Get $500 in Free Groceries with a Home Inspection!

That’s right – You can receive $500 in Free Groceries when you schedule your inspection online. So, your inspection is essentially free after this great offer! You can only get your Free Grocery Certificate when you schedule online and it can’t be combined with any other offer.

So, we know you are thinking…”What’s the catch?” There isn’t one. We just want to reward you for choosing Advantage and pass on savings to you. We believe a Home Inspection is so vital to our customers and want to do everything we can to make it possible for you to get that inspection!

Here’s how it works:

1. Our inspector will give you a letter with a “Pin Code” on it (or we will email it to you if you can’t be at the inspection).

2. The letter will have instructions, telling you how to log on to the web site we give you in the letter. You enter your pin cone and select the grocery store of your choice. Then, you download 20 vouchers for the grocery program.

3. Each month when you accumulate $100 in grocery receipts from the store you selected, you attach the receipts to that month’s voucher and mail it in to the redemption company. In three weeks or so you will get a $25 gift card back for the grocery store you selected. So, for 20 months you’ll get $25 back in free groceries. And 20 months at $25 per month is $500 in Free Groceries.

It’s that simple! So, why do grocery stores want to give you a $25 gift card each month? This is a loyalty rewards program for the grocery store. In other words, for the next 20 months they know that you are going to come back to their business and spend at least $100. And in many cases, you’ll be spending much more than $100 per month in groceries, right?

So, come on and get your inspection scheduled right here online so that you can get started getting your $500 in free groceries! Please note: There is never a “Registration Fee” of any amount with this program when you register online.

Request a time for an Inspection Online NOW

A Great Event this Weekend in Atlanta

 

Realtors,

I wanted to take a moment to remind you of an important event coming up this weekend in Atlanta.  The Atlanta Home Show is Friday through Sunday at the Cobb Galleria Centre.  It’s a great place to see new innovations in real estate and to interact with 300 real estate related companies.  A lot of great contacts can be made!  There will also be great speakers on the changing market, creating curb appeal, remodeling, going green, and more.  There’s always great give aways for you or your clients that you can take advantage of, too. 

Maybe we’ll see you there on Friday?!

Want discounted tickets?  You can get $2 off your tickets with this coupon!

Atlanta Customer Attends Inspection Prepared

Questions often asked by prospective customers typically include a number of various questions regarding our inspection services and what to expect.  One of the things that is important to us is having the customer attend the inspection.  In fact, our office makes whatever adjustments necessary to accomodate the customer’s schedule.  I just have to share with everyone a recent experience with two incredible customers in the Atlanta area.  It was such a joy to serve Drew N. and Tonia E recently. 

Initially, I showed up to the inspection and found nearly a dozen people inside the property.  Most were family members and also the seller was present.  After a few short moments, everyone cleared and the inspection process began.  Drew and Tonia were so engaged in the process by asking great questions, taking copious notes, and as you can see Drew brought his own headlamp!  As an inspector I couldn’t have asked for better clients.  What a great pleasure it was to serve them.

Buying or selling real estate is always a big decision for anyone.  Attending the inspection is strongly encouraged. 

Much Success,

Gary Sloan

www.advantagepeachtree.com

Air Filter Insights

Asbestos in the Home

I don’t want to just answer your questions.  I want to show you – take you out into the field with me.  Here is the first of new Video Blogs. 

Remember, go to the Ask the Inspector page and ask any question you have.  I will answer your questions in a blog or by email if you include your email address.

Learn more about Asbestos in the Home:

Surveys…Schmurveys…Who’s Got the Time for Them?

I have learned that surveys are a very important tool for running any business.  As a consumer I’ve always hated the thought of participating in any survey.  I guess it depends on what the purpose and outcome might be.  If I feel that my opinion is genuinely valued then I’m more prone to participate.

Surveys can be an effective barometer for a business person’s performance for both product or service provided.  As a home inspector, we ask the customer for feedback regarding their experience with us.  It is important to know where we are in the eyes of the customer.  The direction and offerings we provide are dictated by this customer feedback.  Keep doing what you’re doing type thing (because we like it) or create a change based on our desires.

At the end of every inspection when we’re wrapping things up, we solicit our customers’ feedback.  it is a short 1/2 page form that is not so daunting.  I’d like to hear others thoughts on surveys.

Believe Me…Urban Areas Have Natural Predators Within

When my Grandfather took me to the hills of West Virginia for a walk in the woods, he programed his little Grandson to walk in his steps. He reasoned that it would be safer for me to not step on a snake. Last week while inspecting a foreclosed property in a very populated area of Atlanta, my clients and I came upon a member of the reptile world. Approximately 12 inches long with diamonds on its back. Oh, and a triangulated head. Yep, an Eastern Diamondback ratter. It was an adolescent. I am told they are more dangerous than an adult since they haven’t learned how to regulate their venom (full dosage). I wasn’t overly thrilled with this new member of the inspection group. The buyer offered to relocate the snake to another safer location. I was very pleased to hear that offer. The snake was not aggressive at all. Incidentally, the snake was mixed in with some leaves and pine needles collected on the rear concrete patio. Agents, appraisers, and inspectors alike should be especially aware of their surroundings when visiting properties. Here’s a link to what can happen to humans as a result of a snake bite (not too graphic so don’t worry).

Small Children on Construction Sites – What are Parents Thinking?

Invariably we are summoned to perform a construction phase inspection for customers interested in ensuring their home is being assembled in a quality-like manner.  This is usually not a challenge at all until the loving parents bring toddlers or small children.  Folks, this is not a friendly environment for adults let alone little, curious ones. 

