What to expect at home inspection

Dear Barry,

We've never hired a home inspector and have questions about the protocol for an inspection. Some inspectors, we're told, prefer to work alone, and some agents, they say, discourage buyers from attending. Who typically attends a home inspection, and who decides who can attend? --Jill

Dear Jill,

The variables that affect home inspection attendance are numerous. The bottom line, however, is that buyers, in most cases, hire the inspector as their private consultant. In that light, the buyers should have the first and last word regarding their own attendance. But your questions address a broader range of attendance issues that also need answers.

There are home inspectors who prefer to work alone, but their exclusion of clients is highly unprofessional and should be reconsidered. They should abandon this solitary practice or find another line of work. A consultant cannot consult when no one is there to listen. And mailing a report after the inspection does not provide adequate explanation of inspection findings.

Attendance arrangements are usually handled by real estate agents, but circumstances often override their preferences. In some cases, buyers cannot attend because they live out of the area or are unable to get time off from work. In those instances, inspectors may be accompanied by one or both agents or may simply be left alone.

In most cases, buyers attend all or part of the inspection. This may occur with or without the sellers and agents present, or it may include an entourage of buyers, sellers, agents and contractors -- and possibly relatives and friends of all or some of the above.

The question of seller attendance is one that involves numerous answers and complexities. Although buyers have the right to insist on their own presence at the inspection, they cannot forbid sellers from remaining in their own home when the inspection is taking place. Some sellers willingly leave for a few hours; some remain home without involving themselves in the inspection; and still others become actively involved in the process, engaging the buyers in lengthy conversations or shadowing the inspector every step of the way.

A priority of many agents is to prevent direct communications between buyers and sellers, especially during the home inspection. This is done to prevent emotional exchanges that might adversely affect the outcome of the sale. In some cases, the oppositional chemistries of buyers and sellers make this a wise precaution. Often, however, full attendance at the inspection promotes amicable exchanges and fosters goodwill among all parties. Each case is distinct and hinges on individual personalities, rather than strict protocol.

When reviewing the findings at the end of the inspection, buyers often prefer a private consultation with the inspector, without the sellers being present. In some instances, sellers instinctively understand this and offer the buyers and their inspector a private meeting environment in some area of the house. In other cases, the buyers might meet the inspector and agent at a local restaurant or real estate office for a review of the report. Occasionally, sellers will attend the review, and this arrangement can be productive or otherwise, depending on the temperaments involved.

The worst of all arrangements is when agents advise their buyers not to attend the inspection and appoint themselves as emissaries between buyers and home inspectors. Agents who even suggest such arrangements are not acting in the best interests of their clients. Buyers who have such agents should seek better representation.

As a buyer, keep in mind that the inspector is your private consulting advocate. The home inspection is your show, paid for by you, and presented for your exclusive benefit. Find a home inspector with a reputation for thoroughness, and don't let anyone else set the rules of engagement.

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Should I paint roof to better match house?

Q: I have enjoyed your column for some time, and I now have a question about the composition shingle roof on a house we just purchased. The roof is only 5 years old and is in good shape, but we want to paint the house. Unfortunately, the existing roof color will contrast poorly with the paint colors we've chosen. Is there any kind of paint or other surface coloring that we can use to darken the shingles? --Pat W.

A: As you're probably aware, a composition shingle gets its coloration from the thousands of tiny mineral granules used in its construction. Even in a roof with a uniform color -- white or black, for example -- you will find a lot of variation in the color of the individual granules. Any type of surface coating you could apply would have a uniform color to it, so it would actually appear rather odd compared to what a normal composition roof looks like. Also, since these are surface coatings -- similar to paint -- they will wear off relatively quickly and may also void the manufacturer's warranty.

I did speak with a representative from the Asphalt Roofing Manufacturer's Association, who said that they get this question fairly often, and raised the same concerns I mention above. His only recommendation was the Brewer Co. -- www.brewercote.com -- that apparently makes a coating with a variegated coloring meant to mimic the colors in composition shingles. I tried to contact them to ask about this but received no reply, so I don't have any more information for you on that particular product.

All in all, I would strongly recommend against trying to color your roofing, and would suggest instead that you look at some other color combinations for the exterior of the home that might go better with the existing roof color.

Q: I had a water feature installed, made from brick and cinder block. The rubbery coating the contractor applied as a sealer has formed thousands of blisters, and has pulled away completely in one area. The contractor says that in spite of this, the block is still sealed, and he won't do anything about it. It's not leaking, but I'm very concerned about it, especially in freezing weather. What do you think? --Patty P.

