Frequently Asked Questions

I receive many questions and have tried including some of the more common ones here.  If your question is not listed please call or email me and I will be happy to provide an answer.

Please click on a question to navigate to the answer.

What makes PS Inspection Property Services so much better than the rest?

Why do I need a home inspection?

Do I need a home inspection on a newly built home?

Do I need an Engineer or a Home Inspector?

How long will the home inspection take, and must I be present?

Why won't you quote the life expectancy of systems or components for a home?

When should I start looking for the services of a Home Inspector?

How can I prepare for my home inspection?

Why do I need a Home Inspector, can't I do it myself?

How do I justify the cost of a home inspection?

When and how can I expect the results of the home inspection?

What makes PS Inspection & Property Services so much better than the rest?

Honesty, integrity, personalization, thoroughness and value for your dollar are only a few of the words that describe me and the services provided. I work for you, the client, and no one else! The first concern is to provide a thorough and accurate home inspection report, as well as making your home inspection experience a pleasant one. I have no affiliations with any other organization, nor company, that does not benefit you. I will never place your welfare below any other concerns, including my own! That's called ethical behavior! I lose business because of this philosophy, but in the end you are the winner and that is what service is about !!

My philosophy of service does not stop with the delivery of your home inspection report. So many service companies perform their service, collect their money and never want to hear from you again, unless of course more money is involved. I believe in maintaining a long term relationship with you, without the incentive of additional money. Do you have a question regarding your home inspection report well after the fact? Contact me and let's discuss it. Do you just have a question regarding your home? Contact me and if I can't answer your questions I will do whatever I can to find the resources you need to answer that question.

If you want an honest and thorough home inspection then you want me! If fancy titles are important to you, then I highly suggest you take the time to check those titles before making your selection. Owning a home is a large investment of time and money and should not be left up to chance or fancy titles. I can certainly dazzle you with titles. But in the end, the only thing that matters is service to you!!

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Why do I need a home inspection?

The importance of a home inspection can not be stressed enough. You need all of the information you can obtain prior to buying the home. Whether you are buying a newly built home or an existing home a professional home inspection can:

- Identify safety issues to protect your family from harm.
- Identify issues to help prevent future costly expenses.
- Provide a condition report to be used for future reference in the maintenance and care of your home.

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Do I need a home inspection on a newly built home?

Without a doubt buying a home is a stressful and demanding endeavor! Buying an existing home takes time and patience to find just the right one. Building a new home adds an entirely new set of concerns, time requirements and level of stress. Your builder wants to build a quality home for you and your real estate agent wants you're home purchase and ownership experience to be satisfactory. Both will do what they can to make your dream come true. But they too are very busy people and limited in what, and the amount of, services they can provide you. Ultimately it is up to you, the new home owner, to ensure you are receiving a well built home!!

Prior to closing on your new home you will perform a final walk through with the builder and/or their agent. During this walk through you will be provided explanations of your home's features, appliances and many other items. But what about the foundation, structural, mechanical and other major systems? These are expected to be in new and prime condition. Sometimes missed issues are present regardless of how many quality control checks are performed. Some of these issues may cause significant inconveniences to correct after you move in, or may be missed before the first phases of your new home warranty period ends.

I can help you relieve these concerns and worries with a final inspection of the building process. This inspection is generally referred to as a "Pre-closing Inspection". These inspections are geared to look for those items and provide you with the opportunity to address them prior to closing and/or moving in. I can also provide additional checks for the many things more cosmetic in nature.

In addition to performing a "Pre-closing Inspection" you may also consider performing a "Warranty Inspection" at the end of your 11th month of ownership.  The Texas government has mandated that all new homes built on and after 1 June 2005 be provided with a warranty by the builder.  You've paid for this warranty and should expect a defect free home.  It is in your best interest to exercise that warranty if needed.  At the end of your 11th month of home ownership I can provide a "Warranty Inspection" to check for defects that have manifested themselves during that first 11 months.

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Do I need an Engineer or a Home Inspector?

You need a Home Inspector! When you hire a Home Inspector, you are hiring a professional who has training and experience in identifying issues within a home. It is the Home Inspector's function to inspect the condition of the house's major systems and to determine how well these systems are working together to identify areas that need to be watched, repaired or replaced. Your Home Inspector is a generalist who specializes in providing an overall analysis of the home you are purchasing. If the Home Inspector identifies the need for a costly, detailed analysis of any of the home's systems or structures, the Home Inspector will recommend you contact the appropriate professional with expertise in analyzing that particular system or part of the home. The need for this kind of expensive, detailed analysis is generally not required so the Home Inspector helps save you time and money.

