Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Spring Home Maintenance & Improvements

Dallas Home Inspections Blog, Spring Home Maintenance & Improvements
Maintaining Your Home Series

Spring is in the air! After a long winter, I think we are all ready for some sunshine. Spring is when we get excited about being outdoors and enjoying our yards. Along with some outdoor spring maintenance, tips we want to share some new home standards. Every year, there are numerous updates to the Texas building standards. Some of these are outdoors, and some inside.

Spring Maintenance Tips:
  • Plants and trees are already beginning to grow! Be sure shrubs and trees are not in contact with your home.
  • If you are planting new trees, be sure to plant them at least 10 feet away from the exterior walls of your home.
  • Many of us add new soil and mulch to our flowerbeds in the spring. Be sure to maintain the soil and mulch level so that 4-6 inches of the foundation is visible. High soil and mulch contribute to moisture penetration into your home and create hiding places for wood destroying insects like termites.
  • Great time to clean out the rain gutter. Leaves and debris should be removed.
  • Also check rain gutters for roof covering granules. If there is an excessive amount of roof granules in your gutters, have your roof inspected by a certified, licensed roof specialist.
  • Check the exterior caulking around doors, windows, air conditioning cooling lines, brick masonry expansion joints and hose bibs. Clean and re-caulk as needed.
  • Examine any exterior wood siding and trim for wood rot and moisture damage and make plans to repair any damage.
  • Open and close the windows in your home to make sure they operate freely. Lubricate window guides with a light oil.
  • Visit our "Home Maintenance Guide" for more information on spring home maintenance tips!
New or Updated Standards:

As building sciences improve, there are new standards adopted each year to improve our existing homes and new construction homes. We thought that this spring would be a good time to introduce a few of them. These items will appear as a defects in many homes, even new homes. Many home builders are behind in achieving many of the new standards. Your home is your castle and as your Professional Home Inspectors, we want your castle to be all it can be.
  • Attic installed metal ducts should be electrically bonded together.
  • CSST (Corrugated Stainless Steel Tubing) should be properly bonded.
  • Metal hot and cold water lines at the water heater should be bonded.
  • Flexible gas lines at appliances should be bonded to the black pipe gas line.
  • All kitchen counter and island electrical receptacles should be GFCI protected.
  • Appliance (food waste disposer) receptacles under the kitchen sink should be GFCI protected.
  • Metal chimney caps should be bonded.
  • "Kick-out" flashing should be installed at all roof coverings were another adjacent wall continues.
  • All convenience electrical receptacles should have installed AFCI (Arch Fault Circuit Interruptors).
  • All electrical receptacles should be child tamper resistant.
  • Exterior electrical receptacles should be GFCI protected and inside a weather proof bubble cover.
  • Attic access ports and attic stairs installed in the garage should be air-tight and have a 20 minute fire rating.
Professional Home Inspection can identify many areas in your home that should be improved or updated to bring your home as close as possible to current building standards. A home inspection report is a tremendous tool to help homeowners build a to-do list of home improvements. Many of these improvements are safety related. Making these updates can save lives and prevent property damage.

If you have additional questions about home inspections, want to learn more or would like to schedule an inspection, contact your Professional Home Inspector.

David Selman, Certified Master Inspector #10299
www.selmanhomeinspections.com

469-371-3228

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Dallas Home Inspections Are Not Just For Buyers


Dallas Home Inspections Are Not Just For Buyers

Maintaining Your Home Series

Traditionally, home inspections are done for buyers when they are purchasing a new place to live. There are however, other important times to get a Professional Home Inspection. The pros at Selman Home Inspections perform every kind of residential home inspection service you may need.


New Construction Inspection

Yes, even new construction homes should be professionally inspected. It is amazing that even with the finest home builders, there is always room for improvement. A new construction home inspection help make sure your new home is everything it should be.


Warranty Inspection

If you have built or purchased a new construction home, it is important to have that home professionally inspected prior to the expiration of your new home warranty. As homes are used over the first year, there may be items that have not performed as intended that should be repaired or replaced by the builder. Otherwise, the homeowner takes on these costs down the road...


Maintenance Inspection

Every year there are new building standards, construction standards and codes. With each passing year, your home becomes that much more out of date. A Maintenance Home Inspection compares your existing home to the current standards and provides valuable insights to help you bring your home up to modern standards. When you get ready to sell an older home, outdated standards and home maintenance will surely be a stumbling block. Making a few adjustments recommended by a Maintenance Home Inspection each year will help avoid issues and unexpected costs.


Seller or Pre-Listing Inspection

Selling your home or thinking about it? A seller or Pre-Listing Inspection has tremendous advantages and puts the leverage back in your hands ( and your agents). This inspection will virtually eliminate the hassles and blown deals caused by traditional buyer home inspections. Eventually, a buyer will have a home inspection performed, why not head them off and repair these defects ahead of time? Our Pre-Listing Home Inspection also helps with realistic pricing and items that you may want to include in the property disclosure documents.


Other Important Inspections

Selman Home Inspections also performs termite (Wood Destroying Insect) inspections, Septic System Inspections and Thermal Imaging Inspections. These added services provide for the most comprehensive and thorough inspections possible. By having one inspection company perform all your services, we save you time and money.


David Selman, Certified Master Inspector #10299
www.selmanhomeinspections.com

469-371-3228

Wednesday, March 4, 2015

Benefits Of Choosing Selman Home Inspections

Benefits Of Choosing Selman Home Inspections

Reasons More Agents Refer Us Than Other Inspectors

Besides delivery of world class home inspection services, there are many benefits that home buyers and sellers get with every inspection we perform. Trusted by thousands of agents and their clients, our process of delivering outstanding customer service and reliable inspection reports makes us a leader in our field. We invite you to watch this 1 minute video about the benefits your clients will receive when you refer Selman Home Inspections.



Want to know more about who we are and why so many Realtors are referring us to their clients? Then you may also want to explore our website, learn about our Mission and see what our Goals for serving you and your clients is all about.

We are here to service home inspection service needs before, during and after the inspection with "Accurate Investment Protection You Can Trust".

David Selman, Certified Master Inspector #10299
www.selmanhomeinspections.com

469-371-3228