Phoenix Area Home Inspection Blog

Don’t Forget The Gas!

Josh — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 15:44:36 +0000

To perform a thorough Phoenix Home Inspection we need to have all of the utilities on to the home. All houses have water and electricity so those usually get turned on, but gas is a different story. It’s all too common to get to the house and find the gas turned off and locked by the gas company. On vacant homes many listing agents or sellers will not turn on the gas, citing liability reasons.

The gas being off prevents us from checking certain items in the home including the furnace, water heater, gas stove, gas fireplaces, gas pool heaters and anything else that needs it.

So just a friendly reminder, please verify if the house has gas and if it does ensure that it is turned on prior to the Phoenix Home Inspection. This will save the need for another trip out to the house to re-inspect these items.

Gas off and locked at meter

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Happy New Year From Your Phoenix Home Inspectors!

Josh — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 19:29:39 +0000

Your Phoenix Home Inspectors Wish You A Happy New Year!

Another year comes to a close and here at Southwest Premier Home Inspection we have much to be thankful for! We have had a very busy year performing Phoenix Home Inspections and have seen our business thrive due to our great clients throughout the Phoenix area.

We are looking forward to moving on to 2012 and seeing what it has to bring the Phoenix housing market. While the market has been fairly volatile this year it has continued to keep churning away.

In 2012 we look forward to working with many new clients and performing Home Inspections on many more homes in the Phoenix area! We will continue providing the finest Home Inspections possible in the Phoenix area!

We hope everyone has a very safe New Year and wish the best in 2012!!

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Choose The Right Phoenix Home Inspection Company

Josh — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 13:24:54 +0000

Southwest Premier Home Inspection provides thorough and comprehensive Home Inspections throughout the entire Phoenix area, we focus on the quality of the inspection as well as the accuracy and detail of the final Home Inspection report. To find out what you get for your money when you have your Phoenix Home Inspection performed by Southwest Premier Home Inspection, and a little more information on choosing a Phoenix Home Inspector then read on…

Home Inspection Standards

Here in Arizona, Home Inspectors have to be licensed by the Arizona Board of Technical Registration (BTR) and follow their Standards of Professional Practice for Home Inspectors (SOPP). This SOPP is the absolute minimum standard for performing a Home Inspection in Arizona, some Home Inspectors will adhere to the minimum standards only and others go above and beyond to give the buyer more information about their future home. At Southwest Premier Home Inspection in Phoenix, we believe in going above and beyond and giving you as much information as possible to help you make your decision.

Who Is The Home Inspection For?

The Home Inspection is being performed for the benefit of our customer who is typically the buyer of the property. The buyers real estate agent is usually involved in the Home Inspection process in one way or another but the inspection is not being performed for them. All real estate agents are different on their opinion of Home Inspections, some have their clients best interest in mind and want them to get a thorough inspection to know what they are getting into. Other agents have their own interest in mind and want their client to get the absolute minimum information about the home so there is less chance of the deal falling through due to the condition of the home. Hopefully your real estate agent is looking out for you and want’s you to get a thorough Home Inspection to know what you are getting into! The majority of real estate agents that we come into contact with appear to have your best interest in mind.

What Home Inspection Company Should I Use?

One important fact to remember is that the Home Inspection company that you choose is solely up to you! You are the one paying the money for the inspection and it is for your benefit, so do some research and make sure the company you choose is going to deliver the product you are looking for. At Southwest Premier Home Inspection we like to give you as much information as possible on our website www.swpHomeInspect.comto let you decide if we meet your Phoenix Home Inspection needs.

Make Sure They Fit Your Needs

If your real estate agent recommends a specific Home Inspector for you to use, check them out yourself and see if they fit your needs. Even if your real estate agent recommends Southwest Premier Home Inspection, you should still do the research on your own to make sure we are the company that you want to perform your Phoenix Home Inspection! Most Home Inspectors these days have websites that give you information about their company. Make sure you look at their sample inspection reports online and see if it is easy for you to understand and meets your needs, if they do not have a sample inspection report easily available or if they make you request it then you might want to look elsewhere.