There are numerous hazards found on virtually any construction site.  Some that come to mind are:

• loose materials (during framing and roofing)
• sharp materials (including metal flashing that is razor sharp)
• electrical hazards (such as poorly maintained extension cords)
• dusty conditions (during sheetrock phase)
• silica dust generated from cutting fiber cement board (commonly known as Hardiplank)
• fall hazards (including temporary stairs without rails and scaffolding that looks like inviting “monkeybars”)
• hazardous materials such as paints, sealants, adhesives, gasoline
• Equipment movement like dump trucks, backhoes, forklifts
• And so on.

    

While inspecting a home in Atlanta, I was walking around the exterior of the home with the customer while looking up at the roof shingles.  Just then I glanced down at the cluttered job-site to witness a rusty nail in a long 2×4 pierce the bottom of my left shoe and penetrate into my foot.  I believe one of the small bones in the foot was kind enough to prevent the nail from coming out the top of my shoe.  Very painful!  I couldn’t help but mutter a profane word while thinking about the derelict contractor who knowingly left this nail exposed.  Maybe I should have been more alert.  I don’t know.  I finished the inspection with blood pooling in my shoe.  The customer felt bad.  I felt pain.  The point is…even a trained home inspector with tons of construction site experience is not immune from an unknown safety hazard.  What chance do playful children have?

Don’t get me wrong.  Inspectors love children.  We love them enough to request parents make arrangements to not bring them to an active construction site and unnecessarily expose them to these conditions.  So I beg of you parents with little ones…use good judgement and prolong the childrens’ invitation to the home until it’s near completion.

Caring for your home and your loved ones…The Home Inspector Community Across America

My Clothes Take So Long to Dry – But Why?

Everyone,

 As a seasoned home inspector we routinely observe this type of arrangement with dryer vent hoses that are severely crimped.  This compromises the air flow significantly and lengthens the operating time required to dry clothes properly. Be sure to check yours for proper air flow.

 Here is another example of a dryer exhaust vent that is contributing to not only lengthy dryer cycles, but it’s also a potential fire hazard because lint is quite flammable (just ask the Boy Scouts…they use it for starting campfires).  The photo was taken for one of our customers who requested a builder warranty inspection (first year of new construction).  The lint accumulations happened in 11 months!!!  Check yours!

Here’s a an interesting photo taken during a new construction inspection.  What was forgotten you ask? 

 The dryer vent connection!

Hope you have found something useful here. 

Gary Sloan, CMI

Advantage Inspection Peachtree

Special Tools Used During a Home Inspection

Hello everyone! 

One of the routine questions asked by our customers is…what tools do you use throughout the inspection? Admittedly, I’m a gadget freak, but nonetheless, here’s what I carry to facilitate a thorough review of the property:

• Flashlights (I carry about 5 of different sizes and purposes.  In fact, I’ll share one with a “hands on” customer who wants to be personally involve in the inspection.)
• Measuring tapes (I carry 2 because invariably the customer wants to measure for curtain sizes and furniture placement.  I’ll even share one with a child at the inspection to keep him or her occupied)
• Ladders (two types)  If you’re dying to know…one is a Telesteps and one is a Little Giant)  Incidentally, I purchase most of my equipment from Prolab who’s customer service is second to none.
• Water pressure gauge to verify proper regulated pressure.  Yes, homeowners can adjust their own water pressure inside the home.  Do you know what yours is?
• Various screwdrivers
• Binoculars
• Digital camera (very important for data collection)
• Electrical circuit anaylzer that checks for loose grounds, improper wiring and other electrical faults.  I find electrical problems in about 85% of the properties we inspect.  Some discrepancies are life threatening!
• Gas leak detector
• Carbon monoxide detector (I carry this important tool for two reasons.  One is to protect the inspector.  The other is to identify this poisonous gas that quietly gives people flu-like symptoms or worse-yet kills them.  So many homes do not have this device.  One is needed per HVAC system.  They cost less than a Tommy Hilfiger shirt.  Get one!)
• Electronic moisture meter (This is a critically important tool.  It detects moisture under tile using radio frequency technology.  Very useful in identifying defective wax rings around toilet bases.  It also measures moisture content in wood)  All home inspectors should have this tool in their bag.
• Protective clothing for crawlspace entry (Any homeowner who has a crawl space needs proper protection including gloves, an overall, and most importantly…a minimum N-95 respirator.  I’ll be posting another blog specific to this topic in the near future.)
• Reference manuals including our inspection software, technical manuals, manufacturer’s manuals, and code books
• A reliable inspection vehicle.  This is ours…

• Most important set of tools I carry, you ask?  My senses.  Before every inspection I pray that God may grant me maximum ability to use my eyes to detect a defect such as a bowed wall/sagging floor or evidence of a bathroom that was previously used as a meth lab.  My ears to detect bearings that are going bad in a attic fan or the burping/gargling sounds of a water heater on its last leg.  My nose to detect a musty odor in a basement which may suggest possible mold or sewer gases backing up into the residence.  My sense of balance when I’m working on a steep roof or straddling ceiling joists in an attic during new construction.  My sense of touch to detect a circuit breaker that is excessively hot or vibration in a kitchen appliance that is needing repair.

The collection of tools and training on how to effectively use the tools is expensive, but much needed. 

As inspectors we must rely on our brains to facilitate the identification, processing, recording, and communication of these findings so the customer (we do it an informative, non-alarming manner) can fully understand and take action on the findings. 

This blog a little insight as to what tools we rely on to successfully perform our inspection functions for our customers.