by ensurehomeinspections@gmail.com | Jan 13, 2022 | Home Inspection
The San Antonio Housing and Real Estate Market: January 2022 The last couple years have been a whirlwind it feels like. Of course it’s no secret that the real estate market in San Antonio and the rest of the country has exploded, in no small part due to... by ensurehomeinspections@gmail.com | Sep 22, 2021 | Home Inspection
Although a lot of recent development has been taking place in San Antonio, TX, especially outside Loop 1604, much of the urban core is filled with old to very old homes that contain a host of defective materials installed with deficient and out of date techniques. One... by ensurehomeinspections@gmail.com | Sep 22, 2021 | Home Inspection
What Are Cast-Iron Drains? Before plastic plumbing such as ABS (Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) and PVC (Polyvinyl chloride) in the 70’s, cast-iron was a commonly used material for waste drain pipes installed in San Antonio, TX homes. Mankind has experimented... by ensurehomeinspections@gmail.com | Sep 22, 2021 | Home Inspection
When you live in a hot climate like San Antonio or South Texas, air-conditioning is a big deal. I don’t think I’d live here without it! Air-conditioning was first invented in the 1920’s and involves the compression and evaporation of volatile gases... by ensurehomeinspections@gmail.com | Sep 22, 2021 | Home Inspection
So you’ve just gone under contract on your new home and your realtor correctly advised you to find a home inspector. You give google a search for “home inspection san antonio” and you get about a dozen pages of results. You’re overwhelmed!... by ensurehomeinspections@gmail.com | Sep 22, 2021 | Home Inspection
The real estate market is HOT in San Antonio, TX, as it is in most other areas of the country. Options are short, and you need answers about the home now. Considering most people don’t work in the construction industry and don’t have a lot of experience in... by ensurehomeinspections@gmail.com | Sep 22, 2021 | Home Inspection
The answer to this question if you live in the San Antonio or New Braunfels area would be to call one of the home inspectors at Ensure Home Inspections of course. If you live outside of our service area, we can give you some advice as to what you should look for in a... by ensurehomeinspections@gmail.com | Sep 22, 2021 | Home Inspection
Breaking out the different gizmos and gadgets a home inspector in San Antonio would use is always fun for home owners. Considering the amount of money they are paying for the Home Inspection, most home owners want to see us show up with some specialty inspection... by ensurehomeinspections@gmail.com | Sep 22, 2021 | Home Inspection
No, I’m not talking about the price of the home; I mean, of course a home is expensive. I mean all the costs that you didn’t think about when you started your home search: earnest money, down-payment, title company fees, mortgage origination fees, and the... by ensurehomeinspections@gmail.com | Jun 29, 2021 | Home Inspection
Common Concerns with Older Homes Revealed During a Home Inspection When gathering information from a client about the home they would like inspected, one of the first questions is “how large is the home in square feet?” and “how old is it?”... by ensurehomeinspections@gmail.com | Jun 29, 2021 | Home Inspection
There’s a reason that home inspector was cheap. Have you ever signed up for what you thought was a free service like searching for a contractor through Porch, Home Advisor or Angie’s List and gotten your phone blown up with calls for the next few days... by ensurehomeinspections@gmail.com | May 7, 2021 | Home Inspection
Which Insulation is the Best for Your Home: Breaking Down the Pros and Cons of Attic Insulation Materials Spray Foam Attic Insulation Spray-foam insulation offers the best attic insulation that money can buy. There are two types: shut cell and open-cell, also known as... by ensurehomeinspections@gmail.com | May 3, 2021 | Home Inspection
6 More Easy Home Maintenance Tips! Window maintenance Wood Windows: Older wood sash windows may need prep and paint of the mutton’s and rails. Windowsills and stucco molding may also require prep, paint and caulking. Some wood windows will require new glazing... by ensurehomeinspections@gmail.com | May 3, 2021 | Home Inspection
Why Do Nail Heads Pop-up or Push Through Roof Shingles? There have been several inspectors reporting nails popping on asphalt roof system these days. Take a look at the pictures above. You can see just below one shingle a nail that is working it’s way back out. Is... by ensurehomeinspections@gmail.com | May 3, 2021 | Home Inspection
Even More Home Inspection Tips for Sellers When you need to get the very most for your home it is important to be prepared. Here are some key points to getting the best inspection results for your home. Exterior Trim all vegetation 12 inches away from home or... by ensurehomeinspections@gmail.com | May 3, 2021 | Home Inspection
