Your Real Estate Mama

Home Inspection Insights from a Master Inspector: Real Estate Buyers Guide

• Jan Scott - Real Estate Broker with Goode Realty • Episode 6

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Think you can skip a home inspection? Think again! In this episode of Your Real Estate Mama, Jan Scott is joined by Riaan du Plessis from Home Boss Inspection Service to reveal why a thorough home inspection is a must for every homebuyer. From shocking stories of hidden cash to uncovering serious structural issues, you’ll learn how crucial it is to know what’s lurking behind the walls.

Whether you're buying a new construction or an older home, Riaan breaks down common problems like faulty plumbing, electrical issues, and improper grading that could end up costing you thousands. Plus, explore the latest inspection tools that can detect hidden issues, protecting your investment from costly surprises. This episode is packed with must-have insights for anyone buying or selling a home.

Show Links:

https://homebossAL.com

https://www.nachi.org/certified-inspectors

https://certifiedmasterinspector.org/members

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Mama: You never know what you're going to find with a home inspector.

Home Boss: So what I always do is I run my hand behind it so I can feel if it's leaking and I went all the way down and I felt this something and I pulled it out and it was A

Mama: lot of cash?

Home Boss: Just hundreds.

Mama: Today, I'm chatting with a certified master inspector.

We are diving into why you absolutely need a home inspection before you close on a house. Let's get to it.

(Intro Upbeat Music)

Hey, come on in and welcome to another episode of your real estate mama with me Jan Scott. Every week I share tips, know how, and encouragement for buyers and sellers.

My mission is to educate, inform, and help you make wise choices on your real estate journey. I've been wrangling the real estate market for over 35 years. Along with this gray hair comes a whole lot of wisdom. And if you're new to the podcast, I sure hope you subscribe.

I want to start with a story. I worked with Kathy and Charlie to buy a house that seemed perfectly fine at first glance. And we moved forward with the contract, scheduled a home inspection, expecting nothing major.

But much to our surprise, the master tub and shower had been draining directly underneath the house since it was built. It wasn't even connected to the proper drainage system. Ugh, can you imagine what that house underneath looked like? This experience is why I always emphasize the importance of getting a professional inspection.

You never know what hidden surprises might be lurking, and a thorough inspection can save you from costly issues down the line.

Today, we've got a special guest, Riaan du Plessis. from Home Boss Inspection Service. He's here to break down why home inspections are so important when buying a home, what they cover, and the major issues he often uncovers that could save you thousands.

Plus, Riaan shares some cool technology that's making home inspection so much better. So let's get started.

What does a home inspector look for?

[00:02:18] Home Boss: So at Home Boss, you know, we, we typically focus on all the major components of the home. Plumbing, electrical, the HVAC system. The roof and attic systems, and then also the structural integrity of the home.

And then we'll put a big emphasis on anything that will compromise, um, you, your family's health or safety, or be a high cost repair in the near future. You know, we basically check every single door, window, outlets, crawl space, um, 100%.

[00:02:49] Mama: There's nothing more disheartening than moving into a new house and two weeks later having to replace plumbing pipes or septic tank issues, toilets won't flush.

[00:03:00] Home Boss: I'll give you an example. Like, I remember the one day I was inspecting a house and it was just small things, but I remember I went into the kitchen. Turn the light on, light didn't turn on, turn on the faucet, water didn't come out. And then I turn on the oven and then oven turned on, but one burner didn't work.

And I thought to myself, imagine this is my first night in my house. And I chose not to get a home inspection. And this is what you're dealing with.

[00:03:22] Mama: Your dream home. And it's not starting out so well. It's not worth it.

[00:03:25] Home Boss: There's anything I could say to anybody that has any doubts. And having a home inspection, because believe it or not, 85 percent of people that buy houses or opting not to have a home inspection, 85 percent that are spending probably the most money they ever going to spend in their lives.

That's only going to increase in value. They opting not to inspect their home. It for a mere 400, you know, every 450. So I, I just, you know, if there's anything I can tell people today is that's a mistake. I mean, you'd never buy a car, not take it for a test drive. You know, we'll take that house for a test drive for you, you know, and it's important.

[00:04:07] Mama: What are some of the major problems that you find in homes and maybe older homes to newer homes? Because I know there's a lot of problems in newer homes as well. Just because it's brand new and under construction doesn't necessarily mean it's correct.

[00:04:20] Home Boss: That is correct. So on older homes, what we found a lot is in this area, we had some recalled plumbing.

We had polyethylene, which is gray. That was recalled in 1995. We also had Durapex regarded as a bad PEX line, and that was recalled in 2012. So that we see that a lot of older houses, um, some of the electrical panels were recalled. So we still find those a lot. Um, and then on newer houses, I mean, there's a lot of stuff that we find.

But I can tell you one of the biggest concerns for me, if I was buying the, a newer home that I've seen is look, these, they have to clear land to accommodate these, uh, These, these subdivisions. So what I have found quite a lot is that the grading for the house or around the house, um, is not adequate.

In other words, should there be, a lot of rainfall and we do have that in this area, you know, water is either going to accumulate right at the house or it's going Accumulate between you, you and your neighbor's house and it's just going to sit there and instead of that water running into the retention pond, you know, behind it and stuff like that.

So, I mean, there's so many variables, but at the end of the day, remember that people build houses, people, um, make mistakes. Um, they take, they get lazy, they cut corners. So, you know, we are there to find those mistakes.

[00:05:50] Mama: So we're out looking at homes. We've just started the looking process and we're kind of looking maybe at an, an older home, you know, what are some of the things that we need to look for that would be like a red flags?

[00:06:02] Home Boss: obvious things would be for, of course, any cracks that you notice on the outside of the house, but more importantly, cracks on the inside and the outside of the house.

