We can all agree that buying a home is big financial commitment. However, you don’t want to forget about the time and labor that goes into maintaining a house. Just like your car,regular maintenance keeps you from spending unnecessary money at the repair shop. This same principle applies to your home.
 
Home maintenance can be intimidating—especially for new homeowners—when you see the list of all the things you have to keep up with continuing to grow. But if you break it down, you’ll see that you can do most of the work yourself with little to no experience. (Thank you YouTube!)
 
To help get you started, I’ve broken down the time of year and how often you need to perform these tasks.  Save or post this where you can refer to it Monthly, or better yet, add these action items to your calendar and take advantage of the reminders to keep executing on schedule. (I’ve also made this list into a downloadable document so you can refer back to it later.)

​While you’ll be performing different maintenance tasks throughout the year, there are some things that you’ll want to keep in mind for specific times of the year. Below I’ve broken them down for you by seasons.

Buying a home?

The process can be stressful. A home inspection is supposed to give you peace of mind but, depending on the findings, it may have the opposite effect. You will be asked to absorb a lot of information over a short period of time.  Your inspection will entail a written report, including checklists and photos, and what the inspector tells you during the inspection. All of this combined with the seller's disclosure and what you notice yourself can make the experience overwhelming. What should you do?

Relax.

Hot Spot inspectors are professionals, and as a member of InterNACHI, you can trust that Hot Spot Inspections is among the most highly trained in the industry. Most of your inspection will be related to maintenance recommendations and minor imperfections. These are good to know about.

However, the issues that really matter will fall into four categories:

1. major defects, such as a structural failure;
2. conditions that can lead to major defects, such as a roof leak;
3. issues that may hinder your ability to finance, legally occupy, or insure the home if not rectified immediately; and
4. safety hazards, such as an exposed, live buss bar at the electrical panel.

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Anything in these categories should be addressed as soon as possible. Often, a serious problem can be corrected inexpensively to protect both life and property (especially in categories 2 and 4).

Most sellers are honest and are often surprised to learn of defects uncovered during an inspection. It’s important to realize that a seller is under no obligation to repair everything mentioned in your inspection report. No house is perfect. Keep things in perspective.

Finally, considering that neglected home maintenance items are often the root cause of major failures and damage to property, you should remember to be sure to take time to devise an annual maintenance plan that will keep your family safe and your home in top condition for years to come.

Speed up your home sale by preparing your home ahead of time using the following tips. Your home inspection will go smoother, with fewer concerns to delay closing.

1. Confirm that that the water, electrical and gas services are turned on (including pilot lights).
   
   
2. Make sure your pets won't hinder your home inspection. Ideally, they should be removed from the premises or secured outside. Tell your agent about any pets at home.
   
   
3. Replace burned-out light bulbs to avoid a "light is inoperable" report that may suggest an electrical problem.
   
   
4. Test smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, and replace dead batteries.
   
   
5. Clean or replace dirty HVAC air filters. They should fit securely.
   
   
6. Remove stored items, debris and wood from the foundation. These may be cited as "conducive conditions" for termites.
   
   
7. Remove items blocking access to HVAC equipment, electrical service panels, the water heater, attic and crawlspace.
   
   
8. Unlock any locked areas that your home inspector must access, such as the attic door or hatch, the electrical service panel, the door to the basement, and any exterior gates.
   
   
9. Trim tree limbs so that they're at least 10 feet away from the roof.  Trim any shrubs that are too close to the house and can hides pests or hold moisture against the exterior. 
   
   
10. Repair or replace any broken or missing items, such as doorknobs, locks or latches, windowpanes or screens, gutters or downspouts, or chimney caps.

Checking these areas before your home inspection is an investment in selling your property. Your real estate agent will thank you!

Influenced by the changes in the economic and legal environments over the past 30 years, home inspection reports have changed to accommodate increased consumer expectations, and to provide more extensive information and protection to both inspectors and their clients.
 
Development of Standards:
Prior to the mid-1970s, inspection reports followed no standard guidelines and, for the most part, there was little or no oversight or licensure. As might be imagined, without minimum standards to follow, the quality of inspection reports varied widely, and the home inspection industry was viewed with some suspicion.
 
With the founding of the American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI) in 1976, home inspection guidelines governing inspection report content became available in the form of a Standards of Practice. Over time, a second, larger trade association, the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors (InterNACHI), came into existence, and developed its own standards.
 
