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Welcome to Money Matters, a podcast that focuses on how to use the money you have. Make the money you need, and save the money you want. Now, here is your host, Miss Kim Chapman.
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Host Kim Chapman
Hello and welcome to another edition of Money Matters. I'm your host, Kim Chapman. I really appreciate that you find value in the things we discuss on this show. And as long as you're going to keep coming back to listen, I'm going to have some good content for you. So hit the subscribe button so you won't miss another episode.
So what is my quote for today? Don't trust everything you see. Even salt looks like sugar. Has that ever happened to you? You were misled by the appearance of something. It looked perfect to the naked eye, but a closer look revealed a completely different story. Okay, I'm not talking about the substance on the rim of your margarita glass.
I'm referring to home inspections. If you or someone you know is thinking about buying a home, you don't want to miss what my guests have to say today. So who do I have? Adam and Adam. That's going to make my job a lot easier because I won't get confused about who I'm talking to. It's for them to figure out who I'm talking to. But basically, they come to us from House Call home inspections and they're going to tell us some good information about what a home inspection is. So welcome, gentlemen.
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Adam W.
How you doing?
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Host Kim Chapman
So, Adam, number one, you're the owner. Give us a little bit of information about your business. How did you even get into this business?
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Adam W.
Like I say, I'm the home, the owner of House Call Home Inspections. I started doing this in 2015 and it just seemed like a like a cool thing that the area need it. So I got into it and we've just grown it from there.
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Host Kim Chapman
Okay, awesome. And so you've been working with him for how long? We're going to go with. So we've got Adam. That's Adam. What's and then we have Adam the four.
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Adam D.
Yeah. I've been working with House Call for about two years now. Kind of a similar situation to the other. Adam just kind of seemed like a a good thing to do for the community and a been kind of growing on it ever since.
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Host Kim Chapman
All right. So let's start with the basics. Walk us through what what is a home inspection?
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Adam W.
Well, a home inspection. Let's say, about 90% of the time we get a phone call from a client wanting us to go inspect the home that they're about to purchase. So we'll go over there. We'll go over the major components of the home, go over it with the client. So they get an overall picture of of what they're buying in different deficiencies.
There's always going to be some that they need to take care of before they buy it or at least know about it so they can handle it whenever they do purchase the home.
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Host Kim Chapman
Okay. So is this just for homebuyers? The only people that usually get a home inspection?
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Adam W.
No. A lot of times the seller will give us a call and they're about to list their house. So we will go there and do a pre inspection prior to them listing it so they can knock out some of those bigger items before the buyer comes along and forces them to ask them to do it. You know, during the homebuying process.
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Adam D.
It's kind of smooths the whole thing out.
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Host Kim Chapman
Okay. So since I guess we're still in a seller's market, so walk through what what would you do for a seller?
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Adam W.
For a seller? We would we would go over there. We would go over the Roof Structure Foundation, the electrical, the plumbing, all the readily available items that we can we can see. We're going to go over those things. If there's a damaged roof or anything to peel paint, we're going to go over those things and give them a list of things to take care of, you know, before they put it on the market.
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Host Kim Chapman
So you're up there climbing on the roof? Absolutely. So what time what types of things do you see or are you able to identify that if I just kind of step back or get on the ladder myself? What are you going to see that you think the typical homeowner wouldn't be able to identify? Why shouldn't we just kind of go through and get on a ladder? Why should we pay somebody to do this information? What are you able to pick up in the take that you don't think consumers are able to find?
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Adam W.
Well, we can get whenever you get on the roof and look at different things, we can see, you know, the where of the roof, if there's any any damage to the shingles, the flashing, anything like that. Some things typical homeowner just isn't going to know exactly what they're looking at for the most part.
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Host Kim Chapman
What's the most common thing that you find in terms of, you know, at least just with the roof.
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Adam D.
With the roof, the damaged or missing shingles lifted flashing this or or missing flashing or even all that kind of stuff can contribute to a roof leak. So those are always things we're looking out for.
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Host Kim Chapman
Okay, so let's keep it since we're already on the outside of the house, what are some other things that as you're walking through in terms of from a self perspective, what are some things that you're going to point out to them that they may need to get up to par?
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Adam D.
