[00:00:02] Speaker: This episode is sponsored by First Home Mortgage.

[00:00:08] Speaker: There's just so much around this that people, I think, should have a better understanding of before they physically have to pay for and attend their own home inspection. Yes. And one interesting thing that I've learned is that people think they don't need a home inspection because they don't have a house yet.

[00:00:26] Speaker: So as I'm talking to people who have never owned a house, they don't get that that's part of the purchasing process. They kind of collapse the two appraisals and home inspections together. Like they're the same thing and they'll use the words interchangeably, which is not it. So the appraisal is the dollar value of the house. Someone's coming in and they're there for like a half hour, maybe. An hour? That's generous. Probably 15 minutes. Okay. Yeah. And then they go go back to their office and then they do research and stuff for another couple hours.

[00:00:56] Speaker: And it's about the dollar value of the house. So they're dollars. Home inspector is there for about three hours. And then we go back to our office and do about a half hours worth of work, putting the report together, and we're identifying defects.

[00:01:08] Speaker: And make an offer on the house and we do the home inspection and we show up and it's not a code inspection. There's no pass or fail. It's just here's the house in all its glory right now and the way it is.

[00:01:22] Speaker: And we will get to that. So well just because you brought it up, I thought I'd additionally clarify that statement because you are so right. People get and very confused about an appraiser and what you guys do. So I always describe it as appraiser is really working for the bank. I've had appraisers come in and they start describing what's called a lender required repair and they can point those out.

[00:01:45] Speaker: They are not home inspectors. Don't get it confused and think, well, they're going to check it for me. And if they say it's worth 500,000, I'm good. And there's no required repairs identified. I'm good.

[00:01:55] Speaker: That is not at all the case. No. Yeah. No. And a home inspector really looks at the house, sees everything that you see, but we see it beyond the surface, so like we're like we're detectives almost. And I'll tell you, someone called me a few years into inspecting and said, so I started in 2006 inspecting, and someone called me and said, Rachel, if I'm ever murdered, and I was like, if you're ever murdered? What do you mean, if you're ever murdered? She goes, if I'm ever murdered, I want you to do the investigation. Oh, there you go.

[00:02:31] Speaker: And I was like, okay, so all right, that's ah that's ah that's a huge compliment. And that's what we're doing. We see the same things you do, but to us, it means something different or it means something and to you, it might not. And so, and i also want to just state out, so just like you can hire a real estate agent, we all have the same license. It's not all that difficult, quite frankly, to get one of these licenses that we call a real estate license. And so the quality, if you will, or the differences between the best and the worst, let's say in this profession, it's dramatic. Mm-hmm.

[00:03:01] Speaker: And my experience having it probably ordered, I don't even know how many, hundreds and hundreds of home inspections at this point in my career, the difference that you can have between a licensed home inspector can vary dramatically. So just because they have the title doesn't inherently mean they're all equal. Because I want someone that can educate a potential homeowner or a buyer about the home while at the same time not making it sound...

[00:03:27] Speaker: Like it's doomsday every time they find ah the smallest thing, which some folks do, ah some ah some home inspectors do. And it's just the weirdest mess of a home inspection because they're trying to protect the buyer, but at the same time, they're making them insane. you know They're just saying, oh my God, that outlet is loose. You know you really need to get that done. like it's just They make it crazy.

[00:03:50] Speaker: I know you have dealt with a lot of home inspectors because you've done so many. How long have you been a realtor? ah Since 2007. Okay. Yeah. So you've been doing this a long time. And the big thing for me in starting Lodestar was how can we educate people so that they feel empowered rather than how can we build our egos up by showing off how much we know?

[00:04:16] Speaker: Right. That's similar to what how I was describing it. Yeah. and so it's so strange. but um But I'd also point out the obvious because you have you're a female and and in it but and what I would assume to be a male-dominated industry, and you even have female home inspectors. Yep. And so I was telling you I love having a female home inspector. I think you you approached the same job a little differently when And I love these macho guys that could be my clients.

[00:04:44] Speaker: And they come, at least this is my perspective. That's why I want to bring it up so you could describe it. They come in thinking that they're just, you must not know anything. I just, all the stereotypes. yeah That's what I see. yeah And then you display knowledge that they just, they just almost can't believe it. Like halfway through, they're just like holy crap, Matt.

[00:05:03] Speaker: oh You know, and then you win them over. And I've seen that repeatedly. Oh, and what's the, i don't know, what's that experience been like? And because of who I am and my seeing things differently and seeing things from a woman's point of view, there's training that I could offer my inspectors that helps them be better on site with people.

[00:05:22] Speaker: Simple things like when they knock on the front door or ring the doorbell and the seller is going to open the door, they know to step back. Step back, yeah. And they know to about their size and the space that they take up that it can be intimidating. And so they know how to communicate. And that all i got from them, you know, in our first phone conversation to make sure I even wanted to meet with them. Because if they were showing off on the first phone call, was like, yeah. um But how do you, do you feel there's a bias in some way or do you ever, or does it not even, you not even feel or notice

[00:05:58] Speaker: that some of the homeowners or potential buyers treat you differently? Because I'm a woman? Yeah. I think I was more nervous about it happening than it ever actually was.

[00:06:12] Speaker: Generally, once people are around me or around Kate for a few minutes. It doesn't take long. It doesn't. I mean, no and and it's the first thing that we point out and the way we...

[00:06:24] Speaker: say it that has them go, oh, okay. And now, of course, there's always the the dad or the cousin yeah who comes and says and is testing us. Sure.

