Links to articles featuring Inspections by Bob from all around the web!

Today’s Housing Market Feels Like the Hunger Games for Buyers. Here’s How to Compete.

The housing market is red hot. Prices are up, inventory is way down, and buyers are making wildly speculative offers in order to win bids.

Whether you call it a bubble, crisis or just plain crazy, the current real estate market mania is unlike anything we’ve seen before. Sellers are firmly in the driver’s seat, and buyers are out of luck unless they’re willing to resort to drastic measures to nab a home.

Indeed, it’s not uncommon for buyers to make offers that are $20,000-$100,000 over the list price, all in cash, and without any contingencies, including a home inspection.

So what’s a prospective home buyer to do?

Read the full article on Medium.com

More Buyers are Skipping Home Inspections

Jeff and Jessica Falkowski’s homebuying journey should be a cautionary tale. The couple, along with their one-year-old son Jack, have been shopping for a home in Westchester, N.Y. since February. Though they’ve made offers on four homes, they’ve yet to actually buy one.

In two deals, they were outbid. The other two? They backed out after home inspectors found serious defects on the properties.

Read the full article on Money.com

Guide to Home Foundation Repair and the Costs

When it comes to home construction, a solid foundation is one of the most important elements, and potentially one of the highest costing things to fix. Whether you’re buying a house, selling one or just living in one with no future plans to go anywhere, a solid foundation is essential to the integrity of a home. Here’s what you should know.

Read the full article on Ownerly.com

From curtains to crawlspaces: How one woman joined the home inspection industry

When her husband started Inspections by Bob, LLC in 2003, Sisson was designing and developing custom window treatments and accessories as the owner of Bellwoods Interiors. While purchasing and inhabiting three “challenged” homes had given the couple great practice diagnosing defects, Sisson perceived property inspections as her husband’s dream—not her own.

“I am not going to go crawling around crawlspaces and attics” Sisson told her husband. “But, when I’m not working, I’ll help you by answering the phone, scheduling appointments, and doing some marketing materials. But that’s the limit, because I have my own business.”

Read the full article on InspectorProInsurance.com

What’s Wrong With This Listing Pic? The Answer Will Shock You

Looking at real estate listing photos online is probably one of the most thrilling parts of the home-buying experience. It’s fantasy window-shopping at its best, plus a major time saver since you can suss out what a house looks like without leaving the comfort of your own couch. What’s not to love?

Yet sometimes, these gorgeous photos are hiding something. Something bad, even dangerous.

Read the full article on Realtor.com

The Ten Scariest Things a Home Inspector Might Find in your House

Home inspections are scary. Just when you swear you’ve found the house of your dreams, a home inspector comes along and tells you everything’s that’s wrong with it—which might lead you to think you should run for the hills!

But rest assured, most things turned up during a home inspection aren’t deal breakers. Still, there are certain red flags that really should make you very, very afraid. So how can you tell? For starters, you should try to attend your home inspection to see firsthand how your inspector reacts as he checks out your house.

“If your inspector comes to an abrupt halt when entering a room, or their whole demeanor changes, it’s possible they’ve just run across something very bad,” says Welmoed Sisson, a Maryland home inspector from Inspections by Bob, and author of the book “101 Things You Don’t Want in Your Home.” 

Read the full article on Realtor.com

Top 21 Ways to Keep Your House Warm During Winter

You don’t have to spend too much on your heating bills to keep your house warm during winter. In fact, there are different ways to prepare your home so you won’t have to suffer the cold weather. We spoke with the experts who shared different ideas on how to keep house warm during the cold season.

Here are the top 21 ways to keep your house warm during winter:

Read the full article on FitSmallBusiness.com

Living in a Glass House Isn’t All It’s Cracked Up to Be — Here’s Proof

Sure, we’ve all heard that people in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones, but there’s a whole lot more they should watch out for, too.

That, at least, was what sprang to mind when we learned that a famous glass house in Knoxville, TN, is now for sale for $575,000. This 1,731-square-foot, one-bedroom, one-bath home has an exterior made almost entirely of floor-to-ceiling glass—offering gorgeous views of the 2.32 acres of woodlands surrounding it.

Read the full article on realtor.com

How to Decode a Home Inspection Report

If you want to minimize any unpleasant surprises during the home buying process or you’re planning on selling and want to put your home in better selling condition, understanding the inspection report is a must. We’ll help you demystify your home inspection report by explaining what’s included, what’s not included, and how to decode the findings.

A home inspection report is an objective document given to you by a home inspector after they have evaluated your house. It includes information about the current condition of the home and issues with major systems. A home inspection does not list quotes for home repairs or replacements.

Read the full article on Housemethod.com

Would the White House Pass a Home Inspection? No Way — Here’s Why

When the president’s away, the White House gets renovated!

Since President Donald Trump is in New Jersey this week on a “working vacation,” staff at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. figured it’s the perfect time to tackle a ton of long-overdue repairs. As for what needs fixing, the list is so long and riddled with nail-biting hazards, we’re frankly amazed no one’s been killed in there yet (at least, that we know of).

