Atlanta Home and Commercial Property Inspections

Building a Home

09/23/2011 15:44:00

If you want to build a new home, there are things you need to know before you begin. Learn about construction standards and about buying land, so you know your rights.

MPS Supplementing Model Building Codes

The Minimum Property Standards (MPS) establish certain minimum standards for buildings constructed under HUD housing programs. This includes new single-family homes, multi-family housing and healthcare-type facilities.

HUD Minimum Property Standards and How They Supplement the Model Building Codes

Until the mid-1980s, HUD maintained separate Minimum Property Standards for different types of structures. Since that time, HUD has accepted the model building codes, including over 250 referenced standards and local building codes, in lieu of separate and prescriptive HUD standards. However, there is one major area of difference between the MPS and other model building codes -- durability requirements. Homes and projects financed by FHA-insured mortgages are the collateral for these loans, and their lack of durability can increase the FHA's financial risk in the event of default. More specifically, the model codes do not contain any minimum requirements for the durability of items such as doors, windows, gutters and downspouts, painting and wall coverings, kitchen cabinets and carpeting. The MPS includes minimum standards for these, and other items, to ensure that the value of an FHA-insured home is not reduced by the deterioration of these components.

HUD Field Office Acceptance for Areas Without Building Codes

   HUD requires that each property insured with an FHA mortgage meet one of the nationally recognized building codes or a state or local building code based on a nationally recognized building code. In areas where such state or local codes are used, HUD determines if the state or local code is comparable to the model building code. There are also areas of the United States that do not have building codes. If no state or local building code has been adopted, the appropriate HUD Field Office will specify a building code that is comparable to one of the nationally recognized model building codes.

Interstate Land Sales

The Interstate Land Sales program protects consumers from fraud and abuse in the sale or lease of land. In 1968, Congress enacted the Interstate Land Sales Full Disclosure Act, which is patterned after the Securities Law of 1933, and requires land developers to register subdivisions of 100 or more non-exempt lots with HUD, and to provide each purchaser with a disclosure document called a property report. The property report contains relevant information about the subdivision and must be delivered to each purchaser before the signing of the contract or agreement.

Buying Lots from Developers

Be well informed when shopping for land. Lots may be marketed as sites for future retirement homes, for second home locations, or for recreational or campsite use. However, be wary of any investment aspect that may be stressed by sales personnel. If you plan to purchase a lot which is offered by promotional land sales, take plenty of time before coming to a decision. Before signing a purchase agreement, a contract, or a check:

Know your rights as a buyer;
Know something about the developer;
Know the facts about the development and the lot you plan to buy; and
Know what you are doing when you encounter high-pressure sales campaigns.

Generally, if the company from which you plan to buy is offering 100 or more unimproved lots for sale or lease through the mail or by means of interstate commerce, it may be required to register with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). This means that the company must file with HUD and provide prospective buyers with a property report containing detailed information about the property. Failure to do this may be a violation of federal law, punishable by up to five years in prison, a $10,000 fine, or both. The information filed by the developer and retained by HUD must contain such items as these:

A copy of the corporate charter and financial statement;
Information about the land, including title policy or attorney's title opinion, and copies of the deed and mortgages;
Information on local ordinances, health regulations, etc.;
Information about facilities available in the area, such as schools, hospitals and transportation systems;
Information about availability of utilities and water, and plans for sewage disposal;
Development plans for the property, including information on roads, streets and recreational facilities; and
Supporting documents, such as maps, plans and letters from suppliers of water and sewer facilities.

