Check your vents and screens

If a mouse can fit through a hole the size of a dime, think what kind of animal could fit through here! I love animals, but they need to stay in the wild, not under your house. I've seen wires chewed on (fire hazard), ducts filled with rodent nests (definite health hazard), and various bones from who knows what decided to eat what. I have not encountered any large animals yet, while in crawlspaces, and hopefully never will. If you love your house like I do and want to make your home inspector happy, please check all your crawlspace vents and screens. Thank you!!!!

Check your gas meter

Just because SDG&E comes by your meter periodically to read and (hopefully) be sure it's in good working order, it may not be safe. If there is a rotten smell around the pipes, it could be a leak. Also, look for excess corrosion. The pipe near these meters were so bad (probably from the sprinklers hitting them continuously), the walls of the pipes were almost eaten through.

Insulate your ducts

Are your air ducts insulated properly? If not, your energy bills could be going though the roof, literally. It is wise to have your attic inspected. Not just for efficiency, but safety as well.

Chimney spark arrestors

Here in San Diego, we have been through 2 major fires within the last decade and I still run into this all the time...a chimney with no spark arrestor. This particular house was inspected in a rural community and it gets bone dry in the summer. Stay safe and keep your community safe. Be sure a spark arrestor is in place.

Attic ladders

Pull Down Ladders.

So you're going to put a pull down ladder in your garage attic...Is the garage connected to your house? Does the ceiling/ladder need to be fire rated? Be sure to ask yourself these questions before you start. There are fire codes in place to keep your home safe if a fire should start in your garage (which is where most fires start). Be sure your home is safe!

Monitor your eaves.

Your eaves are very prone to moisture and termite damage. This is the last place water runs off your roof, and if the water is not running off correctly, it may be collecting water and damaging your home, like in this picture.

Also, have you ever noticed when it starts to heat up, termites grow their wings and start flying around? Guess where they go? The eave is usually the easiest access and they love pine, which is typically the wood that your eave boards are made of. So the next time it heats up, pay close attention to those things flying around that look like ants with wings. If they are searching around under your eaves, chances are, they're not flying ants!

What's your water pressure?

Do you know what the water pressure to your home is? Too much and you can cause damage to your fixtures in your home. Too little and your standing under the shower waiting. The latter is obvious. The former can be damaging. According to the literature I have read, you need to keep it under 85 psi. 70 psi should be a comfortable pressure.

Monitor Wood Structures

Fortunately, this wood band was the only part rotten. Should it have traveled into the post, this person would have a structural problem, not just an aesthetic one

Reseal your deck

Throw a bucket of water on your decking to see if you need to reseal. If the water beads up, then your sealant is still working. If the water is absorbed by the decking, then it's time to get some sealant. A deck that isn't sealed properly is vulnerable to the elements and may experience rotting, warping and splitting. Performing routine maintenance is far cheaper than replacing the deck so make sure you keep your decking in tip-top shape.

--LIterature by Kudzu
--Photo by My San Diego Home Inspector

Inspect your roof (or contact an inspector)

After a long, harsh winter, your roof may be in need of a little TLC. Common problems include chipped, curling or missing shingles... and each should be identified and corrected as soon as possible. Damaged shingles can lead to serious leaks which can cause thousands of dollars in damage to the interior of your home. Getting on your roof to perform an inspection can be dangerous, so contact a professional roofer (or inspector) or use binoculars to conduct a visual inspection from the ground.

--from Kudzu website

Clean gutters and downspouts

Your home's gutters play an important role in directing water away from your house, but they are highly ineffective when clogged with leaves and other debris. Clogged gutters and downspouts can lead to foundation problems and cause water damage...both could cost you thousands of dollars to repair. The standing water left in your gutters can also serve as a breeding ground for mosquitoes.

--Kudzu website

Consider a programmable thermostat

You're wasting "boo coos" bucks (not to mention energy) if you don't have a programmable thermostat. Programmable thermostats allow you to set varying temperature settings throughout the day so you don't unnecessarily heat and cool the home when you're not there or are asleep. Programmable thermostats are relatively inexpensive, and they will quickly pay for themselves with the energy you'll save.

-Kudzu website

Should you use an agent's recommended home inspector?

Should You Use an Agent's Recommended Home Inspector?
By Elizabeth Weintraub, About.com Guide

Whether buyers should hire the agent's home inspector depends on the agent.