Home Insulation Guide: A Quick-Rundown of Your Home’s Insulation Uninsulated walls lose heat much more quickly to the outdoors than adequately insulated walls. This heat loss can cause: Drafts across the floor Discomfort from loss of body heat to cold wall... by ensurehomeinspections@gmail.com | May 3, 2021 | Home Inspection
Requirements for doors between Dwelling and the Attached Garage Section 305.2.1 of the 2018 International Residential Code provides an exception to the one-hour separation requirement between a dwelling and an attached garage. That exception is for the doorway... by ensurehomeinspections@gmail.com | May 2, 2021 | Home Inspection
Maintenance of Your Home’s Fireplace Before using your fireplace this year there are a few things you should do in order to ensure it is safe to do so. We will start at the top and work our way through the fireplace system. Step one. Check The Storm Cap and... by ensurehomeinspections@gmail.com | May 2, 2021 | Home Inspection
What are Federal Pacific Electric (Stab-Lok) Panels? Federal Pacific Electric Stab-Lok (FPE Stab-Lok®) panels were commonly installed electrical cabinets from 1950’s until the mid-80s. Before Federal Pacific began manufacturing the Stab-Lok, they made... by ensurehomeinspections@gmail.com | Jan 19, 2021 | Home Inspection
How To Prepare for Your Home Inspection: A Guide For Home-Sellers (2021 Updated!) Getting ready to sell your San Antonio Home? Want to ensure the smoothest transaction possible? Take these steps to make the buyer’s home inspector a happy camper. Doing these... by ensurehomeinspections@gmail.com | Nov 16, 2020 | Home Inspection
A Quick Run-Down on Your San Antonio Home’s Foundation: Soil, Movement, Indicators, and Performance Foundations Are One of the “Big Three” The three most common concerns home-buyers have when buying a home in the San Antonio area are the roof, the... by ensurehomeinspections@gmail.com | May 12, 2020 | Home Inspection
We inspect a lot of homes in San Antonio, and it’s not uncommon to find segments of the electrical wiring that are made of aluminum, especially in the older areas closer to the city center. Aluminum wiring isn’t inherently dangerous by just existing, and... by ensurehomeinspections@gmail.com | May 8, 2020 | Home Inspection
While home inspectors in San Antonio are running into Polybutylene piping less often than they used to, home owners in Texas need to be aware of PB piping. What is Polybutylene Pipe? Polybutylene is a type of plastic that was utilized widely in the plumbing industry... by ensurehomeinspections@gmail.com | May 6, 2020 | Home Inspection
Yes, you do need a license to be a home inspector in San Antonio, New Braunfels, or any other part of Texas. In fact, you need a license to be a home inspector in 40 out of 50 states in the US! What Are the Licensing Requirements for Home Inspectors in Texas? First,... by ensurehomeinspections@gmail.com | Mar 27, 2020 | Home Inspection
Can a Home Inspector Perform Repairs on a House That They Inspected? My previous experience as a tradesman and contractor is what led me to discover my love of inspecting buildings, and it also gives me more accurate insight on what really goes into properly repairing... by ensurehomeinspections@gmail.com | Mar 21, 2020 | Home Inspection
During a home inspection, it’s not uncommon for us to see sub-par building materials used on a house, especially if the house was renovated or remodeled by an unscrupulous or ignorant contractors. You typically get what you pay for with cheap materials. ... by ensurehomeinspections@gmail.com | Mar 15, 2020 | Home Inspection
(Inspector’s Note: If you live in San Antonio, New Braunfels, or any other part of Texas, then your home inspector is required to be licensed by the Texas Real Estate Commission and the home inspection they perform is basically a more elaborate version of the... by ensurehomeinspections@gmail.com | Mar 15, 2020 | Home Inspection
“What do we do about this? How much is this going to cost? Who is going to pay for it!” The list goes on. There are a lot of questions you may have about what to do next after you receive your home inspection report, and we’ll try to outline them... by ensurehomeinspections@gmail.com | Mar 7, 2020 | Home Inspection
Sometimes, but not in most cases: Your Home Inspection is deductible if you are purchasing the home as a rental property or investment. If you plan on buying the home and turning it into an income property, then the inspection can be deducted as an expense. In this... by ensurehomeinspections@gmail.com | Mar 5, 2020 | Home Inspection
Breaking out the different gizmos and gadgets a home inspector in San Antonio would use is always fun for home owners. Considering the amount of money they are paying for the Home Inspection, most home owners want to see us show up with some specialty inspection... 