There's like excessive landscaping or like a bunch of trees or plants growing like right on side of the side of the house or cracks on the sides of the house, stuff like that. For the outside of the house, we're also looking at the slab and stuff like that, looking for foundation issues.
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Host Kim Chapman
So excessive landscaping that I'm trying to picture my front of my house. Excessive. Can you give us a little more information? What makes it excessive or what makes it problematic?
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Adam D.
Like if you just have plants just growing all up on the sides of the house and or just trees, I've seen some trees growing, just touching the house, stuff like that. And all of those can really mess with the with the structure of the building and mainly trees and stuff. Just what they do is they block sunlight from it in the house and that's what really wears out your roof and stuff like that.
Not to mention dropping things on the roof, they can kind of lower the lifespan of your roof. So all those are kind of things we pay attention to.
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Host Kim Chapman
Okay, so we've got the roof. We've got the landscaping. And then you mentioned even the foundation.
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Adam D.
Yes. We pay close attention to just about every visual aspect of the house.
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Host Kim Chapman
So what? So what are some of the things that you're actually looking for? So I know that I can remember decades ago looking for a house. I remember a realtor saying, hey, if you see cracks in the brick, you know, there were some tips that she was able to provide. But what are some other things that if you have a consumer that's just, you know, the seller and they're looking themselves, what sort of things should they specifically be looking for on the outside?
That may be an indication of foundation issues.
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Adam W.
They were like cracks in the brick, different things like that, separation from the from your windows to your brick trim or whatever type of trim you have. There's any kind of separation there. But it has to go along with with other things that go along with the entire house. Sometimes you can have a crack in your brick, and it doesn't mean that the whole house is about to fall down and we have to get foundation people and all that.
So you can't have cracks without being a major foundation issue. And we try to explain that to the buyer or the seller that, you know, if it is, do we want to get that foundation company to come out and check this out or do we just need to fix it cosmetically?
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Host Kim Chapman
So what can you think of maybe the worst case scenario you were saying with the foundation? Because I think of a house that I looked at years ago, I remember them listing it for sale and it just seemed too good to be true. Right, because it had perfect square footage. You could see the pictures and of course in the pictures you couldn't see anything.
When we got to the house, you could literally see that there was a crack in the middle of the floor throughout the whole house.
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Adam W.
Yeah, I mean, sometimes there is a a crack on the especially with stained concrete things like that. Just because you have a crack and just layer does not mean that it's a foundation problem. You're going to have a crack somewhere. That's why the we try to explain that, especially when it is a stained concrete situation, something like that.
There's going to be a crack somewhere and does not necessarily mean that it's a foundation problem. And we try to put the pieces together on figuring out if it is a foundation problem or if it's not.
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Host Kim Chapman
Okay. So anything else on the outside before we move inside?
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Adam W.
A lot of things like we were talking about the landscaping and things like that. That's also if your source too high on your slab, you want to get that down to where we can see the slab, about four inches. We are a pest control company too. So it does allow for termites and things like that to get in.
And if we can't see it, there's no way to know if if they're getting in there or not. So that's one thing that's important. You want to be to see your slab all the way around the house, keep your shrubs, things like that away from it, prevent pest from getting into the house.
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Host Kim Chapman
So I know that you also that's kind of on the checklist that I that I looked up looking for termites. So what are some signs of somebody is walking around the house? What would be an indication? Is there something that the naked eye could see or at least an untrained professional and that would indicate that there might be termites?
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Adam D.
You'll typically see, at least on the outside of the house and sometimes on the inside you'll see they kind of look like tunnels, like ants would build, except whereas ants use that just kind of looks like dirt. Termites, termite tunnels look more like mud. It's very tough. It's almost like concrete. So they can't stay out in the open.
They dry out and it kills them. So they have to stay in those little mud tunnels. So what they do is they kind of tunnel up and you'll see it on the slab as they're going to deciding at the house.
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Adam W.
And most home inspections, most of them especially counties, can't legally tell you if you do have termites or not. So you have to have a pest control company in order to relay the message to the buyers or the sellers and provide them with the right paperwork, saying if they do or do not have termites. So that's one thing.
Not all home inspection companies can do that.
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Host Kim Chapman
Okay. So it's more or less an indication that, hey, this is a sign of it, but you have to get a professional weed control.
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Adam W.
We can house call can.
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Host Kim Chapman
Okay.