[00:06:35] Speaker: And a lot of times in that situation, I just say, and if you're if you're tempted to test me to see if I'm going to find something that you saw, could you just tell me, please? Because I want to just focus on us being on the same side. Right.

[00:06:47] Speaker: Because we're we're doing the same thing. and And Jake is the owner operator of a home inspection company um and it's called White Oak. And and your perspective is is a little different because you're also a licensed Maryland home improvement contractor and you have license also to do HVAC. yup And so you have a ah better, I think, general wider perspective than some other agent, not agents, but other inspectors I've worked with. But but ah some of the sort other certifications I have, have septic inspecting certified, well yields, pre-drywall, so that's like structural before all the insulation drywall goes up for new builds, um mold certified, radon certified.

[00:07:30] Speaker: Pretty much if it's in a home, i have some kind of certification for it. Right. And so explain to someone, if I had hired you, I have a house under contract, what does the process look like? What do you do when you arrive? And walk me through what that experience would be. So, start to finish, when I get up and walk up to the property, I'm looking at vegetation, that ground drainage, the whole exterior.

[00:07:51] Speaker: um And then I'll start looking at the siding, um going through everything, checking if there's any gaps or cracks into the home, because moisture is, the I'd say, the number one issue with homes. You get moisture entering the home, you're going to have a problem somewhere. Right. So, got to make sure the house is completely sealed. Take a look at the age of your HVAC system, because that's on the outside. Take a look the cooling system, and then I always get on the roof. A lot of these companies are going drone only. yeah I think that is a very dangerous game. um I have a very nice drone. Yeah, I know you do. yeah I can see very well, but you can't see enough. You have to get on that shingle, or at least put a ladder at the eave so you can at least take a look at it. But I'm getting up on the roof, making sure there's no issues up there, because that's quite costly. Sure. If there is... And then enter the home. I do a full lap of the home, so take a walk through every room, get my bearings, as I like to say, and then I start in the basement.

[00:08:41] Speaker: I usually like to start at the electrical panel. I'm taking the cover panel off. I'm looking inside because there's lot- So you typically start in the lowest level. Oh, yeah yeah. Well, some people have different philosophies on that. I like to start bottom up because I have walked into a home and almost walked to the floor. Got it That makes sense. So, you know, it's like, all right. And a lot of the problems you'll see are in the basement. Yeah. So that's why I like to start down there, work my way up through the home. I'm checking the electrical system, plumbing systems, HVAC system. Pretty much if it moves, operates, or does anything in the home, I'm looking at it. So after we get out of the basement, go upstairs- And can I can i highlight one thing there? What is the standard code in Maryland for a home inspector? Do they do exactly what you just described? Is that the standard? Absolutely not. um and I actually know several inspectors who I disagree with. They would do what we call is a representative sample. That's the word that's the phrase I was looking for. yeah And I hate that phrase. um I will never use that phrase. I will never live by that in any way, shape, or form. So what that means is some inspectors, they'll come through and they'll test two outlets, one window through the room. Right.

[00:09:43] Speaker: You're not going to find everything. It's almost always, there's one outlet, one window, like that. But what's been described to me, that is what you're required to do as an inspector. Is that true? Yes, that's required. I like to say that's the minimum. But I mean, I don't abide by that at all.

[00:10:00] Speaker: I test every outlet, every light switch, every fixture in the home. If it operates, turns on, even if it sits there, I'm looking at it. Well, I don't want to cut you off because you were saying after the basement, you got to that that second level, the main level typically. Yep.

[00:10:14] Speaker: So the basement's where you find of your issues. So that's where you can see, especially I love an exposed basement yeah because I can see all the plumbing lines, see all the electrical wiring, see every all the nitty gritty. But after we get out of the basement, usually I'll get some things running in the kitchen. I'll start the oven, make sure it preheats. I got a little tester because you'd be surprised how many ovens never get up to temperature.

[00:10:33] Speaker: yeah Just a little fun fact, I've had six in the past month. wow That did not get up to temperature, so check your oven. yeah um Run the dishwasher, and then I usually start testing all the outlets on the floor, all the lights, all the windows. If it has tilt function, we're checking the tilt function. um And then run water at every fixture for usually at least a whole minute, because you don't you might not find that leak immediately. um And then maybe make our way to the bathrooms.

[00:11:00] Speaker: I'm filling that tub up all the way, letting it sit for 45 minutes yeah you know if I can. Running every fixed. times and and And so after you get down this the first floor, that's when you you kind of end up at the higher level, at the top level is where you finish up and then go to the attic after that, I suppose. Yep, yep. I love getting in attics. I know you do. Yes. I don't know what it is. I love crawling around in there. I like trying to find all the hidden stuff. yeah I like trying to find anything because I like to...

[00:11:26] Speaker: I'm not going to lie, I like to impress a little bit, be like, yeah I found this all the way in the back corner, all the way over there. I like you to know I'm being thorough. Well, um so you kind of walked us through what that's like, and then at the end, what I really like is that you come through and you summarize top to bottom. I think the walkthrough is the most important part. that's the walkthrough, that's the finale, that's where if someone can't attend a three hour plus home inspection, they have work, whatever, you attend that last half hour to an hour.

[00:11:50] Speaker: Just so they can they can see the entirety of your summary and that walkthrough. and Because you go room by room. Yeah. I want to show you the whole home. I mean, I guess something I should have mentioned as well is I give you a call ahead of time before the inspection. See if you have any concerns about the property, if there were any problem areas that you noticed. Yeah. um Because a lot of times people will fixate on one thing.