Look, if you see any gray plumbing, PEX line in your house, Anywhere it's polyethylene, it's been recalled. So that's a flag right there, you know, running a faucet, looking under the sink and see if there was any leaks, um, you know, just stuff like that.

[00:06:29] Mama: I noticed when you did my last home inspection, you had the most wonderful tools that I've never seen. You know, I've been doing this a long time and they didn't have the tools that you had. 15, 20 years ago to see behind the walls or to see what's going on. Tell us about all your fun tools that you've got.

[00:06:49] Home Boss: I really wanted to be the, how can I say the one stop shop home inspection business. In other words, you come to me, I can do it all.

So some of the, uh, additional services that we do or provide, uh, in addition to a home inspection would be, we do a mold testing. So in other words. You doing your first walk through the house and you smell this odor and you're a little bit concerned about the breathable air, maybe your children have compromised immune systems.

So what we can do is we can take a sample of the air by running a machine inside the house. And, um, we collect two samples inside the house and one outside, which is your control sample. And we can send that off to the lab and they'll tell us exactly what's in the breathable air. In other words, if there's mold and what types of mold and what levels.

We can also send a camera down your sewer line and make sure that, you know, there's no blockages in your sewer line. And then of course we have infrared cameras, so we can basically see behind walls, um, you know, see if there's insulation behind the walls, possibly detect electrical fires. Possibly detect leaks that haven't come to the surface yet.

I mean, pretty much whatever there is related to a house, um, you know, we're going to be able to provide.

[00:08:07] Mama: Talk to me too about termites.

[00:08:10] Home Boss: What I see a lot is. Unfortunately, is people are trying to hide the damage. So what they do is they, they fill it in with a filler or a caulk, they caulk it, and then they paint over it.

I've done a house recently where I just from walking around the house one time, I called the buyer and I said, you are aware about the, of the wood rot. And she said she had been there several times and didn't see any of the wood rot. And it was all over the house just from walking around. So because I was able to hide it so well.

So, It's difficult with termites for untrained eye to identify it because people will try and hide it.

[00:08:49] Mama: So it's so important in your inspection, you will look for these things and then we'll know to get the termite company out to do a more thorough exam.

Tell me what is the funniest or craziest thing you have ever found in a house during a home inspection?

[00:09:02] Home Boss: I have found a envelope full of Cash, um, so pedestal sink, right? When you, when you run the sink, the faucet on a pedestal sink, you cannot see the pipe behind it. So what I always do is I run my hand behind it so I can feel if it's leaking. And I went all the way down and I felt this something and I pulled it out and it was.

[00:09:26] Mama: Wad of cash,

[00:09:27] Home Boss: just hundreds. Uh, I looked at it, I put it down, I took a photo of it. I put it in my reports and I documented it and I put it back. And I don't know what happened after that.

[00:09:39] Mama:  But, your job was  to report it.

[00:09:41] Home Boss: I felt like I needed to, I did it because I was like, what happens if somebody put it there and they forgot about it, at least this way it'll be out in the open and then it'll be discussed.

And then, I've, I've had run ins with animals. I've, I've crawled in a crawl space before and looked up and I've had a raccoon looking down on me because, you know, they found a little hole and they crawled in and yeah, I mean, you know, I've, I'm convinced I've found human bones under a house before, but you know, that's just, me in my mind probably.

[00:10:15] Mama: I don't think I would ever crawl under there to begin with, but oh my goodness, that's too funny.

[00:10:19] Home Boss:  It's good times.

[00:10:20] Mama: For those that don't live along this beautiful Alabama Gulf coast, like we do, what do they look for? Like if they're in other parts of the country to make sure that they are as qualified as you are. Is there a certain website they can go to?

[00:10:34] Home Boss: You can go to www.nachi.org/certified-inspectors. International association of home inspectors and you can enter any area or zip code in there and they will pull up all the inspectors from there so you can verify somebody that way. You can also go on to certified master inspector and, uh, put in the zip code.

You can also go to if you're buying a commercial building, you can also go to, uh, their commercial website and, um, You can put in a zip code and that'll pull up all the inspectors on there. So that's the way you can verify that they are indeed certified.

[00:11:10] Mama: How can the people get a hold of you if they want to contact you? Give us some good contact information.

So, a direct number would be 251 230 9595. And, we are open seven days a week and you can also go to our website homebossAL.com and there's a link there that you can, you know, book an inspection.

Riaan, thank you so much for joining me today. What great information you've given us.

[00:11:41] Home Boss: Thank you so much for having me.

[00:11:43] Mama: As usual, I like to leave you with a little mama wisdom and inspiration. I love the way Luke 6 48 connects to our discussion today about ensuring a solid foundation for your home. It says, it is like a person building a house who digs deep and lays the foundation on solid rock.

When the floodwaters rise and break against that house. It stands firm because it is well built. The parable of the house built on the rock is powerful, reminding us that of the need for a firm foundation in all aspects of our lives. Just as a well built house can endure storms, a life rooted in Christ and His teachings can withstand any trials we face.

So as you lay the physical foundation of your home, remember to also strengthen the foundation of your life in Christ.

Well, that's a wrap. If you enjoyed this episode of Your Real Estate Mama, don't forget to leave a review, rating, or comment on your favorite podcast platform. Feel free to send me an email to jan@yourrealestatemama. com. I love hearing your questions and comments. And I'd be happy to help you find a great real estate agent anywhere you live.

Be sure to follow me on Facebook @YourRealEstateMamaPodcast. Until next time, y'all take care, happy house hunting, and remember, you should always listen to your mama.


People on this episode

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Jan Scott

Host
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Tim Scott

Producer