A: From what you describe, it sounds like the surface of the block was not prepared correctly prior to the application of the coating. With most types of surface coatings, bubbles in the finish indicate the presence of moisture. I don't know what type of product was used in your case, but it sounds like the block may not have been completely clean and dry at the time of application. It could also be a defect in the product itself.

Whether the block is leaking now or not, the surface certainly should not have all of those blemishes on it, and your concerns are very valid about moisture getting behind the surface coating with a potential to cause a variety of problems.

If your contractor does not feel that repairs are warranted, have the contractor provide you with the name of the company representative for the particular product he used, and contact them to arrange for a site visit to examine the problem. You can also talk to the store that supplied the product. If all else fails, I would strongly urge you to contact the Construction Contractors Board and arrange for them to send out a mediator. This a free service, and the mediator will do everything possible to work out a solution that's agreeable to both you and the contractor.

Q: We're remodeling the kitchen in our 27-year-old home, and need to repair some of the cabinet drawer slides while we have our countertops off. They are called GO-E-Z, and are mounted to the bottom of the drawers. We can't find any other information, and were wondering if you would know where to look for parts? --Pete Y.

A: I'm not familiar with that particular line of slides, so I can't offer much in the way of advice on finding parts. However, even if parts are still available, my suggestion would be to replace all eight of the glides completely. Even if you repair a couple of them successfully, you will probably have problems with some of the others in the near future, and as you mention, now is the time while you have the countertop off.

Side-mounted slides are superior to most of the bottom-mounted ones I'm familiar with, and are easy to retrofit. I would check out the selection at a local retailer that handles cabinetmakers' supplies, or on the Web I would contact Rockler Woodworking and Hardware at www.rockler.com or Woodworker's Supply at www.woodworker.com -- both have a very large selection of drawer slides in many different sizes and styles.

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source: lendinguniverse.com

Buyer agent's mistake comes back to haunt

Q: I had a couple that asked me to find a home for them that did not have any sort of fee that had to be paid to a homeowners' association (HOA).

I found a house that they liked a lot so I asked the listing agent (it was a property that had been foreclosed upon by the lender) to look into it. He supposedly did his research and came back and said there was no HOA fee.

I also asked the title search officer to look at this issue before the house went into contract and she also said there was no HOA fee. The only association that came up was one for the contractors for the development.

My clients purchased the home. Last week they called and said they received a statement for their HOA dues for $30 per month.

Should that have come up on the title search with the escrow instructions?
Now what do I do? My clients are upset!

A: To the best of my knowledge, an HOA should have come up on a title search. For most associations, the HOA is allowed to collect assessments by virtue of the rights given to the association in the association documents. These association documents are generally recorded against all of the titles to the homes in the subdivision or community.

The title search office may have made a mistake. In any event, the existence of a HOA should have been disclosed by the seller, even if the property is being sold to you by a relocation company.

Still, this is something you should have found out a long time ago.

One easy way to determine if there are dues owed to a HOA is to see if there are any common areas or amenities that can be used by the home your client was buying. If the development has a clubhouse, shared playground or other common amenity and you ask around and that clubhouse, playground or other amenity is not managed by the town or city or other municipal government, then it's quite likely that monthly or annual fees from the homeowner's must be paid.

You should have knocked on a few doors to talk to other homeowners who lived in the development so you could get some first-hand information. Other listings in the development from current or past sales may have disclosed the amount of the fees. But if you just relied on what other people told you, and they were less than forthcoming, it's not hard to see how you've wound up in this difficult situation.

That's not a great way to run your business. It's no wonder that your clients are upset.

If your clients want to explore legal options, they should talk to a real estate lawyer or litigator. In the meantime, your clients should check the documents from their closing and see if the title work showed any documentation regarding the association. If there were documents that disclosed the existence of the association and its ability to collect fees from the homeowners – whether your client's decided to read it or not – they are on the hook to pay those fees. If the title company missed the document, the title company may have some responsibility for the error.

However, it sounds like you really didn't do the homework your clients relied on you to do. In this respect, you failed them and they are now paying the price.

Q: My husband and I are currently in the market to buy a home. At this time, we don't have a buyers' agent.

My husband is an experienced mortgage broker and he feels like he can handle the negotiation of a contract since he also has access to a real estate attorney. Do we need a buyers' agent or not? Thank you.

A: The question you have to ask yourself is this: What do I gain or lose by using an agent to buy a home and what do I gain or lose if I don't use one?

