Home Inspection Articles | House Inspection News

Connecticut Congresswoman DebraLee Hovey's home has been put in the home inspection list of the town assessor in Monroe. However, the state representative has refused to allow the inspection, arguing that she has constitutional rights and has the right not to allow the physical inspection.

The house inspection was reportedly needed to determine whether the elected official has renovated her basement without securing necessary permits. According to sources, the assessor's office got a complaint that the Hoveys did not secure permits before having work done on their basement and as a result avoided additional property tax charges.

The congresswoman, elected to her fifth term last year, has denied the accusations. However, although Hovey has every right not to allow the inspection of her property, the tax assessor reportedly also has the right to increase the assessment on her home. The increase, according to local officials, can be based on estimated improvements.

Hovey has asserted that the basement upgrades were conducted with the correct permits secured by herself and her husband and by their contractors. Officials from the assessor's office stated that a notice was sent to Hovey to let her know that her property is included in the town's home inspection list. Officials further added that the request note was based on a complaint alleging that Hovey had converted her home's garage into a room, renovated the basement, put in a woodstove and added a bathroom, all without the necessary permits.

The congresswoman revealed that she did not respond to the letter containing the inspection request and has added that it is her right not to. The notice of increased assessment is usually sent to the homeowner 10 days after a grand list is signed. Local officials also stated that a homeowner cannot appeal assessment changes unless they allow town inspectors to conduct a physical examination of the property.

Documents showed that Hovey's house has an assessed worth of over $204,000 as of October 2009, representing 70% of the home's estimated market worth of $291,800. The last time assessors inspected the property was in 1998 when the Hoveys purchased the property. Meanwhile, Hovey's camp reportedly stated that the inclusion of the property in the town's home inspection list is merely a political ploy.

Home Inspection

The Environmental Service Professionals Inc. (ESP) in Palm Springs, California has raised $150 million to fund the formation of a national residential property inspection initiative designed to give military veterans across the U.S. a chance to gain employment. According to ESP, around 60,000 veterans will be employed under the project.

The program, called Healthy Home Mortgage, will be financed by a private equity through ESP. According to the firm, the aim of the initiative is to make sure that structural, energy efficiency, air quality and mold-related problems are addressed early on in residential structures. Inspections under the project will be conducted over a 10-year period in an effort to minimize the cost of repairs and to also maintain equity for various industries involved in residential real estate, such as property management, home building, mortgage banking and home insurance.

Officials from ESP have stated that the company is planning to become the first ever national residential property inspection firm in the U.S. The company has been described as a consolidator that will try to bring together the scattered segments of the housing inspection industry. ESP is also known for its innovative and environmental-focused housing inspections.

A survey conducted by ESP showed that residential inspection services are in short supply in the U.S., with only around 38,000 professional inspectors providing services to residential properties. This means that only between four and five million houses receive inspection services every year, which only account for 3.5% of the nation's residential property stock.

Part of ESP's plan is to attract around 120 million residential households in the U.S. to its services which will include moisture and energy inspections, mold testing and allergen screening. The company also stated that these services will be offered at a rate that is affordable to most average households.

ESP, a publicly traded business, has been acquiring environmentally-focused businesses since 2006. It has also created a subsidiary that provides certification and training to environmental housing inspectors called Environmental Safeguard Professionals Inc. The company offers property inspection services to residential and commercial real estate with emphasis on environmental issues and construction defects. ESP is also focusing on hiring veterans as inspectors and customer service representatives.

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Default Resource, a financial services firm, has launched the Asset Surveillance Report (ASR). This service complements the services provided by a typical home inspection company. According to Default, ASR will inspect listed real estate owned or REO properties to see if listing agents are properly maintaining the pieces of real estate.

The financial services firm is also known for offering REO management, valuation and inspections, hazard recovery and other related services. Its recent service will be available through Default's Mark to Market division.

According to company officials, their research has revealed that there are real estate brokers who are not properly equipped with managing and marketing REOs. The aim of ASR is to provide asset managers of REO with assurance that their listed properties are being taken care of and are being marketed properly to the right buyers for a faster sale.

The service involves sending out independent house inspectors to REO houses to look in on the condition of the properties and determine whether it is listed properly, has yard signage and with its lockbox in place. Any potential hazards within the residence are included in the report which will be filed by inspectors at the company's secure portal.

ASR is like a typical home inspection company service, but with more details and with more sophisticated tools used. Default has a network of over 20,000 licensed agents and home inspectors who will be tasked to conduct the property inspections and come up with the detailed reports.

According to Default executives, the security, marketing and maintenance of REO real properties is central to the success of getting these homes sold. They stated that if such properties are not properly maintained and their assets are not correctly assigned, they might stay in the market for longer periods of time and might fail to sell. Careful monitoring of properties, Default officials have stated, is key to reducing the inventories of foreclosed houses in the country.

Officials from the firm have also added that the longer a property stays in the market, the higher the cost of maintaining them. They added that with maintenance costs, home inspection company fees and other expenses associated with REO, banks tend to lose $150 every single day that a property remains in the market.

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A home inspection certification program focusing on health and safety and a Crime Free Housing initiative are being planned in Collinsville, Illinois. An ordinance has been proposed that will lead to the establishment of these two programs and the city is seeking feedback from its residents with regards to the two programs.

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According to those who have already used the services of Accurate Inspections, homebuyers should include the company in their home inspection list. The Texoma-based house inspection service firm is owned by Don Crook and Allison Crook and has been chosen as the Best Home Inspection Company in the area for the past four years.

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Tighter home inspections guidelines are expected to lower the amount of storm-mitigation insurance discounts that homeowners in Florida receive. According to market analysts, these changes can make it harder for homeowners to qualify for discounts and will likely cause increased maintenance costs.

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Michael and Barbara Rhodes from Kanawha, West Virginia have filed a lawsuit against property inspector Curtis McLeod for alleged negligent house inspection. According to the couple, they hired McLeod to inspect a house in Charleston that they were planning to purchase. The inspector’s services came with a warranty, the couple added.

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Free homes inspections services to families with asthmatic children in Multnomah County, Oregon have been launched as part of the county-wide asthma education program aimed at low income families.

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If you are buying a home in Florida, there are at least four things you should know about home inspection in this state.

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House inspections have been thriving in the foreclosure market as buyers and investors of foreclosed homes make sure they are buying properties worth their prices.

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