Question: Should You Use an Agent's Recommended Home Inspector?
A reader asks: "We are first-time home buyers. After we got our offer accepted on a bank-owned home, our agent sent us a list of home inspectors to call. We think the agent might have a reason to refer people who won't tell us if something is wrong. After all, she doesn't get paid if we don't buy the home. Should we use our agent's home inspector or should we find our own inspector? Help! We're stuck."
Answer: Are you suggesting that your agent is less than honest with you and you don't trust your agent? I ask because it happens. Also, in an industry where 10% of the agents sell about 90% of the homes, the remaining agents may not have enough first-hand experience to know which home inspectors are thorough and qualified.
I've never met an agent who didn't want his or her buyers to have full disclosure, but that's not to say every agent puts the buyer's interests first. However, I can assure you it would be extreme for an agent to pressure a home inspector to provide a faulty report. It's simply not standard practice.

You imply that a home inspector and a real estate agent may be in collusion with each other, and that's such a rarity. You'll find dishonest people in every business, but the numbers are much smaller than you may imagine.

No reputable real estate agent will withhold information from a buyer or induce a third-party vendor to withhold information.

If you choose your buyer's agent wisely, the home inspectors your agent recommends are most likely of the same caliber as the agent.

Do Agents Shun Home Inspectors Who are Deal Killers?

Yes, they do. Surprised? But my definition of a deal killer is probably different from yours. A deal killer is not a home inspector who discloses. A deal killer is a home inspector who makes mountains out of molehills and doesn't know how to properly communicate with a buyer.

Here is how a good home inspector would disclose, say, a problem with the HVAC system:

The differential readings are low. This could mean the unit is low on refrigerant or it could be something more serious, such as a cracked heat exchanger.
I suggest you hire a licensed HVAC contractor to inspect the furnace and A/C.
The HVAC system is near its economic end of life, and you may want to gather bids to replace the system.
A deal killer home inspector, on the other hand, may approach the same situations like this:

I'm worried that the furnace is going to explode at any minute. Stand back.
This will cost $20,000 to replace.
Man, I would not buy this deathtrap of a house.
See the difference?

What Kind of Home Inspectors do Agents Recommend?

Honest and ethical real estate agents recommend only the most qualified home inspectors. An agent with many years in the business most likely maintains a list of home inspectors who are reputable.

Word gets around about bad home inspectors, and agents don't recommend those inspectors. Your home inspection should be exhaustive and complete, consisting of 20 pages or more.

Agents want buyers to be fully informed because those who aren't will come back to haunt their agents after closing.
Agents who stay in the business and are successful year after year do so because their clients refer more business to them. Duped clients don't refer.
Agents can negotiate repairs or cash credits, or advise the buyer to walk away if the home inspection reflects too many problems.
Agents work with many of the same home inspectors over and over and witness first-hand the effectiveness and thoroughness of an inspector.
Agents don't want a finger pointed at them if the home inspector misses a serious defect, which is why a qualified home inspector is important to an agent's business.
If you don't trust your agent to refer a competent home inspector, then you may want to consider hiring a different buyer's agent whom you do trust. That's better than plucking a home inspector out of the phone book or online directory and hoping the inspector is competent.

Repair the gaps around doors and windows

More than 20 percent of the air that enters and exits your home does so around your windows and doors. To keep your heated (or cooled) air inside where it belongs, get some caulk and weather stripping and get to work. Sealing your windows and doors will help reduce your energy consumption and save money. It can also help delay replacing your windows and doors, which can cost thousands.

--Kudzu website

Seal basement walls with waterproofing materials.

Even if your home has never actually flooded, water can still seep in - especially if you have an inground basement. In fact, too much interior moisture can be a home's worst enemy and can damage the foundation, drywall, ceilings and floors... among other things. Sealing your basement's walls with a waterproofing compound will help protect your home from expensive water-related repairs. However, if your basement frequently floods, a sump pump is probably in order.

-Kudzu website

Check your crawlspace

Claustrophobic? Then you may not like this... You're about to find out why the area under your home is called a crawl space. It's important to regularly inspect this area, but it can keep some dirty little secrets. Look for pooling water or wet spots. Both can create foundation problems, and moisture in the crawl space can promote mold growth. Also look for live animals or signs of their presence. Word to the wise: tuck your pants into your boots to keep any insects or animals from crawling up your leg.