Read the full article on Realtor.com

Ronald Reagan’s Home for Sale

Presidential history buffs can rejoice: One of President Ronald Reagan‘s former homes in Los Angeles (from his acting days) is now for sale for $7 million.

Located at 333 S. Beverly Glen Blvd. in the Little Holmby neighborhood, this 6,153-square-foot, five-bedroom, six-bath—known as the Shuwarger house—is where Reagan lived  in the 1940s while married to his first wife, actress Jane Wyman.

After their divorce in 1949, the property was deeded to Wyman, who remained there until the early 1950s, when she sold it to someone who had knocked on her door saying she’d long admired the home and would like to purchase it. That buyer lived there for 64 years but has since passed away, so her kids are now selling the place.

Read the full article on Realtor.com

How to Make Money in Real Estate — 25 Ideas from the Pros

If you want to learn how to make money in real estate, go to your nearest McDonalds.

Yes, the fries are more addictive than heroin, but you may be surprised to learn that the land they’re made on is far more important to the company than their french fry recipe. In fact, real estate is such a crucial part of McDonald’s bottom line that founder Ray Kroc famously quipped that he was in the real estate business, not the burger business.

In order to get you inspired enough to start your own real estate empire sans amazing french fries, we interviewed 25 CEOs, investors, brokers, and tech gurus to see how they are making money in real estate. If you want to borrow from their wisdom, read on.

Read the full article on FitSmallBusiness.com

Final Walk Through Checklist — The Ultimate Guide

For everyone involved in the sale of a home the final walk through can be a nerve wracking experience. Fresh damages or faulty repairs discovered at the walk through can undo months of hard work This is why a good final walk through checklist is so crucial.

We put together this comprehensive final walk through checklist to ensure that your final walk throughs go as smoothly as possible.

Read the full article on FitSmallBusiness.com

Upon Further Inspection…

There’s a natural tendency for investors to think more like home appraisers than home inspectors when evaluating a property, and it makes sense—you need to know how much you can expect to sell for when the time comes.

But you can miss issues that affect your bottom line when you don’t think like a home inspector. These seven tips can get you in the right mind-set and potentially save you thousands of dollars in costly repairs after you make your purchase.

Read the full article on ThinkRealty.com 

How To Become a Home Inspector

With an average salary of over $70,000 and a flexible schedule, home inspection can be a great career option for anyone. This is especially true for people with construction knowledge who want to own their own business or anyone who wants a fulfilling and well-paid career in real estate. In this guide, you’ll learn everything you need to know to become a home inspector. Let’s get started.

Read the full article on Fitsmallbusiness.com

Home Inspection Deal Breakers

There are few guarantees in life, but a home inspection report turning up “issues” with your new house is probably one of them. Sometimes the notes on a home inspection report are minor (like a blown-out light bulb), while others are major (such as a bad foundation or a leaky roof). But when you’re buying or selling a home, the major issues are the ones to focus on, as they can curb an entire home sale. Both buyers and sellers should be wise to the “big deal” problems below and knowledgeable about what to do if something like them is revealed in your inspection.

Read the full article on Trulia.com

5 Home Features First-Time Buyers Need to Consider

If you’ve watched any of the house-hunting or home repair shows, you know how exciting and stressful buying and owning a home can be. For first-time homebuyers, that excitement and stress can be especially high. It’s easy to dream about the beautiful kitchen and the spacious backyard for hosting parties, but there are also unplanned and costly home repairs to take into consideration.

Read the full article on GoBankingRates.com

15 Entrepreneurs Explain How They Came Up With Their Business Name

The idea of exactly what your business is going to be usually comes first. Secondly, most often, is giving a title to your idea. What exactly is going to be the name of your business? Some people turn to their childhood for inspiration or a beloved family pet. It could be a made up word you dream of one night and feel it has the right ring to it. Even still there are some people who study foreign words for the perfect meaning behind their chosen business. Whatever the inspiration or relation may be, the naming of your business is one of the most important parts of becoming a CEO. Having a brand behind a strong title can make all the difference in the world.

Read the full article on CEOblognation.com

Home Horrors: Lessons from Home Inspectors (MSN.com)

“So what if the electrical worked then — it’s not adequate today”

A common refrain among home sellers — and, later, buyers — is, “It works great.” But not only are some items approaching the end of their life span, some are not equipped to meet current needs. Outdated electrical panels fit this category. Bob Sisson, a home inspector in Maryland, constantly sees electrical panels that simply can’t handle the juice of a modern home.

Read the full article on MSN.com

ICC provides answers (ASHI Reporter)

Bob Sisson, Inspections by Bob, Boyds, Md., recommends using the International Code Council (ICC) as a resource, and provides the following example of how ICC helped him.

The ASHI Certified Inspector was questioned by a builder about the improper bundling of wires he reported during a pre-drywall inspection. Because he is an ICC member, he was able to request an interpretation.

Read the full article on ASHI Reporter

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