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...
by ensurehomeinspections@gmail.com | Mar 5, 2020 | Home Inspection
First-Time Home-Buyer Friendly Inspectors A first-time home-buyer is pretty self-explanatory: you’re buying a home for the first time (probably the biggest purchase you’ll ever make), and aren’t very familiar or experienced at it, so you’re bit...
by ensurehomeinspections@gmail.com | Mar 4, 2020 | Home Inspection
“What do you think of this house? Should I buy it? Did it pass?” Inspectors at Ensure Home Inspections don’t answer any of these questions. I want you to read the report. There is no “pass” or “fail” when it comes to a Home...
by ensurehomeinspections@gmail.com | Mar 4, 2020 | 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 | Mar 4, 2020 | Home Inspection
Usually when I arrive to a unoccupied house for a home inspection, especially if I’m in one of the shadier-parts of the San Antonio area, I like to lock the door behind me. That way, I know exactly who is coming in or out of the home, as I feel that it’s...
by ensurehomeinspections@gmail.com | Mar 4, 2020 | Home Inspection
In some parts of the country (not San Antonio), inspectors are allowed to perform a much quicker, simpler inspection known as the “four-point” inspection. The 4-point inspection is known as such because it only focuses on: The Roof The Air-Conditioning...
by ensurehomeinspections@gmail.com | Mar 3, 2020 | Home Inspection
Considering most people don’t work in the construction industry and don’t have a lot of experience in dealing with the problems that arise with home ownership, questions are common. You see that the water heater doesn’t have a drain pan and start to...
by ensurehomeinspections@gmail.com | Mar 3, 2020 | Home Inspection
Depending on the experience level of the buyer and how “hands-on” they want to be, it is usually the home-buyer themself that sets up the home inspection in San Antonio. After signing all the necessary documents and entering your contract period for your...
by ensurehomeinspections@gmail.com | Feb 10, 2020 | Home Inspection
Due to the nature of the home inspector’s work, we tend to crawl and climb through a lot of small, dark, and otherwise uncomfortable places. In the course of this work, it’s not uncommon for us to come across critters, or more commonly the evidence of...
by ensurehomeinspections@gmail.com | Feb 10, 2020 | Home Inspection
Yes, all Inspectors at Ensure Home Inspections are licensed with the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) as Termite Technicians and are allowed to perform Wood-Destroying Insect (WDI) inspections, but most home inspectors in San Antonio and Texas at large are not....
by ensurehomeinspections@gmail.com | Feb 10, 2020 | Home Inspection
“Do I need to be there? I have to pick up the kids, drop them off at practice, pick up my other kid, my husband doesn’t get off work ’till 4, traffic will be terrible, etc.” No, You Don’t Need to be Present for the Home Inspection...
by ensurehomeinspections@gmail.com | Feb 9, 2020 | Home Inspection
What is Low-Voltage Wiring? Low-voltage wiring is wiring that is about 50 volts or less and includes systems such as that from audio systems, coaxial cable for television, Cat-V cable for internet and sometimes home security systems. Are Audio Systems and Phone...
by ensurehomeinspections@gmail.com | Feb 9, 2020 | Home Inspection
Water softeners are a pretty common item to run into during the course of a home inspection. In fact, in places with hard water such as the San Antonio and New Braunfels area, most new homes tend to be built with the plumbing for a water softener readily accessible....
by ensurehomeinspections@gmail.com | Feb 9, 2020 | Home Inspection
As more and more homeowners opt into photovoltaic energy generation, or solar panels, its becoming more and more common for home inspectors to run into the panels and the associated electrical equipment during the course of a home inspection. I don’t know...
by ensurehomeinspections@gmail.com | Feb 8, 2020 | Home Inspection
“Mobile” homes, or more accurately “manufactured” homes, are regulated by The Office of Manufactured Housing, a part of the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Standards and regulations for mobile homes are dictated by the National...