InterNACHI has grown to dominate the inspection industry and, in addition to its Residential Standards of Practice, it has developed a comprehensive Standards of Practice for the Inspection of Commercial Properties.  Today, most types of inspections are performed in accordance with one of InterNACHI's Standards of Practice in addition to the State's own Standards of Practice.
 
As a consumer, you should take the time to examine the Standards of Practice followed by your inspector. If he is unaffiliated with any professional inspection organization, and his reports follow no particular standards, find another inspector.
 
Generally speaking, reports should describe the major home systems, their crucial components, and their operability, especially the ones in which failure can result in dangerous or expensive-to-correct conditions. Defects should be adequately described, and the report should include recommendations.
 
Reports should also disclaim portions of the home not inspected. Since home inspections are visual inspections, the parts of the home hidden behind floor, wall and ceiling coverings should be disclaimed.
 
Home inspectors are not experts in every system of the home, but are trained to recognize conditions that require a specialist inspection.
 
Home inspections are not technically exhaustive, so the inspector will not disassemble a furnace to examine the heat exchanger closely, for example.
 
Standards of Practice are designed to identify both the requirements of a home inspection and the limitations of an inspection.
 
Checklist and Narrative Reports:
In the early years of the home inspection industry, home inspection reports consisted of a simple checklist, or a one- or two-page narrative report.
 
Checklist reports are just that; very little is actually written. The report is a series of boxes with short descriptions after them. Descriptions are often abbreviated, and might consist of only two or three words, such as “peeling paint.” The entire checklist might only be four or five pages long. Today, some inspection legal agreements are almost that long!
 
Because of the lack of detailed information, checklist reports leave a lot open to interpretation, so that buyers, sellers, agents, contractors, attorneys and judges may each interpret the information differently, depending on their motives.
 
In the inspection business, phrases that describe conditions found during an inspection are called "narratives."  Narrative reports use reporting language that more completely describes each condition. Descriptions are not abbreviated.
 
Both checklist and narrative reports are still in use today, although many jurisdictions are now beginning to ban checklist reports because the limited information they offer has resulted in legal problems.
 
From the standpoint of liability, narrative reports are widely considered safer, since they provide more information and state it more clearly.
 
Many liability issues and problems with the inspection process are due to misunderstandings about what was to be included in the report, or about what the report says. 
 
Narrative Content:
Narratives typically consists of three parts:

1. a description of a condition of concern;
2. a sentence or paragraph describing how serious the condition is, and the potential ramifications, answering questions such as, “Is it now stable, or will the problem continue?” or “Will it burn down the house?" and “When?”; and
3. a recommendation. Recommendations may be for specific actions to be taken, or for further evaluation, but they should address problems in such a way that the reader of the report will understand how to proceed.

“Typically” is a key word here. Some narratives may simply give the ampacity (AMPS) of the main electrical disconnect. There is no need for more than one sentence. Different inspectors would include what they think is necessary.

Report Content:
Inspection reports often begin with an informational section which gives general information about the home, such as the client’s name, the square footage, and the year the home was built.  Other information often listed outside the main body of the report, either near the beginning or near the end, are disclaimers. A copy of the inspection agreement should be considered a part of your inspection paperwork package.   

It's important that the reader be aware of safety issues or conditions which will be expensive to correct. With this in mind, some report items may be color-coded report narratives, although this is a matter of personal preference. A thorough report includes photographs in the main body of the report, near the narrative that describes them, or photographs may be grouped together toward the beginning or end of the report.

The main body of the report will be broken down into sections according to home systems, such as "ELECTRICAL," "PLUMBING," "HEATING," etc., and can be further broken down by area of the home:  "EXTERIOR," "INTERIOR," "KITCHEN," "BEDROOMS," etc. It often depends on how the deficiencies in the home present themselves during inspection.

Inspection Agreements:
An Inspection Agreement is required before every inspection to satisfy insurance company requirements for coverage. Take the time to read this agreement. The Inspection Agreement explains the scope and limitations of the inspection. The inspection scope is also included on the website, and it should give you a good idea of what will be included in the report.

In conclusion, for consumers to have realistic expectations about what information will be included in the home inspection report, follow these tips:

• read the Standards of Practice;
• read the Inspection Agreement; and
• talk with the inspector.

We love to talk inspections, and we want to be your advocate in the inspection process. Give us a call!