Entries by Juan Jimenez

3 Summer Crawlspace Tips

If your home has a crawlspace, thereโ€™s a good chance youโ€™ve never been in it. Itโ€™s just this mysterious, narrow grotto underneath you, that avoid or even forget about until you sell your home, or it presents symptoms of defects. These symptoms can include smells, soft floors, or sticking doors and windows. ย  When we […]

How to Look for Termites in Your Crawlspace

The last thing any homeowner wants to hear is that they have termites. Just the word “termite” invokes a sense of dread. That is not surprising considering that termites cause an estimated 30 billion dollars in property damage every year. Treating for termites can cost up to 1000 dollars, or more, and repairs to the […]

8 Must Have Tools For a New Homeowner

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases   You found the house of your dreams, put in the offer, fought through the negotiations, endured the nerve wracking home inspections and appraisals, and finally got the keys to your brand new home. No more listening to the upstairs neighbors stomp their feet early in […]

Lead Water Lines In Richmond

Lead Water Lines In Richmond During our inspections in Richmond, it is not uncommon for us to find that the main water lines are lead. While home inspectors aren’t required to test for, or discover lead components, a visible main water will have a distinct feature often indicating it is lead. In the photo below, […]

Funny Defect in Brand New Home

Home Inspection Defect in Brand New Home   Many home buyers are conflicted about whether, or not, they should pay for a home inspection on a brand new home. I think if we found nothing else in this home, the inspection would still be worth every penny.  

3 Ways For Realtors to Cash in on Blogging

Blogging Tips For Realtors Blogging is a necessity for many companies trying to brand themselves, establish themselves as experts, and keep engaged with their clients. For us, blogging has brought us immeasurable success on all fronts. NAR reports that over 90 percent (99 percent for millenials) of home buyers start their search online, and that […]

6 Tax Free Weekend Buys for the Home

From the Home Inspector Perspective The unbearable heat wave of July is over. This morning was actually cool, crisp, and refreshing. All I could think about was fall, the kids going to school, and of course TAX FREE WEEKEND. In Virginia, tax free weekend 2017 starts the first Friday in August at 12:01 am and […]

Two Electricians Said it’s Fine

Mismatched Breaker Brands? Sometimes being a home inspector feels I’m part of a boxing match. The buyer VS. seller is the main event. The seller has an electrician in his corner, and the buyer has me. Let’s get ready to rumble.ย ย One of the most things we write up in the electrical panel is mismatched breakers. […]

Is a Foggy Window a Defect?

The Home Inspector Perspective One of the most interesting, and sometimes difficult question that I get asked when presenting an issue is โ€œis that a defect?โ€ Itโ€™s a legitimate question. Negotiations are going to take place after the inspection, and from what we understand, you canโ€™t ask for items to be repaired that arenโ€™t defects. […]

Are Breakers One Size Fits All?

Being a home inspector isn’t easy. I’m scolded on a regular basis by listing agents convinced I’ve reported a non-defect. Our most recent transgression? Writing up mismatched breakers. This is when a brand of breaker is installed in an electrical panel that does not match the brand of the panel. So is a mismatched breaker […]

4 Reasons Homeowners Hate Home Warranties

Owning a home is still considered by many as the pinnacle of prosperity, and the culmination of the American dream. Still, it isn’t with out challenges. With crooked window salesman, dirty Groupons, and DIY failures, home ownership can be like navigating a ship through treacherous ย waters. Of all the problems associated with home ownership, none […]

The One Dirty Groupon You Must Avoid

In case you have been living under a rock for the last few years, a groupon is a coupon with an adrenaline shot. The Groupon website offers steep discounts on products and services from local businesses. Patrons purchase a voucher from Goupon, which usually has a time limit, that they can redeem from the business. […]

Why We Love Bats (And Hate them)

Did you know that a single little brown bat can catch up to 600 mosquitoes in one hour? Falling creek in Richmond is in my backyard so Iย wouldn’t mind a few bats. It’s a smorgasbord here. As much as I love bats, most people don’t want them in their home, but it isn’t uncommon for […]

A Fire Rated Wall May Save Your Life

If you live in a town home, you may have noticed that the roofs have different heights, or that they have brick walls above the roof line that may seem purposeless to you. However, these building methods are fire resistant construction techniques designed to slow the spread of a fire from one town home to […]

Things Duct Tape Should Never Be Used For

6 Things Duct Tape Should Never Be Used For Juan Jimenez-The Richmond Home Inspector Duct tape is glorious. It is a magnificent creation, and a staple for all house holds. A swathe of it can be employed for a simple repair, or rolls upon rolls can be spent by enterprising adolescents constructing unique prom attire. […]

Monster Free Guarantee

The Monster Free Guarantee Moving is tough, and it can be hard on children too. ย My son sleeps soundly in his own bed every night, but when we visit friends, or family, he is petrified of the dark. New homes with unfamiliar spaces and new bumps in the night can have your kids wondering what […]

Grounded Home Inspectors Raise Concerns

Grounded Home Inspectors Raise Concerns We had a saying in my aviation squadron that “there is always enough time to do it right the second time.” Cutting corners was not option with lives at stake. Unfortunately, some roofers don’t have this mentality and a quick job may be prioritized over a quality job. A common […]

Great Richmond Florist-Pat’s Florist

As a family owned business in Richmond, we love supporting other local businesses. Sometimes its hard to find what you need locally, but if you are looking for a great Florist, Pat’s Florist in Richmond is the way to go. I recently had a horrible experience with Pro Flowers, so I needed to find a […]

Why Do Boy Scouts Collect Lint?

