped dry by doing this, then you should pump in stages. For example, pump for 30 to 60 minutes, wait for the well to recharge, and repeat.
8)Open all other indoor and outdoor faucets and run until they are clear of bleach (until odor is gone).
Note: adding
bleach to your water creates hypochlorous acid, which may dissolve rust and other sediments in the pipes. Do not be
alarmed if the water is discolored and has sediment. This will usually disappear in a few days.
9) When there is no longer any bleach odor in your water Contact  Annruelhomeinspections.com to come out to take another sample to present to the Lab

Real Estate Disclosures

When Buying a home be sure to read all the fine print in a Real Estate Disclosure that is provided to you by your Real Estate Agent or Broker. Ask the agent to email a copy to you and your home inspector. 

Not only do disclosure documents serve to inform the buyers but they also  can protect the seller . It is the seller’s chance to tell you about anything that can negatively affect the value, use or enjoyment of the property. Once an issue has been added to the disclosure the seller is covering his or her self from Future legal Action.

If there are boxes not filled out on the disclosure sheets, ask the agent to explain why. Buyers are required to sign off on disclosure documents and reports. So it’s important to review them carefully and ask questions if you need to.

I recently inspected a property that had listed on the disclosure sheet an issue of a basement leak that had been repaired. Knowing about this previous issue I looked closer at the basement with thermal imaging, in the wall spectoscope and with my moisture meter to find that several walls that had new drywall were actually attached to rotted wood that needed to be replaced as a major support wall.

The seller had eliminated a possible future law suit by stating the issue in the disclosure

This is why it is very important to read the disclosure sheet and to provide a copy to your home inspector.