Wood Shrinks Across the Grain Wood shrinks in all directions, but most shrinkage is across the grain or across the width of the wood. Our home construction practices have adapted to this movement to limit its effect on building components. Wood Doors Shrink Let’s look at a wood panel door (Photo 1). In this photo,
Once again, The Word invites you to travel into the dark realm of subjects that may be of interest to home inspectors. The Word hopes you will find this trip informative and maybe a little entertaining. Our subject this month is crawlspace ventilation. The Word finds this subject interesting because he can’t find any documentation
What's an Offer With Contingencies Mean? If you are buying a home, you may have heard the term "contingent offer" mentioned. But what does it mean, and how will it affect your house purchase? A contingent offer means that the seller has agreed to the buyer's offer, and the home in now under contract. However,
Buying or selling a home can quickly become confusing when you are not used to the process. The situation isn't helped when you encounter unfamiliar terms used in real estate transactions. I can tell you from being in the real estate business for the past thirty-three years; one of the most questioned topics is about
If you are looking to sell your home, the temptation to save money by avoiding a REALTOR® can be attractive. Real estate agents normally charge 5 or 6 percent for their services, that's $18,000 if your house is selling for $300,000. But, is planting a "For Sale by Owner" sign in your front yard really
Being a first-time homebuyer is tough. There are so many things you need to know. One vital but often underrated step of the home buying process as a first time home buyer is the home inspection. First and foremost, is don’t skip your home inspection! Right now, the real estate market is hot in many communities,
Home inspections can be a big hurdle to clear and will worry many of the parties involved in the transaction until the due diligence period is over. A home inspection is an appraisal of the state of the house at the current time. Home inspectors not only detect issues at homes but give buyers valuable information
When you are buying a home for the first time, you may think that it is the job of a home inspector to give you the green light to buy the property. That is not what the home inspection is all about. The home inspector is not there to tell you the property you are
As home inspectors, we check for sound construction and the overall safety of a home. Smoke alarms may seem like a small item on the checklist, but they save lives. When they malfunction or fail, lives are at risk. As home inspectors, we check for sound construction and the overall safety of a home. Smoke
As a home inspector, when I inspect the wall and ceiling that separates a garage from a home’s living space, I’m looking at fire safety. If a fire starts in the garage, it shouldn’t quickly spread to the inside of the house. One of the things I look for while inspecting this wall is an