Pricing

Many consumers these days are looking for the absolute lowest price available, everybody likes a great deal! Prices vary quite a bit between Home Inspection companies and this can cause the buyer to migrate to the absolute lowest cost. At Southwest Premier Home Inspection we believe in giving our clients the best possible price that we can that is commensurate with the service that we provide to you, however this price is not always the lowest out there. We also believe in Up-Front pricing, we provide all of our pricing on our website and don’t make you call us just to get a price quote (although you are welcome to give us a call if you prefer). If a company makes you give them a call for a price quote then keep in mind that they are going for the hard sell, they will be extolling their own virtues and trying to talk you into booking with them immediately. We encourage you to check out our website, shop around and make the decision yourself if we are the Home Inspection company for you! When you are ready to schedule or if you just want some more information then please feel free to give us a call! Our office staff is eager to answer your questions and set up your Phoenix Home Inspection.

Low Cost Home Inspections

If we were to compete with the lowest cost Home Inspection company in the Phoenix area we would have to drastically cut the level of quality and customer service and we refuse to do that. Many newer Home Inspectors charge rock bottom fees so that they can get business, they often times don’t maintain Errors & Omissions (E&O) insurance since it isn’t required by the State of Arizona . This reduces their overhead so they can charge you less but at the same time increases your liability since they aren’t insured if they miss something major. They may also perform a sub-par home inspection due to lack of inspection experience or knowledge. You may get a great deal up front but it could cost you allot of money in the long run!

Home Inspectors Experience

Experience is definitely something that you should keep in mind when looking for your Phoenix Home Inspector but don’t get fooled by the claims of some Home Inspection companies. You may find companies that claim tens of thousands of inspections performed, while this may be a true statement regarding the quantity of inspections performed by the company, you need to consider the experience of the Home Inspector performing your Phoenix Home Inspection. Let’s say a company touts that they have performed 30,000 Home Inspections, what if you get the Home Inspector that has only performed 300 of those? It’s the experience of the individual Home Inspector that is what should be considered primarily.

Individual Experience

Almost all Home Inspectors came from other careers or professions prior to becoming a Home Inspector, some people believe that construction experience is the only type of experience that qualifies you to be a Home Inspector but this just isn’t true. Home Inspectors are inspecting the home and not constructing it, knowledge of construction methods is critical but knowing how to inspect is just as critical. You can get a Home Inspector that has been a licensed contractor for many years and knows how to put something together, but if he doesn’t have the eye for detail or the ability to properly express his findings then it doesn’t do you much good. An eye for detail and knowledge of inspection is critical to a good home inspection. For transparency reasons, here is a little bit about my own personal experience and background: My personal background includes some construction experience but the majority is in the field of aircraft maintenance and quality control inspections. I spent approximately 16 years inspecting and maintaining large commercial aircraft where there is no room for error, I have a spotless FAA license due to the attention to detail that I put into my work . I learned valuable inspection skills over the years that translate very well into Home Inspection. Over the last several years, the inspection experience that I gained from my previous field has transferred very well into Home Inspection. I have personally performed approximately 2,000 Home Inspections in the Phoenix area. Every Home Inspector that works for Southwest Premier Home Inspection has to be qualified and meet my own personal standards, we do not hire brand new inspectors just so that we can pay them less. I expect them to perform in a professional manner and follow the Inspection protocol that I have crafted over the years.

The Finished Product – Your Home Inspection Report

The Home Inspection is complete and now it’s time for you to learn about the condition of the home and review the Home Inspectors findings. A well written and properly formatted Home Inspection report is crucial to understanding what the Home Inspector has found. The inspector can perform a very thorough Home Inspection but if you can’t make sense of the report then it’s not of much use to you. Many Home Inspectors overlook the last critical step of the process which is presenting the information to the client in a detailed and readable format. Most Home Inspection report writing software comes with pre-written report templates, these templates are a good starting point but are very vague and general. At Southwest Premier Home Inspection we have fully customized our report templates to provide a clear differentiation between different sections and items found during the Phoenix Home Inspection. If you look around the internet at sample Home Inspection reports you will find that many of them just run on from start to finish and are difficult to understand. Well written statements about defects and the condition of systems are key to the client understanding what we are talking about. We understand that every client has a different level of understanding about the items we are talking about, we try to write our statements in language that can be understood by anyone no matter what your level of building knowledge. We do our best to describe the problems that we find in plain English and not technical jargon. We try to give you detailed information on the actual defect, the reasons you should have it repaired and what types of contractors you should contact to have the item looked at further or repaired. All of our Home Inspection reports include lots of color photographs, these are used to make the report easier to read and to give you a clear understanding of what is being reported. Many companies put all of their photos at the end of a section or the end of the report so you have to flip back and fourth. Our photos are located in the defect statement so you can see what we are talking about without having to flip around through the report. We try to document the report with enough photographs that when you are no longer at the home you can still get a good understanding of where the problem is and what it is about. Please click on this link to view one of our sample Phoenix Home Inspection reports. After you are done looking at our sample inspection report, I welcome you to look at some other Phoenix Home Inspection companies sample inspection reports. The reason that I don’t mind sending you out to look at our competition is that I feel we provide a great product that you will be happy with. I understand that it might not be what every client is looking for in a Home Inspection report, if not then it’s in your best interest to find a company that provides exactly what you are looking for.

