SHI has lowered the fee for a home inspection of up to four bedrooms including a basement. It used to be $500 and now it is $425 with no extra travel fees or hidden costs for any location in Suffolk County NY! Because of inflation, this price will not be indefinite. So call at the time of your inspection to verify the current price. Give us a call at 631 377 2046.
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My youngest son really loves his Buzz Lightyear toy. When you pull the string on the toy Buzz says, “To infinity, and beyond!” Like Buzz, we also don’t like limitations. SHI performs inspections throughout Suffolk County, so, if you are buying a house and need an immediate home inspection, don’t hesitate to call us at 631 377 2046.
And, here’s a little trivia for you. Toy Story was the first fully computer-generated full-length feature film. Each frame took 4 to 13 hours to create. A good and thorough home inspection also takes time, at least two hours. But you as the buyer do not need to be present. Because you want your family to be safe and to buy a home in good condition, a quality pre-purchase home inspection is a wise choice.
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There have been some aftershocks of Hurricane Sandy in the real estate market that have been noted in the aftermath of the storm. For example, homes that had already been inspected have been reinspected – just in case there were any fresh damages caused by the storm. A press release from the Business Journals site describes the situations:
“Many home sales as well as contracts that are in progress will be put on hold until homes can be inspected or re-inspected for damages caused by the hurricane. If you’re selling your home, don’t be surprised if a buyer interested in your property wants a second inspection of your home. And if your home is under contract, be aware that properties in areas impacted by the hurricane may require another appraisal by the mortgage lender. Estimates at property damage range from $60 billion to as much as $90 billion to date on homes in seven states.”
The site lists a number of other factors as well: Fewer homes are listed, sales contracts are being put on hold, fewer people are looking to buy homes near the damaged areas, lower home prices, and, as a plus, there are lower interest rates. The article offers a summary of the situation:
“Hurricane Sandy has inflicted much damage to homes and businesses along the East Coast. It would be difficult to overstate the devastation of this storm,” Habib says. “To some, the storm could bear some bad news extending well beyond property damage. For potential homebuyers, lower home prices and continued low interest rates may offer a small silver lining to an otherwise distressing situation. Ultimately, buyers who were on the fence may find that the cost of purchasing a home has become even more attractive,” Habib says. “That means good news for both homebuyers and home sellers.”
Hurricane Sandy changed the landscape in more ways than one. I pray that the victims of the tragedy find a sense of peace and the help they need in this time of great need. About 50 members of Grace Presbyterian Church, who were able to go on a Saturday, went on a bus to Breezy Point, NY in order to help victims with the clean up of their homes. That’s the context of the photo of damages included in this post.
Tags: increased home inspections after Sandy, two inspections common after Sandy
According to CBS News, about 150,000 homes on Long Island, New York still do not have power. The storm was on the 29th of October. Today is November 11th. That’s about two weeks without electricity. I’m quite certain that most of those 150, 000 homeowners who still have no power have considered every possible manner of winterizing their houses for maximum warmth. And, even if you have have no break in your electricity, it’s never too late to winterize your home.
There are a number of websites that offer good advice on why and how to winterize various aspects of your house. Rather than reinvent the wheel, I’ve outlined what some of the top-rated articles have to offer and then added my additional two cents worth in the summary.
I. The Boston Globe summarizes, How to winterize your home: A procrastinator’s manual with 8 tips
Some notable tips include, 1) Make sure that your windows are all locked, which ensures the weather seal is tight. 2) Insulate the wood rim joist that separates the foundation from the upper wood framing. Most homes are uninsulated here. 3) Make sure the fireplace flue is closed when not in use. Even if you use your fireplace regularly, you can close it when not in use and add a note to the fireplace mantle.
II. MSN Real Estate offers, 10 ways to winterize your home — now
Again, some of these may seem obvious, but you don’t want to overlook them. 1) Clean the gutters. When snow and ice build up on your roof, the last thing you want is to have your gutters clogged so the eventual thawing water has no outlet. 2) Reverse ceiling fans. If you have high cathedral ceilings, all the warm air is up at the ceiling. Taking time to reverse the fan direction for the winter makes sense. 3) Use window coverings. MSN recommends thin plastic films. Personally, I would rather have some nice heavy wall curtains or insulated roll-down blinds. I’ve done some work installing European-style curtains and it seems it was not just the aesthetic that governed the use of the thick, lush fabrics of wall-height curtains.
