Reason #312 to have your house inspected

Imagine your first night in your new house. You use the light switch at the bottom of the stairs to turn on the overhead light. You climb the stairs, flick the light switch at the top of the stairs to turn off the light, and nothing happens. So, you go back down the stairs, turn out the light, and climb back up in the dark. Now, you try the upstairs switch again, while muttering under your breath, and the light comes on.

Over and over again in the last year, I've found that three-way light switches apparently completely confuse rehabbers and do-it-yourselfers. One rehab crew tried three different times to wire the switches and still couldn't do it correctly.

When you're looking to buy a house, you're not going through it testing all of the light switches. In fact, the listing agent probably has all of the lights turned on before you even see the house. But, as a part of your Complete Home Inspection, I'll check out all of the switches to make certain that they function as intended. If it's supposed to be a three-way switch, it needs to be a three-way switch (yes, there's a certain kind to use). And, it needs to be wired correctly.

It's a little detail, but an important one. And it's an extremely important one when you're climbing or descending the stairs, in the dark, while muttering.

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.

"But, it said it was new"

The listing for the house I was inspecting advertised a new water heater and furnace. That much was true, the water heater was brand new. But, when it was installed, no one bothered to look in the attic to check the condition of the existing flue pipe.

Sadly, that is both a costly and a deadly oversight. With the new water heater venting into the corroded flue pipe, its exhaust fumes will fill the attic, adding moisture to the attic and releasing carbon monoxide. The moisture will cause mold to develop in the insulation and on the underside of the roof.

Additionally, the brand new water heater is not drafting properly due to the corroded flue pipe. This can cause carbon monoxide to enter the living space below. In fact, most deaths caused by carbon monoxide poisoning are the result of water heater problems rather than furnace problems.

This is just another reason it's so important for you to have the house that you're looking to buy inspected BEFORE you buy. You're not going to look in the attic to check the condition of the flue pipe. You have too many other important things on your mind. Let me look for the costly and deadly oversights of others, and catch them before it's too late.

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.

Nice to hear

It's been a busy week for customer comments and compliments. My client had previously looked at a different house and saw the report from my inspection of that house. She read the report and then told her realtor, "I want that woman to do my inspection when I find a house". She found one she liked and hired me to inspect it this week.

A realtor shared one of my Facebook posts and commented, "Miki has done inspections for a couple of my clients and we just love working with her!". And a woman who hired me to inspect a house, but walked away from that deal due to the problems I found, then hired me to do a different house for her. She replied to her written report on the second house with,  "Chris and I cannot thank you enough for everything you have done for us. Your thorough inspections, speed and accuracy is greatly appreciated. If you ever need someone to use as a reference we would be happy to do so."

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.

Reason #487 to have your house inspected

A 100-year old house which had been rehabbed several times, most recently about five years ago, now has a beautiful glass door that leads from the kitchen to the sunroom. During my Complete Home Inspection, I discovered that the door has a locking handle on it that locks from the kitchen side and a dead bolt that locks from the sunroom side. In other words, using the locks for safety and security means that the door could not be opened at all. You would either be locked into the kitchen, or locked into the sunroom.

When you're looking to buy a house like this, you have so many things on your mind and so many things to look at that there's no way you'll look at how the locks have been installed. That's my job. Spend your time figuring out what furniture could fit where and who gets which bedroom. Let me handle the details of the house for you.

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.

I'm honored

It was quite an honor to receive the John E. Cox award from the American Society of Home Inspectors during their annual conference in January. Members of the local Great Plains ASHI chapter nominated me for the work I've done for the chapter over the years. And then the national ASHI Council of Representatives chose me from among the other nominees from all over the country. This means a lot, and I thank everyone involved in making it possible for me.

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.

Five Stars

Another Five-Star rating on Google, this time from a client who inherited her grandfather's house. She needed to know the condition of the house and what might need to be fixed or changed before she either moved in or put the house on the market.

Whole house inspections, condo inspections, radon testing, mold testing, and more, we do it all for you. Whether you're buying, selling, or even inheriting, call or E-mail today to schedule your Complete Home Inspection, 913-268-0222, www.completehomeinspectionkc.com.