ย  This might come as a surprise, but there isactually a very practical use for lint. Boyscouts collect lint to make camp fires. They collect the lint, put it in egg cartons, or toilet paper rolls, and make little fire starters.ย  Motivated scouts and campers may even dip their fireย starters in melted max to make […]

Help Us Feed Richmond!

In the 14 tracked Central Virginia counties, child food insecurity rates range from 6 to 22 percent, with Richmond being the highest. That is almost 1 in 4 kids who are food insecure. In Virginia, almost 10 percent of adults are food insecure. Food insecure basically means that they worry about where there next meal […]

6 Ways to Greet Your New Neighbors

When I was a “youngen,” during an era when children actually played outside, I always waved to anyone who was walking their dog, tending their garden, or simply enjoying a stroll around the neighborhood. I knew all the neighborhood kids, and my parents knew the adults. There were some conflicts over property lines, loud dogs, […]

Flexible Metal B-Vents

In order to better understand this article, take a minute to look closely at photos “A” and “B” below. Based on the photos, try and determine which metal vent is allowed to be installed in your gas appliance venting system. Venting is the process of distributing the poisonous combustion byproducts, such as Carbon Monoxide, to […]

Is there Radon in Goochland

The Radon concentration level at which the EPA recommends mitigating for is 4 pCi/L and above. Results from airchek.com estimate that around 29% of homes in Goochland have Radon concentration levels that require mitigation. 22% of homes in Goochland have Radon concentration levels that you should consider mitigating for. Call us at 804-269-4321 to get […]

Is there Radon in Dinwiddie?

ย Is there Radon in Dinwiddie? The Radon concentration level at which the EPA recommends mitigating for is 4 pCi/L and above. Results from airchek.com estimate that around 22% of homes in Dinwiddie have concentration levels that require mitigation. 38% of homes in Dinwiddie have concentration levels that you should consider mitigating for. Call us at […]

Is There Radon in Chesterfield?

Is there Radon in Chesterfield? The Radon concentration level at which the EPA recommends mitigating for is 4 pCi/L and above. Results from airchek.com estimate that around 28% of homes in Chesterfield have concentration levels that require mitigation. 22% of homes in Chesterfield have concentration levels that you should consider mitigating for. Call us at […]

Richmond Radon Testing

What is radon? According the EPA ,Radon is a cancer-causing, radioactive gas.ย  It is a gas thatย decays into radioactive particles that can get trapped in your lungs when you breathe. As they break down further, these particles release smallย  bursts of energy. This can damage lung tissue and lead to lung cancer over the course […]

Effing Effervescence!

ย  I have had it!ย My ability to remain collected, and composed in the face of absurdityย has, for the present moment, left me. ย Why? I am sick of hearing, and seeing home inspectors in Richmond,ย use the word effervescence. Effervescence is the process of bubbling as gas escapes a liquid. Perhaps we all witnessed some effervescence last […]

Double Keyed Deadbolts

In a prior life, when I worked on aircraft, we used to say that the maintenance manualsย were written in blood.ย In my opinion, this applies to many building codes as well. This means that the codes, (and maintenance manuals) reflect decades of experience and are written to prevent repeat incidents of damage, injury, or even death. […]

Using an Old Inspection Report

The bane of every home inspector’s business is the unethical distribution of our reports to subsequent potential buyers.ย Many inspectors see it is as a scourge that plagues their ability to generate revenue.ย ย It afflicts inspectors to the point where they threaten reporting the distributor, or even taking legal action against the user of the report! ย Don’t […]

FREE BOOK: Child Safety in the Home

As a father of two, I can attest to the fact that with children come many unknowns. Even after the first one, when you think the experience will help make raising the second one easier, you find out that your new baby was born a completely different person, with a different personality, and different needs.ย  […]

We Use Soapy Water to Save Lives

Home inspectors carry an array of different tools in order to provide thorough and accurate inspections. One of the most important tools that we carry, is a spray bottle of soapy water. In the video below you can see that this gas line to the meter is definitely leaking. The suds are bubbling up around […]

Setting the Trap

It is not uncommon for me to find a gas line sediment trap that has been installed wrong. This is usually the first thing I look at when approaching a gas water heater. If the sediment trap is wrong, my spector senses tingle, and I look for other problems with the water heater. My spector […]

A Great Battle Took Place Here

Call me crazy, but I absolutely love my job.ย  I get to observe the craziest, funniest, scariest and most peculiar things that can be in a persons home. I was under a house the other day, in a crawlspace, and I ran into a fairly common situation.ย  There were areas of the insulation that had […]

FSBO’s Suck

From an Inspectors Perspective: FSBO’s Suck Perspective of: Juan Jimenez I think I get stuck with every FSBO inspection in Richmond, VA. Sometimes, I will have multiple inspections a week for FSBO’s.ย  Generally, if the home is FSBO, the buyer also has no representation.ย  From my inspector perspective, both parties are lost in the sauce […]