[00:12:10] Speaker: you know Yeah. I saw a little bit of moisture in the in the basement and that's all they're thinking about. The whole time. The whole time. So usually I like to tell people, hey, give me a two hours or so, an hour or two. You can come early, but I'm going to be doing my thing. Give me some time so that way when you get there, I can give you information. Because that walkthrough is I truly think it's one of the most important parts of this sale, because yeah that's where you get a good feel for the home, and that's where you feel confident or terrified. yeah So, I like to start outside. I mean, I go through the entire home. if yeah

[00:12:41] Speaker: if i fat If it's going to be on the report, I'm going to tell you about it. Because your reports, and by the way, the reports of most inspectors will will point out the things that are critical. these are that You have a massive hole in your roof structure. like You have to address this. There's active water coming in. right Those are critical, right? And then you have others that are keep an eye on it, but there's nothing technically wrong. It's just maybe an aging system or something. in my report, I i try i color code it. So I have blue for ah maintenance, minor items, orange is recommendations, red is major defect. So that way it doesn't scare you. So if you see a comment and it's in nice, light, pretty blue, you go, okay, you just got to take care of it. But if it's in bright, dark red, you're like, oh yeah all right, maybe it's a little different. So I have noticed that has helped people. I don't get as many terrified calls. think Because whenever I report in a defect or a recommendation, I describe what it is, I describe what it could cause, and then I describe how to fix it or who needs to fix So that way you have... It takes me a little longer, but that way you have all the information there and you don't need to freak out and call me to be like, okay, well, what could this cause?

[00:13:45] Speaker: yeah Well, what happens if I don't address this? who and Who needs to fix this? Because a lot of people will just give you general contractor. But I'll point you a little bit more narrow and specific and say you need either roofer, electrician, plumber, that kind stuff. So, you know, for, for those that haven't attended inspection or you haven't been in years, guys, it's, you know, how long does it take for an average 2,500 square foot house? Like what's a, what's an average inspection take? Roughly a little over two hours or roughly around that timeframe. I mean, if it's a new build, it's lot easier, you know? So that's the unfortunate thing. Cause we actually talk about this in the company a lot for like timing, pricing and stuff like that. Sure. 2,000 square foot, 2024. can done in hour.

[00:14:25] Speaker: i can be done in an hour It's new. I don't have to check a lot of things. Windows are new. I'm not looking at as many things. But if that house is from 1920, I've had a house that was 1,700 square foot. took me four hours. know As an investor, he was looking to fix any little problem in that place. So I got to be a lot more thorough.

[00:14:44] Speaker: right So it's um age is actually much more important than the size on um the time of an inspection. When I was grateful recently, I had a big boy, um, in Lutherville. What was it? Eight or 10,000 square feet. It was a little over 10,000 square foot. 10,000 square feet. And ah you guys brought the whole company. It was like the whole team was there. your owner was there yeah Three of us out there. it was great. I mean, it helps a lot. You can actually like having three sets of eyes on a house that big is really important.

[00:15:09] Speaker: yeah Um, anytime you have a house that size, if you just have the one inspector out there, it's going to take them probably like five to six hours. Sure. um And that's just one set of eyes going through every area. By the time you're done, you're exhausted. Exactly. It's like you need a break in between there at some point. Anything over like that 5,000 square foot range. Sure. You're pretty much going to have a second person there.

[00:15:27] Speaker: Right. Or at least a lot of extra time allotted. And, and so what are the big things? So if I was to buy a home, what are the big items I need to pay attention to? Cause you're going to give me this whole long report.

[00:15:39] Speaker: What are the most important items? Yeah. I try to tell people only really pay attention to big ticket items. Cosmetic items are just that they're cosmetic. You can even let them go for like five years and it's not really going to cause you an issue. um But like the biggest things are going to be the basement, um like moisture penetration, um anywhere in the home. So that's attic.

[00:15:57] Speaker: um So roof and basement are the two most expensive areas I kind of see. um Those are always going to be the most expensive repairs. a New roof is never cheap. um And if you have to do basement waterproofing, um that kind of stuff, a lot of times you're jacking up concrete, maybe even adjusting the foundation, that kind of stuff. So I'd say roof, HVAC system, windows, windows.

[00:16:18] Speaker: are really the top three that I try ah try to not scare people on the most because those are going to be the most expensive ones. And I would say I encourage all my agents out there. These are items that sometimes are very obvious. You know, occasionally, yes, you as an inspector, you guys take everything out like you'll take the, you know, the ah that the covers off of things you go in, right? You really deep dive. Oh yeah. I'm looking at I'm not doing that during a traditional, you know, like walkthrough with a client. However, sometimes problems are so obvious. They beat you in the head and sometimes it never occurs to people to even look like I have a flashlight when I do my tours, but it's, there's some things I can kind of get ahead of.

[00:16:58] Speaker: And so I encourage you to do that, to get ahead of things because the roof on average, if it's a really glaring issue, I can see it from the ground. Yeah. Like you don't need to necessarily get a drone up in the air or physically walk it. No, a lot of times, at least with the roof, a lot of times you can see that from afar, which is pretty nice.

[00:17:14] Speaker: It can be. So it's like, so if you were to look at it, tell people what are the most common things you see, for example, in a roof. Like that is something that people need to know about. But um to to look at a roof from the ground, um if it's very streaky, um you see a lot of discoloration coming down. um Obviously damaged shingles. um Hail is a pretty big one too. Mm-hmm.