The company filing this information must swear and affirm that it is correct and complete, and an appropriate fee must accompany submission. The information is retained by HUD and is available for public inspection. The property report, which is also prepared by the developer, goes to the buyer. The law requires the seller to give the report to a prospective lot purchaser prior to the time a purchase agreement is signed. Ask for it. The seller is also required to have the buyer sign a receipt acknowledging receipt of the property report. Do not sign the receipt unless you have actually received the property report. Check the developer’s property report before buying. This is the kind of information you will find in a property report:

Read the Property Report Before Signing Anything

This report is prepared and issued by the developer of this subdivision. It is not prepared or issued by the federal government. Federal law requires that you receive this report prior to signing a contract or agreement to buy or lease a lot in this subdivision. However, no federal agency has judged the merits or value of the property. If you received the report prior to signing a contract or agreement, you may cancel your contract or agreement by giving notice to the seller any time before midnight of the seventh day following the signing of the contract or agreement. If you did not receive this report before you signed a contract or agreement, you may cancel the contract or agreement any time within two years from the date of signing.

Your Contract Rights

If the lot you are buying is subject to the jurisdiction of the Interstate Land Sales Full Disclosure Act, the contract or purchase agreement must inform you of certain rights given to buyers by that Act. The contract should state that the buyer has a "cooling-off" period of seven days (or longer, if provided by state law) following the day that the contract is signed to cancel the contract, for any reason, by notice to the seller, and get his or her money back. Furthermore, unless the contract states that the seller will give the buyer a warranty deed, within 180 days after the contract is signed, the buyer has a right to cancel the contract for up to two years from the day that the contract is signed, unless the contract contains the following provisions:

Contract Rights Concerning Property Reports

It has always been the law that if the developer has an obligation to register with the Interstate Land Sales Division, the developer or sales agent must give the buyer a copy of the current property report before the buyer signs a contract. Otherwise, the buyer has up to two years to cancel the contract and get their money back. That fact must also be clearly set forth in all contracts. You may have the right to void the contract if the subdivision has not been registered with HUD, or you were not given a property report. Furthermore, if the developer has represented that it will provide or complete roads, water, sewer, gas, electricity or recreational facilities in its property report, in its advertising, or in its sales promotions, the developer must obligate itself to do so in the contract, clearly and conditionally (except for acts of nature or impossibility of performance). In addition to the right to a full disclosure of information about the lot, the prospective buyer may have the right to void the contract and receive a refund of their money if the developer has failed to register the subdivision with HUD or has failed to supply the purchaser with a property report. While a purchaser may have the right to void the contract with the developer under these conditions, the purchaser may still be liable for contract payments to a third party if that contract has been assigned to a financing institution or some similar entity. The registration is retained by HUD and is available for public inspection. If the property report contains misstatements of fact, if there are omissions, if fraudulent sales practices are used, or if other provisions of the law have been violated, the purchaser may also sue to recover damages and actual costs and expenses in court against the developer. However, depending on when your sale occurred, you may be barred from taking further action due to the Act's statute of limitations. Your attorney can advise you further on this matter.

"Cooling-Off" Period

The HUD unit which administers the law, examines the developer's registration statement, and registers the land sales operator is the Interstate Land Sales Division. Except for disclosure purposes, this office is not concerned with zoning or land-use planning, and has no control over the quality of the subdivision. It does not dictate what land can be sold, to whom, or at what price. It cannot act as a purchaser's attorney. But it will help purchasers secure the rights given to them by the Interstate Land Sales Full Disclosure Act. HUD is authorized by law to conduct investigations and public hearings, to subpoena witnesses and secure evidence, and to seek court injunctions to prevent violations of the law. If necessary, HUD may seek criminal indictments. HUD is authorized by law to conduct investigations and, if necessary, seek criminal indictments.

Exemptions from the Law

The prospective buyer should be aware that not all promotional land sales operations are covered by the law. If the land sales program is exempt, no registration is required by HUD, and there will be no property report. Here are some of the specific situations for which the statute allows exemptions without review by HUD, including the sale of:

Other exemptions are available which are not listed above. If you have reason to believe that your sale is not exempt and may still be covered by the law, contact the Interstate Land Sales Division.

