Dec 05

Lieb’s Top 5 Home Inspection Issues for L.I. Real Estate

Posted on December 5, 2016 by admin

Long Island attorney Andrew Lieb, who specializes in real estate law, offers advice on buying a home with a home inspector on Long Island. Here are topics that he advises as the top five issues to consider:

1. TIMING THE INSPECTION
2. HIRING THE RIGHT PROFESSIONAL
3. KNOWING WHAT YOU GET
4. UNDERSTANDING WHAT IS EXCLUDED FROM AN INSPECTION
5. WHO SHOULD ATTEND THE INSPECTION

Lieb’s complete article on this subject was first published in Hamptons Behind the Hedges, linked here. Then another version was posted at Huffington Post, linked here.

As a licensed NY State home inspector serving Long Island, I find Lieb’s article to be spot on. Timing is incredibly important, especially if there is serious interest in a home. And I also recommend that the home purchaser can learn a lot about the home by being present at the home inspection.

I have elaborated on the point of hiring the right professional at my blog, titled, ABC’s of Home Inspection Training and Experience, linked here. I would recommend, A) Architectural or engineering degree; B) Thorough home inspection training; C) Construction experience. All of these add to the capability and value of your home inspector, in addition to being a part of a certification organization that holds inspectors to high standards.

A further piece of advice on due diligence would be to hire a home inspector based on the inspector’s credentials, not just because a real estate agent has recommended one.

Image with permission by NZ Chrissy

Tags: Buying a home on Long Island, how to buy home on LI, how to choose inspector on Long Island, key inspection issues, how to choose inspector in Suffolk, NY. buyer due diligence

Aug 04

Free Book with Home Inspection in Suffolk NY

Posted on August 4, 2014 by admin

InterNACHI’s ultimate home maintenance manual is free to all home buyers who use the services of Suffolk NY Home Inspections. InterNACHI is the foremost home inspection certification organization and, as a member, SHI is grateful for the opportunity to offer this helpful free book with every home inspection. The book, Now That You’ve Had A Home Inspection, is available in English and Spanish (libro gratis con inspección de la vivienda en español). Call SHI today for your inspection: 631 377 2046.

Tags: free book with every home inspection, free home inspection book, free home maintenance book, home inspector free book, best home maintenance book, Hamptons inspector free book, libro gratis con inspección de la casa, español habla inspector de viviendas

Jul 18

Should Brokers and Agents Recommend Home Inspectors?

Posted on July 18, 2014 by admin

There are a number of questions regarding the recommendation of home inspectors by agents and brokers. Is it a good idea? Are there any preferred methods? Are there any concerns?

First, it can be considered a valuable time-saving service to provide the name of a home inspector or a list of local licensed home inspectors. Real estate professionals basically earn their fee by helping their clients, so this can be seen as a helpful plus. A key to business growth is to never stop improving. Supplying some references of local home inspectors is a positive feature.

Second, there are a few methods for recommending home inspectors. One Southampton real estate agency offers an online list of local home inspectors to choose from. Another agency chooses to recommend one home inspector. And yet another chooses to print out and hand a list to clients.

Third, there can be some underlying concerns when it comes to recommending just one home inspector. The home buyer may be wondering, “Should I use a home inspector that has been recommended to me by a broker or agent?” The underlying issue relates to the objectivity of the inspector and the report. There are plenty of brokers and agents who regularly recommend one home inspector and there is nothing unethical about this if the report is objective. However, some clients may feel more confident if they are presented with a list of recommended licensed and insured home inspectors to choose from. This option may be presented to a client. Some clients prefer to find their own home inspector on the Internet.

As a home inspector, I have both training in home inspection work and an architectural degree. I also have a lot of various construction work experience. These experiences add to my abilities as a home inspector. I’m licensed and insured and can offer a number of references. If you are interested in an objective and thorough report, you may recommend Southampton Home Inspections to your clients with confidence.

Tags: Should brokers recommend home inspectors? Real estate and home inspections, should a home buyer use a recommended home inspector, how to find a home inspector

Feb 08

Why Photos are Vital in a Home Inspection Report

Posted on February 8, 2014 by admin

SHI offers 15-30 photo pages (2 photos per page) with our home inspection reports because there are some pretty good reasons why photos are critical in a professional home inspection report. Nothing matches photos plus a description.

1. Photos document serious conditions. What does a serious asbestos condition look like in a house? Signs of termites? A picture is worth a thousand words.
2. Photos identify technical items. Do you know what a TPR valve extension looks like? One photo does it.
3. Photos convey valuable knowledge. When we recommend a repair, we can choose from a variety of photos and articles to outline what is needed. And, let’s face it: There is a reason why dictionaries, encyclopedias and science books contain lot of images.

Believe it or not, many home inspection companies do not offer photos with their reports. At SHI, we don’t just give cookie-cutter home reports, we give a brief but insightful education on the important aspects of your new house. Your house (whether first, second, or third) is likely one of the largest investments you will ever make. Your home inspection report should be as thorough and detailed as possible. Call SHI today for a comprehensive home inspection that includes referenced photo pages – 631 377 2046.

