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Maintenance Inspections

Though your home isn’t alive, it is still very much like a “real person”. It can have its bad days and good days. It can get “sick” when systems break down, and it can become “temperamental” when there are hidden problems in need of repair. In most cases, you will not know what is wrong until something breaks or someone is injured. And as with the human body, one symptom is usually a sign of a bigger problem that, if not treated or repaired, can lead to even more symptoms and much bigger problems later on.Ironically, as large of an investment as a house is, it is maintained far less frequently than the family car though your house often costs ten to twenty times as much as your family car. But unlike what is provided for the family car, a home rarely ever receives a “check-up”. Instead, problems that occur in a home are typically only addressed after something breaks or after damage to its structure and systems has become so severe that you are forced to make repairs. Most homeowners give very little consideration to the fact that, if found early on, home-related problems can be addressed or repaired before those problems become so large that the expense of fixing them cause a financial strain.But how do you know something is wrong with your home to begin with? Just as a 60,000-mile inspection and tune-up can help you to identify and prevent problems with your automobile, the only way you will be able to identify and prevent existing or potential problems with your home is to give it an inspection and tune-up, as well.Based on various facts such as weathering and local weather patterns, normal wear and tear, and the planned obsolescence of construction materials and mechanical systems, we recommend that you schedule a home inspected every two years during the lifetime of residency in your home. And just as with a buyer-seller home inspection, we will also provide you with a detailed report about the damage we find to the systems and structure in your home.

MYTHS ABOUT HOME MAINTENANCE INSPECTIONS

In a recent survey, we discovered that the number one reason that more current-occupancy homeowners don’t get their homes periodically inspected is simply because they aren’t aware that the service is available outside of the real estate transaction period. The fact is that Home Maintenance Inspections have always been available, but they simply aren’t marketed by real estate agents or most professional home inspections – and there’s a reason why.First, home-buyers and sellers have been lead to believe that only time they should be concerned about the health of a property is when an initial financial transaction is occurring, such as when a property is being sold or purchased. This is actually a bit deceiving because every month you own your home, you are engaged in making a financial transaction. You pay a mortgage, right? You pay utility bills, right? So if you are going to make these payments every month, then wouldn’t you want to assure that you aren’t paying these sums of money into an “investment” that is falling apart right under your feet or above your head? Of course not, yet tens-of-millions of people do just that because of a simple misbelief.Second, many current-occupancy homeowners do not get a home inspection because they believe that the home inspector will find thousands-of-dollars of damage that would cause a financial strain if fixed. But regardless of what the home inspector finds, you need to know the condition of your home. The home inspector cannot force you to fix anything, nor can they condemn your property. In other words, there is no “pass” or “fail” score. There is simply knowledge, and knowledge is power. Still, most homeowners are pleasantly surprised that a home inspection discovers the kind of damage that can often be repaired for only a few dollars before such damage grows worse, and thus, costs the homeowner thousands of dollars.

Did you know?

All of the following problems and more can occur, and are likely to occur on some level, after you sign a closing contract on your home. Wear-and-tear, system obsolecense, weathering, and pest invasion/infestation do not recognize what a closing contract is, but a Home Maintenance Inspectioncan help you to prevent problems before they become an expensive reminder that that proper preventative maintenance is a priority worth taking seriously.Most home inspections occur at the time a home is bought or sold. Buyer-seller inspections may assure that a home is suitable for sale or purchase, but buyer-seller inspections don’t prevent natural wear-and-tear on a home. Even after the closing contract is signed, the structural and mechanical systems of a home continue to deteriorate.The average family occupies a home for eleven years. This means that there are eleven years of damage that accrue on the home from normal usage, obsolecense of building materials, obsolecense of mechanical systems, inclement weather, and more.Heat causes building materials to expand. As building materials expand due to extreme or continuous exposure to heat (such as from the Sun), those materials can, and often will, twist, warp, bend, pull apart, and cause breaches. These breaches can, in turn, expose your home to pests and moisture. Long-time exposure can then lead to extensive damage caused by nesting, water-rot, rust, loss of insulation value, electrical shorts, mechanical system failures, and more.Gas or wood-burning systems produce CO gas (carbon monoxide) that, if not properly ventilated, can lead to potential health problems or poisoning.One-in-fifteen homes contain a high-level of Radon gas. Radon, a naturally-occurring radioactive gas that emulates from the ground, causes approximately 20,000 deaths per year in the United States according to the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency).Toxic mold, such as Stachybotrys or Chaetomium, can lead to chronic bronchitis, learning disabilities, mental deficiencies, heart problems, cancer, multiple sclerosis, chronic fatigue, lupus, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple chemical sensitivity, bleeding lungs and much more.Indoor air quality can be worsened by smoke, pet dander, pet hair, human dander, dust, invading pest feces, invading pest carcasses, and more. The heating and air systems in your home can distribute polluted air to all parts of your home if not properly filtered and vented.Improper insulation can lead to an increase of up to thirty-percent in annual energy costs.Improperly-grounded electrical systems can lead to fires. You typically will not know that your home’s electrical system is damaged until systems begin to malfunction (short-circuits) or after a fire has already occurred.Water and heat can cause structural components in your home to contract and expand. This can cause adjoining components to pull each other apart thus reducing the structural integrity of your home.A single plant growing out of a crack in your driveway is strong enough to completely lift and push-apart large slabs of concrete. Mother nature will do her best to plant a tree in the middle of your driveway, and she will succeed if ignored.A cracked chimney or other improperly-flashed vent on your roof can cause a small waterfall down the inside walls of your home. This can lead to severe moisture damage, structural rotting, mold growth, infestation of insects, damage to electrical systems, and more.