Know the Developer

Once you have decided on an appealing subdivision, inspect the property. Don't buy "sight unseen." Better yet, hire an InterNACHI inspector to perform a thorough property inspection. Also, check the developer's plans for the project and know what you are getting with your lot purchase. It's a good idea to make a list of the facts you will need to know. Some of the questions you should be asking, and answering, are these:

How large will the development become?
What zoning controls are specified?
What amenities are promised?
What provision has the developer made to assure construction and maintenance?
What are the provisions for sewer and water service?
Are all of the promised facilities and utilities in the contract?
Will there be access roads or streets to your property, and how will they be surfaced? Who maintains them? How much will they cost?
Will you have clear title to the property? What liens, reservations or encumbrances exist?
Will you receive a deed upon purchase or a recordable sales contract?
What happens to your payments? Are they placed in a special escrow account to pay for the property, or are they spent at once by the developer?
If the developer defaults on the mortgage or goes bankrupt, could you lose your lot and investment to date to satisfy a claim against the development?
What happens when the developer moves out? Is there a homeowners' association to take over community management?
Are there restrictions against using the lot for a campsite until you are ready to build?
Are there any annual maintenance fees or special assessments required of property owners?

Know the Facts About the Lot

This is a partial list of points to consider before you commit your money or your signature.

Know What You are Doing

Here are some of the practices avoided by reliable sales operations. Watch out for them and exercise sales resistance if you suspect they are occurring:

1. Concealing or misrepresenting facts about current and resale value.

Sales agents may present general facts about the area’s population growth, industrial or residential development, and real estate price levels as if they apply to your specific lot. You may be encouraged to believe that your piece of land represents an investment which will increase in value as regional development occurs. A sales agent may tell you that the developer will re-sell the lot, if you request. This promise may not be kept. Future resale is difficult or impossible in many promotional developments because much of your purchase price -- sometimes as much as 40% -- has gone for an intensive advertising campaign and commissions for sales agents. You are already paying a top price and it is unlikely that anyone else would pay you more than you are paying the developer. You may even have to sell for less than the price you originally paid for the lot. Sales promotions often are conducted in a high-pressure atmosphere. Furthermore, when you attempt to sell your lot, you are in competition with the developer, who probably holds extensive, unsold acreage in the same subdivision. In most areas, real estate brokers find it impractical to undertake the sale of lots in subdivisions and will not accept such listings. It is unlikely that the lot you purchase through interstate land sales represents an investment, in the view of professional land investors. Remember, the elements of value of a piece of land are its usefulness, the supply, the demand, and the buyer's ability to re-sell it. The Urban Land Institute estimates that land must double in value every five years to justify holding it as an investment. In some areas, the cost of holding the land, such as taxes and other assessments, can run as high as 11% a year.

2. Failure to honor refund promises or agreements.

Some sales promotions conducted by mail, email or long-distance telephone include the offer of a refund if the property has been misrepresented, or if the customer inspects the land within a certain period of time and decides not to buy. When the customers request the refund, s/he may encounter arguments about the terms of the agreement. The company may even accuse its own agent of having made a money-back guarantee without the consent or knowledge of the developer. Sometimes, the promised refund is made, but only after a long delay.

3. Misrepresentation of facts about the subdivision.

This is where the property report offers an added measure of protection. A sales agent may offer false or incomplete information relating to either a distant subdivision or one which you visit. Misrepresentations often relate to matters such as the legal title, claims against it, latent dangers (such as swamps or cliffs), unusual physical features (such as poor drainage), restrictions on use, or lack of necessary facilities and utilities. Read the property report carefully with an eye to omissions, generalizations, or unproved statements that may tend to mislead you. If you are concerned about overlooking something important, discuss the report and the contract with a lawyer who understands real estate matters. The developer also may use advertisements that imply that certain facilities and amenities are currently available when they are not. Read the property report to determine whether these facilities and amenities are actually completed, or proposed to be completed in the future. If the company advertises sales on credit terms, the Truth in Lending Act requires the sales contract to fully set forth all terms of financing. This information must include total cost, simple annual interest, and total finance charges.

4. Failure to develop the subdivision as planned.

Many buyers rely upon the developer's contractual agreement or a verbal promise to develop the subdivision in a certain way. The promised attractions that influenced your purchase (golf course, marina, swimming pool, etc.) may never materialize after you become an owner. If they are provided, it may be only after a long delay. If you are planning on immediate vacation use of the property, or are working toward a specific retirement date, you may find that the special features promised of the development are not available when you need them.