[00:17:34] Speaker: We get it occasionally in Maryland and it will do some pretty good damage pretty quick. So like hail, just any little circles. And there's hail maps online so you can check out seeing where that particular home is, that there have been hail storms recently. And any form, any lifted shingle pretty much in any way, shape, or form. If it has a bit of a curl to it, that means that probably has a couple other things going on as well. Or it's a little old at least. So any movement at all you see up there, you know, okay, might have to get a contractor up there to take care of that.

[00:18:01] Speaker: What about aluminum wiring? That's something we see. We have a lot of older homes around here. So when you see aluminum wiring, what do you tell people? ah That's an unfortunate one. That's ah electrician. yeah right right off Right off the bat. um If you have single-strand aluminum wiring um in the home, which is pretty popular from the 70s, you need an electrician to come out there and evaluate it. It's very common that at ah at the breaker... um at the light fixtures or even the outlets at the wall. When it heats up, expands and contracts after a while, it'll work itself loose. um And that has caused a lot of house fires in America.

[00:18:34] Speaker: So anytime there's single strand aluminum, you need an electrician to come out, evaluate the entire panel and potentially take off a couple outlets, maybe even a light fixture to see what it's like behind there. um It doesn't mean, you know, you have to rewire the whole house necessarily. So just because it looks shiny and new,

[00:18:50] Speaker: If it's a fit of my favorite is buying what I lovingly refer to as grandma's house. Yes. That has been maintained maintained the right way. If something was broke, she hired the appropriate contractor. That's how I like to refer to it it versus someone that flipped it in six weeks. If it's nice and shiny and all white, that tells you to get an inspection. Yeah. Especially, I mean, new builds. I do a lot of new build inspections, yeah a lot of pre-drive inspections, and a lot of either flips or renovations. I like to say there's a big difference. I will i will tell them if there's a if it was a flip or if it was a renovation. If it was a renovation, it was done really well. They pulled permits. Everything looks great. It's good quality. If everything was slapped up, hidden, and yeah no permits, then it's a flip. Yeah. I have a little bit of a difference in the terminology. i haven't I didn't know the distinction there, but I will say where my what I comfortably can say is that I've attended and walked through so many of these properties and inspections that even I, the non-inspector should be able to distinguish between the ones that you need to run from. Because sometimes it's quite obvious and I can save them the money, the heartache of of going through this process. love when it's obvious.

[00:19:56] Speaker: I do love when it's Oftentimes it is. but It's not always, but sometimes it it really is. I just did one where sometimes you've really got to look. so Some people are deceitful. I did one where they pinned up all new wood. It was like plywood. yeah And I was like, that's suspicious. So I pull it down. I don't care.

[00:20:14] Speaker: yeah i pull I rip it down, nothing but termite damage. The entire main structural beam had been chewed through all the way across and they they just encapsulated and completely hit it. And then i was like, all right, now what else needs to be found? They hit aluminum wiring to the point where like they put copper coming out of the panel and then in the junction boxes, that's where it met aluminum. oh So I'm checking junction boxes, I'm checking everything. like The second you hide something from me, that house is going to get the most thorough inspection you could possibly imagine. I'm looking at everything. It's like a challenge for me at that point. And then I did end up finding, like I think it was 92 total.

[00:20:51] Speaker: Because my average is usually between 25 to 35 things like on the report that I have listed. Yeah. I don't want scare people entirely away from fully renovated properties that are like, quote unquote, flipped. No, sometimes it's phenomenal. Sometimes it's done really well.

[00:21:05] Speaker: But yeah, just be more careful. Well, let's go through. So I want to then go through what some of these other things are people should consider. and I'm going to list them and then I want to go back over them. So one is radon testing.

[00:21:17] Speaker: Everybody asks about radon testing. One is about sewer scoping. One is a well yield and a water quality test. And so there's others, but I first want to go over radon testing. Explain what that is and ah how you would describe it to somebody if they were during an inspection. Yeah, of course. So radon is just a gas that is naturally emitted from the ground. You would never notice it in a home. You'll never smell it. You'll never see it. So that's why it's really important to get tested for it. And certain areas are more hotspots. So it really does depend where you live. And in Maryland, guys, if you're listening to this and you're in Maryland, like we are a hotspot. yeah and And so it's it's something we should be concerned with. And if you lived in the same home for 25 years and never heard of it before, get the test done.

[00:21:59] Speaker: right So if you do test it and it is high, it's not the end of the world by any stretch of the means. Usually you just need to put a radon system in, which is a fan system that goes underground, pulls the air, takes it above the home. So like guess so it's not the end of the world, but it's ah it's a simple, easy test. And it should run for a minimum of 48 hours. yeah um Usually sits for 12 hours, runs for 48, gets that thorough And so help me understand what a ah sewer scope is.