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Adam W.
But most other home inspection companies cannot.
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Host Kim Chapman
Okay, so let's work on the inside. What are some things that you know from when you first pull up in the driveway? What should a seller, what should a buyer be looking for in terms of is this going to be my dream home?
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Adam D.
Anything from just looking around for obvious like cosmetic issues, like there's any sag in materials at like, for instance, at a carport or anything like that. We see that pretty frequently just the cosmetic damage any live in where the house and then running all the fixtures of the house for sinks and stuff like that just to make sure.
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Host Kim Chapman
That you mean turning on the faucets. Exactly. And so what are we looking for? So if water's coming out, what else should we be looking for? Does it take a long time to drain? What are some of those specific.
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Adam D.
Yeah, like anything slow drain, slow draining fixtures or leaks at the handles or sometimes the shower head can go crazy spray water everywhere if it's not installed properly. Leak in the toilet. There's another one that happens pretty frequently. The tank will start leaking all over the floor and all these plumbing issues can kind of build up to be pretty pricey.
So it's always good to kind of look at those. But my top three is usually Roof Foundation and AC, though. Those are the three things that are typically the most expensive.
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Host Kim Chapman
Okay. And so I'm just thinking about the water. And you're saying leaking tubs, I imagine as a buyer, a potential buyer, you're probably just going to turn it down for a minute. So are you really detailed? How long does an inspection take?
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Adam W.
An inspection will take 2 hours on up usually. And like I said, when we run the water, we run it for a a decent amount of time and then we're making sure that everything's draining at the a reasonable a reasonable speed and making sure there's no leaks, anything like that. A lot of times, if it's not draining, it could be just something right there in the pit trap or something, or it could be a bigger problem in the ground.
And that's when it can start getting a little bit more pricey.
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Host Kim Chapman
All right. So is there a checklist that you guys users there checklist that you would recommend to buyers and sellers to use if, you know, if they're getting ready to put their house on the market, if somebody is coming in to look at their house.
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Adam D.
Yeah, more or less. I mean, we have a checklist, but we're also going into far more detail than most people would. The like the appliances basically looking for anything that's broken or annoying or of course, the number one thing is safety. Anything that appears to be unsafe is obviously the the first thing that should be fixed.
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Host Kim Chapman
So do you guys use like infrared cameras? Are there things that you're able to detect, maybe see on the other side of the wall, the sheetrock that again, as a homebuyer or just a consumer we would not be able to see.
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Adam W.
We don't really use infrared cameras. We do you know, we do do video pipe where we can run cameras down in the drains. And you can see a very clear picture of what's going on underground down and different things like that. We also can do air quality tests and things along those lines.
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Host Kim Chapman
Okay. And the AC, especially if you're in Louisiana, you mentioned that's one of your top three. So what should consumers again, what should they be looking for? And then what are you looking for when you go out and inspect the AC
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Adam D.
Just obviously just making sure everything appears to be run and would be something that they can take a look at themselves, but also do a temperature check. I'll look at the the room temperature air at the return vent, and then I'll go around the house looking at all the supply vents and kind of look at the difference between the air that's going to the AC and the air that's coming out of the supply to see how well it's cooling the home.
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Host Kim Chapman
And so what do you do basically in the air? What does a report look like? If I hire you to do an inspection, what should I expect to get back from you? Is it going to be some verbal information? Is it going to be a detailed report? Is it going to be like when I take my car, they tell me everything that I don't want to know when I just came in for all change.
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Adam D.
It's kind of similar to that. Yeah, it's a very detailed report, 30 or 40 page report. It'll have all the deficiencies that we come across at the house, as well as just general information on and pictures like data plates of the AC heater, stuff like that, which is good to have. Just so you know how old these units are and all the pictures that we take, a bunch of pictures of any deficiencies that we might find.
And we we also write it all out. So it's also a written report.
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Host Kim Chapman
So is it a pass or fail? Can a house pass or fail an inspection? Or how should I interpret the information that you have, you know, in terms of should I go forward, this house is good to go, would I be able to understand the information that's in the report?
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Adam D.
Yeah, absolutely. It's not our our reports in terms of us, it's not really a pass or fail. It's more just providing information to the client so that they are better prepared to make that decision to whether or not to invest in the home. So just having that information on hand is just always handy when you're going into homebuying or the negotiation process or the of the transaction.