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How long will the home inspection take, and must I be present?

Each home is unique and deserving of all the time necessary to properly and thoroughly complete the inspection.  There are also unexpected delays that can occur during the home inspection. Under perfect conditions I may be able to complete a home inspection quickly, in as little as two to three hours. However, as we all know, perfect conditions are not encountered often. A home inspection of all areas that can possibly, and safely, be accessed takes time! Also you certainly deserve a thorough report and value for your home inspection fee!

As such it is not appropriate to try and determine how long a home inspection will take to complete. Even the smallest home may require additional time and care to inspect. That is why I try to schedule all full home inspections to start first thing in the morning, when possible, and also do not schedule multiple home inspections each day. If your Home Inspector is quoting specific, quick completion times you should be cautious! This may lead to inspecting to minimums, missing or omitting important items, and a very cursory home inspection. After all, there are only so many hours in each day and to schedule multiple home inspections in one day will require shortcuts to complete all of them, and their reports!

You are always welcome to attend the home inspection during the entire process. However, the process may be quite lengthy in time, depending on the conditions at hand. We do recommend that you allow us to perform the home inspection process first. Just prior to completion I will call you at your designated telephone number and let you know the home inspection will be completed soon. At that time you can meet me at the home and we will perform a thorough review of the findings, with a complete walk around the property, discussing any questions you may have. I have found this to be the least disruptive to your day, help prevent me from missing anything of importance and a more pleasurable experience for you.

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Why won't you quote the life expectancy of systems or components for a home?

Determining the life expectancy of a home's components is a very inexact process. There are too many variables to consider and the results are, at best, a guess of life expectancy. In addition conditions can change very rapidly after an inspection that could change the life expectancy of a home's components. There are also many conditions that can not be seen without disassembly, destructive testing or violating licensing laws of other trades. It would be a significant disservice to you to raise, or lower, your expectations simply to provide what appears to be an added value to your report.

In lieu of providing life expectancy estimates I have chosen, when possible, to provide reference links in your home inspection report for various sources of information. These links will provide information from manufacturers of your home's components, various trade organizations that are specialists in that specific area and other links of interest or use. These are provided to help you better understand your home and how to maintain and extend the life of its components.

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When should I start looking for the services of a Home Inspector?

For home buyers you should begin looking for a Home Inspector when you have decided to start your search for a home. This will allow you to immediately call your chosen Home Inspector when your purchase offer is accepted. It is important that you call your chosen Home Inspector as soon as possible to provide them sufficient time to perform the home inspection, provide you sufficient time to review the home inspection report, and formulate decisions based on the results. If you have chosen a Home Inspector prior to making an offer on a property it would be helpful to notify them of the offer beforehand so that they may plan for your home inspection.

For home sellers I highly recommend you call a Home Inspector before approaching a Real Estate Broker or Agent. This will provide you the opportunity to repair any issues found without interrupting the selling process or allow you and your selling Agent the opportunity to discuss fair and equitable listing details and arrangements. This certainly does not mean that you can not have a home inspection after listing the home for sale. For a home that has had many viewings but no offers or lost deals, a home inspection may uncover issues that could have been overlooked by everyone but the buyers or their Home Inspector.

For homeowners whose new home warranty expires soon, I recommend a home warranty inspection at the end of the second last month of the warranty period. That will provide you time to approach your builder with issues requiring attention.

For homeowners just interested in the condition of their home, I recommend scheduling the home inspection at your earliest convenience.   Some home inspection agencies recommend an annual inspection to keep on top of the home's maintenance requirements. I feel that no one knows their home better than the owner, and the owner should decide on this interval. At no time will I attempt to push recurring maintenance inspections.

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How can I prepare for my home inspection?

To prepare for your home inspection follow these guidelines. If you have any questions please call or email and I will be happy to clarify them. This may seem like a long list of preparation steps, but most are usually already done if the home is currently occupied. These steps will also help the home inspection process proceed smoothly and prevent any surprises from occurring.

