Worthington Ohio real estate

The phone rings and a loud noise blares straight to my eardrum via my blue tooth insert. No introduction, no hello.

"YOU SAY THERE'S MOLD IN THE ATTIC AND EVERYONE KNOWS THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS MOLD IN AN ATTIC!"  At the same time a finger came out of my phone and poked me on my chest emphasizing every syllable.  And I felt some spit on my cheek.  I recognized the voice of Myrtle McGirdle (not her real name), a well known real estate cutie, unpleasant on her best days.  She is the demure listing agent of the house I had inspected that afternoon.

This was going to be fun.  So I played along.  "Excuse me?"

"YOU DID AN INSPECTION ON MY LISTING ON PLEASANT PLACE (not the real street name) AND SAID THERE IS MOLD IN THE ATTIC!!"  The finger moved to my nose and the spit a bit heavier.  It was accompanied by heavy breathing.  The breathing did nothing for me.

Still playing dumb, but being very polite (remember the Scout Law - courteous, kind, cheerful, friendly), "Oh, Myrtle?  Actually I did not say there is mold in the attic.  I said ' there are conducive conditions in the attic space, including a complete lack of ventilation and a bath vent that blows air into the attic space, that are contributing to the substantial evidence of the amplification of molds and/or fungi in the attic structure, sheathing and insulation.' "

"THAT'S JUST HOME INSPECTOR MUMBO JUMBO!"  That time the spit flew into my eye.  I really hate that.

"Actually, as you know, Myrtle, in Virginia I cannot say that something is definitively mold unless there is a mold test which identifies suspected growths as mold.  So that is why the report reads as it does.  But just between you and me, what's up there is mold.  And a lot of it.  You do remember that the house is surrounded by large, high trees and it does not dry out.  That, combined with the lack of attic ventilation and humidity from the house, really contribute to that problem.  And your client covered up the gable vents!"

"THAT'S RIDICULOUS!  I HAVE NEVER IN ALL MY YEARS HEARD OF MOLD IN AN ATTIC!"

"Really?  Gee, I could be wrong.  Can I email you a couple of photos for you to look at?  You are very experienced, and maybe you could tell me what it is.  Would you do that for me?"

"YES, SEND THEM TO ME!  I'LL HAVE A LOOK AND CALL YOU RIGHT BACK!"  That softened her.  The finger stopped.  So I selected a couple of photos and sent them along.

 

 

 

 

 

Now, of course I can be wrong and am willing to be corrected.  If any of you can help the situation, please call me directly so I can get your diagnosis right to Myrtle.

 

 

 

 

 

I don't know.  What do you think?  There are more photos.  It is really bad up there.

Please help.  I want some solid suggestions for when Myrtle calls back.

She still hasn't called.

I don't know why.

She said she would call right back.

For sure she will call any minute now.

I'm hearing crickets.

My recommendation:  Before you ASSail a home inspector to rip a report, don't ASSume anything.  Be sure before you make any ASSumptions.  ASSiduous care to proper information is an ASSet during a business conversation.  Doing that, I ASSure you, your ASSociations with others will improve and fewer adjectives will be ASSigned to your name.  Gee, I hope the photos ASSuaged her curiosity...  She'll call any minute now, most ASSuredly.  After all, we know what happens when we ASSume.

Mold - it's not just for basements anymore!  Got mold?

 

 

Jay Markanich Real Estate Inspections, LLC

Based in Bristow, serving all of Northern Virginia

www.jaymarinspect.com

The one home inspection item that consistently causes home buyers to 'freak out' more than anything else is a gas leak. Gas explosions like the ones that recently happened in Edina and Saint Paul are probably the main causes of all the paranoia about natural gas.  Believe it or not, small gas leaks are actually quite common at old houses, and they're usually simple for a plumber to fix.  Today I'll share the most common locations for gas leaks, and I'll share my home inspection techniques for finding gas leaks in old Minneapolis and Saint Paul homes.

The most common place for me to find gas leaks is at gas valves.  Older style gas valves that aren't allowed any more today are often referred to as lube valves or plug valves.