Tags: Photos in home inspection reports, best home inspection reports, compare home inspection reports, home inspection companies Hamptons NY,

Jul 07

Free Termite Inspections are Usually not Guaranteed!

Posted on July 7, 2013 by admin

Often, home inspectors will offer “a free termite inspection” included with their home inspection price. Almost always, home buyers aren’t aware that such termite inspections come with no guarantee whatsoever! When a licensed pest inspector prepares an inspection report, the inspection is also usually not guaranteed, so that if termites are discovered after the home is purchased, the purchaser is not protected against paying for related repairs. They usually will, however, guaranty most houses if they are treating them with pesticides. Unless, for example, there is no moisture termite barrier on the foundation top under the sill plate. Newsday published an article on this subject and outlined how real estate lawyers in many states will recommend an independent termite inspector:

“The engineer found no termites, but when he wouldn’t give a guarantee, I suggested [the buyers] bring in a licensed pest controller,” Minella said. With a written guarantee, buyers would be protected against paying for repairs in case termites were found after they moved in.”

In some of my home inspection cases, separate licensed termite inspectors found infestation problems and these reports were used as negotiation tools because the buyers wanted the houses regardless. The slightly higher cost for a separate termite inspection may be worth it for a number of reasons. Pest applicators that offer WDO (wood destroying organism) termite reports are usually competitively priced because the inspectors anticipate that some of these inspections will lead to work down the road. As a matter of fact, this gives them an incentive to make an extremely thorough inspection in order to find infestation. In one case, a termite inspector found a clean house but found infestation under a log right next to the house. In this situation, treatment was recommended in the report.

I became certified through InterNACHI to inspect for termites and other WDO (wood destroying organisms) that I offer for free along with a home inspection, using a separate WDO inspection form.

(Revised 12-07-16)

Termite photo by Scott Bauer

Tags: Long Island termite inspections, Home inspectors offer termite inspections, Hamptons NY termite inspectors

Jun 08

Twin Fork NY Home Inspections

Posted on June 8, 2013 by admin

Recently, I had the privilege of performing various inspections on both the North Fork and South Fork of Long Island that were filled with surprises. On the plus side, an antique clam rake was found in the crawl space of one house and a spare toilet hookup was found pre-existig in the garage of another. Two serious drawbacks included the discovery of termites and evidence of asbestos-like material on heating pipes.

I won’t state which houses had which, but the home buyers are thankful to have known about these issues before deciding on a final purchase offer. Both buyers intended to go ahead with the purchase of their homes.

When I asked one purchaser why he called SHI he said that he had called someone else recommended by a real estate agent, but the other company did not answer the phone in a timely manner. At SHI we aim to respond quickly and inspect carefully.

Recent SHI home inspections on the North Fork and South Fork:

619 Maple St, Greenport, NY

20 Phoebe Scoy Rd, East Hampton, NY

650 Old Shipyard Ln, Southold, NY

292 Little Noyac Pth, Southampton, NY

165 Springville Rd, Hampton Bays, NY

If you want to close a deal fast and need a reliable inspector for either your North Fork or South Fork home purchase, give SHI a call at 631 377 2046.

Tags: North Fork NY home inspector, North Fork NY home inspections, best North Fork inspector, fast North Fork inspector, South Fork home inspector, South fork home inspections Twin Fork NY inspector

Apr 30

Hamptons Designer Housing Market Update

Posted on April 30, 2013 by admin

Last week, 27East reported how Hamptons Cottages & Gardens magazine hosted a panel discussion that featured discussions by a variety of professionals related to the real estate industry in the Hamptons and, with regard to creativity and real estate, the situation is a bit paradoxical. In one sense, it’s a designer’s market:

“Mr. Collé, who said that today’s buyers are “less interested in cookie-cutter houses” and more passionate about custom-designed homes, said that he has been seeing more and more demand for “bigger and better” residences. That means more and more teardowns of existing older homes on ideally located properties, he reported.”

And yet, in another sense, the population of creative artists and designers that helped to give the Hamptons a sense of mystique seems to be on the wain:

“The artists and writers are being squeezed out by the hedge fund managers, she paused. “And the people clipping the hedges.”

Like SOHO in NYC and Red Hook in Brooklyn, the Hamptons seems to be following a similar pattern for artists and writers.

In March, Deal Book reported how hedge fund titan Steven A. Cohen paid $60 million for an oceanfront home on Further Lane in East Hampton. But this is chump change. The day before the home purchase news has it that he purchased Picasso’s “Le Rêve” for $155 million from the casino owner Stephen A. Wynn. This was apparently one of the priciest private art deals ever transacted. The art of the deal.

The HC & G Hamptons real estate update and forum included Builder Jeffrey Collé, NYC&G features editor Carmela Ciuraru, HC&G contributing editor Heather Buchanan and author Steven Gaines joined HC&G publisher Pamela Eldridge.

Image of designer cuckoo clock by Pascal Tarabay is courtesy of Creative Commons.

Post originally published at Warren’s Nursery

Tags: art and real estate, Hamptons designers, Hampton real estate update, buy designer home Hamptons NY