Your Source for Real Estate Inspections

Houston home Inspections 

and inspections in the surrounding area

I perform home inspections,as licensed by the State of Texas. I also do some work as a consultant on major projects you might be taking on around your home. 

 

Below are descriptions of the four main pages on this site. The My Journal page has monthly news concerning the real estate industry, as well as a link to my blog. My blog contains information about home inspections, as well as tips about products to improve your home, and about current issues in real estate market, and it is updated weekly. The last page has information on how to contact me. It is my sincere hope that this site can become a resource for you during your home buying adventure, and that you would consider using me for your Houston inspection.

Go to the Contact Us page to obtain a quote for a Houston home inspection, or e-mail by clicking . I do respond to e-mails on the same day, but for faster service, you can give me a call. You can also send me any questions that you have about your home.

 Company News

 

Newsletter

If you would like to receive an e-mail newsletter providing links to articles, which I have written, or articles that I have found by others on real estate topics, just  send me an e-mail by clicking  to request that you should be added to the list.

 

FAQs Added

I am including my version of frequently asked questions onto this first page. It is below everything else. These are general questions based upon questions that were posed to me and search terms which brought people to this site.

 

My Writings

   My blog is linked on the My Journal page, and you will find links to my writings on HoustonTexasRealEstate.com and InvestorNationBlog.com can be accessed on the Links page. I am still producing new material for each.

 

 

 

A thougt for you

Spring begins with the wish for a new life, 

new beginnings,

but old endings find their way back to us.

  Owning A Home

This document presents a basic understanding of the home buying process, as well as tips for the seller. The main emphasis is a description of the home inspection report. Just click on the page above.

 

Links

This page contains links which will provide you needed information for buying and living in your home. This page is particularly useful to first time home buyers, who are beginning their search.

 

Questions Asked in March

 

Well, here is my continuing effort to provide you with answers. Here are the ten questions for this past month.

1. Can you use a retirement account, like a 401k, 403b, or IRA, to purchase a home? I wrote a post about this for my blog, because this question was coming up so often this past month. You have to make your own decision, but I think it is a bad idea to use these funds. You will face a high tax if you remove the funds, as well as hurting your retirement savings. You may be able to borrow against this money with better results, but I think that you should create a separate savings for a home.

2. Are zero down loans available? Yes, according to some mortgage professionals, but lenders really are being careful about their loans, so they are hard to find. You will obtain a better interest rate if you have money to put down on the loan. 

3. Are home prices going down? I can only speak for Houston, so contact a Realtor in your area if you are coming to this site from another city. The median home price in Houston has been rising by a small percentage. Houston never had a big boom in prices, so we are not having a bust.

4. Is it easy to obtain a home repair loan? Any loan type is being scrutinized at this time. Banks have still pushed home equity lines of credit for home repairs, but more consumers are realizing that they do not want to loose the equity in their homes.

5. Are real estate professionals like Realtors, inspectors, appraisers, leaving the industry? This has been the trend nationwide, and I have heard others saying that they may retire or leave the industry, but the only true figure that I have seen in Houston is that fewer people are entering the industry.

6. What is a foreclosure inspection? Who is a foreclosure inspector? I thought that it would be good to define these terms. A foreclosure inspection is performed at the behest of the lender foreclosing on a property. This is done to see what is the condition of the house. A foreclosure inspector is the inspector who performs this task. If you are buying a foreclosure, any home inspector can assist you. I have been inspecting many foreclosures of late, so I have been called a foreclosure inspector, but that is not correct.

7. What is an anti-siphon device, and do I need one? This is a mechanism that prevents water from flowing back into its source. It is a safety measure, so that polluted water will not flow back into your drinking water. You will find these on exterior faucets (called hose bibs) or on a dishwasher. It is a one way valve. For the dishwasher, you could have a high loop, which means that the drainage line loops up so standing water cannot flow back.

8. GFCI questions:

GFCI stands for ground fault circuit interruptor. It is a safety device to prevent electrocution when a device , like a hair dryer, falls into water.

Outlets are usually put upside down to indicate that they are controlled by a switch. Otherwise, someone just installed it wrong.

If the outlet is vibrating, there is a problem. No outlet should be loose, but I cannot be sure why it would be vibrating without more information.

9. Do I have to repair the items marked as "in need of repair"? Of course, inspectors would like to say yes. Many items that I have to report upon according to the minimum standards set out by the state are safety items. If you feel that they are not necessary, you are not required to make the repair, but you should understand why it is unsafe. Ask your inspector to explain this to you.

10. Is not having a backsplash on a cooktop considered to be a fire hazard? Flames usually go up, so there should be no flamable material within two feet of the cooktop. Since the flames are going up, the material behind the cooktop is not as critical, but it is wiser to have material that will not burn easily.