EVERY TWO YEARS

Bungtalows to Mansions Home Inspections recommends that you receive a Home Maintenance Inspection every two years after you have closed on your property. For about the cost of a basic automotive tune-up, a Home Maintenance Inspection can help to identify problems and damage in your home before they become an expensive or irreversible threat to your fiscal and physical well-being.

WHAT WE INSPECT, AND WHAT YOU SHOULD EXPECT

Much like a buyer-seller home inspection, a Home Maintenance Inspection is a visual examination of your home’s systems, mechanicals and structure. We examine everything from roof to basement to assure that the items inspected are in proper working order. If we should discover any defects or damage [within the scope of our inspection policy], it will be noted in our thorough Home Inspection Damage Report.Our report will review the condition of the home’s heating system, central air conditioning system (temperature permitting), interior plumbing and electrical systems; the roof, attic, and visible insulation; walls, ceilings, floors, windows and doors; the foundation, basement, and visible structure. Many inspectors will also offer additional services not included in a typical home inspection, such as mold, radon and water testing.Keep in mind that a Home Maintenance Inspection does not prevent further damage to your property, but it can help you to identify and correct existing damage that you may not know about. Our Home Maintenance Inspections are also not appraisal inspection and cannot help you to determine the value of your property (though it can help you to maintain its value). Finally, a Home Maintenance Inspection is not a code inspection and does not provide you with a pass or fail score. You simply cannot fail a Home Maintenance Inspection.

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Bungalows to Mansions Professional Inspection Services
9014 SW 75th Way
Gainesville, Florida 32608
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(352) 871-8989
Info@BungalowstoMansions.com

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Reviews

Google Rating
4.3
Bungalows to Mansions Professional Inspection Services, LLC
Bungalows to Mansions Professional Inspection Services, LLC
4.3
Valentina Fandino
Valentina Fandino
17:43 30 Jun 21
Bruce was extremely thorough, efficient, and quick to get us the report for a home we wanted to purchase. Not only was he extremely professional but super personable, made the inspection experience less scary for a first time home buyer like me, and gave us excellent feedback and ideas. I really appreciate this company and Bruce’s work ethic! Will call them again in the future for any other inspections.
Adam Ursell
Adam Ursell
16:43 21 Jul 20
Bruce is very thorough and helpful! A good decision all around. We were recently interested in purchasing a property, we had Bruce inspect it and found signs that indicated potential defective drywall in the home. This was also suspected by an inspector who had seen the home in 2019. We asked the seller to do a chemical test of some of the walls, which they refused, so we cancelled our offer as we had no definitive way of knowing whether it was defective drywall or not besides the sellers word, which for a home that could need an immense amount of work is something we weren't willing to take at face value. The seller did provide documentation so far as an inspection from several years prior and a note from the construction companies purchasing agent, but we found this insufficient to set our worries at ease. Though we cancelled during our inspection period, the seller also tried to claim our deposit as well as slandering everyone we worked with, which was completely unnecessary as we were perfectly within our rights and due process in doing this. We wanted buyers to know we trust Bruce thoroughly, as he himself was very thorough and alerted us to things we needed to know. Though we ended up not proceeding with the home he inspected, he also took time investigating the home after the inspection with us by reviewing older inspection documents and even reaching out to prior inspectors personally. We wanted to thank him for all his time and effort making sure we knew exactly what we were buying. Thank you so much my friend! We will continue to use and recommend your service! =)
Yeni Monroy
Yeni Monroy
21:27 25 Oct 17
Very professional, excellent work, prompt and polite. Goes the extra mile to help you with any request from insurances or realtors needs. Always available for any questions you may have . I've use them more than once and wouldn't hesitate in referring them.
Carl Pennick
Carl Pennick
23:50 10 Jan 17
As a fellow inspector I have always trusted Bruce for advise and 2nd opinions when I have found issues carrying out my own home inspections. His knowledge on home inspections is 2nd to none.
Wade Swikle
Wade Swikle
21:10 03 Feb 16
Bruce provides years of experience in home inspections, and is incredibly involved in the real estate community. It's no wonder some of Gainesville's top Realtors continuously trust Bruce to take great care of their client's home inspection needs!
Joe Prager
Joe Prager
23:00 22 Aug 13
I have used Bruce Graham for inspections at my own home (two wind mitigation reports) and have referred my real estate customers to him. He does a stellar job. He is very thorough, and detailed and finds a lot of problems that other inspectors might miss. His professionalism is well known in the community and he points out flaws he finds in a fair and balanced manner - explaining any findings in clear and understandable terms to the home buyer. (I know of some inspectors that become quite dramatic and scare buyers if they find lots of problems, which to me is unprofessional - but Bruce is not like that.) Bruce is very well qualified (he is a general contractor and InterNASHI member, and has lots of experience. His reports offer detailed explanations and photos and can be used as a "to do list" to fix up a home afterwards. I suspect whomever posted the negative review is a competitor, as I been with Bruce on about 10 inspections and his work was outstanding. In one inspection, he found a bad blower motor on a Trane air handler on a bank foreclosure property.. It was an intermittent problem, so we called the listing agent and asked for the local A/C guy to come out and fix it before the closing.. They came out but could not find the problem, so I had them come back a 2nd time and I was there, too, and they still could not duplicate the problem. But, just as Bruce had predicted, two days after the buyers moved in, the blower motor FAILED... we were able to go back to the listing agent and seller and demand that they pay the $400 to replace the fan. Bruce was right all along - it was bad stator winding on the fan. So, if you want your inspection done right, give Bruce a try. His new company name is 1st Inspections Florida.
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