EVERY TYPE OF INSPECTION TO COVER ALL OF YOUR INSPECTION NEEDS
BUYERS HOME INSPECTION
If you’re currently looking for a home in central North Carolina or have found your dream home a home inspection should be a no-brainer. Commonly referred to as Engineers report. Our reports go above and beyond association-standardized SOP (Standards of practice).
It is estimated that up to 80% of all home sales are contingent on the buyer’s inspection! You’ll be hard-pressed to find any real estate-related expert who doesn’t adamantly suggest that you require an inspection prior to purchasing a home.
SELLERS PRE-LISTING HOME INSPECTION
A seller’s inspection is initiated by the property owner usually prior to listing the property. It helps the seller to determine what systems and structures of the property need repair. More importantly, it helps the seller and the seller’s agent to accurately represent the home by disclosing damage to prospective buyers (which further helps to curb lawsuits). Damage discovered as a result of a seller’s inspection can either be repaired by the seller (to maintain market value) or used as a negotiating tool by both seller and buyer.
Being used more and more, a seller’s inspection is helping to speed-up the sales process. When sellers can show what damage an inspector found, and how that damage was fixed, the buyer’s confidence may increases enough to move the transaction forward. But, the buyer should always hire an their own inspector to perform another inspection to get a second-opinion.
TAP/WELL WATER TESTING
Properly constructed and maintained water wells can provide many years of trouble-free service, but wells can eventually deteriorate or become damaged and allow surface contaminants to enter the water. In addition, some groundwater can contain one or more chemical substances in levels above health-based standards. In some cases, contamination of the water can be detected by sight, taste or smell; however, many of the most serious problems can only be detected through laboratory testing of the water. Public water systems are tested regularly for a variety of contaminants. However, if you have a private well, regular testing is your responsibility. Well construction inspection and improvements, such as fixing a crack in a casing, are important steps in keeping your well water safe.
Water that has become contaminated by human or animal waste can transmit a variety of infectious diseases, including dysentery, salmonellosis, hepatitis, and giardiasis. Symptoms vary, but nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, with or without fever, are most common. These bacteria do not usually cause disease themselves, but their presence indicates that surface contamination has found its way into the well and disease organisms may also be present.
MOLD SURVEY W/ SAMPLING
Mold contamination can destroy property and deteriorate health. A mold survey can determine if red flags exist and if further testing is recommended to determine the presence, and type, of mold. Remediation and clearances can be done to eliminate and prevent future infestations.
Keep in mind that mold identification and removal is specialized work that requires special training and testing equipment. Lab work is also required in most cases in order to make an accurate assessment of strain infestations. Not just any inspector is capable of providing this service considering toxic it can be.
- EPA on Mold
- NAHB Mold Resource Center
- WebMD – Impact of Household Mold
- Mold Identification on InspectaPedia
RADON TESTING
Radon is a cancer-causing, radioactive gas. You can’t see radon, you can’t smell it or taste it, but it may be a problem in your home. Radon is estimated to cause many thousands of deaths each year. That’s because when you breathe air containing radon, you can get lung cancer. In fact, the Surgeon General has warned that radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States today. Only smoking causes more lung cancer deaths. If you smoke and your home has high radon levels, your risk of lung cancer is especially high. Radon can be found all over the U.S. It comes from the natural (radioactive) breakdown of uranium in soil, rock and water and gets into the air you breathe. It can get into any type of building — homes, offices, and schools – and result in a high indoor radon level. You and your family are most likely to get your greatest exposure at home where you spend most of your time. Testing is the only way to know if you and your family are at risk from radon. EPA and the Surgeon General recommend testing all homes below the third floor for radon, and an inspector certified to perform radon testing is one of your best sources to preventing radon contamination in your home.
CONSTRUCTION PHASE INSPECTION
There is usually nothing more frustrating than having to tear down a wall in new construction because you discover that there is a structural issue after the builders have left. Our construction phase inspections monitor the construction of a home or building in various phases so that you, the buyer, have eyes on it….our eyes. We can identify a wide variety of issues with the structure, plumbing, electrical, and other systems and structures associated with new construction. Consider this type of inspection an “insurance policy” against shoddy work and unintentional mistakes ~ because even the best builders make mistakes. After all, they’re only human.
LIGHT COMMERCIAL INSPECTION
Business operators, commercial property managers, and commercial real estate buyers have to deal with damage and defects just like homeowners. After all, many of the systems that are in a home exist in a commercial building, too. We provide thorough inspection services for light commercial buildings such as retail stores, restaurants, government offices, and storage buildings. Every inspection includes a detailed report that covers a visual and non-invasive inspection of plumbing systems, electrical systems, heating and air systems, structural systems, and more.
Our inspectors are code-certified to inspect most types of commercial building structures. Size is not an issue. We can handle the smallest offices up to warehouse-sized spaces.
HOME MAINTENANCE INSPECTION
Also called a “Home Health Check-up”, preventative maintenance inspections are performed usually once per year simply to ensure the integrity of a home’s systems and structure. Because all things have a planned obsolescence period, maintenance inspections help to make the homeowner aware of immediate and upcoming needs for replacement and repair that could save thousands-of-dollars if discovered early-on.
The inspection itself is as thorough as a Buyers Inspection and includes the same high-quality report after the inspection concludes. PMIs are especially recommended after your home has endured inclement weather such as strong winds, excessive rain, extended periods of drought, unusual freezing, or blizzard-like conditions.
SEPTIC INSPECTION
A septic system receives, treats and disposes of unwanted wastewater and solids from a building’s plumbing system. Solids are partially broken down into sludge within a septic tank and are separated from effluent (water) and scum (fat, oil and grease). Effluent regularly exits the tank into a drainfield where it is naturally filtered by bacteria and reentered into the groundwater. Scum and sludge must be pumped periodically and should never enter the drainfield.
The septic system should be inspected once a year, including as soon as the house is put on the market for sale. This will enhance the home’s value and avoid any liability issues that might result from a malfunctioning system. It is in the interest of a prospective buyer to insist that the septic system be inspected before they purchase the home if it has not been done recently.
NEW CONSTRUCTION INSPECTION
A new-construction inspection is much like a warranty inspection except for the fact that the building and its systems are, in fact, new. Whereas a warranty inspection can apply to re-sale homes that offer a warranty, new-construction inspections are specifically designed for homes that have never been lived-in. Though new homes do not have the wear-and-tear on them that re-sale home may, various contractors associated with the construction may have made mistakes whether by accident or intentionally (such as taking “shortcuts” to finish the job faster or under-budget). A new-construction inspection provides you with an unbiased review by the inspector who acts as an objective and knowledgeable observer on your behalf to identify construction-related, code-related, and installation-related issues with home systems and structures.
Many of the components from a home’s system’s and structure may be newly assembled, but they may also have been sitting in a lumber yard or warehouse for months. Also, even the best contractors make mistakes that could compromise the integrity of the job they do. It just makes sense to be sure!
