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(800) 339-9140 or (919)303-2525
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INSPECTION PRICES
START AT $199 FOR A NORTH CAROLINA HOME INSPECTION BY A
STATE CERTIFIED NORTH CAROLINA HOME INSPECTOR. STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA / NC LICENSED ASHI, NACHI CERTIFIED, NORTH CAROLINA INSPECTOR, HOME INSPECTION SERVICES FOR COUNTIES ALAMANCE, CHATHAM, JOHNSTON, LEE, ORANGE, WAKE. TOWNS AND SURROUNDING AREAS CHAPEL HILL, HILLSBOROUGH, RALEIGH, NC, APEX, NC, DURHAM, NC, CARY, NC,
GREATER TRIANGLE AREA AND SURROUNDING TOWNS: RALEIGH - DURHAM - CHAPEL HILL - CARY - HILLSBOROUGH - CARRBORO - APEX - HOLLY SPRINGS - FUQUAY-VARINA - GARNER - MORRISVILLE
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FINAL
WALK THROUGH TIPS |
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CERTIFIED PLUS HOME INSPECTIONS The North Carolina Home Inspection Company with THE MONEY BACK GUARANTEE! NC Licensed Home Inspector License #2173 |
CERTIFIED PLUS NC HOME INSPECTION INCLUDES:
 | PRICES - START AT $199 - The price is set according to the size of the house. Call for exact prices for your North Carolina real estate home inspection. |  | REPORT - ON SITE SUMMARY REPORT - At the end of the home inspection, you will receive a summary report of the repairs. You are now ready to negotiate any repairs right after the inspection. |  |
MONEY BACK GUARANTEE - Our home inspectors are professionals. We are one of the few companies that offer a money back guarantee. If you are not satisfied with our home inspection, we will gladly refund your money. |  | APPLIANCES - All appliances that are purchased with the house will be tested at no extra charge. Appliances such as the dishwasher, stove, refrigerator and the washer and dryer. |
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FINAL WALK THROUGH
TIPS
The final walk through is your last chance to
address any issues with the seller. The final walk
through is a serious inspection and should be
approached with the mental attitude that "any item
not addressed before the final closing is no longer
negotiable." The author of this article will try to
cover the most common problems and damaged areas
encounter on walk throughs and what to do if
problems are discovered. The first lesson to be
learned about the final walk through is not to use
the final walk through to finalize the repairs.
Repairs that the seller has agreed to have repaired
should be examined weeks before the final walk
through. If you wait until the last day, the final
walk through to examine and evaluate the repairs,
and the repairs are not complete or not done
correctly, you will be put in a tough situation at
the closing. Most "as is" or the seller gives a
monetary compensation for the repairs or, the
closing is cancelled until exact repair cost are
obtained. The real danger of accepting a guestimate
monetary compensation for repairs at a closing is
that the monetary amount may not be anywhere near
the real cost of the repairs.
THE TIME
SQUEEZE OR THE MUST CLOSE THAT DAY TRAP
Many people who must sell their house in order to
buy the new house schedule the closing sale date of
their house and the purchase closing and occupation
of the new house within a day or two, this could be
a very costly mistake. This also holds true for the
people that schedule expiration day of a rental
lease and the possession of the new home within a
day or two. We suggest for a safer smoother closing,
close on the house your buying first and close on
the house your selling a month later. In other
words, give yourself a months time cushion to
address any problems that may arise with the newly
purchased home. The following are some reasons that
the close schedule could turn out to be financially
very costly:
One - If the
new house can’t close that day, for a host of legal
reasons, what do you do with your furniture that may
be on the moving van truck, and where will you live
until the property is ready to close?. It’s not
unusual for people in this situation to have to put
their belonging in storage and live in a motel or
with relatives for a month or two until the problems
are cleared up..
Two - If you
schedule too close and you find serious problems at
the final walk through, you have put yourself in a
weak bargaining position due to the fact that you
must close and move into the new house in order to
have a place to live. In my thirty years in real
estate, I have known people in the close schedule
situation that had to accept some serious repair
problems in order to close the sale and move into
the newly purchased house.
REPAIRS
THE SELLER AGREED TO COMPLETE
Repairs can be expensive and should be addressed in
the following manner.
(1) If the seller is doing the work himself, be very
careful, when the repair is complete, hire a
professional contractor to examine the work to make
sure the work is done correctly. Remember, if the
job is not correct you are one that will have to
make the repairs later.
