If your looking at getting a home inspection in Minnesota during the winter months plan on the inspector to NOT inspect the roof or basically anything covered in snow. It’s almost impossible for any inspector to determine the condition of not only the roof shingles but the flashing’s, plumbing vents, gutters, and the chimney if one exists. The same can be said for the landscape, sidewalks, patios, and driveways. The best way to deal with this is to try to get any information from the sellers including pictures that were taken from the past summer. The more information you get, the better choice you can make, unfortunately you may be in for some surprises the next summer.  If this a a major concern for you then I recommend you wait until spring if possible.

Pete Busch

If you follow my blog posts you will soon find I love to talk about amateur workmanship.  The below picture is something I come across all the time, its a flex drain pipe commonly sold at all our favorite big box stores and local hardware stores.  You may be wondering, why is this a problem, they sell it so it must be good right? Well, to be fair its not end of the world if you use one but it will guarantee one thing, you will be doing the same job again and hopefully the next time you will buy the right parts or even call a professional plumber. The problem with these flex pipes is they are VERY thin at sharp edges and will soon break, causing water damage to your cabinet or finished ceiling below.  If your looking for a quality home inspection in Minnesota don’t hesitate to call me.

Pete Busch

It’s not uncommon to show up for one of my Minnesota home inspections to find the potential home buyer standing in the driveway commenting on the new condition of the roof shingles.  It’s at that point I try to keep my comments to myself, at least until I get a closer look. The picture below shows hairline cracks in the shingles,  except in an extreme case this cannot be seen from the ground. Cracks like these are typically associated with a defect in the manufacturing process and does not show up for several years. If you happen to make it up on your roof and see this I highly recommend you contact the contractor that installed the shingles. You may be eligible for a warranty claim from the manufacturer

Pete Busch

While scheduling home inspections in Minnesota I get asked all the time, do I have to be there for the inspection? The answer is, you don’t if your not interested in learning valuable information throughout the inspection process. I estimate that fifty percent of the inspection is home education. There are many items in a home that are functioning properly but if  not maintained properly they will fail prematurely costing YOU more money.  Common items are appliances such as furnaces, built in humidifiers,  water softeners, and air to air exchange units  (most people don’t even know what this is),  could all be functioning properly at the time of the inspection but I promise you, in a very short time they won’t be if left as is. All of these appliances need periodic  simple minor maintenance that anyone can do to not only extend their life and keep energy costs down, but improve the comfort of your home, assuming you like to feel comfortable in your own home.  So why am I talking about this, it seems so simple right? I can’t tell you how frustrating and common it is to see brand new appliances installed, forgotten about, then left for dead. Folks, this is simple stuff!!!!! Based on the number of homes I inspect, people are not getting it and its costing them dearly and they don’t even know it. The same can be said for so many other items in the home which I will be talking about in my other articles.   Don’t let this be you, show up for your inspection and if your home inspector does not give you an education on the operation and maintenance of your home then feel free to give me a call, I’ll finish up where they left off.

Pete Busch