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Beyond the Surface: Understanding What is a Quality Home Inspection | All Roads LTR Podcast | Ep. 51
17 Plays2 months ago
In this episode, we are joined by Jake Bowling, an experienced home inspector of Blue Crab Inspections. Learn about the importance of thorough inspections, how to manage expectations, and the key areas to focus on, such as roofs, basements, HVAC systems, and more. We discuss the role of inspectors and contractors, the challenges of dealing with insurance and warranties, and the value of honesty and integrity in the real estate market. This episode provides essential tips and advice to ensure peace of mind and successful real estate transactions.
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Transcript
Introduction to Home Inspections
00:00:10
Speaker
All right, hello, everybody. This is Matt Rine with All Roads Lead to Real Estate. And I wanted to bring back the concept and the idea here of a home inspection, what it is, what it's not, what it's good for, and honestly, what it's not necessarily good for. And the reason why is because I am now using I'm a new home inspection company more often. I'm very, very loyal for those that have worked with me in the past. And I still love my former home inspection company, but I'm giving a new opportunity for a new company. And so I met someone through this ah this experience in the recent couple months that I thought was great. And so I wanted a different perspective, um a different voice because the home inspection process
00:00:57
Speaker
can be ah very challenging for some. um And honestly, the inspectors that are out there at large, there are just such wide margins of um quality like you can have some they're excellent and some that are terrifying.
Impact of Inspections on Transactions
00:01:12
Speaker
And so I wanted to re-highlight this because I see so many transactions die right at the feet of a home inspector. and ah And it's just challenging. It makes me want to cry sometimes because some of the information that's delivered is not fabulous. I am not a home inspector. I'm just a realtor. But when you attend a couple thousand of them, you start to pick up a few things.
00:01:33
Speaker
And so I brought you here. This is a compliment that I wanted you to to come and join me
Introducing Jake Bowling and His Expertise
00:01:37
Speaker
today. And so who I brought the special guest guys is Jake Bowling. And so he is with Blue Crab Home Inspections. It's a local home inspection company here in Maryland.
00:01:48
Speaker
They are a little bit different and unique ah in the sense that I think, you know, there are there are just overly thorough compared to some. And so that's one of the reasons I like them. And so Jake here is one of their very best that they have. And when I read his resume here, you'll understand why. So listen to him carefully as he speaks, because this is not your traditional um inspectors resume.
00:02:11
Speaker
And so um Jake here is the owner of another company called White Oak Home Services. It's a company that specializes in home improvement. Yep. Pretty much anything in the home yeah from paint, carpentry, fixture replacement, all that.
00:02:24
Speaker
All of it. So ah that alone sets you apart just having that experience in that business. But additionally, um you also are an HVAC. So for those that don't know, it's it's heating and cooling. um He has his journeyman license in HVAC. He's a MHIC holder, which is a Maryland Home Improvement Contractor holder. So he has his license.
00:02:45
Speaker
He has his home inspector license, he has a spectac septic inspector license, a well-yield certification, and he is pre-drywall inspection certified. and so He has several other people that currently work underneath him for his other separate contracting business that he has to manage. and and Manage jobs and client expectations and the whole thing So let me first off say when I pretty much got to know you and understand understood your experience level That's not normal, you know Most people just managed to barely squeak by and pass the test to become a home inspector and that's the extent of it
00:03:22
Speaker
Yeah, no, I try to be as thorough as possible. I want to know anything and everything that is in the home. Um, I don't want to be asked a question and say, I don't know. That's a big fear for me. So you and me both. Yeah. Um, occasionally got to get over that fear and start to say, I'll check into that. back yeah yeah But, you know, so it's just, it's interesting to know that. And so the first thing before I get into anything else, it's like, why?
Jake's Background and Pre-Drywall Inspections
00:03:44
Speaker
In the world, did you go down that level of certification and that deep down the rabbit hole in into homes? I mean, that, like I said, it's unusual for those that don't know this business all that well. Trust me when I say that's not normal. So help me understand what's going through your mind and why did you take all the time and effort to to do all that?
00:04:02
Speaker
Well, I've just always wanted to get into real estate because, you know, watching HGTV growing up, I say it, but it's a joke. HGTV kid. Sure. Love it or list it. Oh, really? With my grandmother all the time. I don't know. I've always really like liked the idea of being able to give someone the opportunity to like fix up their home or maybe even throw on an addition or like actually enjoy the home they live into, it grow into it a little bit or fix it up, sell it for more profit, buy a better home.
00:04:28
Speaker
give that kind of experience. So that's the level I'm trying to get to. got it So I figured I need to learn everything first before I can really offer something like that. And then also I'm nosy, you know, I like going on to people's homes. yeah So for home inspections, I like seeing all the really cool houses. I like seeing the design choices.
00:04:45
Speaker
I like seeing the different projects people have going on. um And then I got into pre-drywall because I wanted to know how it all was done, you know, how it all how everything is put together, how things are properly framed. If you want to throw on edition, I can now tell you how to frame it. No, I like that kind of stuff. So I just want to be able to build my own castle. And guys, so pre-drywall is simply during the building process, you want to have an inspection right before the drywall goes up because that hides everything. Yeah, absolutely.
00:05:11
Speaker
So you have to go through and verify where everything's where it should be and everything's done correctly before you slap up the drywall. Yeah, a lot of structural issues, especially with a lot of the newer home builders, they're going as fast as they can, which makes sense. There's just a shortage of homes. They're trying to slap them up. But a lot of times things get overlooked, especially um structural things. So you got to have someone come in, take a look at everything before they put all the drywall and insulation up and ah and hide all of those all of those problems.
00:05:39
Speaker
Yeah. So, I mean, we' everybody should be grateful there's someone out there that that takes the time. And so um is that a requirement for every single new construction home in order or is it is a sampling of home? It's part of the process. Yeah. um Pretty much every new builder would do it. Any real good builder is going to offer that service. You don't have to take it.
00:05:58
Speaker
So they offer it and say, you can have this, you can have a third party or they can use their inspector. Um, cause I mean, it's inspected by the County as well, but not to knock any of the County inspectors. They miss a lot. Um, yeah so I know the, one of the previous drywall inspections I did, um, up in Bel Air, one of the newer homes out there, I probably found about $15,000 worth of repairs that need to be done that were completely missed, you know, by another inspector. So but that's why it's always good to have that second opinion done.