5. Failure to deliver deeds and/or title insurance policies.

Documents relating to the sales transaction may not be delivered as promised. Some sales in the promotional land development industry are made by contract for a deed to be delivered when the purchaser makes the last payment under the terms of the contract. A dishonest developer may fail to deliver the deed, or deliver it only after a long delay. A sales agent may offer false or incomplete information.

6. Abusive treatment and high-pressure sales tactics.

Some sales agents drive prospective customers around a subdivision in automobiles equipped with citizen band radios which provide a running commentary on lot sales in progress. The customer may be misled by this and other sales techniques to believe that desirable lots are selling rapidly and that a hurried choice must be made. Hurrying the buyers into a purchase they may later regret is only one ploy of high-pressure sales agents. More offensive is abusive language used to embarrass customers who delay an immediate decision to buy. In some instances, hesitant buyers have been isolated in remote or unfamiliar places where transportation is controlled by the sales agent or the agent's organization.

7. Failure to make good on sales inducements.

Free vacations, gifts, savings bonds, trading stamps, and other promised inducements are used to lure people to sales presentations or to development sites. These promised treats may never materialize. Sometimes, special conditions are attached to the lure, or a customer is advised that gifts go only to lot purchasers. A "free vacation" may be the means of delivering the prospective buyer to a battery of high-pressure sales agents in a distant place. The promised attractions may never materialize.

8. "Bait and switch" tactics.

Lots are frequently advertised at extremely low prices. When prospective buyers appear, they are told that the low-priced lots are all sold and then are pressured to buy one that is much more expensive. If the cheaper lot is available, it may be located on the side of a cliff or in another inaccessible location. If accessible, it may be much too small for a building or have other undesirable features. The buyers may be lured to the property with a certificate entitling them to a "free" lot. Often, the certificate bears a face value of $500 to $1,000. If the buyers attempt to cash it in, the amount is simply included in the regular price (often inflated) of the lot they choose. Often, this so-called "bait and switch" technique has a delayed fuse. Buyers who purchase an unseen lot for later retirement may be unpleasantly surprised when they visit the development. The lot they have paid for may be remote from other homes, shopping and medical facilities. It may be insufficiently developed for use. When the buyers complain, sales personnel attempt to switch them to a more expensive lot, applying the money paid for the original lot to an inflated price for the new one, and tacking on additional financing charges. If the unhappy purchasers lack sufficient funds to accept this alternative, they are left with an unusable, unmarketable first choice.

9. Failure to grant rights under the Interstate Land Sales Full Disclosure Act.

Purchasers may not be given copies of the property report before they sign a sales contract. Some sales agents withhold this detailed statement until customers choose a specific lot. Sometimes, the buyers receive the report in a mass of promotional materials and legal documents. Unaware that the report is in their possession, they fail to read and understand it before signing a sales contract.

Article by NACHI

Richard Morse

Morlin Property Inspections

(770) 564-1505

Is that home really Vacant?

08/15/2011 17:21:00

I wrote on the topic, “Safety In Vacant Homes” recently, but did not touch on what to look for when first viewing a home that had been supposedly vacated.

First, it is very important to know that foreclosed, vacant homes account for a very large percentage of the homes that are on the market today. If you work with investors and preview the properties before you take your client for a look, please think about what to do when you arrive for the first time. Oh, before even travel to the property, make sure that you inform someone where you will be, especially if it is an unfamiliar area or neighborhood. There have been a number of incidences recently that are very disturbing, where Realtor's have been injured. You can be safe, you just need to think ahead and be very observant of your surroundings.

Take these questions into consideration -

1. If the house is vacant, are windows or doors open?

2. If the home had been previously boarded up, had some sections of the plywood been removed?

3. Is the crawlspace secure?

4. Had the entry doors been kicked-in?

If you said yes to any of these questions, just assume that either someone is in the home or had recently left for the day. If you are confident and feel safe to enter into the home, you must perform and initial sweep of the home to make sure that no one else is present. Be observant to what is in the home. Are there any personal items, such as clothes, food items or recent waste? Anything that you may see could indicate when someone had been there. When ever you enter into a home, always make sure that you lock the door behind you and locate an alternate means to exit the home, be a window or another door.