[00:22:24] Speaker: Yeah, so that's where we open up your main sewer line, put a camera down the line, make sure there's no breaks, bellies, issues, backups, clogs, all that good stuff. But usually it's from the inside interior clean out. You'll open that up, send a camera down, and go all the way to the county connection because that's your responsibility. So from county connection, which is usually the street line, so if you're on a main road, it's going to be in the middle of the street. From county connection back to your home, that's all on you. So if there is any breaks, blockages, or even if it's just an older pipe material. You want to get that sewer scope, because that can be costly if there are any issues. Yeah. And once again, it can back up inside of your home. I've had it happen to clients. I've had it happen to my properties. And that's not fun. It goes from a relatively easy fix to a disaster. Yeah, it gets very expensive very quick. Even just getting someone to take care of it is going to cost you a lot of money because of the hazard there. So, sewer line is very important. I like to say you wouldn't buy a car without looking under the engine or under the hood, is what I should say, looking at the engine. So, get that line scoped. It's not that expensive or at minimum- Do you only do a camera scope or do you do any other version? So, pretty much a camera scope is the only reasonable one for a home inspection. If you wanted to get really thorough, you could have a plumbing company come out there and they could graph it. They could tell you exactly where it is on your property. You don't need that for a home inspection. Got it. inspection is pretty much just like, hey, is everything flowing? Are there any issues with the line? Is the line material in decent shape? Is it a newer material? Is it older? Again, you just want to know. Because if you have cast iron, I've seen terracotta drain lines still in the city. You want to know because then you're going more prone to backups and issues. All right, so the next thing would be a well yield. So guys, if you're not on public water and sewer, you're going go into a different category. That's when you look at your well, which is private water. And so explain what that would look like. So what is a well yield and then what is typically like a water quality test? What does that mean? Yeah, so well yield is just testing the efficiency of your well. So, from the tank, we'll drain the tank, check your well tank, check tank pressure, all that, make sure everything's in good working order with your system, depending what you have. Because sometimes they have well tank with the filtration system. So, I look at the filtration system, look at the well tank, try to give you the age, the size, because that's something you have to replace every so often as well. lot of people don't think about that. I have seen well tanks from the 70s. And I'm like, hey, you need to get someone out So, it's just one of those things. I'll give you all the tank information, but the well yield itself is just seeing how many gallons per minute that well is providing the that's done in a very scientific manner, isn't it? Explain to me how that works. It is done in a... It's technically scientific, but it looks silly. Yeah. Pretty much you're just taking a hose straight from the well and filling a five-gallon bucket and timing it. And then you input your data, it does the calculations, it gives you how many gallons per minute the well is producing. You got it. If you're buying a house and it has a septic system, you better get it inspected. I have done plenty of inspections where they're like, oh, I don't need the septic inspected. Yes, you do. If that septic fails, you're looking at sometimes between $30,000 to $50,000, depending on the home. And the reason why, Jake, I know you know it, but for those that aren't totally aware of this, it's because the rules about what you can do and what type of system that you can put in can vary dramatically based on location. So some of these systems are really expensive. So once again, so there are certain things like outlets, there's certain things it's like easy to fix, right? Even a panel, it's not inexpensive necessarily, a couple thousand, but it's easy to be done relatively speaking. What you're describing, it can be really, really expensive and or prevent you from selling at all in the future. Yeah, it can prevent you from selling. It can prevent you from living comfortably in any way, shape, or form. If that system fails and you get back up into the home and you now have a surprise bill for $20 to $30, even more thousand dollars, might not be happy. might have to live with it for a little while.

[00:26:25] Speaker: Yep. And so then we also, in addition to that, we do water quality testing. Yeah, that's a really important one. that also required in certain loan programs, but explain what that is. I wish more people did water quality testing, especially in the city. Yeah. was going say, should I'm on public water here? You should. It's just one of those things. It's not expensive. You get it tested. It'll tell you everything that's in your water, and it'll recommend if you need a filtration system or not. And especially if you have a well, get it tested, no matter what. A well's a no-brainer, but I'm telling you, virtually nobody does... Nobody does it, but I recommend it a lot. And I even tell people, you can get a local test. You can pay for me to send it to a lab. You can send it to a lab yourself, or you can go get a local water. But I mean, yeah, get your water tested. It's just something simple. It's not expensive. It's really easy to do.

[00:27:10] Speaker: And then you know the quality of your water. You know for peace of mind, for however long you're living there, do I have clean water? Or should I maybe think about ways to get cleaner water into the home? and So the first thing before I get into anything else, it's like, why...

[00:27:23] Speaker: in the world did you go down that level of certification and that deep down the rabbit hole in into homes? I mean, that, like I said, it's unusual for those that don't know this business all that well.

[00:27:35] Speaker: Trust me when I say that's not normal. So help me understand what's going through your mind and why did do you take all the time and effort to to do all that? I've always really liked the idea of being able to give someone the opportunity to like fix up their home or maybe even throw on an addition.

[00:27:49] Speaker: or like actually enjoy the home they live into it grow into it a little bit or fix it up sell it for more profit buy a better home give that kind of experience so that's the level i'm trying to get to got it so i figured i need to learn everything first before i can really offer something like that um and then i got into a pre-drywall because i wanted to know how it all was done you know how it all how everything's put together how things are properly framed if you want to throw on addition i can now tell you how to frame it no yeah like that kind of stuff so I just want to be able to build my own castle. And guys, so pre-drywall assembly, during the building process, you want to have an inspection, right, before the drywall goes up because that hides everything. Yeah, absolutely.

[00:28:27] Speaker: So you have to go through and verify where everything's where it should be and everything's done correctly before you slap up the drywall. Yeah, a lot of structural issues, especially with a lot of the newer home builders. They're going as fast as they can, which makes sense. There's just a shortage of homes. so They're trying to slap them up.

[00:28:42] Speaker: Yeah. But a lot of times things get overlooked, um especially um structural things. So you got to have someone come in, take a look at everything. Sure. Before they put all the drywall and insulation up and, uh, and hide all of those, all of those problems. We, we, we have a proper drywall inspection. We bring the clients through because not just you want it professionally done, but you want the client's eyes on it. Cause sometimes they catch things too. Yeah. Cause they've really taken the time oftentimes to study the plans. Yeah, I can be, I'm impressed sometimes about how much clients will will know. And before I even show up, they're like, I'm checking this, that, and that. I'm like, hey, go right ahead as you should. Sure. so Well, even just the placement of outlets or special features inside the home, because once it's all done, it's not the time to call it out and say, hey, by the way, where's this?