-  Make a mental inventory of the home and its systems. When you call I will ask specific questions to understand and prepare for your home inspection. This will
   also help you later during your review of the home inspection report.  These are questions I will ask:

     -  Square foot size of the home (including garage) and any outbuildings (storage sheds, detached garages, etc.)
     -  Number of stories (one, two, etc.)
     -  Type of roofing material, standard shingles, tile, slate, etc.
     -  Utilities in use, i.e. gas, septic system, etc.
     -  Number and type of heating and cooling system (i.e. gas, electric, specialty type system, etc.)
     -  Any other specialty systems in use, i.e. security alarm systems, etc.
     -  Any special amenities, i.e. pool (in ground or above), hot tubs, spas, special appliances, sprinkler system, etc.
     -  Property size and possible property boundary markers if its a larger tract of land (mostly for country property)
     -  If fences bound your property are they yours
     -  Do you have any special requests regarding the inspection

-  If the home is occupied please have the seller provide access to all areas of the property. If areas are locked or not accessible we will not be able to inspect
   them.
-  In addition, if any areas are cluttered or full of storage we will not be able to access the area for inspection. This can include access doors and stairs to attic
   areas, storage rooms, under sink areas, heating and cooling equipment, hot water heaters, and any other areas. To prevent property damage, or physical injuries,
   to those present or after the home inspection, personal belongings, furniture, etc., are not normally physically moved. We will make every effort to access areas
   around these objects.
-  Review the Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC) Standards Of Practice (SOP) to understand what the home inspection process can include. Once you have
   reviewed theSOP formulate your questions and contact me, before the inspection day, for answers or clarifications.
 
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Why do I need a Home Inspector, can't I do it myself?

You may be able to perform a cursory home inspection of the home, but you may also miss or misjudge issues that can be very important to your decision.  After all, you have selected the home for various reasons and may overlook an issue because of your desire to own that home.  As a Professional Real Estate Inspector I am trained and experienced to look for those issues that can be easily overlooked by others.  I will perform an objective and impartial inspection of the home and report on those issues found. This can help provide peace of mind about the home you own, or are about to purchase, and may save you considerable amounts of money
later. The home inspection results can also help you budget for possible repairs that may be needed.

There are those that may have specialized knowledge on one or more components in a home and may be comfortable inspecting those parts themselves. I do understand but highly recommend a full home inspection just to prevent overlooking issues. If you still feel comfortable with your inspection of that particular system or components, then we can discuss the customized home inspection packages to help reduce your home inspection costs.

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How do I justify the cost of a home inspection?

The real answer to this is how can you justify not having a home inspection? Regardless of whether any issues are discovered or not, you now can have the peace of mind knowing what the condition of your home is. With a report of issues found you will be able to discuss these with reputable contractors and budget for repairs and replacements. The report can also become a valuable tool for monitoring your home's condition over time.

There are many reasons for having the home inspected and no real reason for not. Some of the misconceptions are:

-  "But the home is brand new, I'm the first owner and it should not    need an inspection." Even a newly constructed home can have issues and should be inspected
   thoroughly.  All builders want to provide you with a perfect home and they do try to.  However, issues do occur and can be inadvertently overlooked prior to
   closing.  After moving in some these issues may require significant disruptions in your daily life to have the builder correct them.
-  "The home is only a year or two old. What can possibly be wrong with it?" Equipment and material failures may occur at anytime and without warning. Likewise,
   some older homes have withstood the test of time and experienced normal and predictable issues allowing for early detection and repair. The age of a home is not
   a reliable indicator of its potential for issues.
-  "I don't have the money right now to have the home inspected."  There is an old saying "Penny wise but pound foolish". By not having a home inspection today
   you may incur greater costs later for something that may have been found in early stages of failure. If you are purchasing the home you will have to live with, or
   repair, issues that might have been found with a home inspection.

The cost of a home inspection is significantly less than the possible expenses later, and very minor when compared to the value of your home.

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When and how can I expect the results of the home inspection?

The day of your home inspection we will meet with you on site to review the preliminary findings.  I will provide a written inspection report within 24 hours of the home inspection completion. The report will be in Portable Document Format ( .pdf ) and delivered to you via email. Other forms of delivery are available but may be an additional charge due to the additional expense.  If you do not have access to email we can provide the email version to any email address you like.

If your home inspection requires the use of the TREC Form REI-7-2 then your home inspection report will be a combination of the required Texas Real Estate Commission check box/outlined format, with additional items added and in narrative form for issues found.  Color photos are added for items of significance and in areas not normally accessible to you.  If your home inspection is not covered by the TREC rules and regulations you will receive a narrative style report with photo documentation.

You are paying us for an opinion and opinions can not always be expressed with a check box format alone. In addition we will be adding color photographs of issues from areas not normally viewed during a simple walk around the property, i.e. crawlspace photos, etc., and photos we feel are of importance for you to see.

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