Not long ago, I was confronted in a “vacant” home. I sensed that someone was there before I even entered. I looked at the home on a hot summer day and first noticed that the upper level windows and doors were open. I then found that the main entry door was closed, but it had been kicked-in. The home was quiet, even after I noticed clothing on the counter top in the heavily damaged kitchen. The quiet was broken with the barking of a large and obviously agitated Pit Bull. The dog was quieted when his owner emerged from the left hand bedroom, yelling for him to shut up. Needless to say, I was somewhat, Ok completely fill in the blank. The dog was called off and I proceeded to explain why I was there. He appeared to understand my need to be in the home and I even felt somewhat at ease, well, until he entered back into “his” room and emerged with a machete. The story ends when he informed me that he was just as scared as I am left with his dog. When my heart beat slowed somewhat, I continued with the inspection. If you didn’t figure it out, this could have ended much differently and very badly.

When looking at “vacant” homes, always first walk around the home to determine if it is occupied and then sweep the interior. Before you even get to the home, it is very important to let someone know where you will be

and when you will be back. Never

take the word “vacant” for granted. Be safe and sell a home. Oh, and use Morlin Property Inspections to make sure it is what you and your client thought it was.

Richard Morse

Morlin Property Inspections

Atlanta Home and Commercial Property Inspections

www.MorlinPropertyInspections.com

Office: (770) 564-1505

Cell: (770) 344-7416

Is your HardiePlank siding installed properly?

07/01/2011 06:53:00

Of all the homes that I perform inspections on, approximately 60% of them have HardiePlank lap siding installed on at least one of their exterior walls. I like the product. It wears well, is quite attractive and requires less maintenance than many other products out on the market today. Each and every home I see with the siding installed, I find that the butt joints are open. The caulk that had been installed at the time of the installation typically fails within the first 4 years after its original installation and will require replacement.

This, I normally would consider as regular maintenance. Just like painting. Well, until I found that James Hardie issued a little known Technical Bulletin. I found this after a Listing Agent disliked my report where it stated that I recommended the installation of sealant on the open butt joints. After researching the concern, I found indeed that James Hardie no longer recommends the use of caulking to seal the joints. Rather than caulk, James Hardie now recommends the use of flashing under each and every butt joint. I can certainly see why they had changed their opinion to as what the best method for weather-proofing the joints is. It is as simple as this. Caulk fails over time. The flashing won’t. Now, after this has been said, I have yet to see any of the siding installed properly, as per the Technical Bulletin, which was written and distributed on September 8, 2008. Now, if you decide to have new HardiePlank siding professionally installed, please do not take it for granted that the installer actually know how to properly install the product. Feel free to let them know.

Here is the bulletin -

http://www.jameshardie.com/pdf/USTB_Joint-Flashing-at-Field-Butt-Joints.pdf

Richard Morse

Morlin Property Inspections

Atlanta Residential and Commercial Property Inspections www.MorlinPropertyInspections.com

(770) 564-1505

First Impressions

05/04/2011 09:10:00

First impressions when purchasing a new home are very important to you, as they should be. You may have noticed the gardens with their bountiful flowers and have noticed the unmistakably smell of freshly cut grass. You then see the crisp and clean, newly painted siding and trim, and you have certainly noticed the beautifully stained hard-wood front entry door. When you enter into your dream home, you notice the cleanliness of the rooms, the stainless-steel appliances and the granite counter tops. Everything appears perfect, just to your liking. Did you happen to notice the age and condition of the roof? How about the furnace and water heater? The water supply and sewage piping? I didn’t think so.