[00:29:25] Speaker: It's like, no, you close in 24 hours. so um So help people understand what is an inspection and what is it not? So the inspection isn't, a lot of times home inspectors are there, they think they're there to show you all the problems. yeah And that's like far from what we actually want to do.

[00:29:41] Speaker: I'm just there to point out what what is there. It's not a problem in my eyes because anything can be fixed. It just kind of depends how much it's going to cost or or who has to who has to fix it. sure So my my approach is find any of the issues or even just the ages of everything and like little maintenance things um and then just try and tell it to you with as little emotion yeah as possible. Because especially if it's a slightly larger home, you know anything over 3,000 square feet, that inspection report is going to be long.

[00:30:09] Speaker: sure It doesn't matter if it's a very clean house. It's going to have a lot of little things you find here or there. So that rap report can be overwhelming. So like my approach is to try and like tell you during the inspection all the good things that are functioning and then sprinkle in the yeah the things that aren't functioning. Because sometimes yeah a failing HVAC unit um or an older HVAC unit can scare someone out of a home. I've seen it happen.

[00:30:32] Speaker: this has This is a beautiful home. you know It just has one component that's not really working and people can run away for for minor things. So I really try not to scare them as I walk through.

[00:30:43] Speaker: Well, and I think that is the part and the responsibility, I think, of an agent. So agents out there listening to this, it's like one of the things I had to learn when I was a young buck is trying to figure out how to to understand the information because a home inspector has to tell facts. they I totally, I just can't stand it when people give opinions. So tell me facts. Tell me the condition of yeah of the components. Tell me the age. Tell me the facts. Right. And then – I don't like the costing. That's something that you guys run from, like to say this is going to cost X dollars to fix.

[00:31:15] Speaker: It's just, it's unfortunate. I really wish I could give like prices. I mean, mentally I can, and I can tell you, but. Well, you're also a licensed contractor. Right. Yeah. So it adds a little bit of a different perspective, but often, you know, if you go to three different contractors, that price depends, especially if it's something like a roof or a deck or something like that.

[00:31:32] Speaker: That price can vary by thousands. So if I give you an estimate for what I would charge you, sure and then you go to two other contracts and they're each four to 5,000 times higher, or if that much higher, you're going to be mad at me.

[00:31:45] Speaker: sure oh yeah So that's why i really try to steer away from prices. And if I do give a price, it's going to be a pretty good range And so I think that's part of our responsibility is to give opinions of value. And because you have to understand if something's wrong and you point it out, I just think just saying that and that alone, it's going to leave only half the story. The other half, they go, well, well that's great. Now I know the hot water heater doesn't work, but ah but what does that thing cost? So I just think that's the component that that we need to be able to bring to help educate a buyer. I think it's a a huge value to have that. So, I mean, if you do see something that scares you, having someone that can just say, well, it's just this, it's just this cost or this much amount of time and it can be fixed. It can really take could be negotiated. Right. Negotiated is a big part.

[00:32:29] Speaker: um That's another thing I try to tell certain people when they get scared about things, I say, oh, well, you know, it might be overwhelming now, but talk to your agent, you know, your aide that's your agent's job. Maybe you can work that into the negotiation um or any other thing that you could do with it. But Right.

[00:32:44] Speaker: Yeah. so I do my best to do any like the scary talk. I will yeah defer. i will defer that. I will say, talk with your agent. Sure. You guys can have a nice calm conversation later after you're not overwhelmed.

[00:32:55] Speaker: So that's also why I try not to get into prices because then people will start. If there's several things, they start tallying it up in their head and then they get scared. So i'll like save that for later. Yeah. And so it's like, i I try to be as cool and collected as possible in both sides. And as a seller, when I'm you know, I'm representing a seller. i hear about these various items.

[00:33:15] Speaker: It's good to know, okay, this is the guy I need to send in here. Um, this is roughly what it might cost. Yeah. That's, that's the other thing too, especially with like minor, like minor things, especially like cabinet things. I had a client freaking out cause cabinets were loose at the wall, almost ready to like walk away. was like, listen, yeah You get a contractor in here, less than a thousand dollars. You're you're good to go. She's like, are you sure? was like, yes. Like, it's going to be all right. Certain things, people just kind of tend to freak out it because it can seem like it's going to be a big problem. They were leaning forward.

[00:33:44] Speaker: They forgot to put the top row of screws. yeah You know, have someone come in, install that. You're good to go. So, um, so, okay. So getting back to the inspection. So it sounds like what it is, is you're trying to clarify the condition. You're not as an inspector really going to give pricing on things, but you tell them the severity, whether it's something maybe you have to do urgently or have on the back. I will give timelines for certain things. Um, like, especially if it's an older age vacuum, like, look, you got several decent years life left, or if it's like minor things in the basement and the attic, um, like Like you can let that go. That's not something that you're going to have to do as soon as you move in. I will give like that kind of stuff. So that that gives people ease of mind because like, okay, I can deal with it in a year or two once I like settle out.

[00:34:26] Speaker: but um So that's a good one. But yeah, pricing is is tough. So now I have another client that just called me recently and it was like the worst case scenario, not your company, should I say. But a different company, they said the roof was in okay shape, passable shape. Nothing needed to be done urgently. You're good for a few years. Of course, you know, two months later, it's leaking. There's issues, blah, blah, blah. Right. So it's really unfortunate.

