that kind of thing, running too hot, where you can find that.Missing insulation in the attic space, that kind of thing.” If something looks to be out of the ordinary, or might indicate a larger issue, they can recom- mend that you look into it further. Some of the biggest red flags he has seen include big cracks in the foundation, signs of structural movement such as all the door jams getting out of square, heaving in moisture,mold and mildew, which all tend to be signs that should be investigated further.


Although he notes that every home is differ-


ent, depending on a house's age, there are cer- tain things to look for. “Different things that you're specifically look-


ing for obviously change.You know, you have 1930s, 40s, you're looking for knob-and-tube wiring. If it's a new home,we're obviously not going to find that,”said Henschel.“But my experience, I've done brand new,never-been-


lived-in homes, alright, and found a list of prob- lems the length of my arm, but that's quite often smaller things; hot-cold reversed on taps, lights not wired quite properly, that kind of thing.At the same time, I've done 80, 90-year- old homes that are just immaculate, and pretty much everything in-between.”


He used the example of a home he inspected last summer, which was four years old,over a million dollars, and was beautiful.However, the ceiling was full of water. “You just never know what you are going to


find.Any pre-conceptions of a home go out the window doing this.” Additionally, while you may be the one hiring their services, a home inspector must be respectful of the homeowner. “We can't be moving their property, that kind of thing, without their consent.Know there is a certain amount that obviously would be expected.You know, you've got to move a cou-


ple of small things to get into an attic space, that kind of thing,”said Henschel.“But it is their home,and not my client's home, yet.” While home inspections tend to be done


prior to buying a home,pre-listing inspections are getting more common as well, where peo- ple are home inspecting prior to selling it. “It allows them to address any possible prob- lems outright,and that way it doesn't come up with last-minute problems when trying to close a sale.” If any issues pop up during the inspection that they would rather not deal with, they can disclose it in the listing so a potential buyer doesn’t try to come back and re-negotiate the price over it,and he recommends they talk to their real estate agent about it.People also have yearly maintenance inspection, where an inspector goes through their home and does a “honey-do list” for them, although those are less common.


insight magazine march 2019 - 11


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