Here are the reasons to use an agent: You'll work with someone who really knows the housing stock of a particular area, and has seen the houses get listed and sold with some regularity. This individual will ideally be well-versed in the goings-on in a particular neighborhood, and will be up-to-date on information about school districts, local public works projects that have been approved but perhaps have not yet begun, and other important quality of life issues.

Ideally, your agent will be scouting out properties for you to see that meet your needs, which will save you time, and will help you figure out whether you can afford many of your "wants" in the current marketplace. Your agent will also hopefully know the listing agent, or at least have a working relationship that allows your agent to find out what's really going on behind the scenes with the seller, that can help you formulate your negotiation strategy.

What's the downside to using an agent to buy property? I can't think of too many. The money to pay the agent comes from the seller, so you shouldn't have any out-of-pocket costs. You have the agent's fiduciary duty to get you the property for the best price possible.

What happens if you don't use an agent? Many buyers think that they'll get the house for less. But that isn't often the case because sellers who are selling by owner already know that they can save 4 to 6 percent by not using an agent.

I have news for you – they're not planning on putting that equity in your pocket. They're planning on keeping that cash themselves.

If you come to the table without an agent, the seller won't necessarily give you a better price and the listing agent may not have an incentive to reduce his or her commission to make the deal. If you negotiate the deal yourselves and you have a tough negotiation, some might say that you won't have someone helping you remove the emotions from the transaction. Frequently, real estate agents are the ones that are able to make a deal happen.

Some buyers think that they can find a better deal on their own. They might be right. You'll do the work at night, or perhaps while you're at work. You'll call to make the appointments, and will be more in charge. You'll talk directly to the seller, which can be a plus or minus.

But I really think this question comes down to money. You and your spouse, like so many buyers, think you'll get a better deal on your own. I'm not sure that's true. I'm hoping it is true in your case. Saving that money will depend on the area in which you live, the type of home you are buying, the community you are buying in, and the number of homes available for sale in that community.

If you don't use an agent, I'm glad you're going to use a real estate attorney. No one should represent themselves in a major legal transaction.

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source: lendinguniverse.com

How to find good home-improvement contractors

Q: I have read many times that when hiring professionals to work on one's home that three bids, with references, are preferred. Unfortunately, I have a problem with that method.

While it sounds prudent, I live in a place (Vallejo, Calif.) where I can't get a single pro to come out to my house, let alone three of them. I have been stood up many times and have been disappointed with the few that have come out. It seems that people wish to work on new home developments.

Most of my neighbors are do-it-yourselfers, but I am not so confident, nor do I have the time. Any suggestions on finding qualified people in an apparently undesirable location? I feel helpless and ripped off.

A: We must confess that we're among those who suggest that, when hiring a professional contractor to work on your home, it is prudent to get at least three bids, get references and review some of the work they've done before hiring.

Also, depending on the size of the job, make sure the contractor you hire is licensed, insured and bonded. Anyone contracting for a home-improvement project in California of more than $500 must be licensed. For more information about licensing requirements and other subjects regarding contractors, visit the California Contractors State License Board Web site.

We also regularly hear the lament that homeowners who are ready to part with some of their hard-earned dollars to hire out work just can't find anyone who's interested.

Over the past few years, the problem has gotten worse. We don't think it's necessarily related to location. Vallejo is not an "undesirable" town. In our minds, the cause of the dearth in tradespeople is twofold: the real estate boom and the lack of skilled workers -- especially those willing to take on home-improvement projects. It's simple supply and demand. Too many jobs are chasing too few workers. The good contractors can afford to cherry-pick, and you don't want the bad ones.

It's not just a local problem either. Last summer, Kevin had the opportunity to chat with Tom Silva, the general contractor on the PBS television programs "This Old House" and "Ask This Old House." In addition to appearing on television, Silva is a partner in the family construction business in Boston. In the course of conversation, Silva remarked that there seem to be fewer and fewer young people entering the trades and that he was having a tough time finding skilled workers.

It affects us, too. Construction work can be physically taxing, and now that we're on the downhill side of 50, we're in the market for professional help more than we were in the old days. Our bodies just don't work the way they used to. On a recent Sunday, Bill was painting casework and baseboard at his condo in Walnut Creek, Calif., but this week a contractor will come in to lay down a new hardwood floor.

We have the advantage of being able to "talk the talk," and we do have some contacts from yesteryear, so it's a bit easier for us. It's still a challenge, though.