00:06:26
Speaker
Well, and I work for a a new construction home builder here in Towson. So I have a ah great luxury community right down the road from here, Villas at Woodbrook. So everybody check that out. But they actually encourage, which was interesting because I've worked for Beazer Homes many years ago, like almost 20 years ago, showing my age. But Beazer Home had a very different philosophy. They weren't exactly encouraging our sales team. And that was part of the sales team.
00:06:50
Speaker
uh to encourage people to do inspections whereas here it's encouraged it's actually we we have a proper drywall inspection we bring the clients through because not just do you want it professionally done but you want the clients eyes on it because sometimes they catch things too yeah because they've really taken the time oftentimes to study the plans Yeah, I can be, I'm impressed sometimes about how much clients will will know. And before I even show up, they're like, I'm checking this, that, and that. I'm like, Hey, you're right ahead as you should. Sure. Well, even just the placement of outlets or special features inside the home, because once it's all done, it's not the time to call it out and say, Hey, by the way, where's this?
00:07:25
Speaker
It's like, you know, you close in 24 hours. Especially with little things that people don't think about, like certain recessed lights or even just like smoke detector placements. I went to one of the previous ones I did. um All the smoke detectors were like dead center of the room. It just looked terrible, you know? So certain things you can catch if you do show up.
00:07:43
Speaker
So it's all it's it's really important. So I guess getting back to um what all this means for the average client. So, you know, some of this I want to discuss as it relates to what you have to consider as a
Understanding Home Inspection Processes
00:07:56
Speaker
buyer. Right. So in as a seller, honestly, because sellers are oftentimes terrified of these things because.
00:08:02
Speaker
If we had three home inspections done, it's like having three appraisals done. Yeah, it could be very different results. So just because you have an appraisal doesn't mean that you're any three valuations the same if you have three of them. All right. Every appraiser is slightly different. Unfortunately, no one's it's an opinion of value. And same thing if it as it comes as it comes down to a home inspection, it's like getting a physical almost. It's like, yeah.
00:08:24
Speaker
You're going to have one professional look at it and the next professional can have a very different report. And I just had a home yesterday go out of contract because someone backed out after the home inspection. I was on the listing side. Yeah. And so they wanted to potentially share the report with me. And I said, I don't need to see the report because I know the next buyer is going to have their own inspector. yeah And it could be a very totally separate list and I'm not going to fix the items on this list just to get a new list and have to fix all those. is So um we declined that opportunity yeah because then there's all disclosure and all that there you go. So um so help people understand what is an inspection and what is it not.
00:09:02
Speaker
So the inspection isn't a lot of times home inspectors are there. They think they're there to show you all the problems. yeah And that's like far from what we actually want to do. I'm just there to point out what what is there. It's not a problem in my eyes because anything can be fixed. It just kind of depends how much it's going to cost or or who has to do has to fix it.
00:09:21
Speaker
So my my approach is find any of the issues or even just the ages of everything and like little maintenance things um And then just try and tell it to you with as little emotion yeah as possible Especially if it's a slightly larger home, you know anything over 3,000 square feet that inspection report is gonna be long Sure, it doesn't matter if it's a very clean house It's gonna have a lot of little things you find here or there so that rap report can be overwhelming So like my approach is to try and like tell you during the inspection all the good things that are functioning and then sprinkle in the the things that aren't functioning. Because sometimes a failing HVAC unit um or an older HVAC unit can scare someone out of a home. I've seen it happen. i'm like this has is This is a beautiful home. you know It just has one component that's not really working and people can run away for for minor things. but So I really try not to scare them as I walk through.
00:10:12
Speaker
Well, and I think that is the part and the responsibility, I think, of an agent. So agents out there listening to this, it's like one of the things I had to learn when I was a young buck is trying to figure out how to to understand the information because a home inspector has to tell facts. I totally I just can't stand it when people give opinions.
00:10:31
Speaker
So tell me facts, tell me the condition of yeah of the components, tell me the age, tell me the facts. right And then um i don't like the costing, that's something that you guys run from. Like to say this is gonna cost X dollars to fix. it's just It's unfortunate, I really wish I could give like prices. I mean mentally I can and I can tell you. Well you're also a licensed contractor too. So it adds a little bit of a different perspective. But I'll often, you know, if you go to three different contractors, that price depends, especially if it's something like a roof or a deck or something like that, that price can vary by thousands. So if I give you an estimate for what I would charge you, sure and then you go to two other contracts and they're each four to 5,000 times higher, or if that much higher, you're going to be mad at me. oh yeah So that's why I really try to steer away from prices. And if I do give a price, it's going to be a pretty good range.
00:11:22
Speaker
and what I try to do, I was saying my part is ah as an actual agent, right, is that if I have enough experience, which I'm grateful I do, but when I was younger I didn't, but I i had to attend enough, and and honestly, until I started owning homes, and I'm an investor as well, I now can price things out almost to the penny, for the most part, with almost every single component inside the home, yeah because at least I know in the event if it's my client and you buy it, you might take my referral in terms of a contractor, I know what they're gonna charge.
00:11:51
Speaker
So I know what a townhouse roof is gonna be in Towson or any of these other areas. And if it's a detached single family, it's 3,000 square feet. I know roughly what that thing's gonna cost. And so I think that's part of our responsibility is to give opinions of value and because you have to understand if something's wrong and you point it out, I just think just saying that and that alone, it's gonna leave only half the story. The other half, they go, well well, that's great. Now I know the hot water heater doesn't work. yeah Or should I say water heater? Hate when people say hot water heater.
00:12:21
Speaker
It's really watery. I've done it countless times. But what does that thing cost? Like, you know, I see in Home Depot, it's 600 bucks, but installed, I have no idea what this, like I've never had to replace one before. So I just think that's the component that we need to be able to bring to help educate a buyer. I think it's a huge value to have that. So I mean, if you do see something that scares you, having someone that can just say, well, it's just this, it's just this cost or this much amount of time, and it can be fixed.
00:12:49
Speaker
It can really take the word. Or it could be negotiated. Right. Negotiated is a big part. That's another thing I try to tell certain people. When they get scared about things, I say, oh, well, you know, it might be overwhelming now, but talk to your agent, you know, that's your agent's job. Maybe you can work that into the negotiation or any other thing that you could do with it.
00:13:07
Speaker
right Yeah, so I do my best to do any like the scary talk. I will yeah defer i will defer that. I will say talk with your agent. sure You guys can have a nice calm conversation later after you're not overwhelmed. So that's also why I try not to get into prices because then people will start, if there's several things, they start tallying it up in their head and then they get scared. So save that for later.