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Host Kim Chapman
All right. So speaking of the process, when is the best time, when should at home inspection be done? When you first go out and visit, when you're ready to put a bid in where is the price? The best time to contact you guys and say, hey, I'm looking at buying this house. When should I have you come out?
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Adam W.
Well, here in Louisiana, most time, how it works is the the agent and the buyer will you know, they'll sign a contract. It's accepted. You know, everybody's happy. They have a ten day inspection period. And then we'll go in within those ten days. They'll schedule an appointment with us. In those ten days, we'll go in there and tell them what's going on.
They will get a look at a summary report and a full report. The summary reports going to break it all down for them on what is a deficiency in which just general information on the house and then we pass that along to the buyer and then they make their decision for what we we supply them with.
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Host Kim Chapman
So who typically contacts you? Who really hires you? Is it the buyer? Is it the seller or even are you contacted, contracted by financial institutions that may be looking to finance the home?
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Adam D.
We're typically contacted by the clients or or their real estate agents that are speaking for them. And then once we get that phone call, we can set it up and get the inspection scheduled so we can get on out there and take a look at the house.
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Host Kim Chapman
So if I'm looking to buy a house and the seller says, Hey, I've already had an inspection done, here it is, should I trust that? Would you recommend I get my own inspection?
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Adam W.
I would not trust that. I mean, because and the main thing is you don't if they just did it, that's that's one thing. But a lot of times, even if they did just do it, the seller may have came along and fix some of those issues and things like that. So it may not be a real true picture on on what that house is at that particular moment.
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Host Kim Chapman
I'm glad you mentioned it. So if I go to a house and let's just say for the sake of the show that it fails an inspection and the seller is like, okay, well, I'm going to get these things fixed. Do you guys go back out and re-inspected and then is it a separate charge for that?
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Adam D.
Yes, we can go out for re inspect for re-inspection just to see if the repairs are looking good. And then we always suggest as well that the client get together all the receipts, warranty information and paperwork on those repairs. If they were if they were done by the qualified licensed professional as well as another backup.
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Host Kim Chapman
I guess this question is going to be slightly biased, but how do you determine what's a good inspect? If I'm looking for an inspector, what should I be looking for? Are you license? Are you bonded? What sort of things should I be looking for if I'm just going to Google it?
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Adam W.
Oh yeah. You want to know if they're license and all that kind of good stuff for sure. We do have a board that we're regulated by the Louisiana State Board of Home Inspectors. You can pull up what inspectors are licensed. And if you are licensed, the board is going to surely make sure that you are insured as well.
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Host Kim Chapman
So in terms of that, what are some other things that I could look for? Prices, what's a price range? What's a good average cost for an inspection these days?
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Adam W.
That's a for a, you know, a typical around, you know, 1400 square feet, something like that, that around 350 bucks and then it just depends if you want to have the video pipe inspection, if you want to have the mold inspection, and then they just kind of go up from there, everybody's kind of within a decent number from each other.
So pricing, if somebody comes along and says they're going to inspect your house for 100 bucks, I would I would be leery.
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Host Kim Chapman
Okay. And are typically the homeowners two sellers, are they there? Do they walk along with you or is that something that you prefer not to have somebody looking over your shoulder? Walk us through what that process looks like kind of from start to finish.
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Adam W.
A lot of times the buyer and the agent will come if we're doing a, you know, regular inspection. And if whenever they come, they're welcome to to follow us around. If they like, we try to get them to follow us in the attics. We don't want anybody to get hurt. You know, they're welcome to ask any questions. And once we're done with the inspection, we're going to sit there and we're going to go over every little thing with them.
They're going to know exactly what's going on. We're going to go over it with the pictures and all that stuff. So everybody is on the same page. On what's going on with the House.
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Host Kim Chapman
So in terms of inspections and I imagine you do most of them here in the south or there are typical problems that you find more in the south that you might not find somewhere else?
00;18;41;20 - 00;19;02;16
Adam W.
Well, I mean, we have a lot more termites and things like that. Termites are a big deal. And in Louisiana, foundation problems can be an issue. And also just with water intrusion, things like that, mold, mildew, possible organic growth and different things along those lines that just come with with the great state of Louisiana.