Report Delivery

At Southwest Premier Home Inspection the majority of our Inspection Reports are completed on-site, if you attend the Phoenix Home Inspection your report will typically be color printed and bound on-site for you to take with you. We wire bind the reports right there so that your Inspection Report is durable and easy to read. We don’t just stick it in a three ring binder or paper clip it together, we make the extra effort to actually bind it together! In addition to binding, you will receive your Phoenix Home Inspection report via email by the end of the day and often times before we leave the inspection. This report will be sent to you and your real estate agent as long as you have provided email addresses. There are occasions when the report will not be completed on site, these occasions are usually due to the condition of the home or the size. If the home is in a state of serious distress or is extremely large then we will have the report to you by the end of the day. We don’t compromise on quality just to get the report to you by the end of the actual inspection. If this is the case with your inspection, we will go over the findings with you prior to leaving the home so that you don’t walk away in the dark.

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Phoenix Home Inspector: Views On Attic Insulation

Josh — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 22:31:55 +0000

Low Insulation Found During Phoenix Home Inspection

Here in Phoenix it’s important to do as much as possible to stay cool in the summer and to reduce your energy bill. One area that often times can use some improvement is the attic insulation. Since the attic is typically out of sight and out of mind, most people just assume that their attic insulation is adequate to meet their needs and never think about it again. Over the years doing Home Inspection in Phoenix, I have learned that attic insulation can be surprisingly low and even on new houses can be below the minimum recommended insulation standards. One thing to keep in mind is that the insulation standards recommended by the US Department of Energy may not be incorporated into the current building codes where the home is built. While this recommendation is for the most cost effective insulation, if the building code doesn’t require it then it does not have to meet the recommendation.

US Department of Energy Insulation Standards

The US Department of Energy sets insulation R-Value standards, this is based on the zone that the home is in. For this post we will be dealing with Zones 2 & 3 which is where Phoenix is located. The standards change over the years due to improvements in materials, cost of energy and other factors. The last change that was made to the standards was in 2008, the R-values were upped in most zones. We will mostly be dealing with attic insulation since that is the type that can be easily seen and modified.

The current recommended Insulation standard for attics in Zones 2 & 3 is between R-30 and R-60. Visit the US Department of Energy Website on Recommended Insulation Standard s.

Determining Your Attic Insulation R-Value

Determining the actual R-value of your attic insulation is one of those things that can be super easy or a little tricky. Below is some information on R-values of certain insulation materials to help you figure out an estimate of the R-value of your attic insulation. Keep in mind that these figures are estimates, all manufacturers have different specifications which make their materials have different R-values. I am only putting the most commonly used types, there are many types available but here in Phoenix we deal mostly with loose fill cellulose and fiberglass (either blown in or batts) on newer construction homes.

Blown-in Cellulose (Loose Fill): Average R-Value = 3.5 per inch
Blown-in Fiberglass (Loose Fill): Average R-Value = 2.5 per inch
Batt Fiberglass: Average R-Value = 3.1 Per inch

Keep in mind that these numbers are estimates, each manufacturer makes their product a little different and that can lead to differing R-Values. On many homes the insulation installer will leave a certificate indicating the type of insulation used, this will usually have a chart that shows the actual R-Value for the brand installed. If you can find this certificate then use the numbers on it for accuracy. Another thing to keep in mind is that these numbers are after settlement, insulation settles quite a bit in the first couple years so the insulation would need to be installed thicker to allow for settlement.

So to figure your R-value you would measure the thickness of insulation in your attic and multiply that times the average R-Value for the appropriate type of insulation. Doing Home Inspections in Phoenix I have found that the thickness of insulation can vary greatly in each attic. Don’t rely on the installers paper tape measures that are stapled to the rafters, these can often times be installed improperly which leads to a false reading.