00:13:28
Speaker
Yeah. And so it's just such an important thing. and i And I'd like to say like we for the longest time, we had such a hard, he you know, in environment for buyers. It was such a seller's market because inventory was almost zero. And so we had to waive a lot of inspections.
Challenges without Inspections in Competitive Markets
00:13:44
Speaker
Yeah, that was scary. And it's not preferred. I don't enjoy that um as an agent. But at the same time, if we didn't get folks comfortable with that idea, you'll never move. Yeah. Because if it's a great home, great location, it's well priced. If you don't be competitive, you're never going to win.
00:14:01
Speaker
Oh, absolutely. yeah That's true for certain neighborhoods to this day. It doesn't matter. If it's a certain neighborhood, a certain area, you got to go for it. but So all I say is I try to mitigate risk. There are so many tools out there, everybody, so you can get there are variations of warranties. Some are really amazing and comprehensive. are Others are jokes. So you just don't you can't paint everything with one brush and say like, if they're all great, they're all bad. It's not true. Oh, yeah. and Yeah. There's layers to that onion, right? Oh, yeah.
00:14:31
Speaker
um you know Dealing with insurance companies, it's always good. I've gone through several, just with myself at my home and other things. Unfortunately, it costs a little bit more to get a good insurance company sometimes. Well, that's insurance. I'm even just referring to warranties. Warranty companies, I don't even want to get into warranty companies. they can I've had some good experiences, but I'm the contractor, so I'm always usually dealing with the bad experiences, and I'm there because the warranty company didn't.
00:14:54
Speaker
right So I haven't had all too many and good ones, but that's just because I'm always on the um the bad. Well shout out to someone on this podcast I had previously, um it's Anna Coleman, she's a first American home warranty. Okay, cool. And so it's it people matter, um the details matter, and so who you have that helps your folks get through the clean process matters, if you call the 1-800 number, even of that company, it's still not great. I've done it. and Clients have done it by mistake. They forgot.
00:15:21
Speaker
What I told them and they call the 1-800 number and then they go oh everything got denied it stinks Matt That was a joke if you can get a real person. That's a night and day difference Someone has to have a vested interest in a relationship I I think she just told me um Recently that I sold in the first six months of this year over like 40 or 45 new contracts with new clients for warranties and that type of volume when you ask for something to be Assisted you normally get assistance then and that's the that's why I was telling before I like to give all my all my business to one Or two people because you become more important. Yeah, you get better value better service. Yeah, you care a little more as well
00:15:59
Speaker
Everybody. Yes, absolutely. So, okay, so getting back to the inspection, so it sounds like what it is is you're trying to clarify the condition. You're not, as an inspector, really going to give pricing on things, but you tell them the severity, whether it's something maybe you have to do urgently or have on the back of your back. I will give timelines for certain things, especially if it's an older age vacuum. I'm like, look, you got several decent years life.
00:16:23
Speaker
Left or if it's like minor things in the basement in the attic um like like you can let that go That's not something that you're gonna have to do as soon as you move in I will give like that kind of stuff So that could that gives people ease of mind because like okay I can deal with it in a year or two once I like settle out um So that's a good one.
Accountability for Missed Issues
00:16:40
Speaker
But yeah pricing is is tough So now I have another client that just called me recently and it was like the worst case scenario. Not your company, should I say, but a different company. They said the roof was in bo okay shape, passable shape. Nothing needed to be done urgently. You're good for a few years. Of course, you know, two months later, it's leaking. There's issues, blah, blah, blah, right? So it's really unfortunate.
00:17:03
Speaker
However, it's happening. And so now he called back up that company and he's trying to figure out what Accountability do they have right? Yeah, because now that they brought the owner of that company out. They're like, oh boy Yeah, we probably should have caught certain things They didn't contractors came out. They said no, they should have called these three things. They didn't. Yeah, that's tough.
00:17:25
Speaker
That is so rare, at least in my experience. so Guys, don't expect that to happen on a consistent basis. That's a rare, rare event. However, it happened. yeah so what What happens in that situation? What protection do clients have when they paid for a home inspection and they were told it should have five plus years and it turned out to have zero years? At least for our company, I know that we had there's insurances and warranties put in place. so If we did miss something left for that, um our company is going to take care of it.
00:17:51
Speaker
um You know, that if if it's- What does that mean? You're going to take care of it. You're going to buy a $15,000 roof for somebody? Potentially. ah Sometimes it if it is 100% our fault, you know, and our, and an inspector just blatantly missed it. Like yeah you can kind of tell they didn't get in the attic maybe because there was moisture penetration. It's probably been there for a while. Usually leaks aren't like brand new. yeah Usually you can tell. um I know a recent one that happened with our company a little while ago. um There was like a real small crack in the toilet.
00:18:20
Speaker
Really hard to see after like a month and a half of them living there They noticed a slow leak our company just take take care of it Just they sent someone out there that day had a contractor replace the toilet Satisfy them. It's just kind of something that comes with the territory. So like with a home inspecting company a good home inspecting company um Misses happen doesn't matter who you are. and Nobody's perfect But you you kind of have to have either the insurance the money or something to back and say listen It was our fault. That was our bad. yeah We'll take care of it. I That's what should happen. Well, there's so many disclaimers. The reason I ask is because every company, I've used a bunch of them over the years. They all have these crazy disclaimers in the beginning to say the extent of our liability is the fee for our inspection, which is anywhere from 500 to 900 bucks. Right. And it's like, well, hold on. My roof is bad. It's 15,000. So you're going to give me 500 bucks? Yeah. So that's tough. um Unfortunately, a lot of that is due to insurance reasons.
00:19:15
Speaker
um And liability and just the lawsuits that have happened in the past with people coming in and saying oh he missed this one thing I want $30,000 so that was just kind of like cya kind of thing as they say but um I know our company to like any small issues I have seen which is pretty low. It's just been taken care of I know there was a um There's some kind of leak with ah um in the sewer line um and we missed it and it was just, all right, that's our bad. We take care of it. You know, a good company should have systems in place like that. A smaller company might not. Is something as well. Like Blue Crab's definitely a little bigger. We have several inspectors and like 20 plus years. sure So they've been through it um and they know it's just good practice just to do that.
00:19:59
Speaker
Well, I always say I don't expect perfection, but in the event there's something that's missed or there's an issue, my expectation is you step up. Oh, accountability is huge. yeah Like perfection is not a realistic goal for any of us. But when there's a mistake that happens, you make it right. Especially if you do have someone come out for a secondary visit and you go, oh, that and we should have caught that.
