Services

Residential inspections cover condos, co-ops, townhouses, brownstones, single family homes, apartments, and multi family homes up to four units. If you have a building larger than that we’d be happy to help with a commercial inspection. These inspection include reviews of HVAC, structural, electrical, plumbing, the foundation and the roof as well as siding and windows and doors.

The inspection usually only takes a few hours at most, depending on the homes size and other structures on the property. At the end a summery will be given to you as. written or typed out report on the results. Sometimes you may get an equipment checklist to see that every component has been verified as inspected.

Some things are not included in a home inspection such as fireplaces or wood burning stoves, swimming pools and spas. Also may included are telephone, cable TV, lawn watering sprinklers and alarm systems.

• Condo/Co-Op/Townhouse or Brownstone – From $300

• 1 Family House – From $400

• 2 Family House – From $450

• 3 Family House – From $475

• 4 Family House – From $550

Schedule

Commercial inspections cover a wide variety of commercial use buildings. This is not limited to apartments. warehouses, office spaces, garages, and more are covered. A residential building that has more than four units is commercial. This kind of inspection is basically to help buyers and sellers and even renovators and or developers to get a vivid picture of the type of condition a commercial property is in.

Commercial inspections usually include document reviews of building plans, citations, permits, fire safety systems, floor plans, evacuation plans, and maintenance records. Certainly other documents should be included on larger buildings like land surveys, environmental studies, appraisals and certification of occupancy.

Many things are looked for in a commercial inspection, these are rust, mold or water damage, dampness in general. Inspectors look at the windows and door and how they function, To check all plumbing and electrical components. Also a search for pests and any animal intrusion, check all structural points and look for rust or bad or rotting wood.

• Commercial Buildings – From $650

• Apartment Buildings – From $650

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Pre-listing inspections are done by sellers before they list their property. These inspections can help identify potential problems before the sale. Properties with pre-listing inspections often sell up to 50% faster than non-inspected properties.

Many pre-listing inspections include an examination of all major systems of your home and their components. For example they include electrical, plumbing, heating and cooling, the main structure of the home. Also this includes the exterior like windows and doors, roofing and siding. Above all the inspection is to alert the seller of any issues or poor condition of anything in or out of the house.

Some fixes or repairs are mandatory after a pre-listing inspection. These must fix items or tasks are as follows.

• Animal intrusion into the house
• Electrical issues, faulty connections etc.
• Toxic smells or chemical spills
• Mold or water damage
• Insect intrusion
• Structural issues, local code violations
• Fire damage

• Pre-Inspections – From $300

Schedule

Foreclosures are a great way to pick up properties at a reduced rate. Most of these properties are sold ‘as-is.’   These properties are tempting to purchase and get a great deal that costs less and in some cases have already started repairs on.  l understand the motive to jump, but there are many money pits out there also. A Home Inspector can help guide you through this if you’re smart to hire one.  .Furthermore you must live in it and sleep in it, don’t you want it to be safe and not a threat to you and your family?

Yes, is the answer. Foreclosures usually have a reason that the original home owner gave up on it. It could be that repairs are too expensive, contamination of the house (radon, infestation) or structural damage. Bad damage like vandalism or home owner revenge on the bank. It is important to get home purchase inspected by a state certified home inspector period.

• Foreclosure Inspections – From $300

Schedule

Bank owned properties are generally available at a reduced rate. Most of these properties are sold ‘as-is.’ Because of this an inspection is even more important. All due diligence should be done before jumping into such a large transaction. There is usually a reason if the house is selling way below the average price range.

Some realtors may advise not get an inspections for the simple reason the banks are stating that it is. take it as is sale. There is nothing to negotiate about the price or repairs. This is a foolish thing to do, an inspection would relay to you of the homes livability. Also there is things needed to know, is it safe, does it have all the appliances and pluming still installed. For example things like vandalism, flood damage, mold, possible fire or structural damage from storms, lightning, bad quality repairs.

The list could go on forever that gives a reason for a bank to unload a home. You should always get a home inspection before buying a property, especially when you’re buying a bank-owned foreclosure or short sale. So consequently if the inspection finds a costly disaster, you can back out of the deal and save yourself a fortune spent on costly repairs and time spent on fixing it.

•  Bank Owned Inspections – From $300

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Maybe you’ve been in your home for a while. Or maybe you’re looking to do some general upkeep. It could be that you passed on a home inspection during the buying process. Maintenance inspections are to benefit the current owner of a property by giving them all the knowledge they need. For instance if you went to a pro repair company they would sell you things they make money on. A home inspector has no skin in the game, he would not be paid any more for the repairs. He would only sell you the truth. Most maintenance home inspections are done every 3 to 5 years, just to make aware of any soon to come problems.

