Short Sales and Foreclosures

April's issue of MONEY magazine states that if you're in the market for a home, you'll almost certainly be looking at distressed properties ("short sales" and bank foreclosures). And, distressed homes are likely to be a significant part of the market for years. The magazine's advice? Even before you make an offer on a foreclosure, get a complete home inspection of the property. The house may be in worse condition than you expect. And, a distressed-property specialist is quoted as saying, "The buyer has to be twice as diligent."

You'll have leverage if you can prove that the property's condition justifies a lower price. New information on the current condition of the house could affect the property's appraised value and you'll be armed with a written inspection report, photos, and a summary page of suggested repairs. Plus, you don't want to be surprised to discover that the previous owners angrily ripped out flooring, appliances, and copper pipes. The magazine goes on to suggest that, after your offer is accepted, you have some "specialty" inspections done on the property, including a mold test. The bank may still be willing to fix problems at this point.

Make a thorough inspection by Complete Home Inspection a part of your home-buying process, particularly if a distressed property is involved. That's the best way to get peace of mind throughout the process.

Whole house inspections, condo inspections, radon testing, mold testing and more, we do it all for you. Call today to schedule your Complete Home Inspection, 913-268-0222. Or send us an E-mail through http://www.completehomeinspectionkc.com/.

Eye of the beholder...

Just in the past week, satisfied customers have had this to say in E-mails - "Thank you! The inspection experience was 100% positive and I have posted a report of it on Angie's List. We'll recommend your services to any of our family, friends and associates that are looking to purchase a home in the KC area." and "Wow...lots to digest in your report. Thanks for being so thorough." Another client said, on the phone, that her Complete Home Inspection had been very thorough, but the sellers of that home refused to fix any of the problems uncovered. So, she was scheduling an inspection on the other house they had found after walking away from the first one.

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

Condo Inspections

When you're buying a condo, it's sometimes easy to think that you don't need to have a complete home inspection done because the condo doesn't have many of the same concerns as a free-standing home (perhaps no roof immediately over your living space, perhaps no basement or crawl space immediately below your living space, etc.). But, as many have found in the last few weeks, their condos still had many systems and features that needed a complete inspection.

Your condo inspection includes the plumbing, electric, heating and cooling systems, as well as the appliances, doors, walls and windows. You get a lot of peace of mind from knowing the condition of each of these systems and items BEFORE you buy. You can test for mold, too, if you wish.

Whether it's a high-rise condo downtown or in the Plaza area, or a townhouse-type condo with its own roof and foundation, have your condo thoroughly inspected by Complete Home Inspection.

Condo inspections, whole house inspections, radon testing, mold testing, and more, we can do it all for you. Call today to schedule your appointment, 913-268-0222. Complete Home Inspection.

Ice dams

With all of the snowfall in Kansas City so far this season, pay close attention to the gutters on your house.

Icicles may look pretty and seasonally appropriate, but they're also a sign that heat is escaping through your roof and causing the snow cover to melt. As the melting snow refreezes, it can block the gutters and keep water from draining away as it should. This can lead to the water seeping into your walls or dripping onto your house's foundation instead. And that can lead to many different problems.

Consider using a broom to brush away the snow from lowest few feet of your roof. You may feel silly being out in the cold "sweeping" your roof, but giving the snow melt room to drain unobstructed can help you avoid costly problems with mold, a cracked foundation, and damaged soffits, fascia boards and walls.

To prevent ice dams from occurring, you may need to improve the insulation and ventilation of your roof and/or install a heat strip along the lower edge of the roof or in the gutter. For now, sweeping the snow away will help the situation. And then, when it warms up a little, you can consider your other options.

Carbon Monoxide

Here at the beginning of the winter heating season, consider having your existing home's furnace inspected by a qualified technician. And strongly consider installing a carbon monoxide detector in your home. As a part of your Complete Home Inspection when you're buying or selling a home, we'll thoroughly inspect the furnace, giving you the peace of mind that comes from knowing that everything's functioning as intended. If you're not in the home buying or selling process, consider getting a furnace check-up anyway.

One of the most amazing things about doing Kansas City home inspections for the last 20 years has been the number of unsafe furnaces Complete Home Inspection has found in homes that were currently occupied. The homeowners were completely unaware that their health was in daily jeopardy. Improperly vented and rusted out furnaces are not just inefficient, they're dangerous. Every year about this time, you'll hear stories about families or individuals that were overcome by the build up of carbon monoxide in their homes. Now's the time to make certain that one of those stories won't be about you.

Whole house inspections, radon testing, mold testing, and more, we do it all for you. Complete Home Inspection, 913-268-0222, www.completehomeinspectionkc.com.

Mold Testing

As you refinance your current home to take advantage of lower interest rates, you may be asked to have a mold test done as part of the process. Just give us a call and let Complete Home Inspection take care of the mold test for you. You can have either a swab test done where we swab visible mold in your home, or have an air quality test done. Either way, results are usually available from the lab in only two days. You'll find out if you have mold in your home and what type of mold it is. Plus, Complete Home Inspection will give you some tips on what to do about any mold we find.

Whole house inspections, radon testing, mold testing, and more, we can do it all for you. Complete Home Inspection, 913-268-0222, www.completehomeinspectionkc.com.

Mold problems

Again this school year, a school building in the Greater Kansas City area opened late because of mold issues. That just underscores the importance of checking the air quality in your home. An elementary school in Liberty, MO, was found to have higher-than-normal levels of mold in the air. Since that could irritate existing asthma conditions, the school was kept shuttered until the situation was resolved.

If it's important enough to force students to attend class in another building, it's important enough to find out if mold is a problem in your home. Let Complete Home Inspection do your air quality test for you so that you'll know what type of mold might be in the air you're breathing and how much of it there is. Whether it's an air-quality test or a swab test, you'll know, in just a couple of days, if your family's respiratory health is at risk.

Whole house inspections, radon testing, mold testing, and more, we can do it all for you. Complete Home Inspection, 913-268-0222, www.completehomeinspectionkc.com.