Since 1994, A-Pro has been helping its clients make smarter, better and more informed decisions as they buy or sell a home. As one of the leading Salt Lake City Home Inspection service companies, A-Pro not only offers you the best possible home inspection, service, and value, but also provides you with the peace of mind that your investment is protected through our iron-clad 120-day assurance guarantee.
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Homeowners, Buyers and Seller Resources
- "Home Buyer's and Seller's Guide to Radon"
- BBB home inspection article
- Buying a Home… HUD has answers!
- City of Salt Lake City (Official Site) to Pay Property Taxes Online
- City of Salt Lake City Housing & Neighborhood Development (HAND)
- Complete Home Decision Guides
- Do it Yourself YouTube Videos for Home Repair Help
- Find Home at Realtor.com
- FreddieMac Homeownership
- HUD Homeownership: Pittsburgh
- HUD Homeownership: Salt Lake City
- Know Before You Go– Utah Road Conditions
- Low down payment FHA loan
- Mortgages for Home Buyers
Archive for September, 2012
Sometimes buyers ignore the need for a home inspection because they don’t understand the purpose. Inspectors are confused with appraisers. The latter confirms the home’s market value to the lender but it offers consumers no protection in terms of the overall condition of the home.
Buyers shouldn’t let anyone convince them that they don’t need an inspection. Even people moving into new construction or foreclosure home should consider hiring a professional home inspector.
If an inspector identifies problems in either a new or an existing home, the seller could adjust the price or terms in the contract to the buyer’s benefit.
It doesn’t pay to try to save a couple bucks by having a friend with building experience walk through the home. Experienced inspectors know what to look for and how to classify the problems he or she sees. In some states, only licensed professionals can conduct inspections.
When your offer to purchase has been accepted, you usually have a period of time, as outlined in the purchase and sales agreement to complete the home inspection process. This is generally 7-10 days. If the findings demonstrate repairs are necessary or desired you have then you notify the seller of any unsatisfactory results.
There can be several parts to a home inspection, including the general home inspection, termite inspection, well inspection, septic inspection, radon testing and possibly environmental testing. Depending on the property, the market and your experience in home buying, you may want all but at the very least a comprehensive home inspection.
Home Inspection. The inspector will visually:
- Visually evaluate the physical condition of the structure, plumbing, electrical, and mechanical systems.
- Identify items that should be repaired or replaced.
- Estimate the remaining useful life of the major systems (such as electrical, plumbing, heating, air conditioning), equipment, structure and finishes.
How Much Do Home Inspections Cost? Costs for home inspections vary, depending on the size and type of property as well as the number of inspections being performed. Expect to pay somewhere around $250 -$600+.
Also, keep in mind, that the inspector(s) may suggest that you ”further evaluated”. For example, an inspector may note that there is a foundation crack. The inspector will recommend that you have a structural engineer analyze the crack to determine if you should be concerned or not. This would be an additional expense to you.
Renegotiating the Contract. The buyer(s) should use the inspection to renegotiate the purchase price, if necessary. If there are any undisclosed problems found with the inspection, then it is perfectly acceptable for the buyer to request that the seller repair the items, reduce the selling price or ask for money in lieu of repairs being made. Getting the seller to actually do the repairs is completely out of the buyer’s control.
As-is Sales and What if the Seller Refuses to Make Repairs? If you’re buying a house as-is, that means that the seller is not making any warranties about the condition of the property. However, that does not mean the seller will not necessarily make repairs or offer to reduce the selling price of the property if a problem is discovered that is unexpected from the home inspection.
For example, a buyer hires a home inspector and the inspector points out that a furnace is aged and that it may have to be replaced. However, if that furnace is only a few years old, the buyer could reasonable expect that furnace to be in serviceable condition. Upon receiving the results of the home inspection, the buyer discovers that the furnace needs modifications and or servicing due to the fact that it was not running properly. The buyer can certainly request that the seller make repairs, although the seller may still refuse.
If a seller refuses to make repairs you requested, you have a few options:
- Continue to negotiate and possibly and or give them an ultimatum – if you don’t repair the furnace, we’re will cancel the contract. Only do this if you really are willing to walk away from the deal.
- Accept the property as it is and buy it, knowing that you will have to make the repairs yourself.
- Terminate the contract – you are within your rights to have a home inspection and with the report you will also have rights to terminate the contract as long as it’s done within the time-frame specified in the contract.
Contact your A-Pro Senior Inspector for further details or pricing for all your inspection needs.
It’s important to clean the coils on your refrigerator a couple times each year. This will help your refrigerator from overrunning. It will also help it use less electricity, be more efficient, and will help contribute to its longevity.
Refrigerators have a compressor that forces a cooling substance called -refrigerant through the coils. Evaporator coils in the freezer eradicate heat from inside. This heat is emitted into the exterior through the condenser coils.
The coils are thin tubes, some with connecting fins like a radiator on an automobile. A number of coils are supported at the rear of the refrigerator. Others are located under the refrigerator, where a fan ventilates air across the coil. When you stand next to the refrigerator you can feel a breeze by your feet, the is a indication the condenser coil and fan is working.
As the exterior condenser coils become dirty, they are not as efficient at transferring heat. You will be shocked at how much dust has collected on the coils.
To clean the coils, first locate them.
- First, unplug the refrigerator and pull it out and away from the wall (on built-in models, turn the circuit breaker off).
- On older-model refrigerators, the coils are exposed on the back. On newer models, the coils are under the refrigerator, hidden behind a cover panel or kick plate.
- The next step is to remove the cover or kick plate. On some models it’s held in by spring clips; on other models there may be a couple of small screws.
- It’s best to use the long, narrow attachment of your vacuum to clean any build up and dust on the coils. If you have the an older model clean the back-mounted coils with the upholstery brush vacuum attachment. If you don’t have such an attachment you can even buy a coil cleaning brush at a hardware store. For any stubborn build-up use warm water and dish soap to remove any dust using a soft cleaning brush.
- When finished, simply replace the cover panel or kick plate, then slide the fridge back into place and plug it in (or flip the circuit breaker to on position).
As you can see, cleaning is simple.
Tip: If you have pets, you need to clean the coils at least every 120-days.
Any questions at all, just call your A-Pro inspector today.