First impressions for me, the Inspector are also very important. I do notice all of the nice new and freshened items in the home. I also notice what you don’t. For instance, I will see that the furnace filter had not been changed since the beginning of the millennium. This tells me that the home owner did not take care of the mechanicals but merely “dressed up” the home for its sale. This also tells me that the owner does not have a maintenance contract with an HVAC firm to perform routine maintenance. The exploratory portion of the Inspection will give me my first impression. I can reasonably tell how well a home has been maintained by looking at just few areas. I ask myself these questions: 1) Are the gutters clean? 2) Are the shrubs and trees trimmed back away from the home? 3) Are there any home owner “quick fixes”, 4) Are the furnace filters and return duct covers clean?, and last but certainly not least, 5) Does everything work as intended?

When purchasing a home, do yourself a favor and have the property inspected. Do yourself a bigger favor and walk around with the Inspector to see what they see and what they look for.

Inspecting older Atlanta homes

12/04/2010 21:29:00

I love the look and feel of the older Atlanta bungalows, especially after someone renovated it with the help of an architect. These houses have been changed from their very simple pre-war design to an elaborate, open floor plan that allows for entertaining and flows better than you think it possibly could. When using a professional architect, designer, and general contractor, the “renovated” house is essentially a new home with most everything updated or replaced.

Then there are the homes that people, especially investors purchase just to renovate. Performing inspections on these homes is something completely different from any other home. My inner detective really must come out so that the inspection will reveal where the renovation went wrong or what corners were cut and for what reason.

Here are a few of the many things I see on homes that did not get a complete or proper “renovation”:

1) The main electrical panel had been replaced, but only a very limited number of the branch circuits had been replaced. Many contractors will mask the older wiring with the additional of three-prong, grounded electrical outlets in older 2-wire systems. Oh yeah, this is not legal as per the NEC. Two wire branch circuits are acceptable as long as the outlets are of the un-grounded, 2-prong style.

2) I often see where the air-conditioning compressor had been replaced, but the hard to get to, crawlspace installed furnace and air-conditioning coils had not.

3) The water supply and sewage discharge piping is replaced only where it is easily accessible and not where it is going to eventually fail.

Be very careful when purchasing an older, renovated home. Be prepared to spend a lot of time with your inspector. Many things will be uncovered.

Listing Agents, please have your homes de-cluttered for the Inspection

10/07/2010 09:49:00

I guess that this is my rant for the day.

First off, I do admit that this may not always be possible. But, if the home is currently occupied, or recently vacated, cleaning or straightening up the home should be and can easily be done. I recently entered into an occupied home that was almost impossible to have a complete inspection performed on. Large piles of debris (boxes, bags, dirty clothes, etc.) were around the mechanicals in the garage, as well as in the attic next to the furnace.

Oh, and in the laundry room, kitchen, master bathroom, and in the…..the list goes on and on. The home was not a candidate for the show “Hoarders” by any means, but it did need some general rearranging and de-cluttering. The listing agent, who was on site, told me to just, “push the items away from the furnace and water heater”. This sounds great, but I try to limit my own liability by not touching or “pushing” something that does not belong to me or my client. Especially, if I do not have explicit direction by the current homeowner. Fortunately, the Buyer’s agent was present. She and the Listing agent spoke and then contacted the seller. The seller allowed movement of the items for access. The Realtors together, graciously moved the items for the benefit of the Buyer. We then performed a complete, unobstructed inspection of the home.

I do not like entering into a home where I cannot perform the task that I was hired to do. Listing Agents, please help out the Seller, Buyer and their Inspector. Clean up the home before it is placed on the market.

Safety in Vacant Homes. What do you do?

10/01/2010 08:51:00

How many of us out the field, including agents, inspectors, appraisers and pest control companies look at foreclosed homes alone?

I spend approximately half of my time inspecting homes in Atlanta that are vacant. Many of these homes are for investment firms that are outside of the metropolitan area and for the most part, out of state – so of course, they are not present. What kinds of precautions do you take before you enter into that property? Do you let others know where you are? If you are with a client, how well do you actually know them? Do you perform a quick sweep of the home to ensure that no one is there? When inside do you lock the door behind you?