00:20:20
Speaker
If you're going to willingly say those words to a client, then you have to willingly pretty much eat that cost. um It's unfortunate, you know, but I mean, if you miss something like that and that client yeah moves into the home and now they're paying that price, yeah you kind of got to do something.
00:20:35
Speaker
Yeah. So, you know, for for those that haven't attended inspection or you haven't been in years, guys, it's, you know, how long does it take for an average 2,500
Inspection Duration and Standards
00:20:43
Speaker
square foot house? Like what's ah what's an average inspection take? Roughly a little over two hours. Got it. Roughly around that time frame. I mean, if it's a new build, it's a lot easier. Yeah. So that's the unfortunate thing, because we actually talk about this in the company a lot for like timing, pricing and stuff like that. 2000 square foot 2024, I can be done in an hour.
00:21:04
Speaker
It's new. I don't have to check a lot of things windows are new i'm not looking at as many things But if that house is from 1920 i've had a house that was 1700 square foot took me four hours you You know as an investor. He was looking to fix any little problem in that place So I got to be a lot more thorough, right? So it's um age is actually much more important than the size on um the time of an inspection When I was grateful recently, I had a big boy um in Lutherville. who Was it eight or 10,000 square feet? It was a little over 10,000 square foot. 10,000 square feet. And you guys brought the whole company. It was like the whole team was there. your owner was there yeah Three of us out there. It was great. I mean, it helps a lot. You can actually like having three sets of eyes on a house that big is really important. yeah um Anytime you have a house that size, if you just have the one inspector out there, it's going to take them probably like five to six hours.
00:21:51
Speaker
Sure. um And that's just one set of eyes going through every area. By the time you're done, you're exhausted. Exactly. yeah You need a break in between there at some point. Anything over like that 5,000 square foot range, you're pretty much going to have a second person there. um Or at least a lot of extra time allotted. um But yeah, having that extra set of eyes is huge because pretty much every inspector, there's three of us there, all three of us go through every single room at some point, at least a walkthrough. So if one person might have potentially missed it, that other person's going to catch it.
00:22:21
Speaker
And explain to folks, so when you have an inspection, do you is it standard? And I'm gonna ask it that way because I think it's important for people to know. Is it standard that the average inspector checks every single thing in the house, every outlet, every window, every single detail of the house? or what they what are they so like What's the actual law? So I wish i wish it was. yeah um The actual rule is you are supposed to check you know every window, every outlet. You're actually, I'm pretty sure, don't quote.
00:22:49
Speaker
but I'm pretty sure like by code or regulations, I think you only have to check one window and two outlets in the room. It's called a representative sample. Okay. Which is one outlet or one window per room. The worst thing that yeah every single outlet, every single window without question has to be checked. That's what you guys do. That's one of the reasons I use you yeah because how many, so in what's crazy is I have people that price check these different inspection companies and some are much cheaper. Yeah. And they go, I'm going to use that company. They seem to have good reviews online or my cousin Billy used them once on his one home purchase five years ago. Yeah. And, you know, they say I want to use them. And I'm like, that's great. But there's a reason why they're three hundred dollars less. It's because yeah they probably don't. They they quote unquote do a representative sample and they're in and out in half the time. Yeah, i know I know a lot of companies are pretty quick um and a lot of times companies will like only do home inspections. Whereas most actually all the blue crabs inspectors um do other things as well. So like we we know what else to look for. Like a lot of our inspectors are well set ah certified septic inspectors, all that kind of stuff. So even if we don't do the septic inspection or the well yield, which is very common um because like Baltimore County, I know we don't because you need a well drillers license.
00:24:03
Speaker
for that kind of inspection but we can still make like educated comments and discuss it whereas a lot of companies won't even entertain discussing it with you due to liability issues or a lack of knowledge um and septic is a big one a lot of people like oh i've never had a home inspector willing to like go over the whole septic inspection with me or or the s sift system with them even though that's not my inspection but it's still it's part of the home it's part of our job.
00:24:28
Speaker
So that that's a big thing, too, is having an inspector. I would try to find an inspector that does other things, too, because then you get a good wide range. Well, there you go. And and so what are the big things? So if I was to buy a home, what are the big items I need to pay attention to because you're going to give me this whole long report. What are the most important items?
00:24:46
Speaker
Yeah, I try to tell people only really pay attention to big ticket items. Cosmetic items are just that. They're cosmetic, you can even let them go for like five years and it's not really gonna cause you an issue. um But like the biggest things are gonna be the basement, um like moisture penetration, um anywhere in the home. So that's attic, um so roof and basement.
00:25:04
Speaker
are the two most expensive areas I kind of see. um Those are always going to be the most expensive repairs. A new roof is never cheap. um And if you have to do basement waterproofing, um that kind of stuff, a lot of times you're checking up concrete, maybe even adjusting the foundation, that kind of stuff. So I'd say roof HVAC system windows are really the top three that I try ah try to not scare people on the most because those are going to be the most expensive
Identifying Common Home Issues
00:25:29
Speaker
ones.
00:25:29
Speaker
and And I would say I encourage all my agents out there. These are items that sometimes are very obvious. You know, occasionally, yes, you as an inspector, you guys take everything out, like you'll take the, you know, the the the covers off of things you go in. Right. You really deep dive. Oh, yeah, I'm looking in. I'm not doing that during a traditional, you know, it's like walkthrough with a client. However, sometimes problems are so obvious they beat you in the head. And sometimes it never occurs to people to even look like I have a flashlight when I do my tours. I swear to God, I'm the only agent that does. It's not common. It's not. But it's there's some things I can kind of get ahead of. And so I encourage you to do that to get ahead of things because the roof on average, if it's a really glaring issue, I can see it from the ground. Yeah. Like you don't need to necessarily get a drone up in the air or physically walk it. No, a lot of times, at least with the roof, a lot of times you can see that from afar, which is pretty nice. It can be. So it's like, so if you were to look at it, tell people what are the most common things you see, for example, in a roof, like that is something that people need to know about, you know, like how many layers, for example. Yeah. Um, I feel like luckily that's not as big of a problem anymore. I have to say, with the close to two to three hundred homes I've inspected, I've really only seen like three or four homes to have multiple layers. That was a much bigger problem in the 90s. When you say multiple, just even two? Yeah, or more. I did a Baltimore home that had seven layers of roofing. But you're saying that most homes don't even have two layers now?