by ensurehomeinspections@gmail.com | Feb 8, 2020 | Home Inspection
Because San Antonio has such a vast military presence (Fort Sam Houston, Randolf Airbase, Lackland Airbase, the former Kelly Airbase, etc.), we get a lot of inquiries and bookings from clients purchasing a home with a VA Loan. I would estimate that a 5th of all...
by ensurehomeinspections@gmail.com | Feb 8, 2020 | Home Inspection
Unless you live in a relatively rural or isolated area, there probably are multiple home inspectors to chose from one you enter the option period of your contract. In the San Antonio area alone, there are probably a hundred different inspectors you could call, granted...
by ensurehomeinspections@gmail.com | Feb 8, 2020 | Home Inspection
How long a quality home inspection takes to perform is dependent on a number of different variables: 1) Is your home inspector following a required standard of practice from a regulative authority or organization? In San Antonio, New Braunfels, and the State of Texas...
by ensurehomeinspections@gmail.com | Feb 8, 2020 | Home Inspection
When gathering up information required to schedule an inspection, I often ask if the client is working with a realtor, and if so, would they like me to forward a copy of the report to their realtor? Most of the time, the answer is something to the effect of...
by ensurehomeinspections@gmail.com | Feb 8, 2020 | Home Inspection
Let’s consider that a vast majority of people have no idea that the profession of home inspections even exists until they start the home buying process, its really easy for people to question the value of a home inspector. With the average home inspection price...
by ensurehomeinspections@gmail.com | Feb 8, 2020 | 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 | Feb 8, 2020 | Home Inspection
While I enjoy discussing with clients what I’ve found in the inspection and answering their questions about what type of professional to call or what some possible solutions are to the issue at hand, I never enjoy trying to prioritize repairs. Part of the reason...
by ensurehomeinspections@gmail.com | Feb 8, 2020 | Home Inspection
We’ve already talked about what a San Antonio home inspector does, and we’ve covered what the home inspector looks at, but what is the home inspector looking for? Anybody could look at the checklists we post for your information and look at the components,...
by ensurehomeinspections@gmail.com | Feb 8, 2020 | Home Inspection
While uncommon, once in a while we will be asked if the home inspection can be included in the closing costs, or if we can wait to bill for the inspection until closing. We at Ensure Home Inspections don’t do this, although we do understand that some home...
by ensurehomeinspections@gmail.com | Feb 8, 2020 | Home Inspection
In a vast majority of cases, the home-buyer or home-seller is the person that is paying for the home inspection. One reason is simple: a home inspection is a consultation service looking to represent the purchasing or selling individuals. Another not-so-obvious reason...
by ensurehomeinspections@gmail.com | Feb 8, 2020 | Home Inspection
Private home inspectors have no power to condemn a house, while municipal building inspectors and especially fire marshals have a lot of power in regards to building authorities, to the point that they can “red-tag” a building to halt all construction...
by ensurehomeinspections@gmail.com | Feb 8, 2020 | Home Inspection
Lead has been used in paint products and coatings as a pigment and drying agent since the 4th century BC. Despite being banned in the US and Canada since the late 70’s, lead is still used in some paints manufactured in other countries because of the qualities it...
by ensurehomeinspections@gmail.com | Feb 8, 2020 | Home Inspection
Home Inspectors in San Antonio, Texas are not required to report on the presence or possible presence of Asbestos. The reason for this is that, much like inspecting, testing, consulting, and/or remediating for lead-based paint or mold, Asbestos-related trades are...
by ensurehomeinspections@gmail.com | Feb 8, 2020 | Home Inspection
“Do you check for Radon? And what the heck is radon anyway?” After having this question pointed at me, I decided I needed to do an FAQ entry. Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas, that is both odorless and tasteless. Radon can emanate from...
by ensurehomeinspections@gmail.com | Feb 8, 2020 | Home Inspection
No, at least not in Texas. “Mold” is a bit of a bad-word in the inspections industry; I specifically forbid myself from using it when advising with clients and instead prefer the much less scary “organic-substances” phrase. In Texas, the Texas...
