I wanted to let you know that I do Home Inspections in the Tartesso and Verrado subdivisions inBuckeye. I am very thorough and proffesional. Give me a call anytime to ask any questions 602-326-4061. www.GreensHomeDesign.com

Simple Home Maintenance tips that can protect against disaster

Maintaining the vegetation around the home can help to preserve the home from major problems. If this tree was properly braced when it was young it would have grown straight up. Now if it isn't removed then mother nature will bring it down on the home.

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Any vegetation that is in contact with the structure will cause problems.
It will:

• Rub against the side of the home, causing the materials to deteriorate more rapidly.
• Grow into the structure and cause damage.
• Becone a bridge for carpenter ants and other insects to get into the home.

Checking the dryer vent can prevent a fire. This flexible dryer vent will trap lint in it. It also has too many turns and kinks which will trap lint. When too much lint builds up it will not let the heat out of the dryer and potentialy cause a fire.

Click to enlarge.

If you are buying or selling a home in Buckeye, Goodyear, Avondale, Tolleson or the greater Phoenix area and want to find out if there any maintenance issues left undone please give me a call at:

602-326-4061

Find out more about me at My Website
Click here to schedule a Home Inspection

Yesterday I inspected a home in the Tartesso community of Buckeye. The house was 3 years old and in very good shape. There were two things not properly installed.

First the builtin microwave was installed such that the vent at the rear was blocked. All the vented air was coming out the top front of the microwave instead of out the ductwork that was installed to take the air outside.

Second the refrigerator was wired on a GFCI circuit. If for some reason that circuit gets tripped and you go out of town for a couple days without knowing, you will come home to spoiled food.

These are examples of why it is important to have a Home Inspection on every home you purchase.

For all your Buckeye Home Inspection needs give Greens Home Design a call at 602-326-4061.

This was found on a one year old home.

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The wood and vapor barrier are directly exposed to the sun and rain. It is only a matter of time before it leaks. This house is only one year old. The home owner is lucky this was caught before his builder warranty was up.

Flyer Floor Plan.

Give your Real Estate listing a competitive advantage by having an as-built floor plan drawn up to put on your flyers, website and/or yard sign.  This service is FREE with a Seller's Pre-listing Inspection.  Click on the image below to see an example.

Sellers are becoming more and more aware of the advantages of getting an inspection before they list their house. Here are just a few reasons why it is a good idea.

• You can advertise as MoveInCertified to increase foot traffic.
• You can have me, a certified InterNACHI inspector, do the inspection rather than be at the mercy of the buyer's choice of inspector.
• You can schedule the inspection with me at your convenience.
• I might be able to alert you to any items of immediate personal concern, such as active termite infestation.
• You can assist me during the inspection, something normally not done during a buyer's inspection.
• You can correct any misstatements in your inspection report before I generate it.
• The report can help you realistically price your home if problems exist.
• The report can help you substantiate a higher asking price if problems don't exist or have been corrected.
• My report will reveal problems ahead of time which:
• might make your home show better.
• gives you time to make repairs and shop for competitive contractors.
• permits you to attach repair estimates or paid invoices to the inspection report.
• removes over-inflated buyer procured estimates from any future negotiations.
• My report might alert you to any immediate safety issues found, before agents and visitors tour the home.
• My report provides a third-party, unbiased opinion to offer to your potential buyers.
• A seller inspection permits a clean home inspection report to be used as a marketing tool.
• A seller inspection is the ultimate gesture in forthrightness on your part.
• My report might relieve prospective buyer's unfounded suspicions, before they walk away from your home.
• A seller inspection lightens negotiations and 11th-hour renegotiations.
• My report might encourage your buyer to waive the inspection contingency.
• Your deal is less likely to fall apart the way they often do when a buyer's inspection unexpectedly reveals a problem, last minute.
• My report provides you with full-disclosure protection from future legal claims.

602-326-4061
Need more information? Check out my website
www.GreensHomeDesign.com

Ten tips to smooth your design process.

