As a buyer you want an inspector who at least meets the ASHI membership requirements and who provides an ASHI level home inspection. (Note a few good home inspectors don’t belong to ASHI because ASHI as an association works with the REALTOR association, and REALTORs usually want to avoid thorough home inspections.)

In any case, there is a good virtual inspection tour on the ASHI.org website here: http://www.ashi.org/customers/vhi_tour.asp

The ASHI site is generally a good place to look for a home inspector, but be aware quite a few ASHI members think the real estate agent is their client. The buyer should be their client.

I like Holmes Inspection as a TV show, but Mike Holmes does make some mistakes because he is making a TV show interesting.

This guy, from Canada, describes the whole process very well.

This is the type of guy you want to find to do your Ann Arbor home inspection.

Looking To Buy HUD Homes?
 by: Tom Laing

Buy HUD homes are sometimes the cheapest option available for a common man to own a house. The fact that teachers and police officers could buy HUD homes at 50% off the market value attracts more potential buyers.

Before starting off hunting around to buy HUD homes, let us see what actually a HUD home is? HUD homes are those dwellings that have been acquired by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. When a home owner fails to meet the payments of a HUD insured mortgage, it results in the home getting foreclosed by the mortgage lender. He then transfers the ownership of the house to HUD and collects the money owed to it. HUD homes are then put for sale at the current market rate with the aim of selling it off quickly and recovering the money. It in fact offers a cheap option for those looking to buy HUD homes.

Buy HUD homes options vary from family residences and townhouses, condominiums and other types of residential properties. It is a cheapest and later profitable option to buy HUD homes for common man as well as potential investors. While a common man sees buy HUD homes as a way to earn a house for him and family, an investor taps the economic potential in re-selling it at a higher price to some body ready to buy HUD homes. Other home buyers are motivated in buy HUD homes at below market value because it allows them to acquire a larger home than they could normally afford to purchase.

In fact, any one can buy HUD homes. But in order to buy HUD homes, he/she should have a pre-approved mortgage or is in possession of a verifiable amount of cash for purchase. But the price ranges are such that any low or moderately salaried American can buy HUD homes. And on the race for buy HUD homes, an owner-occupant has preference over other buyers if he/she is deciding to buy HUD homes as his/her primary residence. But this privilege is valid only for a certain period, beyond which the home will be available to other qualified persons looking for buy HUD homes.

In order to buy HUD homes, one can strike the deal only through real estate agents approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Approved agents can submit bids during any day of a week, from which the highest net bid is chosen. If there is no acceptable bid to buy HUD homes, the home is put to new bidding until sold.

On the acceptance of a bid to buy HUD homes, the agent will be notified within 48 hours. The settlement is usually completed within one to two months, during which time financing is arranged and the sale is closed. If you do not close by the settlement date, your earnest money deposit is forfeited else you have to pay for an extension of the sales contract.

For those looking to buy HUD homes, since HUD homes are sold in a ‘as-is’ basis, conducting a professional home inspection before submitting a bid is recommended. The customers who buy HUD homes need to pay for any repairs/maintenance – those expenses would not be paid by HUD. After you buy HUD homes, the selling commission will be paid by HUD only if such a condition is there in your offer.

To buy HUD homes, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development does not provide home loans directly. One can make use of the several insurance mortgage programs available to buy HUD homes.

About The Author

Tom Laing

Providing Business and Real Estate Resources

http://www.BringYourBusinessOnline.com/sitemap.html

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Back with more news for you today. It’s amazing how much good information there is on this stuff out there if you know where to look. Three in particular that I found really valuable were…

Real Estate Investing Tips For Today’s Market | Capstone Home …

The term real estate investing likely brings a number of things to mind. You may think of real estate investing as real estate portfolios and real estate.

What is the cause for bow in this wall? – InspectionNews – Home …

We are looking for a house and we noticed there is a bow in wall. The bow is in the middle. The inspector said he did not think it could be a.

NIFAST Home Inspection Kits | NIFAST Blog

NIFAST Home Inspection Kits. by admin on February 8, 2010. Hey there NIFAST! Ever wonder who is keeping all the NIFAST materials … Home Inspector Scholarship. NIFAST Product of the Month. Pearl Permanent Escape and Rescue Ladder …

Hope you enjoy the read as much as I did and please if you have something to say, use the comments form below to let everyone know your thoughts.

Have a great day!

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You can’t see or smell radon, but it could be in the home you’re buying, selling or building, and it poses a threat to your health. Therefore, it’s important to have a home inspector or other qualified professional test the home for radon levels to determine if repairs are needed that will reduce those levels.

How can you be sure to get reliable test results? First, the testing should be done on the lowest level of the home which is regularly occupied, such as a basement, play area, or area that may be used as a workshop. It’s also important to decide how long the test should take and when it will be done. A short term test requires a minimum of 48 hours. Interference to the testing should be kept to a minimum as well.

Special equipment is needed for radon testing. Your home inspector or other qualified professional radon tester will have equipment suitable for your particular situation. The office that deals with radon issues in the state where you live should have the latest information about the best equipment and methods for testing.

There are passive and active devices for radon testing. Passive devices do not need electricity. Such devices include charcoal canisters, alpha-track detectors, charcoal liquid scintillation devices, and electret ion chamber detectors. Each device must be exposed to the air in the home for a specified period of time, depending on the device’s requirements. They’re then sent to a lab for analysis.

Passive devices can be used for short term or long term testing. They’re generally inexpensive. They may also have features to help deter interference that could adversely affect test results.

Active testing devices require electricity to function. They include continuous radon monitors and continuous working level monitors, which measure and record the amount of radon or its decay products in the air over a period of time. Many of these devices provide a report that will reveal any unusual or abnormal swings in the radon level during the test period. A qualified tester can explain this report to you.