[00:34:51] Speaker: However, it's happening. And so now he called back up that company and he's trying to figure out what accountability do they have. Right. Yeah. Because now that they brought the owner of that company out, they're like, oh boy, yeah, we probably should have called certain things.

[00:35:07] Speaker: They didn't. the Contractors came out. They said, no, they should have called these three things. They didn't. Yeah, it's tough. That is so rare, at least in my experience. So, yeah. Guys, don't expect that to happen on a consistent basis. That's a rare, rare event. However, it happened. Yeah. So what what happens in that situation? What protection do clients have when they paid for a home inspection and they were told it should have five plus years and it turned out to have zero years, Tori? So like with a home inspecting company, a good home inspecting company, um misses happen. Doesn't matter who you are. Nobody's perfect. But you you kind of have to have either the insurance, the money or something to back and say, listen,

[00:35:43] Speaker: It was our fault. That was our bad. yeah We'll take care of it. That's what should happen. Well, there's so many disclaimers. The reason I ask is because every company, I've used a bunch of them over the years. They all have these crazy disclaimers in the beginning that say the extent of our liability is the fee for our inspection, which is anywhere from 500 to 900 bucks. Right.

[00:36:03] Speaker: And it's like, well, hold on. My roof is bad. It's 15,000. So you're going to give me 500 bucks. Yeah. So that's tough. Well, and I always say I don't expect perfection, but in the event there's something that's missed or there's an issue, my expectation is you step up. Accountability is huge. Yeah. Like perfection is not a realistic goal for any of us, but when there's a mistake that happens, you make it right. Especially if you do have someone come out for a secondary visit and you go, oh, that and we should have caught that. If you're going to willingly say those words to a client, then you have to willingly pretty much eat that cost.

[00:36:35] Speaker: um It's unfortunate, you know but I mean, if you miss something like that and that client yeah moves into the home and now they're paying that price, yeah you kind of got to do something. Yeah. so you know So there are times where we have to waive a formal inspection in advance. So even in those instances, I still have people do a home inspection. I know you've done them for some of my clients. You should. Because if you have 10 offers and you have to be super competitive, there are signs that you can do, like go through when you're walking and touring a home that can determine you can't negate the risk altogether ever, right, when you skip an inspection. And quite frankly, and you'll admit this, even with an inspection, you can't possibly say that it nothing will ever go wrong. um right That's not true either. Yeah. so i mean

[00:37:19] Speaker: When people waive inspections, it always does concern me a little bit, but I am an inspector. But for certain homes, it is you just do what you got to do. But getting that inspection is key, because we'll go through with fine tooth comb. We're going to look at everything, even give you all the little maintenance recommendations. And that way you just get a thorough evaluation of your home. It's unbiased. What I was saying is, in the event you do choose to waive it to get the home that you want, if it's super competitive, you still I still recommend you get a home inspection immediately after settlement so you have this list because I think of it the same way you do, that it's like a physical for your home. You should do it once while.

[00:37:52] Speaker: The sad part is nobody does this unless they're transaction transacting. At least I've never met someone. I would love to you know get on the market of telling everyone, saying, hey, everyone should get a home inspection every couple of years because i mean you should, if you're especially if you're not super handy. um I've done it for a couple of people, but people only really think about it when comes time for sale. So I still recommend you do it. And then you then you know the order of operation, what to do for your home and so forth. yeah Most of the time it's called walk and talk because it's you're not touching anything. So you can visually inspect the home. but You're there for 30 minutes and it's a visual inspection. I mean, I've done home inspections where there's I'm at an open house. I did one um of a couple months ago.

[00:38:30] Speaker: I'm inspecting during the open house. There's like... 10 other couples, half of them have a contractor with them. Oh, is that in Howard County? Where is that? That was closer down in DC. I can't remember exactly where it was. Montgomery maybe. Yeah. Montgomery County. Sure. And nutty out there. I mean, it was crazy. There was everyone in the house, but I don't care. I'm still going to my job. It took me a little longer. Yeah.

[00:38:51] Speaker: But I mean, they actually got that house too, which was pretty funny. oh really So it didn't matter how many people were there. They wanted it. um And that was- Were you allowed, in our world, we call that a walk and talk. Was that a walk and talk inspection where you're not allowed to touch the equipment?

[00:39:04] Speaker: No, did you permission to touch it? I was given permission to do everything. They allowed you to open an electrical panel and do all your things? Yeah, absolutely. And are you there when a house is on the, when you're the listing agent? Are you there for that, for the inspection then, or just with the buyers? I have not done it unless I feel it to be necessary. And you can kind of get that feel based on the other agent and what they've said and that demonstrated during that initial part of the process, during the offer process and negotiation process. So I have been, but I don't make it a standard to be there. And so...

[00:39:40] Speaker: I can tell you as a buyer's agent, I do not appreciate it when the other side is there. I don't think it's helpful. I just think I'm actually hurting the situation. It's like, it's no different than do I attend every showing for every listing that I have?

[00:39:53] Speaker: And the answer is no way. I think that is crazy talk. um It does not help. And because I represent buyers, it it doesn't, but the buyers don't typically like it. And so there's a way to do it, which is to present yourself, give the basic two minute intro to the home and then back off. So they have private time.

[00:40:11] Speaker: um But yeah that's actually, you just led right into my next thing, which is the private time about what's happening with the house. Like the the buyers need to have the freedom to be able to ask the inspector questions. The inspector needs to be able to have the freedom to be able to explain something without worrying about the seller um being offended, coming after them. is So like as you...