00:26:59
Speaker
Yeah, I'd say if if ah if the roof has been replaced like 2010 up a lot of times, it's at least it are in my experience um in this local in Maryland, obviously, so our local area, it's it's not very common to have them the multiple layers anymore. You should always look, but it's not as common. I think that was still done. People still try to save a buck.
00:27:20
Speaker
No. Okay. I won't say no. Most good roofing companies won't even entertain it anymore. There you're, you're getting it removed and you're doing that because it can also, it you're more prone to leaks. Um, but you're hiding everything and you're hiding everything. You can't see what's underneath. Exactly. So, um, if you want your roof done well, don't go over top of an old roof.
00:27:39
Speaker
That's for sure. But um to to look at a roof from the ground, um if it's very streaky, um you see a lot of discoloration coming down. um If you see any like the shininess on the edge of shingles, that usually means the fibers um are starting to go. So that roof is probably a little little older than 15 years old. um Obviously damaged shingles. um Hail is a pretty big one too. um We get it occasionally in Maryland and it it will do some pretty good damage pretty quick.
00:28:02
Speaker
So like hail, just any little circles. And there's hail maps online, so you can check out seeing where that particular home is, that there have been hail storms recently. And any form, any lifted shingle, pretty much in any way, shape, or form, if it has a bit of a curl to it, that means it probably has a couple other things going on as well, or it's a little older at least. Any brand new roof, those shingles aren't moving at all. So any movement at all, you see up there, you know, okay, might have to get a contractor up there to take care of that.
00:28:30
Speaker
What about aluminum wiring? That's something we see. We have a lot of older homes around here, so when you see aluminum wiring, what do you tell people? ah That's an unfortunate one. That's electrician, yeah right right off right off the bat. um If you have single-strand aluminum wiring um in the home, which is pretty popular from the 70s, you need an electrician to come out there and evaluate it. It's very common that at ah at the breaker, um at the light fixtures or even the outlets at the wall,
00:28:55
Speaker
When it heats up, expands and contracts after a while, it'll work itself loose. um And that has caused a lot of house fires in America. So anytime there's single-strand aluminum, you need an electrician to come out, evaluate the entire panel and potentially take off a couple outlets, maybe even a light fixture to see what it's like behind there. um It doesn't mean, you know, you have to rewire the whole house necessarily. um That is probably, it's probably 50% of the time that you see full aluminum, you're doing some rewiring at least.
00:29:21
Speaker
Right. And so something I'd like to point out in terms of the agent perspective, everything you just discussed in about a million other things um are consistent, right? These homes are very similar, right? We've seen, once you've seen a few of them, guys, you've seen ah see most. Yeah, for the most part. there's of There's not, I mean, granted, there's still some things I'm still shocked by that occasionally you see you're like, do how that's inventive. Yeah. But majority of the time, that's not the the case. And once we or discover this during an inspection as an agent, we get to then share this information in form of a report that you provide to the seller. And the seller, once they're notified of this, it's now considered a latent defect if it wasn't obvious.
00:30:00
Speaker
to the buyer originally, well, now they are aware of it, and now they have to legally disclose it. yeah And the reason I point this out is because it helps in our negotiations, because if we back out, and now you know, for example, there's aluminum wiring, maybe you didn't know, maybe they didn't do an inspection or whatever. You really wouldn't know until you took that cover off the electrical panel or poured a couple outlets in, if that's a hidden problem for sure. It could be, so the point is I might not run from the home if it's in a great historic neighborhood or an area you're like, God, I love so much about it. It doesn't mean burn the house down and start over. One thing I like to say when I see aluminum wiring is um it's unfortunate. It needs to be addressed or at least looked at, but the house is from 1978 and it's still standing and hasn't burned down yet. right you know um But it's just something that needs to be evaluated. It's not a death sentence for a house or a sale or anything like that, but it is something that needs to be looked at.
00:30:51
Speaker
Well, and we can use this information to our benefit as a buyer and then leverage it to say, listen, now you're aware of these things. You might not want it to have addressed this as a seller, but guess what? You're now aware of it. Yeah. You really want to kick us out to you have to disclose it to the next guy. So now they're much more likely to engage in a conversation.
00:31:10
Speaker
yeah And so it's like i I try to be as cool and collected as possible in both sides and as a seller when I'm You know, I'm representing a seller I hear about these various items. It's good to know. Okay, this is the guy I need to send in here um This is roughly what it might cost. I'm gonna get someone in there right away It's like the relationships and it's with it, you know, it's with your other company or contracting company and I have folks that are consistent and they're great and I've used them forever. And they can help save the day when it comes to this. And especially if you know someone that's not full retail because they don't have big marketing departments, they don't have a lot of overhead. yeah Yeah, because most of this is very fixable.
00:31:51
Speaker
Yeah, that's that's the other thing too, especially with like minor like minor things, especially like cabinet things. I had a client freaking out because the cabinets were loose at the wall, almost ready to like walk away. I was like, listen, yeah you get a contractor in here, less than a thousand dollars, you're you're good to go. She's like, are you sure? I was like, yes, like it's going to be all right. Certain things, people just kind of tend to freak out it because it can seem like it's going to be a but big problem. They were leaning forward. They forgot to put the top row of screws. yeah You know, have someone come in and install that, you're good to go.
00:32:19
Speaker
yeah And so some of this is giving peace of mind. yeah I always say that's what an inspection really offers more than anything is peace of mind. yeah And ah it's so it's so valuable for that reason, but it's not it's not like you can sign off and say this home is perfect.
Home Inspections as Temporal Snapshots
00:32:34
Speaker
you'll never it's a It's like a living, breathing organism. yeah And all you can do, it's like a snapshot in time. It doesn't mean that in two years you're not gonna have an issue. That's a big phrase, actually, for for inspectors. um I know our owners love that phrase. it's s snap like we're um I'm supposed to say it every time. I yeah i do forget.
00:32:50
Speaker
ah hundred But it's true because um often like and a property I did in Baltimore, super unfortunate experience for the individual. um We went out there, inspected the property. It was great when we inspected it. um He didn't move in for like another two months. They changed out the HVAC system. They changed out the water heater. um And whoever had been there, living there during that time, really jacked up like some of the walls and cracked some of the tiles in the kitchen.