• Whether you are buying, remodeling or building new, the first person to talk to is your bank or mortgage broker.  There is no need to waste time and money on plans if your budget turns out to be higher or lower than you thought.  If I had a dime for every time I have heard of a home not being built because of financing problems I could have retired by now.
• Tell your designer what your budget is.  Redrawing plans because they are too big or too small for the budget will cost extra money.  If a relatively small amount of extra design fee is enough to derail the project then the size of your project is already beyond your ability to afford it.
• Show your preliminary design to a contractor.  A contractor will be able to spot any potential problems.  He may also be able to advise you on the best materials to fit your budget.  Contractors deal with current prices daily.  They can give you a rough idea if your plan is close to your budget.  The actual bid price cannot be determined until after the plans are complete.
• Always have a 15% cushion in your budget.  That means 15% above the actual original bid price.  During construction changes will be made, and more expensive materials picked.  Be prepared for that.
• Make a list of the necessary rooms and the wanted rooms.  Ask yourself the hard questions.  Is it necessary for every child to have their own room?  Is a game room necessary?  If both spouses are working and one loses their job, can you still afford it?
• Look at houses in the neighborhood.  Take pictures of features that you like.  Your designer will be able to integrate those features into your unique home.
• Read your HOA design guidelines.  If you see something that may be more work than what the municipality requires then discuss it with your designer.  Every HOA has different requirements.  The more you can find out before you purchase the lot the better.  If you can take your designer to the lot before you purchase it, do so.
• The design process is more about the ideas that don't get used than the ideas that do get used.  Take the time to listen to all the ideas that your designer didn't use and why he didn't.  The time your designer spends putting the final preliminary floor plan into the computer is small relative to the time actually spent brainstorming that plan.  This helps you understand all the pros and cons of all the different ideas.
• As a project progresses the cost of changes increases exponentially.  The longer the project goes the less control you have over the cost of changes.  The pre-project planning phase is the time when you have the most control.  A home is the largest purchase you will ever make.  Spending extra time and money on the planning of your project will save you in the long run.
• The last and most important tip to smoothing your design process is to use ME.

Why Choose Greens Home Design to inspect your home?

• I am locally owned and operated, not a franchise.  You will get me, a certified Home Inspector with the Arizona Board of Technical Registration and the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors, not an employee.
• Easy to read report with color photos.  You get an easy to read Inspection report summary, printed on site with color photos.  An email with a link to the full report will be sent to you.
• Advanced formal training.  You get a formally trained professional.  I completed training from Allied Schools Professional Home Inspection course and a Bachelors degree from the Del E. Webb School of Construction at Arizona State University.
• Practical hands on experience.  You get the experience I have gained from remodeling several homes with my own hands.
• As a Home Inspector, I carry Insurance.  Anyone in business will eventually make a mistake.  I carry Errors and Omissions Insurance.

Is there a money pit hidden in the dream home you found at a great price?  Bargain basement priced homes are almost always sold as-is.  This means that you could be assuming hidden repair costs.

Bank owned and short sale homes are usually abandoned.  These homes become neglected, and thus more susceptible to damage.  There could be electrical, structural, mechanical, plumbing, or many other hidden problems.  Most of the problems can be fixed easily if you know about them now.  If you wait for them to become big problems then they won't be so easy to fix.

Even with all the potential problems, it is possible to get a great deal.  The surest way to protect that deal is to get it inspected by a professional home inspector.  A home inspector will identify the potential problems.  The problems will fall into one of these 4 categories:

•1.      Major defects.  An example of this would be a structural failure.

•2.      Things that lead to major defects.  A small roof-flashing leak, for example.

•3.      Things that may hinder your ability to finance, legally occupy or insure the home.

•4.      Safety hazards, such as an exposed, live buss bar at the electric panel.

Anything in these categories should be addressed.  Often a serious problem can be corrected inexpensively to protect both life and property (especially in categories 2 and 4).

Websites like www.inspectorlocator.com, www.nspectorseek.com, www.inspectornow.com and www.findaninspector.us all allow you to search for certified inspectors.  There are important things to know about the inspector before you hire one.

Is he properly licensed and insured?

Does he fill out a paper checklist or generate a report on a computer with color pictures?

Does he have education or experience beyond the minimum requirements?  A college education would give him the ability to communicate better both orally and in writing.

Is it a multi-inspector firm or an individual?  It will be difficult to view the individual qualifications of the inspectors in a multi-inspector firm.  There is no guarantee which inspector you get.

Has he ever remodeled a house?

When you are hiring an inspector, you are not paying for the 3-4 hours that he is there.  You are paying for the hundreds if not thousands of hours of education and experience that he has spent gaining the knowledge required to inspect well.  You will get what you pay for, so don't even look at the low price inspectors.

To book an inspection now and get $500 in free gas or groceries call 602-326-4061

For more information visit www.GreensHomeDesign.com.