III. About.com summarizes, Winterizing Your Home: Preparing Your Home for Winter
This website paints the picture of home winterization with a broad brush. 1) Empty gas from lawnmowers. Gas attracts water, which actually can produce harmful microbes and such in a gas tank and engine. Today’s gasoline has ethanol, which attracts even more water. If you don’t empty it, use a marine-type gas stabilizer in order to condition gas in any tank so it is ready for winter. 2) Trim trees and branches. If you were just hit with hurricane Sandy, it may already be too late for this advice, However, if you have some branches dangling over your house, now would be a good time to have them cut because a sever ice storm may be just around the corner. It may be work cutting down entire trees that may fall on your house. 3) Prepare emergency items. Again, if you’ve been a victim of a hurricane, you may have realized this need in hindsight. Emergency flashlights, batteries, matches, emergency water, canned/dry food. These are all common items. But you may want to take it a step further and get some wick laps that burn low-smoke oils (with some oil, of course), a generator, plenty of gasoline in 5 gallon jugs, a wood-burining stove, and, just in case, a bug-out bag, just in case you have to flee from your warm and cozy home due to some emergency situation.
A couple of options these articles overlooked include, firstly, winterizing the hatch to your attic. This is perhaps the greatest source of heat loss in many homes. Secondly, if you have the money and a flair for unique interior designs, consider beautiful cloth wall coverings in the rooms of your home. Many old European homes have unitized cloth wall surface coverings, sometimes known as wall fabric. It may have helped to cover cracking plaster, but you can choose it for its insulation value and its unique aesthetic. The installation may include a foam underlayment which will give a room an added warm and an extra sense of peace and quiet. This website offers some classic visual examples. A home in the Hamptons utilized Thibaut grasscloth wall covering, which may also be used on an insulated under-lament.
If you have procrastinated, it’s not too late to take some measures to winterize your home. Because I have a degree in architecture and design, and experience in interior design as well, I can also help you with selecting and implementing cloth wall coverings for your home. Why not winterize your home with a little bit of style?
Tags: tips for winterizing home, how to winterize you house, prepare your house for winter, make energy efficient house, most effective insulating techniques, winterize your home with style,
Thumb image of un-winterized home from Boston Globe.
As the winter season approaches and energy costs increase, people may be wondering, “What is the greatest source of heat-energy loss in a typical home?” and “How can I save on heating bills?” The answer is quite simple, “Air infiltration is the greatest source of heat-energy loss and a few simple solutions can help dramatically.” As a licensed home inspectors, we have been trained to detect problem situations that may be noted on a report and remedied by home sellers and potential home buyers.
The greatest source of air infiltration in a typical home is the hatch that leads up to the attic. In cold climates, this hatch can be a problem because attics are typically insulated on the floor and the hatch door is usually just a thin piece of uninsulated plywood. This is not good. There are at least three remedies for this situation.
Firstly, an insulated hatch cover that rests upon the hatch area above would be a first line of defense against the cold. Weather stripping at the connection between the hatch door and the surrounding floor is also important. Attached is a photo of a simple loose-fitting insulated hatch door cover that simply rests on top of the hatch area, as noted in photo from Sustainable Life Solutions.
Secondly, an insulated cover can be placed underneath the existing stair hatch to offer another line of defense. This product in the photo is also provided by the same company. This additional hatch cover has a finished look and is ready to install.
Thirdly, weather stripping may be applied at all locations where edges of closing pieces meet together, including the original plywood door connection, the insulated hatch cover above and on the edges of the lower hatch cover.
These simple solutions can help to save money on energy bills in winter. Other sources of thermal drafts include fireplaces, AC wall units and outlets that are poorly insulated. SHI can visit your home and give you a high-tech energy inspection using the latest infrared technology to determine the sources of heat loss in your home.
Tags: greatest source of energy loss in home, Infrared home energy inspections, how to save on heating bills, home energy conservation,