00:33:16
Speaker
Okay, and yeah then he he's calling us saying like what the heck you guys missed all that and you know We have to go back and say look no we have pictures of everything saying that it was a different system Someone screwed you over you have to you know get into that so that's why it truly is a snapshot in time It is. So there's, I mean, it stinks. It's like the joys of home ownership. I joke, but it's like, I i am very passionate about real estate as a form of wealth um creation and yeah expansion for for all of us. Just honestly, like in the middle class, it's a great avenue. It's one of the reasons why when we first sat down, you said you even got into this. Yeah, absolutely. Is because it it fascinated you as a kid. Yeah. Right. It's like, and then you wanted to learn the construction aspects and you want to invest and you want to build wealth and real estate. Oh yeah. And I want a really cool house with a lot of like really custom things that I can do myself. So that' that's really why I got into it too. Well, that's not in my avenue. I can't use my hand. I have to hire someone to hang the photos in my office. Like it's that it's horrible. i that that I'm the opposite way. I can, I can fix pretty much anything, but you tell me to design a website and I'm yeah i'm outsourcing.
00:34:21
Speaker
Well, grateful like I'm grateful that we all have different talents right and different strengths, but ah you know thats I just think it's interesting that that's your passion. And I'll say that's like a compliment I'd have for you is that during your in inspections, it's ah it's more of a conversation than um than I think some other inspectors. And I think some inspectors out there are may very well be qualified, but the the way they convey information is yeah And a lot of people like to show what they know, you know, like, Oh, look how much I know. Look how much I was able to found find. And I have no interest in any of that. I'm just there to try and help you get into a cool, nice home. That's really it. I love the idea of finding someone a really cool home that they love.
00:35:03
Speaker
Yeah, that's why I always like really flirted with the idea becoming a real estate agent but I was like I really like the building aspect much more cuz I dropped out of college to then do HVAC said to get my journeyman's in that and then dropped out of college to go to trade school Yeah, it was either drop out to like try and do real estate or go to trade school and I chose trade school just cuz it worked a little more for for my life, but Well, they're making a huge push just the whole government is and as they should to get people into the trades. Oh, it's so huge. There's oh I remember because they tell us the stats when we're working there. I mean, back when I graduated probably five to six years ago, um they said the field we're going to lose 40 percent of the field within five years and only recoup 15 percent.
00:35:46
Speaker
which is a lot bigger of a number than people realize because that's nationwide. wow So anyone who wants to get into contracting work or has kids that have any way of shape or form an interest into that kind of stuff, you can make good money. Well, I was commenting. My brother owns a large company in Maryland, a couple of them, actually, and they're all, you know, he's ah essentially a contractor. So he had owns a big landscaping, hardscaping company, a pool company, irrigation. yeah a variety of derivatives of that. And ah he likes to joke that he's not going to be replaced by AI quite as fast as the rest of us. Absolutely not. yes I also like will throw jokes around like yeah that. And it's nice and it's actually comforting, you know, because I don't care how advanced the world gets. You're always going to need heating and air conditioning. You're going to want to be comfortable. You're any plumbing and someone's going to want to upgrade their home. Someone's going to want to change the color paint on their wall. Someone's going to want a new kitchen. You know, so I'll always be there to be like, hey, I got you. Yeah.
00:36:39
Speaker
Well, there's such a need for it. And, uh, in the people component, there's going to be AI. Like it's actually interesting. Of course, this is going to age horribly because, uh, you know, the specific day we're recording this, uh, Tesla is recording their autonomous day. Oh, and so, uh, it's really going to be crazy. So today's Thursday and this evening at seven, Tesla is going to announce their robot taxis. Yeah, those are cool. And I've been seeing the YouTube videos on that. It's in common, so i drive I don't drive very much anymore because I have a Tesla and it's been driving me for years. It's getting incrementally better. It's not quite as terrifying as it was a couple years ago. It was really pretty terrifying. I could imagine, yeah. I haven't been able to get into it. I'm ah im a car guy at heart. I got my my manual car. It's pretty soulless, I will say. Yeah, I like you know i got the exhaust and everything. so i love I love driving my car, the manual. so I'm not 100% sold on Tesla, but they're they're cool they're really cool.
00:37:32
Speaker
It's just the safety aspect. So it's about currently with autopilot engaged. It's about five times safer than a human driver. That's been replicated for millions of miles now. And so their goal is 10 times safer than human drivers. That's about when it'll be approved, whether that takes one year or five years. It's going to have it's going to be a lot horrible, especially cities, highways, that kind of stuff. It's gonna save a lot of lives to have autonomous vehicles and we're not that everyone thinks we're super far away from it But I I mean, I know I don't know we'll be we'll be there pretty quick.
Jake's Passion and Business Approach
00:38:05
Speaker
Yeah, I don't know. I'm just a purist I love I love them having my manual fun car, but if for my daily driver, I wouldn't mind not having to do all the work Yeah, exactly. So it's it's it'll be coming. So watch out uber and all the rest of them your your
00:38:18
Speaker
They'll just buy them up. They'll just buy up the Teslas and say, here, we have this area. Tesla will have its own fleet. I'll do five podcasts on that as it comes out and I'll annoy everybody listening. But it's um yeah it's coming. Tesla is going to run its own fleet. They won't utilize Uber. But I mean, safety is, I mean, I can't, you can't argue it, you know, if the if like if lives will be saved. Safety is the biggest thing. I mean, especially even coming back to home inspection. Sure. Anything safety related is I'm going to put it in red and I'm going to put it as defective. and Yes, and so that that to me is that that's why I call it like the peace of mind that this can offer. So even in the days and we still do it where we have to waive a formal inspection, I tell people the day we settle, we're going to have an we're going to have an inspection the next day. For example, I set it up. We have the full inspection and now we know it's like having a checkup. I now know what's most important, what's in the medium and what's like the least of our concerns. But you now have a whole list. I now know what I can budget for.
00:39:13
Speaker
I know what it has to be just tomorrow. You need to know. You need to know whether you couldn't negotiate for it because there's 10 offers or not. You still need to know. Yeah. I mean, I've done home inspections where there's I'm at an open house. I did one of a couple months ago. I'm inspecting during the open house. There's like 10 other couples. Half of them have a contractor with them. Oh, is that in Howard County? Where is that? That was closer down in D.C. I can't remember exactly. Montgomery, maybe. Yeah. Yeah. Montgomery County. Sure. And Nutty out there. I mean, it was crazy. There was everyone in the house, but I don't care. I'm still going to do my job. It took me a little longer. But I mean, they actually got that house too, which was pretty funny. Oh, really? So it didn't matter how many people were there. They wanted it. And that was where you allowed in our world. We call that a walk and talk. Was that a walk and talk inspection where you're not allowed to touch The equipment? I was given permission to do everything. They came in with a very high offer. So they came in, they knew the open house was coming. They said, we don't care, you guys can have the open house. We want this house. Kind of a thing. They were prepared. They were prepared to get that house. They allowed you to open an electrical panel and do all your things?
