What to do if your basement floods? Continue reading
5 Tips To Help You Save Energy
Most people don’t know how easy it is to make their homes run on less energy, Drastic reductions in heating, cooling and electricity costs can be accomplished through very simple changes, most of which homeowners can do themselves.
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The importance of having a Moisture Instrusion Inspection
Moisture intrusion can be the cause of building defects, as well as health ailments for the building’s occupants.
Home Energy Audits
A home energy audit is often the first step in making your home more efficient. An audit can help you assess how much energy your home uses and evaluate what measures you can take to improve efficiency. Continue reading
The value of Bathroom Vent Fans
Normal bathroom activities such as showering, bathing, etc. can significantly raise your indoor humidity levels. In fact, studies have shown that the typical family of four converts three gallons of water into water vapor every day, and it only requires four to six pints of water to raise the indoor relatively humidity of a 1,000 square foot home from 40 to 60 percent. In turn, this excess moisture is a complex problem that can cause a number of undesirable conditions such as the following: Continue reading
A guide to prepare you for your Home Inspection
If you’re a Seller, then you should be aware of several things that may make the inspection process more efficient. Home inspections usually vary in times from two to five hours, depending on the size of the house.
The following tips will help you be prepared for your home inspection. Continue reading
New construction, short sales and bank-owned home inspections.
- New construction – Builders often will not allow an “inspection contingency”. Once you sign a contract to buy the home that they are building, you are usually locked-in to the purchase, except for some instances when you cannot obtain financing. Such contracts are definitely slanted in favor of the builder, but the logic here is pretty easy to understand. Builders will offer limited warranties on their homes and any issues that surface during an inspection will likely be covered by such a warranty. Continue reading
Options when repair items are identified during the inspection process.
Most real estate contracts in Illinois allow for a 5-day home inspection period and we suggest you take advantage of it. They will also outline a negotiation process. During that negotiation, you can ask the seller to fix items that need repair, you can ask the seller for a credit to compensate you for the future repairs, or you can request a hybrid of these two options. Continue reading