Plan For The Future

In the past many people have claimed that there is no advantage to increasing the insulation level over the minimum, their reasoning is that the added expense will never be recouped by the improvement in efficiency. While this is true up to a point, this does not take into consideration two very important factors, settlement and energy cost.

Settlement

Over time blown-in (loose fill) insulation will settle, that 8″ of insulation you have now could be 6″ within the next 10 years. Settlement also leads to increased compaction of the insulation which lowers the existing R-Value.

Energy Costs

Energy costs are on the rise and I personally don’t expect that to change anytime soon. At the time the home was built, the insulation may have been adequate to maintain reasonable energy bills but as time moves on and energy prices rise the increased efficiency due to a higher R-Value would be in your favor. Think of it this way…before 2008 the US Department of Energy recommended an attic R-Value of R-30 to R-38, as energy costs rose they increased their recommendation to R-30 to R-60. Their numbers show that the higher R-Values lessen the energy use enough to make it worth the cost of installing additional material.

To Increase or Not to Increase…That’s The Question!

When I do a home inspection here in Phoenix and inform the client that their insulation is below the recommended minimum standard, the question I usually get is “Is it worth increasing?”. This question is one that doesn’t always have a straightforward answer.

Scenario 1: Let’s say the home was built in the 1970′s and it has 3-4″ of cellulose insulation installed, the answer is easy! Yes it would be worth increasing, over time you would benefit from the increased efficiency.

Scenario 2: Now let’s say the home was built in 2008 and has 7″ -8″ of cellulose insulation installed, this one isn’t nearly as easy to answer.

There are allot of factors that would go into making this decision to increase the homes insulation, here are a few:

Will you be installing it yourself? If so then this brings the cost of the job way down and could make it more worth it.
Will you be living in the house for more than a couple of years? If so then the savings over time could make it worth it.
Will you be installing at the higher level of the minimum standard? If so then the increased efficiency could make it worth it.

If you pay a contractor to increase the level of insulation just a couple inches then the expense probably may not be recouped within a reasonable time, that’s why it’s best to maximize if you are having the work done.

Return On Investment

I am always going to recommend that the home be brought up to the current minimum standard, if my recommendation is followed is up to the homeowner. Even if it doesn’t pay you back fully during the time you own the home it can have rewards when you go to sell it due to the insulation being upgraded.

There are currently many tax incentives and rebates that are available to increase insulation, I won’t go into the details of this but if you are considering upgrading your insulation you should look into it.

In a previous post I talked about attic insulation, this is another take on the subject and a bit more in-depth in some areas.

This information was provided by Southwest Premier Home Inspection, the Phoenix Arizona Home Inspection Leader. Visit our website at www.swpHomeInspect.com or call us at 623-203-0106 to schedule your Home Inspection in Phoenix.

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Dangerous electrical panel found during a Phoenix Home Inspection

Josh — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 22:08:49 +0000

On a recent Home Inspection in Phoenix on an 86 year old home I ran across one of the most dangerous main electrical panels I have seen to date. The interior of this home was cosmetically remodeled and the exterior had new stucco, at first glance this home appeared to be in decent shape. My first stop in this Phoenix home inspection was the main electrical panel, that is where the red flags started to show up. When I opened the main electrical panel I was a bit shocked at what I found.

I see allot of aged main electrical panels and panels with significant defects and deficiencies, this one put all of those to shame! This panel is a fire waiting to happen, the question is which of the problems will be the one that starts the fire. All circuit breakers in this panel are extremely over-sized for the wires that are connected to them. The 100 amp circuit breaker that is taped to the bottom of the enclosure has a 10 gauge and an 8 gauge wire attached to each terminal, not only are they double tapped but the wires are dangerously under-sized, these wires are susceptible to overheating and fire.

Inside the home about 90 percent of the electrical components had no power available, my guess is it has something to do with all of the wires capped off in the main electrical panel that have no circuit breakers to connect to.

I didn’t get an opportunity to inspect the rest of this home, once the buyer saw this coupled with no power throughout the home they decided to call things off right there.

If you are in the market for a home and are thinking about skipping the home inspection because things look good cosmetically, maybe you want to think again!