Some of these active devices are specifically designed to deter and detect test interference. There are some technically advanced active devices that offer anti-interference features. Although these tests may cost more, they may give you a more reliable result.

How can test interference be prevented? First, use a test device that frequently records radon or decay product levels to detect unusual swings. Use a motion detector to determine whether the test device has been moved or testing conditions have changed. Use a proximity detector to reveal whether people are in the room, since that could affect the results.

It’s also a good idea to Record the barometric pressure to identify weather conditions which may have affected the test. Also, record the temperature to help determine if doors or windows were opened. Your tester may apply tamper-proof seals to windows to ensure closed house conditions.

It would be a good idea to have the home seller or occupant to sign a non-interference agreement.

Your inspector or qualified radon tester should be knowledgeable about these and any other necessary precautions to make sure your radon test results are reliable.

You’ve carefully selected the home you’re buying. Make sure you’re as careful when selecting your home inspector. Don’t get stuck paying for repairs missed by a quick home inspection. Author David Haigh is a professional home inspector in NJ. Click now to view a free sample report of a New Jersey home inspection.

Article Source:

http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=David_Haigh

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Ok so you might find the next few links interesting. These are from around the web, just random snippets that I’ve picked up in my reading, but I found some very cool information in them. You might too. Here goes…

Home Buyers Have New Option: Paranormal Inspections – Salem-News.Com

Cold spots. Apparitions. Things that go bump in the night. Some of these things can be explained by creaky floorboards, cracked walls or frisky weather. But what if they can't?Before buying a home, inspections usually mean checking the …

service magic – InspectionNews – Home Inspection

Hey guys….got an invite to join servicmagic… has anyone dealt with them? are they worth the time? thanks.

exposed nail heads – InspectionNews – Home Inspection

I see these all the time, but a relocation inspector noted them on one section of the roof and recommended repairs. He missed the rest of the areas.

Hope you enjoy the read as much as I did and please if you have something to say, use the comments form below to let everyone know your thoughts.

Have a great day!

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If preparing to sell your home this is precisely what you want to know to better price your home in the market. On the other side of the coin, from a buyer’s perspective, home inspection lets the buyer know if their paying the right amount of money to buy the home. A good home always fetches a decent rate in the market, and none will be averse to pay that amount to buy that home either. But, a home with issues, structural or otherwise, is not bound to have many takers, and even if somebody comes forward to buy that, they in most likelihood won’t bid for a higher amount.

The inspection should ideally include exterior, plumbing system, the basement or crawlspace, electrical system, furnace and air conditioning, kitchen, doors, windows, fireplace, roof and attic. Inspectors usually start with different parts of the home, such as from outside to inside and then to the terrace and tank etc. The bottom line is not to confuse things or miss any part of the home amid inspection that is critical in determining the homes overall condition. It is also a good idea to walk around and see if anything catches your eye before the professional home inspector arrives. Finding simple deficiencies yourself can shorten the home inspection report.

Finally, before calling in any home inspector, ensure that he holds a valid home inspector license. Home inspection is an art, which also requires thorough technical knowledge about a lot of things and loads of prior experience. A novice or trainee may not be able to do the job perfectly, especially if it is quite a big home with lots of rooms to assess. In other words, it is always better to have somebody who is an expert in the trade.

I’m a certified Home Inspector, see my new Home Safety Handbook..complete with Tips, Guides and a do-it-yourself Home Radon testing kit by clicking here.

Article Source:

http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_Fordyce

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How To Avoid Seller Misrepresentation When Buying A Home

Due to the struggling market, some home buyers are finding that seller dishonesty is on the rise; although it has always been a factor to be aware of in home sales, the troubled market is resulting in some sellers trying their best to convince potential buyers to buy their home, even if they have to fudge a little on the details.

Common lies are often financial; sellers may mislead prospective buyers about the cost of their monthly utilities or annual taxes so that they think that the home is more affordable. To verify costs, ask to see the past few months utility bills and take a trip down to the tax assessor’s office to see for yourself what the tax situation is.

Some home sellers exaggerate the dimensions of a home or lot to make it look more appealing or because they actually don’t know the exact dimensions. Unfortunately, when the lender’s appraisal comes in and the dimensions that were previously quoted are wrong, some home buyers might decide that their offer is too high or that the sellers could be lying about other things as well.

Another type of lie—probably of omission—might include the neighbourhood dynamic particularly in regards to the families that live in the houses surrounding the home for sale. If you were selling your home due to an unbearable next door neighbour, you probably wouldn’t tell anyone who was coming to look at your home about that. The best foil for this type of lie is to do a little footwork on your own and talk to the surrounding neighbors to get an idea of the community atmosphere.

Bank-owned homes often aren’t required to come with a full disclosure so be very wary when buying foreclosure homes. While most states have laws about disclosure, some lack of disclosure is likely to come from the seller just not knowing about a particular issue. Unless there is physical evidence, a seller might not know about an issue ready to become a big deal like a leak about to form or a termite problem in the making. Your best way to protect yourself against problems like this is to invest in an extensive home inspection that covers mold, pest, and radon testing.

To help protect yourself when you buy any property, you should always hire a buyer’s agent to represent you; your best interest is protect
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ed in particular when you hire a Realtor® who is held to a higher standard of ethics than a real estate agent. Always be a bit skeptical when you’re buying a new home anyways, and assume that the costs are going to be a little higher so that you can avoid any nasty surprises.

By: Brandy Coffey

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Find an expert Sarasota realtor on InSarasotaRealEstate.com and take a virtual tour down the Florida coast. Discover Osprey FL homes for sale and other waterfront communities along the way.

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