This inspection is just like a pre-purchase inspection, your inspector will walk you through the home, explaining everything he found. Usually within 3 or 3 days there would be a written report with full details of what the inspector has uncovered. Therefore the repairs then are up to you to tackle yourself or hire the proper pros. Consider this as a to-do list on your home. Some things on the list may need immediate attention while others could be put off depending upon their wear and tear.

• Maintenance Inspections – From $300

Schedule

Radon is a colorless, scentless gas. It exists in almost all soils. Elevated levels of radon are the number two cause of lung cancer in the United States. Get a radon test done to ensure your property is safe.

In 1984 a worker at a Nuclear Power Plant in Limerick Pennsylvania striped the Radon detector on his way to work one day. The problem was that the plant was still under construction. He was the only worker who tried the meters. He must have had exposure outside the plant. So the plant officials decided to test his car, his street and his home. His home was found to be 200,00 times the level of an average home close to a nuclear power plant. As A result the shock ran up to the federal government and 1n 1986 the EPA became concerned that this may not be rare. They tested more than 10,000 homes in 10 states and found that 1 of every 5 homes had dangerous levels of radon.

Radon a National Problem

The EPA declared radon a national problem. The Radon Program Development Act of 1987 was passed by congress and other laws soon came through congress and the EPA to mandate proper safe levels. Therefore the EPA then made guidelines to inform the public of radon and how deadly it can become. Radon meters and electronic sampling of dirt and concrete from the home can determine the radon measurements. Finally the New York State of Health has some information on radon home testing on their website.

• Radon Testing – From $150

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Many mold spores pose a potential danger to humans. House born mold can spread quickly in buildings when the right conditions are met. Luckily most mold problems can be remediated. Get a mold test to ensure your home’s safety.

Detecting Mold

There are several ways to detect mold is in a house or building. These mold inspections include a series of tests that are hints to finding the source to the mold spores themselves.

Humidity Gauge – A humidity measuring device for rooms of a house.

Moister Meter – A simple device that detects moisture in wood, sheetrock, and other structural parts of the home. Some are non-invasive others are invasive.

Thermal Imaging or Infrared Cameras – To view wet areas that are hidden to the eye. These cameras can detect cool spots as wet or damp areas.

Rotameter – an Air flow metering device that measures air flow. Sometimes a certain air flow can feed moister to a wall or basement causing mold. Meanwhile it can give an area the perfect conditions for mold growth.

Borescope – A camera that can actually visualize the mold in pipes, walls and structural components. It is done through an opening or a drilled hole to stick the camera in and see what is happening behind or inside things.

Sampling Mold

Other ways of finding if a house or building may have a mold problem is through sampling certain areas. There are basically three types of sampling for mold.

Carpet Sample – It sounds like what it is, a snip of carpeting is usually the way to test it at the lab. Most of the time a carpet has a big easy to see stain in it. Usually if the carpet has mold everywhere in it, then it is discarded. Most importantly mold is very hard to eliminate mold from all the fibers in carpet. Rugs are different, they can be rolled up and transported to a special cleaning facility. It is worth it if they are expensive and or very decorative.

Tape Sample – Its easy to tape sample a home in several areas with several samples. Basically you open the tape flap, apply it to the surface, peel it and attach the backing and label it. May labs have kits they make and sell so the samples can be sent back to them for examination and results. It is also the most popular method.

Swab Sample – It is a moist swab to glide across a surface. The special preservative in the swab holds it for laboratory testing to determine the type of mold

That is the general mold testing and sampling ways to detect mold. If you can see it then an inspector is an extra step. On the other hand if you want it collected, tested, analyzed and documented so you would know and prove the findings to insurance company. Make sure you are insured for mold first.

• Mold Testing – From $150

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Lead was commonly used in paint and plumbing products. When it was discovered that lead was poisonous the United States outlawed it. Many older structures potentially have lead based products. We can find these products and advise you what to do with them.

Lead was used in many older paints, to test for it a surface investigation must be done. The investigation would determine the amount of lead, its exposure to humans and pets. Lead paints are especially dangerous to children or child occupied facilities such as schools or hospitals. Basically lead is toxic and poisonous to all animals, it is dangerous mostly when disturbed or damaged.

A long walk through the building or house is done, inspecting all walls and surfaces for lead in paint and stains. A sample will be taken for lab tests to see its severity. However another lead issue in a home could be the pipes, usually an older home would be suspicious of this problem. If the pipes are soft and scratch easily, then the system should be checked. Usually they are painted over to not show the dark grey appearance lead naturally has.

• Lead Testing – From $200

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