00;19;02;26 - 00;19;09;07
Host Kim Chapman
All right. So what's really at risk if somebody decides that, hey, I don't want to get an inspection, what's really at risk here?
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Adam D.
There might be latent defects that they just they're not able to detect whenever they go into the negotiation process, they and they'd be kind of flying blind, if that makes sense. For instance, you might if they didn't detect a certain issue that wasn't visible or I'm sorry, that that they just don't have the qualifications to detect they might move into the home and encounter an unforeseen issue that they might have been able to avoid had they gotten the home inspection.
00;19;37;26 - 00;19;57;19
Host Kim Chapman
Okay. And you mentioned a negotiation process, and I know I've read that. Of course, let's just say maybe the roof needs a little bit of work. So you may be able to negotiate in terms of, okay, knock this price out. Are you guys the ones that are going to recommend how much they should knock off? Are they going to have to go to a roofer or to somebody that specializes in the area where there was a deficiency?
00;19;57;26 - 00;20;14;18
Adam D.
Yes. So we would typically refer them to a roof and professional, since they're the specialist in that field and they can give them a more accurate quote in terms of the roof work that that they may or may not need. Yeah, we're actually we don't really give the quotes out just because all the contractors charge different prices and so on, so forth.
So that'd be the best place to ask.
00;20;17;22 - 00;20;27;10
Host Kim Chapman
Are there certainly facts that you look for that say a seller is required? Are there any defects that a seller is required to disclose if they're putting their house on the market?
00;20;27;18 - 00;20;44;06
Adam D.
Like of course, if they've had any termite issues, they're typically required to disclose that or if the house flooded, that's another thing they're typically required to disclose. I mean, just do it any defect that they're that's that they're not that they know about, they're technically required to disclose that.
00;20;44;09 - 00;20;53;21
Host Kim Chapman
Is there any one thing that you almost certain to have on your list to check off that that needs repair, needs attention to? That's just a common issue when you do inspections.
00;20;54;13 - 00;21;15;06
Adam W.
And these are in there a good bit simply, even if the calls are dirty, anything like that, you're supposed to go have your AC cleaned and serviced every year. And if we see that that hasn't been done, we do recommend that that that gets done before the the buyer moves in and all that good stuff so that they're they know that their AC is is working as best as it can work at that particular time.
And there's always other little issues that are always go along with the AC. So that's that's in there a good bit just because not many people have their AC is actually serviced and cleaned every year. I know. I don't know. So I.
00;21;28;01 - 00;21;28;16
Adam D.
Don't either.
00;21;29;14 - 00;21;45;11
Host Kim Chapman
So are there things that you find that people try to cover up and, you know, they try to cover up before you arrive? What kind of things are people you like? You mentioned the AC. Maybe I washed it right before you showed up. And that may have nothing to do with whether it works in that. But you see it in it's clean.
What kind of things do you think people try to disguise or hide or kind of do a snow job on?
00;21;50;25 - 00;22;13;01
Adam D.
I've seen people try to take the the data plates like off the AC to hide the fact that they were 20 years old or whatever or like what you said, some of them try to clean up the coils and the AC right before the inspection, but that's another reason why we or at least I checked the temperature, the temperature at all the vents to see exactly how much cold air is coming out of there and stuff like that.
I've seen all kinds of stuff.
00;22;14;24 - 00;22;16;14
Host Kim Chapman
And it's in any stories you want to share.
00;22;16;14 - 00;22;33;15
Adam W.
With? Well, I mean, we've had sellers try to knock down termite trails and things like that. And and then, you know, we come and do the inspection. They're going to come back within a couple of days. But we can we can usually tell if those things have happened and we'll find them.
00;22;34;05 - 00;22;52;18
Host Kim Chapman
So there's a lot of new construction going on. And I've seen stories, unfortunately, of, you know, big name builders that are not building homes up to, you know, up to par. So ideally we think, oh, I'm getting a brand new house and nothing is going to be wrong with it. So, one, if you're getting a new house, did you have an inspection?
And if you're in the process of building it, would you recommend having an inspector come through periodically just to make sure things are up to par?
00;23;00;03 - 00;23;20;19
Adam W.
Yeah, we do a lot of new construction inspections of a lot of them and it is a good idea to have it done now that the city's going to have their guy go out. But they're there, you know, during the, you know, putting the slab, doing the framework, different things like that. And then once it we get there after sheetrock is up and, you know, it's almost ready.