These are very important questions to think about. There has been a rash of assaults and murders in vacant homes on real estate professionals. On September 28, an Ohio man was apprehended in the shooting death of a real estate agent. Apparently, the disgruntled home owner knew and had dealings with the agent. A real estate agent was assaulted when she showed a vacant home to a potential buyer. In this case the attacker was apprehended because the agent wrote down his license plate number before entering into the home. A few years ago in Atlanta, 3 real estate agents were assaulted by a man who posed as a “Professional” baseball player. I have looked around and found that 206 agents were murdered on the job between 1982 and 2000. This does not account for assaults.

I entered into a home several months back to perform an inspection. During my initial walk through, I did not see anything out the ordinary. Nearing the end of the inspection, I opened a bedroom closet door to find a sleeping man – who became agitated quickly. This ended well, but would it had in different circumstances? I have many stories of entering into vacant homes that have been used by homeless for a shelter. Although I have never faced imminent danger, would others have?

When entering into an unfamiliar neighborhood, I locate the home and then drive around to see if I notice anything or anyone that I consider strange. When I get out of my vehicle at the home, I walk the exterior of the home to see if there are any signs that the doors or windows had been tempered with. When inside, I perform a sweep, with the door open, to see if anyone is there. When I decide that it is safe to stay, I lock the door behind me. When someone arrives to look at the home, I take their license number down. Always be suspicious and never trust anyone. OK that sounds bad, but remember that your client may be someone that you only spoke with over the phone. Do you really know them? In the best circumstances, you should first meet your client at your office – with others around. Should you carry some sort of personal defense device? Yes. There are many products that are very easy to use and are non-lethal that can be administered very quickly and easily, which can allow for your escape.

Everyone who performs field work alone must be very careful. Be cautious, suspicious, and on full alert – at all times. Just be careful.

As an Agent, do you encourage your client to be present at the Inspection?

09/21/2010 10:16:00

Of course I am not going to say that agents discourage their clients from being present. I do feel that sometimes not enough emphasis is placed on the importance of being present. I cannot pin this just on any agent, but also on the buyers themselves. Some just do not feel that it is extremely important to be present. I will always encourage that a client attends the inspection. I even encourage that the agent be present. Not necessarily for the whole inspection, but for at least the final portion where I can explain the locations of several items, how certain systems operate and what concerns were noted that will require repair. I recently was called back to look at a home after an in-wall water pipe had broken. I also perform Mold Assessments and the homeowner wanted to test the air-quality within the home. The majority of the damage did not occur because of the actual water line break. Much more damage occurred because the homeowner did not know the locations of either of the water shut off valves. Should the homeowner have known exactly where the shut off valves were and how they operated, much less damage would have occurred. And yes, the homeowner did not think it was necessary to be present at the inspection. Inspections not only give you a list of items that require immediate and future repairs, it also gives you and your client an education to their new home and its many features and systems. Encourage that they be present.

Net Net Net Property Assessments may be more important than you think

09/21/2010 10:13:00

Lately, I have been working with a lot of Attorneys. Not because of something that I did, but because something I have been doing. Ok. It doesn't make a lot of sense yet, but just wait. The latest Court dealing was with a property owner and his tenant. The property in question is a gas station in Atlanta. I was retained by the owner over three years ago to perform periodic inspections or assessments of the property to determine if the tenant had been performing required maintenance as per the Lease Agreement. The property owner lives out of state and cannot properly monitor the structure. As you may have already guessed, the tenant was not performing what was required. The reports submitted by my firm were enough evidence to sway the decision against the Tenant. Do you know anyone who wants to lease a gas station?

With the decline of the economy came the decline of several small local businesses. Many of the property owners that I have spoken with are left with buildings that have not been properly maintained. Unfortunately, they did not discover this until the tenant moved out. If they had looked at the building more often, they may have been able to determine what maintenance should have been performed and may have had the opportunity to ask the tenant to perform what was needed - or to face the court system. The property owner in this case, for the modest cost of the assessments, walked away with much more – A winning case.

Richard Morse

Morlin Property Inspections