00:40:19
Speaker
Yeah, absolutely. I mean, I don't know the legal conflicts of interest there or anything like that. Oh, I can tell you if that's not in writing, you can't do it. So no, I know. I know. I was given permission. I just met with other people there. I don't know if there's anything like that, but I was given full permission to do all of that. And they bought that. They bought that house. So all those people who paid those contractors to come out there and tour the house with them. Yeah most of the time it's called a walk and talk because it's you're not touching anything so you can visually inspect the home and it's about 200 bucks most people charge but you're there for 30 minutes and it's a visual inspection. Yeah that's a fun one.
00:40:55
Speaker
Um, I do enjoy doing those, but, um, certain people when they, like that couple had been looking for a house for three years and they found the one that they wanted and they didn't really care. They were going to get it. yeah Um, so even if you're doing that, even if there's open house, I have to find everything and everything because they're going to buy that house and they're going to go over that inspection report probably four to five times renovating that house. So for, it might be a little tough, but I got to go through everything. Right.
00:41:19
Speaker
Well, and I wanted to give you a little plug because I'm grateful that you came on here to try to open up the floodgates, if you will, to what a home inspection is. So, like, as you are doing your contracting business, like, how do you feel, like, in terms of, I don't know, what differentiates you when you go into that space and that you put that hat on instead of just being a home inspector? Like, highlight what makes you different, let's say, from your average general contractor. So, a lot of times um I'll come there for one thing.
00:41:47
Speaker
um Like another recent one I did we want to reinvent evaded the the entire basement bathroom um But then as he was there he mentioned I think my roof might be leaking. All right Well, I'll get up there and look at no extra cost because I want your business. Sure. Yeah, um I hadn't signed that contract yet So, all right, I'm up in your attic. I did find the moisture penetration. You do have a a leak here I have a great roofing contractor that I like to work with um Or I know I'm doing work here. Do you have any questions about anything else in your home? Like about, it can be anything. How does this work? How does my HVAC system work? Maintenance questions, any of that. Being a home inspector really gives me an advantage because I know all that as you should as a home inspector. So even if I'm there to do one thing, even just paint your walls, I'll i'll take a look at your HVAC system. I'll tell you how long I think it might last. sure You know, verbally. sure sure um All that good stuff. So that's what I actually like as well.
00:42:38
Speaker
because one, I did the kitchen. My house, we did all new cabinets, new flooring, all that good stuff. um And then they noticed they had some issues down in the basement and I was able to pull the drywall out for them um and say, hey, you got some foundation cracks actually. I would actually recommend addressing this before you pay me.
00:42:57
Speaker
yeah to to finish renovating the kitchen. um ah You told me you have set amount of money left, fix your foundation and call me back in a couple months. yeah um And that's what we ended up doing. Wow, that's awesome. Yeah. Well, I mean, that's like that's a great advantage. And ah what I want to give you credit for, I i think integrity and honesty and trust is is paramount. I say, you know, one of the reasons I use the general contractor I have, his name is Paul, I've used him for 15 years maybe, the number one reason I use him, he's a good contractor but I'm not saying he's the world's best contractor yeah but what he is is an honest guy yeah and he answers his phone and he's never ever screwed anyone over that I've ever sent to his way. you know It's just that I trust him and so it's like when you have that, ah that's that's most important. like once If you miss something in a home inspection, it's a matter of do you make it right in the end. Yeah and if you want to be a successful company, you have to.
00:43:49
Speaker
Or people still donate and it blows my mind. Yeah, I hate it. I and I hate to hear it too I've even given I probably shouldn't say but I've given people discounts just because I know they've gotten screwed over on certain shops I feel bad, you know, I'm like, all right, let me help you out.
Trust and Integrity in Business Growth
00:44:03
Speaker
Yeah, but um, yeah I try to be as honest as I can because also I want you to refer me or tell me back in 10 years Yeah, you know, you got another problem or something like that if I was really honest with you and I told you hey, yeah I might not be the right guy for this, but if you find something else in your house that is right for me, call me back. I could say some of my best referral sources I've ever had, never bought or sold with me yet. It just wasn't the right time. Their home didn't have the right value and I was honest with them and then they said like when the time comes, I'll come back to you, you've been great.
00:44:34
Speaker
And then they refer me their sister, their cousin, or whoever. yeah It's funny, I have um Mr. Tom, a client. I did one little tiny job for him, a real tiny drywall patch. I mean, I did, I think it was like 75 bucks. He's got me 12 jobs. Oh, wow. Yeah. It's like, hey, you're great. I'm glad I did a good work for you. So that's why any job on that is going to be done correctly. And if I have to come back, I'm coming back.
00:44:54
Speaker
Well, there you go. and And so we were doing a little pre-interview with you. I was told there was a couple things or questions that you had potentially for me. I don't know. Maybe we addressed them during this conversation. Was there anything that I completely forgot? A lot of that was um what we talked a little bit on the way here was ah pricing, ah pricing questions, more so like business back end questions. Got it. Because my confidence, I'll fix it. You want anything changed or fixed in your house, sign me up. I'll be there. Yeah, but I need to start like all my invoicing and like stuff like that So there's more business back-end questions and then investing. Yeah, um I don't have all the money to invest But I'm trying to look to get networking to start getting into that. I have the resources I have a construction company all that good stuff. I'm the home inspector So I wanted to pick your brain on those kind of things like which avenues you'd recommend because my big thing is I try to do too much but so but I think um Finding a my proper lane right is actually much better idea instead of
00:45:54
Speaker
Casting a wide net as I was you've already hit it on the head. It's it's focusing so I did I Started multiple companies when I was in my 20s and so I was investing I did I was trying to do wholesaling at the time. I was doing um ah Flipping so I was renovating and trying to turn a profit. Yeah as a whole separate thing I was doing note investing which are you familiar with that oh actually so note it note is like a mortgage note and And so you can invest in non-performing mortgage assets. And I started a company with a friend of mine who's a CPA, went to school with them. And we went down that whole, I mean, that's a whole nother world, which is like a fantastic world to be in. It's a different way to own real estate assets without, it's like being Bank of America, not an investor right in in at least like the more traditional landlord sense. And it's just not the market for it anymore. And so the market got so good for so long. Oh, it totally shifted. So we missed that window.