(2) If the seller has hired licensed contractors to
complete the repairs, get the name and address of
the repair contractor and any warrantees or
guarantees for the repair. Again, if it’s a serious
repair, I would hire my own contractor to evaluate
the repair.
(3) Monetary compensation for a repair should never
be a guestimate. Call in an independent contractor
to give exact cost on the repair. Many times you can
get a free estimate from a licensed contractor for
the necessary repairs.
THE
REPAIR INSPECTION
(1) Paper work - The lawyers letter stating the
agreed upon repairs, the home inspection report, the
disclosure report and the Realtor’s MLS listing.
These four documents should be evaluated at home and
have a master list made of what is being repaired
and the items the seller has agreed to be included
in the sale. With a master list, when you arrive for
the inspection, you’ll know where and what to look
for and all the items that have to be addressed.
While on the subject of paper work, did the seller
have any work done that required a township permit.
If so, did he obtain a permit and supply
certification to your attorney that a permit was
obtained and the repairs or additions meet code.
When conducting the actual inspection it’s wise to
inspect first the items on the master list. I say
this because time will be short and you want to
address the important items first.
(2) Admittance and Keys - Make sure the seller or
the realtor has the keys to the house, garage,
storage shed or any other area that may be locked .
(3) Flashlight and Camera - Bring a flash light to
see in the dark areas and a camera to take photos of
the following: (a) all appliances that are include
in the sale as a record of the make, style and
condition. It’s not unheard of for a seller to
change his mind about leaving a good appliance and
substituting it with a cheaper model or removing it
completely
(b) Hallways and banisters are many times damaged
from moving heavy furniture down the stairs.
( c) Photos should also be taken of the sidewalks by
the driveway, and the sidewalk leading up to the
front porch or the front steps. These areas are also
very susceptible to damage from a heavy moving van
truck backed up to the front door for loading. In
other words, it’s wise to take as many pictures of
the house and property as possible as a record of
condition at the time of contract..
(4) Debris - Take a photo of all debris that should
be removed, particularly under the deck, crawl space
if any and the porch. These three areas are great
places to throw debris and old wood.
(5) Security Alarm and Sprinkler System - Don’t wait
until the final walk through to learn how to work
the security alarm. Obtain from the seller the phone
number of the security alarm company so you can get
instruction as to how to set and operate the system
and how to change the pass word.
(6) Sprinkler System - It’s a must that you get the
phone number of the company maintaining the
sprinkler system for two reasons. First, you may
have to contact the company for instructions on how
to operate the controls and set the operational
times. Second, if the property is located in an cold
climate, the under ground water lines must be purged
of all water before the cold weather. Any water left
in the lines in cold weather could freeze and damage
the lines. We recommend that you obtain a contract
from a sprinkler service company that will
automatically purge the lines at a certain preset
time. That way you know the job will be done without
you having to call the company for the fall
maintenance line purge.
(7) Fences - Take photos of the fence particularly
the fence in the front section of the house. Many
time the fence in this area is damaged by the moving
truck or, removed for easy truck loading access and
the fence section was never put back.
FINAL WALK THROUGH
INSPECTION - MAKE SURE ITEMS
▪
Sellers forwarding
address
▪
Your flashlight and
camera
▪
Master list of repairs
and items included in the sale
▪
Realtor has all keys to
the property
EXTERIOR
INSPECTION
Inspect all the exterior condition of the house and
property, particularly the items mentioned earlier
in this article. Items such as, sidewalks, front
porch or steps, fence, and debris around the
property that was supposed to be removed.
INTERIOR INSPECTION
After the items on the master list is inspected, the
following areas should be inspected:
GARAGE
▪
How is the overall
condition.
▪
Garage - Is there any
stored items left in the garage that are supposed to
be removed.
▪
Try the automatic
door opener, does it open and close properly, and
make sure the remote controllers are delivered to
you at the closing.
ENTRANCE HALL
▪
Check the overall
condition, try all lights and inspect all windows in
every room.
▪
Check the floor
covering for damage particularly if it’s a tile
floor. Also inspect the stairs, walls and banister
for damage from the moving of heavy furniture.
KITCHEN
▪
Check the appliances:
are they the ones that were included in the sale?
▪
Is the tile floor
damaged from the moving of the refrigerator or other
heavy items?
▪
Light the stove, run the
dishwasher and test the water and sink for leaks.
▪
Check the overall
condition of the cabinets, the lights, the fan if
any, and the window over the sink.