© 2006 Frank Schulte-Ladbeck Real Estate Inspections TREC# 9073

What I do: Home Inspections; House Inspections; Real Estate Inspections; Inspections; Commercial inspections; Structural, Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing, HVAC, Foundation Inspections;Houston Home inspections; Houston Inspector; Texas Building Inspector; Texas Property Inspector; Texas Real Estate Inspector; Houston Real Estate Inspector; and Home inspections Houston

Areas I cover: Houston, Alvin, Bellaire, Cypress, Deer Park, Dickinson, Friendswood, Galleria, Hedwig Village, Heights, Humble, Hunters Creek, Jersey Village, Katy, La Porte, Medical Center, Missouri City, Montrose, Pearland, Piney Point, Memorial, Stafford, Sugar Land, Spring, Spring Branch, Tomball, West University, and Woodlands

Frank Schulte-Ladbeck Professional Real Estate Inspections

Home|For RE Investors|Owning A Home|Consiguiendo Su Hogar|Links|My Journal|Contact Us

  Consiguiendo Su Hogar

Este folleto presenta una comprension basica del processo de comprar una casa, y avisos para el vendedor. El enfasis primero es en la descripcion del reporte de la inspeccion de la casa. Va a la pagina arriba.

 

 For RE Investors

A page directed towards real estate investors, by providing them with news and topics. The articles here can be for anyone attempting a remodel or wondering about if a repair is needed. I am still adding topics to this page.

 

Questions Asked in February

  

To those of you who have contacted me with questions, I hope that I have been of service to you. Through my blogs and this site, I have tried to answer many of those same queries, so I noticed that the search terms people are using deal with many of the same issues. I thought it would be good to have a spot here on the front page, where I can deal with some frequently asked or searched phrases. 

1. Signs that a house is settling- foundation worries plague many. My best description as what to look for would be on the For RE Investors page. There is a section on foundations which can help you. After any building has been constructed, the framing members will readjust with the weight of the roof and wall coverings. Wood can also continue to dry out once used for the frame. This weight and drying process will cause some shrinkage, and this probably does not indicate a foundation problem. 

2. Can I negotiate for the seller to make all of the repairs mentioned in my inspection report? First, I want to mention that no house is perfect, even newly constructed ones. An inspection report is produced to make you aware of the problems in your future home. There is no requirement that a seller has to fix anything. If you really feel that the seller should either come down in price or make a repair, then you need to discuss the terms of the sale with him to see if you can come to an agreement. Realtors will do this for you, so be upfront about your wishes, and listen to what they have to say. If you are going in with the attitude that you are going to make the seller repair his home, you may not be able to buy the home. The seller could always refuse to sell to you. 

3. Who would replace the service panel (breaker box) for my home? Simple answer, an electrician. This is a major job, so you will want to find a firm that can handle it. Independent contractors do not always have the means to perform this task. Also, a firm can handle all of the necessary permits needed. You can add a sub-panel if your box is in good condition, if you need more circuit breakers. You never should have two wires sticking into one circuit breaker. 

4. How much earnest money is needed for buying a home? That really depends upon the negotiations, but this amount can vary. You should plan for it to be around $1000.00. 

5. How far down should I hang pendant lights? There is no set distance. Building codes do not specify a specific height. You have to judge for yourself as to what is safe. Will someone hit their heads on the fixture when they stand up or walk by it?

6. When do I need a building permit? Most remodeling is done without ever obtaining a building permit, but they may have needed one. Repairs or upgrades around the house, like a new faucet or door handle, do not need a permit. When you are changing the structure of the house, you will need a permit. Many major repairs where you will need to update the system to current codes, like the service panel mentioned above will require a permit. Since you will not be doing such repairs on your own, the contractor can tell you if a permit is needed.

7. I am hearing noises in the HVAC (air conditioning) system. There can be many sources of noises from this system, but the two most common places that I encounter have to do with fans. One is the fan on your unit, which pushes air through the ducts. The other fan is in the unit outside of the house, which is called either a condenser or compressor. The unit contains both a compressor and condenser, so that is why you hear both terms applied to it. The fan runs on a shaft connected to a motor. Either the bearing on the shaft or the motor itself has worn down, allowing the fan to vibrate. Sometimes the brackets holding all of this in place have come loose, so that will cause the vibration/noise. 

8. Will my insurance cover the cost of repairs to underground broken pipes? Maybe. Most insurance policies will not cover these pipes, or at least the damage caused by the water from these pipes. When buying insurance, you need to ask about the coverages concerning burst pipes. Each insurer will handle this differently, so you cannot assume because one policy covers it, that a quote from another firm will. 

9. Where can I get nice, cheap furniture? How can I decorate my home? I write some tips on home staging for sellers. I am not a decorator, and I am not frequently in the market for furniture, so I am not sure why people would come to me. I think that the most reasonably priced furniture in Houston would be at Southwest Surplus, at 630 West 17th Street. They purchase the furnishings from hotels and businesses when those firms are updating their look. You can re-upholster the items that you find there to give it your own look. I go to craft supply stores to find items to make my own decorations.

10. Why would there be moisture around recessed lights? A hole has been created in your ceiling, and if you have a roof or pipe leak near the light, the water will eventually flow out through that hole.