Posts by the Pros

I offer my services as a professional painting inspector for HOA properties. In that role, I evaluate the current maintenance situations affecting painted surfaces, I help property managers prioritize upcoming maintenance requirements, and I assess, as a third-party expert, the quality of recently finished painting and maintenance projects that have been called into question. 

Some folks harbor negative opinions towards professional home inspections. Perhaps they had a bad experience when selling a home. Nevertheless, it can be important to have an expert evaluate maintenance needs on a property. Home inspections are a standard part of any real estate transaction. Did you know that you can do your own home inspection? Most maintenance issues are easy enough to spot, but only if you take the time to look for them. Ask yourself, “If I were hiring a home inspection, what would I expect the inspector who comes to my home to look for?” 

When preparing for a home inspection, consider these steps:  

1. Clean and Declutter, Inside and Outside: Ensure inspection access points are clean and decluttered. Remove anything leaning against outside walls, near utility connection boxes, electrical breaker panels, or access panels. 
2. Test Functionality: Open and close doors and windows, test locks, and check seals and weather stripping. Make sure items like electrical outlets and switches function properly. Do all the built-in cabinet doors and drawers operate properly? 
3. Inside Safety: Replace batteries in smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Check AC filters and water purifier filters. 
4. Outside Safety: Trim low hanging branches over sidewalks and driveway. Trim branches rubbing against the house or roof. Check for tripping hazards like cracked or lifting sidewalks. Are the utility wires coming to the house sagging too low? If they are, call the utility company. 
5. Necessary Repairs: Fix any damage and correct all other issues on the property. Are shutters loose? Do the hose bibs drip? Are any of the fascia rotting? Is the paint chalking, peeling or cracking? Is the foundation cracking? Any signs of pest intrusion? Are there any penetrations into the attic or crawl space that pests could fit through. Two very expensive pest problems to have eradicated are beehives inside the walls or attic space, and roof rats. These are both thousands of dollars to fix, but they can be avoided altogether with a couple cans of expanding foam and a few tubes of all-purpose caulk. Walk around the perimeter of the house. Fill all holes and cracks in the walls, around windows and doors, or into the attic or crawl spaces. 
6. Check the Roof: Check the condition of the roofing material. Inspect for roof rot or leaks. Soft or rotting wood in and around your roof means trouble and it needs to be dealt with quickly. Do you see stains on the fascia, siding, interior ceilings, or walls? That’s a good indicator that the roof has water leaks. Search carefully around roof vents. Inspect pipes, chimneys, air-conditioning, and other roof penetrations to see if the roof coating and sealant have cracked and failed. Check flashing for wear or damage, especially where pitched roofs meet flat roofs. High winds can tear off loose roofing materials and cause roof-damaging leaks.
7. Check Irrigation System: Run through one complete cycle front yard and backyard. Homeowners don’t want to take the time. But it’s worth it to do annually. Here’s what to check for. Do any of the valves leak. Do all the zones turn on and off properly. Do sprinkler heads pop up and retract properly. This is why you should watch an entire cycle. Are you underwatering or overwatering any of the zones which change with our extreme Arizona seasons? Adjust your controller as required.