LIVING, DINING,
BEDROOMS AND ALL OTHER ROOMS
▪
When inspecting a room,
walk in and just stand still inside the doorway. A
person standing still and looking at the floor,
walls and ceiling will see more than a person
walking around in the room.
▪
The entrance door and
the closet doors should all close easy and latch
properly and check both sides of the door for
damage.
▪
Check the windows for
cracked or broken glass and whether or not they go
up and down easy. Also check and see if there are
any screens missing or damaged.
▪
See if the wall to
wall carpeting is damaged or if the hard wood floors
have been are scratched or damaged by the movers.
BATHROOMS
▪
First check the home
inspectors report, there is always bathroom
maintenance or repair problems noted even if it’s
only to seal and caulk around the tub tiles.
▪
Flush the toilet and
check the sink water flow and the sink drain for
leaks
▪
Very important is the
sliding bathtub doors, the shower doors and the
condition of the tile sealer grout around the shower
floor pan.
▪
Does the door close
and lock, also, look under any bathroom rugs for
tile floor damage?
ATTIC AREA
▪
Never enter an
un-floored attic and never inspect an attic by
yourself in case of an accident. It’s real easy to
get a cut, a splinter or bump your head in an attic
area. The first thing that should be addressed is
whether or not your attorney received certification
from the sellers that any agreed upon repair work
was completed. In a floored attic, make sure all
storage has been removed. It’s expensive to get rid
of attic storage. There is one repair item if
present, preferably should be addressed before
closing, and that is the discharge point of the
bathroom ventilation fan. A bathroom ventilation fan
that vents into the attic and not the exterior of
the house can cause mold. For safety and insurance
reasons, home inspectors are not allowed to enter
un-floored attics without temporary flooring which
is beyond the scope of a home inspection. In other
words, if the attic is not floored, the vent
discharge verification is excluded from the
inspection. If your attic is not floored and the
home inspector could not determine the discharge
point of the vent fan, we recommend that you ask the
seller for professional certification that the vent
discharges to the exterior. If the seller will not
verify the discharge point, we recommend that you
hire a professional contractor with temporary
flooring, to enter the attic and verify whether or
not the vent discharges to the exterior of the
dwelling.
BASEMENT
▪
The basement is an area
of special attention. The furnace, the plumbing and
most of the electrical system is located in the
basement, not to mention the foundation and main
wood support structure. In this area, inspect first
the items on your master list and then look real
close for any water penetration.
▪
Utilities
- Turn on the heat to make sure the furnace is
functional. Then if the temperature permits, test
the central air conditioner, don’t run the a/c
unless the temperature is over 65 degrees. As per
the manufacture, to run the unit under 65 degrees
could damage the unit.
▪
Storage
- Make sure all storage is removed, to pay for
storage removal from the basement or attic is very
expensive
▪
Sump pump
- This may sound crazy but check the sump pump to
make sure it’s still in the sump well and still
connected electrically. I know a lady that thought
she had a sump pump as a back up in case of heavy
rain causing a high water level. Well, one week
after she moved in the whole basement flooded
causing serious expensive damage. It seems that the
seller, in spite of the contract agreement , simply
removed the pump and rode off into the sunset.
VACANT HOUSE INSPECTION
Some special precautions should be taken to do a
walk through of a vacant house.
▪
First make sure that all
the utilities are turned on and functional.
▪
Bring extra flashlights
and if possible a powerful search light, vacant
houses are usually very dark.
▪
If the furnace and hot
water heater won’t light because the pilot light is
out,
don’t try to light it. It may be turned off for
safety reasons.
▪
Look very carefully
before entering the basement, if the sump pump is
non- functional, the basement could be flooded.
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TOWNS AND COUNTY AREAS OF INSPECTION IN NORTH CAROLINA
ALAMANCE
COUNTY NORTH CAROLINA
TOWNS AND ZIP CODES SERVED BY CERTIFIED PLUS HOME INSPECTIONS
North Carolina - Alamance, 27201, Altamahaw 27202, Burlington
27215, 216, 217, 220, Elon 27244, Elon College 27244, Glen
Raven 27215 NC, Graham 27253, Green Level 27217, Haw River
27258, Mebane 27302, Ossipee 27244, Rock Creek 27349 NC,
Saxapahaw 27344, Snow Camp 27349 , Stonycreek 27244
Swepsonville 27359. NC Triangle area towns - Raleigh, Durham,
Chapel Hill, Cary, Hillsborough, Carrboro, Apex, Holly
Springs, Garner, Fuquay-Varina, Morrisville.