--Kudzu

Check your toilet's hoses and supply valves for leaks

SPOILER ALERT: The water in your toilet tank does NOT get there through osmosis, magic or miracles. It's actually delivered by a simple but important supply hose that's typically located at the back of the commode. Unfortunately this hose and the supply valve that connects it to your home's plumbing can deteriorate and begin to leak. Next time you're in your bathroom, take a second to look behind your toilet to ensure you don't have a leak. If you have one, contact a plumber who can inspect the problem and make repairs.

--Kudzu

What is a TPR valve?

A TPR (temperature pressure relief) valve is an important safety feature located on your water heater to prevent too much pressure from building up inside your tank and potentially exploding. Yes, this could happen, so be sure you have one in place along with a discharge pipe connected to it with an open end (codes usually state that the open end should be within 6" off the ground, to prevent discharge from spraying directly on someone).

Replace your air filter in your heating system

Filter, shmilter. Why do we have to change those pesky things so regularly? Well, the filter in your HVAC system has two main functions-first, it improves your home's indoor air quality. (By the way, the EPA estimates that the air inside your home can be 2 to 5 times WORSE than the air outside!) And second, it can keep your entire HVAC system clean. Dirt can clog your furnace's secondary heat exchanger or your a/c unit's evaporator coil. Either way, air flow gets restricted, and can cause overheating and premature failure of parts and even the entire system.

--Kudzu

Check your condensate lines

Be sure to check your condensate lines at your FAU occasionally for signs of damage or disconnections. This condensate line was broken off, probably because it is in the way of the filter access and someone tried to pull the filter out, thus hitting the line and breaking it. The problem is that the line was not repaired and had been leaking for some time, causing moisture damage below.

--James Stringer

Check bathroom for leaks

The Environmental Protection Agency estimates the average home loses 10,000 gallons of water a YEAR to leaks. That's enough to fill a swimming pool! Bathrooms are common spots for water leaks, so check bathtubs, sinks and toilets to ensure they're not dripping and that pipes aren't leaking. Repairing leaks can also help you save as much as 10 percent on your utility bill.

--Kudzu

Clear unwanted brush around your home

Raise your hand if you think unkempt yards are attractive. We don't like them either. Not only are they unsightly, but dense brush can be a fire hazard and can attract destructive "creatures" of all kinds. The unmaintained plant growth can also choke out the "good stuff"-your grass and desirable plants. To help keep your yard healthy, take an hour or two this weekend and clear out the brush you've allowed to grow unchecked during the last year. Then decide what you're going to do with that now-bare flat space in your yard. New patio or stone wall, perhaps?

--Kudzu

Block crawlspace openings

According to the National Pest Management Association, rats, possum and other rodents will invade 21 million homes this winter. Frigid temperatures eliminate natural sources of food and shelter, driving them to warm homes for survival. If your crawlspace is open, you might as well roll out the red carpet for them, so to help keep them out, block any crawlspace vents and openings. This will force these unwanted houseguests to look elsewhere for a winter hideaway.

--Kudzu

Should you clean your air ducts?

You should consider having the air ducts in your home cleaned if:

* There is substantial visible mold growth inside sheet metal ducts or on other components of your heating and cooling system.
* Ask the service provider to show you any mold. Whether a substance is mold can only be determined by an expert and may require laboratory analysis for confirmation
* You have insulated air ducts and the insulation gets wet or moldy. It cannot be effectively cleaned and should be removed and replaced. Mold will return if the conditions causing its growth are not corrected.
* Ducts are infested with vermin such as rodents or insects.
* Ducts are clogged with excessive amounts of dust and debris.

By Kudzu

Test your GFCI breakers

Trip circuit breakers and reset ground fault interruptors.
Flickering lights in your bedroom? Persistent burning smell coming from an appliance? No, it's not a poltergeist... but it COULD be a faulty wire or other electrical problem. According to the U.S. Fire Administration, electrical fires annually cause $1 billion in damage, injure over 1,000 and claim more than 350 lives. AND these fires are most common during the winter months when lighting, heating and appliance use is at its peak. So trip your circuit breakers monthly during the winter and don't forget to push the "test" and "reset"buttons on your GFI outlets regularly to make sure they're working as they should be. If you've got any electrical issues at all, don't take a chance. Call a licensed electrician.

-By Kudzus must do