This article was published on: 10/01/2002
 
WEB REVIEW: SPECIALTIES


Home inspection hints
Catching Glitches in Time Saves Listings

Get clients help on how to spot and fix home defects.

BY CHRIS LEPORINI

A customers’ failure to disclose property defects can cause you to lose a potential sale or even land you in legal hot water. In today’s litigation-drenched environment, it can pay to have a working knowledge of home inspection basics, so that hidden flaws don’t create huge hassles for you later on. Inspect America’s Home Inspection Supersite contains articles you can use to improve your home inspection knowledge and bring customers up to speed on common problem areas.

The site’s “Get Advice” and “Browse Library” sections contain articles that teach users how to identify and fix common home defects, as well as addition information that explains the home inspection process. (Users can also scan the “Most Popular Pages” on the homepage to read articles from both sections. The “Get Advice” section walk readers through home inspection basics, such as selecting an inspector, the top ten most common home defects, and what to expect from a home inspector’s report.

The site’s online library is broken into several subsections. The “Technical Aisle” covers specific home defects, such as termite infestations, water seepage, and unsafe stairways. The site approaches these sometimes dull topics with a sense of humor, for instance comparing termites to people who eat Oreo cookies from the inside out. The “Reference Aisle” contains home inspection glossaries and links to other home inspection resources. Finally, the “Lounge” offers a home inspection pop quiz, FAQs, and daily news, featuring sources such as Inman.com and the New York Times.

The Home Inspection Supersite “Home Inspection Checklist” provides a thorough listing of potential defects, covering both home interiors and exteriors. It allows prospective buyers to grade individual home features from basements to roofs, as good, fair, or poor. As the site points out, this document isn’t a substitute for an inspection by a licensed, trained home inspector. But it can be a handy resource to help buyers keep track of specific home details that can become blurry for them after they’ve seen a few houses.

The site also provides a state-by-state home inspector directory. However, this section is limited, offering only a handful of listings for each state. If you have a customer looking for a home inspector, they would probably be better off thumbing through their local yellow pages, browsing the American Society of Home Inspectors homepage, or relying on your personal references.

The last-minute discovery of a home defect can send you into crisis mode, requiring your seller to hire a contractor to correct the problem or slash the asking price. And if a buyer uncovers problems after the home is sold, they might even respond with a lawsuit. On the other hand, if you work with buyers, it’s helpful to be able to direct them to a site that will help them spot potential problems. In any case, developing your ability to spot home defects in time can save you time, energy, and money down the line.


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More Resources
Books in Brief: Inspecting a House, Chris Leporini, November 2001.
Are You the Inspector's Keeper?, Laurie Janik, August 2001.
Sales Meeting Tool Kit: Property Disclosure (Login required.)

Suggest a Site For Review
Every week, REALTOR® Magazine Online's Web review editor surfs the Internet to find sites essential to your business and off-hours lives. Have a favorite real estate Website that you would like to see reviewed? Send your suggestions to Chris Leporini at mediatech@realtors.org. All decisions on which sites will be reviewed are completely at the discretion of RealtorMag Online's editorial staff. Please note: this column does not review individual practitioner or brokerage sites.

The column's focus includes free sites, as well as sites that charge for goods and services, but which still offer a free component of practical, sustained value to real estate practitioners, such as a free newsletter or regular news information.

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REALTOR® Magazine Online's "Web Review" summarizes the content of Web sites that may be of interest to members. NAR and REALTOR® Magazine Online are not responsible for, and nothing in the Web site profile shall constitute NAR's or REALTOR® Magazine Online's endorsement of, the web site, its content, products and services, or its provider. NAR and REALTOR® Magazine Online believe the information contained in this profile was correct and accurate as of the time it was prepared, but do not warrant or guarantee the accuracy or completeness of that information and are not responsible for changes in the Web site. Members should conduct their own independent review of the Web site prior to any use of Web site, its content, products, or services to determine their suitability for the member's intended purpose.

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