CHATHAM COUNTY NORTH CAROLINA
TOWNS AND ZIP CODES SERVED BY CERTIFIED PLUS HOME INSPECTIONS
North Carolina - Bear Creek 27207, Bennett 27208, Bonlee 27213
NC, Bynum 27228, Fearrington Village 27312, Goldston 27252
Gulf 27256, NC Harpers Crossroads 27207, Moncure 27559,
Pittsboro 27228 Siler City 27344, Silk Hope 27344 NC Triangle
area towns - Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Cary, Hillsborough,
Carrboro, Apex, Holly Springs, Garner, Fuquay-Varina,
Morrisville.
JOHNSTON COUNTY NORTH CAROLINA -
TOWNS AND ZIP CODES SERVED BY CERTIFIED PLUS HOME INSPECTIONS
North Carolina - Archers Lodge 27520, Bagley 27542, Benson
27504 Clayton 27520, 527, 528 , Four Oaks 27524, Kenly 27542
Micro 27555, Pine Level 27568, NC Princeton 27569 NC, Selma
27576, Smithfield 27577 Whitley Heights 27520 NC, Wilson Mill
27593, Wilson Mills 27593 NC Triangle area towns - Raleigh,
Durham, Chapel Hill, Cary, Hillsborough, Carrboro, Apex, Holly
Springs, Garner, Fuquay-Varina, Morrisville
ORANGE COUNTY NORTH CAROLINA - TOWNS
AND ZIP CODES SERVED BY
CERTIFIED PLUS HOME INSPECTIONS
North Carolina - Buckhorn 27243, Carrboro 27510, Cedar Grove
27231 NC, Chapel Hill 27514 - 15 - 16 - 17 - 99, Efland 27243,
Hillsboro 27278, Hillsborough 27278, West Hillsborough 27278,
NC Triangle area towns - Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Cary,
Hillsborough, Carrboro, Apex, Holly Springs, Garner,
Fuquay-Varina, Morrisville
WAKE COUNTY NORTH CAROLINA
TOWNS AND ZIP CODES SERVED BY CERTIFIED PLUS HOME INSPECTIONS
North Carolina - Apex 27505 - 519 - 523 - 539, Brentwood
27604, Camron Village 27605, Cary 27512 - 513 - 518 - 519,
Crabtree Valley 27612, Duncan 27526 North Carolina, Duraleigh
27612, Eagle Rock 27591, Five Points 27608 NC, Fuquay Varina
27526, Garner 27529, Holly Springs 27540, Kennebec 27592,
Knightdale 27545, McCullers 27603, Morrisville 27519, NC State
University 27607, Neuse 27604, New Hill 27562, North Hills
27609 - 614, Raleigh 27601 - 629 - 635 - 636 - 640 - 650 - 656
- 658 - 661 - 668 - 675 - 676 - 690 - 695 - 697 - 698 - 699,
NC, Rolesville 27571, State University 27607, Wake Crossroads
27604, North Carolina, Wake Forest 27588, Wendell 27591,
Westgate 27604 NC, Wilders Grove 27604, Willow Spring 27592,
Willow Springs 27592, NC, Zebulon 27597 NC NC Triangle area
towns - Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Cary, Hillsborough,
Carrboro, Apex, Holly Springs, Garner, Fuquay-Varina,
Morrisville
LEE COUNTY NORTH CAROLINA
TOWNS AND ZIP CODES SERVED BY CERTIFIED PLUS HOME INSPECTIONS
North Carolina - Broadway 27505, Buffalo Lake 27330, Carbonton
27330, Colon 27330, Cumnock 27237, Haw Branch 27330, Jonesboro
Heights 27330, Lemon Springs 28355, NC Osgood 27330 Pine View
27330, Sanford 27237- 30 - 31 - 32, Shallowell 27330, Swan
Station 27330, Tramway 27330, White Hill 27330 NC
Triangle area towns -
Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Cary, Hillsborough, Carrboro,
Apex, Holly Springs, Garner, Fuquay-Varina, Morrisville, North
Carolina, all home inspections will be conducted to the
American Society of Home Inspectors standards (ASHI ). All
inspections will be conducted by a licensed, certified,
insured professional NC home inspectors - Raleigh.
Licensed North Carolina Home Inspector Serving: Licensed North Carolina Home Inspector Serving: Alamance County, Chatham County, Johnston County, Lee County, Orange County, Wake County. Towns and surrounding areas for Apex, Cary, Chapel Hill, Durham, Hillsborough, and Raleigh.
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