New houses need to be inspected, too

Recently, a market analyst on cable network CNBC mentioned that, nationwide, there haven't been a lot of new homes constructed in the last five years or so due to the economy. That's why the inventory of available houses has been so drastically reduced and it's what's led us to the current "seller's market" in home sales. And that is particularly true in Kansas City, especially based on the January numbers just released. Now, as the economy recovers, more and more new houses will be built.

So, it's important for you to remember that a new house needs to be inspected just as much as an older house does. Previous posts on this blog have detailed some of the problems I've found in newly constructed homes.

The brand new house pictured here didn't have any insulation in the attic.In another new construction, I couldn't get the kitchen sink spray hose to extend from its resting place. The dishwasher's drain hose and the spray hose were tangled up under the sink. Further, the dishwasher was susceptible to backflow from the sink's garbage disposal because of the way its drainage hose had been placed. One new house featured a whirlpool bathtub in the master bath, but the tub's drain pipe hadn't been connected to anything. Recently, I inspected a new house that had no heating or cooling in the laundry room on the second floor. Turns out the floor tile had covered it up. And yet another new house had the control wire for the furnace connected to the doorbell instead of the house's thermostat and no power cord connected to the kitchen garbage disposal.

Yes, your builder's warranty covers things in your just-built home. Yes, you have a year to make a list of what needs to be repaired. Getting a Kansas City home inspection from Complete Home Inspection BEFORE you move in, though, gets you a jump start on that list and allows you to get many of those things fixed before you take occupancy. While warranties may protect you, the time lost, the inconvenience and the frustration you'll experience can only be handled by getting a Complete Home Inspection for your new property. So let me handle you final walk-through for you. Put my experienced eye to work for you and your family.

Whole house inspections, condo inspections, radon testing, mold testing, and new construction final walk-throughs, we do it all for you. Call or E-mail today to schedule your Complete Home Inspection, 913-268-0222, www.completehomeinspectionkc.com.

Additional information about the dangers of radon gas

Continuing the focus on radon gas begun last month with National Radon Action Month and Kansas Radon Action Month, here are a couple of other things for you to know -

It's easy to think that houses without full basements will also be without radon gas. That's not true at all. In fact, one of the highest radon levels I've seen in more than twenty years of testing was in a house with a walk-out basement. It matters whether the ground under the house has a high concentration of radon, not what kind of foundation the house has. Houses with full basements, houses with walk-out basements, houses built on a concrete slab, and houses with a crawl space underneath are each susceptible to high levels of radon. So don't let anyone tell you that a certain type of house doesn't need to be tested for radon. For your peace of mind, and for the health of you and your family, test the house you're living in now and/or the house you're looking to buy.

How serious are the health issues caused by radon gas? The Secretary of the Kansas Dept. of Health and Environment asked all Kansas physicians to:

• educate their patients about radon and the risk of lung cancer.
• advise patients who smoke to stop smoking. The risk of lung cancer from radon exposure is 10 to 20 times greater for persons who smoke.
• encourage patients to test their homes and to fix any home with elevated radon levels.
• provide patients with information about radon, radon testing and mitigation by visiting www.kansasradonprogram.org.

As the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers and the second leading cause of lung cancer in smokers, radon gas is not to be taken lightly. That's why I've installed a radon mitigation system in my own house.

Whole house inspections, condo inspections, radon testing, mold testing, and more, we do it all for you. Call or E-mail today to schedule your Complete Home Inspection, 913-268-0222, www.completehomeinspectionkc.com.