So we look at a lot more things. It could be all the way from just cosmetic and will help the client make their checklist on things to help to get buttoned up prior to closing and or it could go all the way from, you know, the roof. Was it put on, right. You know, you know, maybe more major things like that.
Or it could be anywhere from just pure pain.
00;23;43;03 - 00;23;46;25
Host Kim Chapman
So where do you find the most problems? New construction. Oh, construction.
00;23;46;25 - 00;23;47;14
Adam W.
Oh, construction.
00;23;47;18 - 00;23;49;21
Host Kim Chapman
Construction. And hands down.
00;23;49;27 - 00;23;50;11
Adam W.
And head.
00;23;50;12 - 00;24;01;03
Host Kim Chapman
Down. So what is your best piece of advice for somebody, whether it's the buyer or whether it's the seller? What is your best piece of advice in terms of home inspections for sellers?
00;24;01;18 - 00;24;18;00
Adam D.
Getting a pre inspection wouldn't be a bad idea for sellers just to kind of button up any issues that they may not know about before actually getting into the transaction process and negotiations and all that kind of stuff. It just kind of makes the whole thing go a little smoother because then they won't get blindsided by something they weren't expecting.
And for the buyer, I mean, the more information you have about the home you're investing in, the better for the same reasons so that you're not getting blindsided by anything whenever you move in. Just all those things kind of help to make sure that the client makes a good investment and they're happy when they move into their new home.
00;24;35;00 - 00;24;53;28
Host Kim Chapman
Okay. Are you guys ever held liable in terms of, you know, you came out to an inspection and everything looks good. I bought a house and six weeks later, water is leaking out the house. You know, the lights are flickering everywhere. What type of liability do you guys have as home inspectors?
00;24;54;05 - 00;25;17;06
Adam W.
We are liable. That's why we you know, we have our insurance, all that kind of good stuff. And that's why you need to make sure they're licensed through the board before you. You hire anybody if it's something blatant, like the roofs falling apart and we just, you know, didn't feel like looking at it. It's things like that that we're held liable for if your dishwasher breaks, you know, three months later or, you know, that's life.
You know, you're you're you're a homeowner now. But if it's things that were were blatantly done because we didn't do our job correctly, then yes, we are liable.
00;25;27;13 - 00;25;39;07
Host Kim Chapman
Should people even get second opinions when they do home inspectors? Is that something you ever get called to say? Hey, I had a home inspector come out. This is what he said. Would you mind coming to look behind this person?
00;25;39;23 - 00;25;47;17
Adam W.
I mean, yeah, if that's what the client wants to do, that's fine. Whatever makes them feel comfortable, you know, that's that's completely up to them.
00;25;47;26 - 00;25;49;22
Host Kim Chapman
All right. Any final thoughts for our listeners?
00;25;50;00 - 00;26;04;25
Adam W.
You know, we recommend getting a getting a home inspection, whether you're the seller or the buyer. Everybody wants to wants to know what they're getting into or what they're getting out of and make sure that, you know, you're not blindsided at some particular point in the whole process.
00;26;04;27 - 00;26;06;16
Host Kim Chapman
And where can I listeners find you?
00;26;07;05 - 00;26;15;13
Adam W.
You can find us at House Call, USA Dot net. You can schedule everything there. We're all over the state, Louisiana, so we can help you no matter where you're at.
00;26;15;24 - 00;26;38;15
Host Kim Chapman
There you have it. You heard it from Adam. And Adam. Get those home inspections. It's going to be really critical if you're looking to purchase or sell a home.
The Money Minute -
Purchasing a home is probably one of the biggest investments you will ever make. So you don't want to leave the condition up to chance. Consider the following tips to make the best possible choice.
Use a home inspection checklist. When you're viewing properties you're interested in, it can save you a lot of headache in the long run. Take notes and pictures of anything you see that may need addressing because hey, if you rely on your memory, it may fail you. Then your home will fail you too. And then nothing is too small to mention.
Trust your instinct. If something doesn't seem right, get with an inspector, have them check it out. Better safe than sorry. And then check out neighbors FCU that org for slash financial education. To learn more on how to use the money you have, make the money you need and save the money you want.