Why You Need A Private Building Inspection When Buying A New Home

As a real estate broker and former real estate developer and builder, I’m surprised how many transactions I see in which a new home buyer forgoes a private building inspection thinking,  since the home is new, an inspection is not necessary.  In my personal opinion, this couldn’t be farther from the truth.  Don’t get me wrong, this is not a condemnation of St Louis home builders as I know most of them, are friends with many, and feel that, for the most part, we have some very qualified, competent and ethical home builders in St Louis.  Having said that though, I do realize that mistakes and accidents happen.  Not to mention, given that a typical home inspection will cost less than $1,000 in most cases, that is a very small price to pay when making what is for most home buyers, the biggest investment they will make.

What could be wrong with a brand new home?
There are a myriad of things that could be wrong with a new home ranging from potential major structural issues, to issues with the systems, such as plumbing, electric, etc,  dangerously high radon levels, to items that are more minor and cosmetic in nature.  Some of the problems, if not discovered during an inspection, may surface quickly after moving in and in time to be covered by the builders warranty but others may lie dormant for a long time and not surface until a time when it may be difficult to get the builder to accept responsibility.  Having a private building inspection will help discover the issues early, before the issue becomes a nuisance to you and while not having to worry about whether it’s covered by the warranty or not as you haven’t closed on the purchase yet.

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Continue reading “Why You Need A Private Building Inspection When Buying A New Home

Watering your lawn could prevent a leaky basement

St Louis Home Inspectors Gerry LoeschAt present it looks as though 2012 may again be a year to remember for foundation issues. To date, this has been a very dry year. At present, St. Louis is somewhere around 5-6 inches behind in rainfall. You can see the cracks beginning to develop in the grounds. We have also been in the growth cycle for trees during this time and the growing season was advanced due to the unusually warm March.

Basements are also more prone to leakage should we have heavy rains during or following drought spells. Since the ground has cracked due to the drought these cracks create avenues for moisture to find its way to the foundation and into the basement.  Continue reading “Watering your lawn could prevent a leaky basement

The St. Louis Drought of 2011 and the effect on homes

2011 will be remembered for having a wet spring and being the 4th hottest summer of record (calculated by having the highest average temperature). What is significant from a property and real estate viewpoint, however, will be that we have had little or no rain since the middle of June. We have been watering our lawn during that time and really do no want to see the next water bill. Continue reading “The St. Louis Drought of 2011 and the effect on homes

House Bill No. 553 has been introduced to License Home Inspectors in Missouri

For those of you who do not know me, I have been in the home inspection profession for the past 35 years. I have served as National President of ASHI® and have also served on the Examination Board for Professional Home Inspectors. I offer the following comments and opinions on HB 553: Continue reading “House Bill No. 553 has been introduced to License Home Inspectors in Missouri

What should a home buyer know about home inspections? Final post in the series

Gerry Loesch, PE

Gerry Loesch, PE

In part one, part two, part three and part four of this series I gave you some background on Gerry Loesch as well as his informative E-View TM.

Now we’ll finish with the final post of his E-View TM:

Q-What should a consumer look for when choosing a building inspector?

A-In my opinion, when selecting a building inspector the following things should be considered: Continue reading “What should a home buyer know about home inspections? Final post in the series

What should a home buyer know about home inspections? Part four of a series

Gerry Loesch, PE

Gerry Loesch, PE

In part one, part two and part three of this series I gave you some background on Gerry Loesch as well as his informative E-View TM. Now we’ll pick up where we left off.

Gerry’s closing remarks show his passion for his profession: “I still love what I do. It is the only job where I get to give my opinion, no one has to agree with it, and I still get paid.” Well said Gerry! Where do I sign up???

Now we’ll continue with the E-View TM:

Q-Many cities and municipalities throughout the country have some sort of occupancy inspection. Since a building inspector from the local city or county is going to be inspecting the property to assure it’s compliance with local property maintenance codes, is it really necessary in this case for a buyer to still obtain an private building inspection? If so, why? Continue reading “What should a home buyer know about home inspections? Part four of a series

What should a home buyer know about home inspections? Part three of a series

Gerry Loesch, PE

Gerry Loesch, PE

In part one and part two of this series I gave you some background on Gerry Loesch as well as his informative E-View TM. Now we’ll pick up where we left off.

Gerry graduated from the University of Missouri at Rolla with a Bachelors and Master degree in Civil Engineering. He has been performing home inspections and engineering consultations for 32 years and during that period has inspected almost 15,000 homes.

Now we’ll continue with the E-View TM: Continue reading “What should a home buyer know about home inspections? Part three of a series

What should a home buyer know about home inspections? Part two of a series

Gerry Loesch, PE

Gerry Loesch, PE

In part one of this series I gave you some background on Gerry Loesch as well as the beginning of his informative E-View TM. Now we’ll pick up where we left off.

Gerry served as the National President of ASHI (American Society of Home Inspectors) in 1984-1986 and has served as well in various positions of numerous other local and national industry related organizations over the years.

Now we’ll continue with the E-View TM: Continue reading “What should a home buyer know about home inspections? Part two of a series

St. Louis Real Estate News – What should a home buyer know about home inspections?

Gerry Loesch, PE

Gerry Loesch, PE

To answer this question I called upon Gerry Loesch, a 30 year veteran home inspector with an impressive resume. Gerry was kind enough to do an in-depth E-View TM with me on the subject of home inspections. Gerry’s experience and knowledge shows in the depth and detail of his answers.

Since this is a rather long E-View TM I’ll do it in a series. In each post I will begin with a some background on Gerry. Continue reading “St. Louis Real Estate News – What should a home buyer know about home inspections?