00:46:46
Speaker
And but that's so I did all these things and I was also a real estate agent. And so I was not amazing at any one of those things, right is what I would say. And so what I did, I had to focus on one and I selected what I thought, I'm a sales guy. And so I decided to go into real estate sales and got truly focused on it. And that's like, you I was showing you my office and everything. None of that happened.
00:47:09
Speaker
Like that level of success didn't happen until I got focused and that like I was never in the top 100 until it's like I got that level of focus yeah, and I think your specialty is combining all of these interest into Potentially being a contractor and a successful one which stinks because you're gonna have to hire people. It's the people part of the business That's so challenge. I have employees and all the rest of it I do have four guys who work for me right now, and it's it's a different experience, I will say. Especially something I didn't expect was, hey, when's more work? When's more work? I'm like, ah you had work yesterday. yeah Leave me alone. But I mean, that's just because it's new. um And then dealing with the challenges of certain people not showing up ah when they're supposed to. um And then I kind of have to stop everything I'm doing to then go cover for that, which is new. So it's just the new joys of business ownership. But I'm new to it. I started everything about but a year and a half ago.
00:48:01
Speaker
So slowly rolling into it. So that's why I need to find more experienced people as yourself to talk to and really pick your brain about that kind of stuff. Well, being curious about it, it's like you're you're already you're hitting well above your age in person because I've attended so many of these and your your knowledge is far surpassing your age at this point. So I think that's a that's a great compliment. I want to pay. Thank you. And I really try.
00:48:24
Speaker
I got so many books on all that stuff. I really am trying to be. It's obvious in the field. So the people that are there that no one would know your age in person because of the idea. Well, first of all, you can grow facial hair. That's probably the biggest question I get. It's the passion. People want someone that care. People need the integrity and all of that. And then the rest of it will fall into place like be good and do good. And like you get that's what I'm trying. That's what I have. That's why I'm trying. The money's not 100% there, but I feel it. It's coming. I only give my best, so it's coming. It comes, and it comes through referrals. So I think you'll be successful, and I'll be here to support you from my angle. And if you do well by clients, I'm going to continue to give you opportunities is what I'll be able to do. Yeah, I appreciate that. Always.
00:49:11
Speaker
and And I'm super loyal and and and I know others like me that you know are. so um So I think you'll be just fine. But being you know in terms of pricing, um I'd be happy to help you. I know what things typically go for. yeah And there'll be others and clients will be your ultimate um teacher because many of them will get multiple quotes. you'll know be If you get every job, you price too well. In my early days, last year I very quickly found that out. I was pricing based off of clients, not necessarily work, and certain people I'd be like, oh, well, I'm gonna help you out, and then it kind of bit me a little.
00:49:48
Speaker
But it is tough. I'm always way too emotionally charged into it. I always just want to do the best for you, for both of us and not necessarily what's best for the company. Cause I don't necessarily care about like the company. I care more so about you. Obviously I care about my company being successful, but if you're upset, I'm not happy. yeah So like, I don't know. I got to figure out my pricing a little bit better with that. I get a little too emotionally into it.
00:50:12
Speaker
Yeah, he'll figure it out. Once you get the bills, I always say like when I had the wife and kids and the big mortgage and all the bills and my bills are crazy, I'd payroll and it's like now it makes me be a better steward of the business because I am responsible for a lot of people, not just myself. Yeah, and it's funny, that's what I want. I want to be, I want to give my friends and family jobs. You know, I want to not, you know, I want to provide wealth for my family. Be careful with that. Hey, listen, I know, I know it's a lot. I've seen it's a lot actually like my best friend growing up, his dad owns Anchor Mechanical.
00:50:43
Speaker
He showed me the back end of business on that like how that kind of stuff started working and it changed my entire perspective And I was like I want to do what you do. I want 150 employees, right? I want you know providing people good homes like all that kind of stuff So well, I would challenge you to say you don't get people jobs you give them opportunities. Yeah, they have to create That's a much better way to work That's a much better detail matter words matter because I just you know There are no such things as handouts in my opinion. It's like I give you I'll give you know It's like no different than what I'm gonna what I just told you is like I'm gonna give you an opportunity Mm-hmm. It's up to you to be yeah, you better perform because ultimately when I give a referral it's my name on the line yeah, and and so I need them to have a positive experience because otherwise it reflects on me and I That's also another reason why I don't like to give prices and or recommend specific companies because even if it is a pretty well known company and I recommend it to you, if you have one bad experience, it's kind of a bad experience that comes back to me. You're darn right. So I get that there. You're darn right. But it's like if you're listening to this, it's like this is what an entrepreneur sounds like and it takes risk. It takes courage and A little bit. My bank account has hit zero more times than I can count, but that's fine with me. Yeah. Well, that's part of the journey. You don't appreciate it unless you go through it, but it's the work ethic and the rest of it. But I believe in you just having witnessed you in action many times now. I appreciate it. It helps. It does help.
00:52:05
Speaker
Yeah, we need we need some cheerleaders along the way because it's painful in the amount of work I'm always almost virtually almost always the last car in a massive parking lot Oh, yeah, and I've taken photos of it because you stare at it and go like what is happening? like But then it feels good, but then it feels good But you recognize success leaves clues and it's like that's like you had to you know You've asked questions of me before and other people it's like success leaves clues and and that those are the clues It's really that as they say it's really um simple, but it's not necessarily easy Yeah, and I think that's what it means. That's what it means Yeah, the result turn the hard work you've been putting off always you don't have to be the smartest of the best That's the that's what people just got to show up Consistency pretty much over everything. That's it. Yeah, you have routine. Yeah Routine is key. So um but that's it. So hopefully we've we've gone over some of the inspection items Hopefully I've answered a few questions. Like I say, it's It's it's part of the process, this whole inspection ah process. It can be very ah concerning for people and it's it's just not a straightforward solution. So hopefully you have a good inspector, a good agent, and you can kind of make it through the process and yeah and live to see another day. Yeah, if your inspector scares you, one thing I do like to recommend, if something something is scaring you,
00:53:21
Speaker
Call a contractor you can send them you can send ah a contractor your your inspection report for nothing and they'll take a look at it Most of the time they will if something scares you a price just ask a contractor. Yeah, just ask don't freak out Just ask there you go. There's there's the mantra to leave you with but thanks for joining me today And and I'll look forward to seeing you on the next inspection. Yeah, absolutely. All right. Thanks