The best source of contractors is referrals. Family and trusted friends are the best source of referrals. Ask them for references. Next, we'd inquire of local real estate agents. Any agent who does a fair amount of business is likely to have a stable of professionals to perform work on properties they list to get them ready for sale. Also ask at church, at work or at a civic organization for suggestions about contractors.

Finally, take a look at a Web site called Angie's List. The site offers referrals and reviews of home-service contractors by the homeowners who have hired them. We've never had occasion to use this service, but it has gotten good publicity and is probably worth checking out.

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source: lendinguniverse.com

Holiday safety tips for hosting older guests

'Tis the season for all kinds of company.

If you are among the 76 million baby boomers in the United States who soon will be expecting that special visitor in the big red suit, it might be wise to take the time not only to "kid proof" but also to "parent proof" your home for the holidays.

Hosting parents or older guests, especially those scheduled to stay overnight for the first time, requires particular preparation. Homey seasonal touches can make friends and family feel welcome, yet safety is often an underestimated issue.

The Home Safety Council, a North Wilkesboro, N.C.-based organization focused on home safety and education, recommends injury-proofing your home to reduce slips, falls and other common holiday-related injuries that occur to seniors.

"Slips and falls remain the number one cause of unintentional injury and deaths in the home for Americans age 65 and older," said David Oliver, former president and executive director of the Home Safety Council.

"Let's face it . . . toys, decorations and winter weather combine to create an extremely high-risk period for seniors who are already prone to slips and falls. It's important to take the time to rid homes of potential hazards so your parents spend the holidays in your living room, not in the emergency room."

Kathee (CQ) Henning, Home Safety Council board member, said she takes inventory before her folks, Clyde and Molly, arrive for a visit. Clyde is legally blind and Molly has arthritis.

"I'm one of those kids who fell and cracked their head on a coffee table with corners," Kathee said. "Before my folks arrive, I try to put a table like that away and replace it with one with rounded corners. Seniors can bump into things very easily and I think it's important to try to minimize the chances of injury."

According to the Home Safety Council, nearly 11,000 Americans are injured in the home every holiday season. Here are some tips to help create a safer home for older guests:

* Ensure ample lighting in all hallways and stairways, both inside and out.
* Check all handrails and tighten loose railings.
* Inspect stairs for worn or loose carpeting and make any necessary repairs.
* Secure rugs to the floor with double-sided tape or rug gripper pads to avoid slips and trips.
* Arrange furniture so that it is out of high-traffic areas.
* Keep stairs free of obstacles, such as toys, plants or decorations.
* Install grab bars and safety rails in the bathroom. Temporary products exist that can be installed when guests arrive and removed after their departure.
* Apply non-skid strips or bathmats to bathtub surfacing.
* Never use towel racks or wall-mounted soap dishes as grab bars - they can easily come loose and cause a fall.
* Clear all snow and ice by salting and sanding walkways leading into the house.

"This is also the time of the year when extension cords and extra electrical devices crowd living spaces," Oliver said. "Make sure that cords are not placed in walkways where they become a tripping hazard.

"And, an extra nightlight to a bathroom or hallway is another simple tip to help guests find their way in the middle of the night."

Chances of falling are also increased by illness, fatigue, haste, use of alcohol and even prescription drugs. The best method of prevention is observation, so keep a watchful eye on senior guests and assist them as necessary.

Henning suggested increasing the wattage of fluorescent kitchen lights and also advised caution when selecting large, natural Christmas trees.

"Some seniors have problems with asthma and natural trees can sometimes spark a reaction," Henning said. "Some older persons don't notice how trees can get so dry so quickly, and thus become a fire hazard."

Henning's home now features electrical figurines instead of holiday candles, lighter weight pots and pans (to better facilitate her parents' cooking), special potholders and liquid soap in pump containers for all washbasins and tubs.

Looking for a special touch? Lindsay Steenblock, owner-operator of Laguna Beach, Calif.-based County Clare Interiors, is a big believer in displaying family pictures when family members come to stay. Parents especially enjoy and appreciate pictures of special moments with the hosting children or grandchildren.

"Old pictures can be copied, cut and placed on cardboard to make terrific tree ornaments," Steenblock said. "If specific members of the family are visiting, pull out old pictures of them and place them on the mantle. Everybody will notice."

Real Estate Designers offers totally innovative solutions for your software development, Internet programming, real estate web design and hosting needs. Our service includes domain name registration and real estate web design. Real Estate Designers provides the complete solution including design, application development and marketing.

source: lendinguniverse.com