 

These valves are easily identified by a nut or spring on the valve, across from the handle; newer gas valves don't have these.  I would estimate that I find leaks at about one out of every five of these valves.  Gate valves, which should only be used for water, are also common offenders.

The repair is always simple - replace the the valve.  In Minneapolis, if the appliance being served by an improper valve is replaced, the valve must be replaced at the same time.

The second most common location for gas leaks is at unions.  A gas union is a fitting that provides a disconnection point for a gas appliance.  If the union doesn't get tightened enough, it will definitely leak.  Notice the bubbles in the union below?  That's a small gas leak.

Flare fittings are the last common offender.  Here in Minnesota, soft copper gas tubing is allowed just about anywhere, but it takes a little more skill to properly install soft copper than other types of gas piping.  For a flare fitting, copper tubing gets flared out at the end and connected with a flare nut.  If this connection gets bent or isn't tight enough, it will leak.

  

To find these gas leaks, I mostly rely on my nose.  If there's a gas leak, I can almost always smell it.  To pinpoint the location of a gas leak, I use a combustible gas detector.  If I see any suspicious work or I run across old or improper gas valves, I just go right to my gas detector, and I quickly check the fittings.

I truly believe that my nose is just as accurate as my gas detector, but I look a little silly running my nose along gas pipes to find leaks.  That's why I use a tool.  If I find a leak with my combustible gas detector, I confirm the leak by using a gas leak detection solution; it's just an expensive blue liquid that does about the same thing that dish soap would - it bubbles if there's a leak.  To make it easier for the repair person coming in behind me, I also mark the location of the leak with orange electrical tape, and I write "Gas Leak" on the tape, along with an arrow showing exactly where the leak is.

I've heard stories about appliance connectors leaking, but I've never found one that leaked. Next week I'll talk about defects with appliance connector installations.

RELATED POST: Natural Gas Leaks

Reuben Saltzman, Structure Tech Home Inspections - Email - Minneapolis Home Inspections

                  

If I had a dollar for every time I've heard this comment, I would be living in the Bahamas right now!

First, let me set the scene; I'm a retired General Contractor with sub-licenses in HVAC, Plumbing and Electrical. I've paid my dues arguing with City Inspectors for many years.  I'm not saying all City inspectors are lazy, crooked, or lax in their duties. There are some that are, just like in any other profession. Most are hard working professionals doing the best they can under the circumstances.

The biggest issue is lack of funding, under staffing and heavy workload.  Most are expected to do 15-25 inspections a day! And on residential, they are "All-Trade" inspectors, making the call on 12 or more trades.  No one can know everything about everything.  They pick their battles and let the rest slide, many times they are given the "fault de jour" to look for by the higher ups. (I think they pick them with a dart board)

Realtors! Listen up!  The City Inspector is far too busy to catch everything.  As a Home Inspector (for the last 6 years with over 2500 inspections), I spend 2-4 hours going over a house I'm inspecting.  The City Inspector spends 15-20 minutes if you are lucky because he/she has 20 more to do today. The shifty contractors are very good at dissembling and miss-directing to avoid getting caught out.  There are lots of little "tricks-of-the-trade" that can be used.  Little things like making an obvious glaring mistake that the inspector will be sure to find and then using up all his time on site "discussing" a fix for it that he will pass.  Now he/she just signs off the rest, often with out further investigation because he's waaaaay behind.

He never catches all the "cheats" that are usually there but gets waylaid by the phony defect placed there for his benefit. Believe me, THERE ARE LOTS OF THEM!  We find them all the time because we have the time to look.

Another issue is that the City operates under the shield of "In the Public good" and this basically means THEY ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE for misses.  If they were held responsible for mistakes, the City would be sued every other day and they could never do the job.  Construction would grind to a halt!  Talk about a pissed off public! The houses would get build one at a time and take 6-9 months each. Every City inspection would take all day for each phase and there would need to be specialists for each trade.

So, the next time the Home Inspector says something is wrong, please don't say "the city inspector said.........". You might just get a knuckle sandwich! LOL Just kidding!  I usually just say 'that's nice, but it's still wrong and not safe". "You DO care about the safety of your clients, right?"   Not to mention the safety of your bank account and E & O insurance deductible.