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Water Pressure vs Water Flow

Josh — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 17:27:12 +0000

Low water pressure is a common complaint that we hear often, especially in older homes. Water pressure is a subjective subject, good water pressure for one may not be good pressure for someone else. I will try to clear up a few misconceptions on water pressure as it relates to the residential plumbing system and the correlation between pressure and flow. I will be discussing systems connected to municipal water systems.

Low water flow to fixtures in the home can be caused by numerous factors. Often times the low pressure at a faucet is caused by low water flow throughout the homes plumbing supply system. If there isn’t a large enough supply of water to the supply system there is no way to get adequate pressure to the individual faucets or fixtures. For example, a 3/4″ water supply pipe that is feeding four faucets at the same time will not produce the same amount of pressure at the faucet as a 1 1/4″ supply pipe connected to the same plumbing system.

The first things we need to look at when diagnosing low flow are the water pressure into the home and the size of the main water supply pipe into the home. Plumbing code in most areas state that the water pressure into the home should be a stabilized 40 to 80 PSI (Pounds per Square Inch).

With all faucets and fixtures turned off, the water pressure should be recorded. If the pressure is within the normal range, this indicates that the water pressure into the home is adequate. The problem is mostly likely a flow problem and not a pressure problem.

If the pressure is below the normal range, you have isolated the problem to a water pressure problem. There are numerous things that could cause this low water pressure.

Examples of low water pressure cause:

Low pressure from utility
Leak in a water supply pipe
Partially closed shutoff valve
Mineral buildup in pipes

One common misconception is that increasing the water pressure into the home will drastically increase the water flow at the faucets. While this can sometimes help, it can be at the expense of the components in the plumbing system. Pressure over 80 PSI can cause numerous problems with faucets, water hammer, pipe joints etc.

If the water pressure is good and you still have low water pressure to individual water faucets the problem could be harder to repair. There are a few reasons you could be having low water flow to the faucets:

Examples of reasons for low water flow:

Diameter of water main too small
Water supply pipes clogged with minerals
Leak in supply pipes
Shutoff valve partially closed for that faucet

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Vandalized Air Conditioners in Phoenix

Josh — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 21:25:13 +0000

I went out for a re-inspection today for a property in Phoenix that I did a home inspection at a few weeks ago. The main problem was that the air conditioner had been vandalized and the copper coil stolen. This home is new construction in a neighborhood that is nearly complete. The builder put security guards in the neighborhood to try to stop the theft and vandalism but it doesn’t seem to be working!

See the video below to see this vandalized air conditioner and the two from the house next door.

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Dogs Not Happy With Home Inspector

Josh — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 19:44:23 +0000

During a recent Phoenix Home Inspection on an occupied home I ran into some occupants that were not to happy to see me! I had already been inside the home and had finished inspecting the exterior at the front of the house, I opened the gate and made it about 10 feet inside before I heard the barking start. Not sure if the barking was coming from this yard or the neighbors, I figured I better head for the gate anyway and I’m glad I did! Around the corner came these two dogs with their teeth bared, ready to protect their turf.

After I composed myself, I shot this video over the gate. The owners ended up coming back and watching the dogs while I finished up the exterior portion of the home inspection. These dogs were not only protecting their turf from the home inspector, they were also protecting their one day old puppies!

Please…do your home inspector a favor (especially if it’s me!) let him know if there are any dogs present that might try to eat him!

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What’s That Chewing Sound?

Josh — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 04:31:56 +0000

Here is a perfect example of a reason to get a Phoenix home inspection. This 63 year old house was cosmetically remodeled, new paint, floors, cabinets etc…. the first thing I noticed when I drove up was the roof sagging in several areas. The prospective buyers thought the house was going to be in pretty good shape since it looked good cosmetically.

When I got into the attic I found the cause of the sagging roof, termites had eaten the rafters to pieces! I could pull off large handfuls of dry and deteriorated wood on a majority of the rafters. Besides the termite damage, this roof did not have adequate framing to start with. This would require major structural repairs to make it right. If these clients had bought this home without a home inspection they would have been in for a huge surprise when things started falling apart!

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Creative Kitchen Plumbing

Josh — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 04:11:57 +0000

During a Phoenix Home Inspection today I found some very creative kitchen plumbing. The kitchen sink drain line was plumbed with vacuum hose and hose clamps! This was actually one of the more minor things that was found during this Home Inspection.

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