[00:40:34] Speaker: are doing your contracting business, like how do you feel like in terms of, i don't know what differentiates you when you go into that space and you put that hat on instead of just being a home inspector, like highlight what makes you different, let's say from your average general contractor. So a lot of times um I'll come there for one thing.

[00:40:54] Speaker: um Like another recent one I did, we went and re-renovated the entire basement bathroom. um But then as he was there, he mentioned, i think my roof might be leaking. All right, well, I'll get up there and look at no extra cost because I want your business. Sure. Yeah. sure um I hadn't signed that contract yet. So, all right, I'm up in your attic. I did find the moisture penetration. You do have a leak here. I have a great roofing contractor that I like to work with. Sure. I know I'm doing work here. Do you have any questions about anything else in your home?

[00:41:22] Speaker: Like about, it can be anything. How does this work? How does my HVAC system work? Maintenance questions, any of that. Being a home inspector really gives me an advantage because I know all that as you should as a home inspector. So even if I'm there to do one thing, even just paint your walls, I'll i'll take a look at your HVAC system. I'll tell you how long I think it might last, sure you know, verbally. sure sure um All that good stuff. So that's what I actually like as well. Because um one, I did the kitchen the house. We did all new cabinets, new flooring, all that good stuff. um And then they noticed they had some issues down in the basement.

[00:41:54] Speaker: And I was able to pull the drywall out for them um and say, hey, you got some foundation cracks, actually. I would actually recommend addressing this before you pay me yeah to to finish ah renovating the kitchen. um You told me you have set amount of money left.

[00:42:10] Speaker: Fix your foundation and call me back in a couple months. And that's what we ended up doing. Wow. That's awesome. Yeah. Well, I mean, that's that's a great advantage. And ah what I what to give you credit for, i I think integrity and honesty and trust is is paramount. And that was one of the questions I actually don't know this answer related to because you have all these licenses and you have multiple businesses now, which I congratulate you for. Yeah, so so what are you allowed ah to do and not do? For example, one of the things I hate about majority of, for example, the chimney inspection companies, they are the same inspectors that then say, oh, by the way, here's a quote for $7,200. I can fix it Congrats. deal with that no So there are some legalities around that. So if I inspect the home, I have to i would have to wait 12 months to do any repairs on the home. But I just have a flat standard. I don't do any work on any home I've inspected, just so there's no gray area and there's no overlap.

[00:43:06] Speaker: Yeah. And so some of this is giving peace of mind. yeah I always say that's what an inspection really offers more than anything is peace of mind. Yeah. And ah it's so it's so valuable for that reason. But it's not it's not like you can sign off and say this home is perfect. You'll never it's a it's like a heavy breathing organism. Yeah.

[00:43:24] Speaker: And all you can do, it's like a snapshot in time. It doesn't mean that in two years you're not going to have an issue. That's a big phrase, actually, for a fur inspector. But it's true because um often like and a property I did in Baltimore, super unfortunate experience for the individual.

[00:43:39] Speaker: um We went out there, inspected the property. It was great when we inspected it. um He didn't move in for like another two months. They changed out the HVAC system. They changed out the water heater. um And whoever had been there, living there during that time, really jacked up like some of the walls and cracked some of the tiles in the kitchen.

[00:43:56] Speaker: And yeah then he he's calling us saying like, what the heck you guys missed all that. And, you know, we have to go back and say, look, no, we have pictures of everything saying that it was a different system. Someone screwed you over. You have to, you know, get into that. So that's why it truly is a snapshot in time.

[00:44:12] Speaker: It is. Yeah. Well, and one thing at some point I want to to get your assistance with, and my other inspectors that I've ah consistently used, i I would love, and tell me if this is even possible, when you go through a home, and this might be too specific for some people because they might not care about this particular question, but um I would love to have all of the details of the appliances, the approximate ages of systems, because I want to create an app which nowadays with all these AI tools, even a dummy like me can create an experience i think i know where you're going and I've thought about this. I would love to give people a home binder too, like something that can say, here's all the important stuff. Here's where all your main shutoffs are. yeah All the important things to know. Here's where your hose bib shutoffs are. Here's the age of everything. life So it's more about the relationship you build with a client. You want to build a client that that would prefer to refer you. And if you get them in a situation where six months later they're going, oh my God, look what I got into. That is not a way to build a referral based business. It's quite the opposite.

[00:45:10] Speaker: My entire business is based off relationships. I try my absolute best ah to do get develop a really good relationship with every home buyer. That's why I tell every every person who I do an inspection for, I say, even if you move in, six months after you move in, call me. yeah If you have a question about the home, I'll help you figure it out. I'll come over and look at it. I've done that multiple times. There was a Miss Chris. She's 78 years old. She called me. she like couldn't her hose bed was leaking. She couldn't find it. I did the home inspection for eight months ago. I drove out last week, shut it off for her.

[00:45:39] Speaker: ah love doing that kind of stuff so hopefully we've we've gone over some of the inspection items um hopefully i've answered a few questions like i say it's it's it's part of the process this whole inspection uh process it can be very uh concerning for people and it's it's just not a straightforward solution so hopefully you have a good inspector good agent and you can kind of make it through the process and Yeah. And live to see another day. Yeah. If your inspector scares you, one thing I do like to recommend, if something something is scaring you, call a contractor. Yeah. Just ask. Don't freak out.

[00:46:12] Speaker: Just ask. There you go. There's there's the mantra to to leave you with. But thanks for joining me today. and And I'll look forward to seeing you on the next inspection. Yeah, absolutely. All right. Thanks. And big thank you to our sponsor, First Home Mortgage. You can check them out at firsthome.com.