Old...But New!

It seemed as though the New Year was flat lining here at WestCoast but after several weeks of lack luster business it finally got off its butt.  This week was much better and has restored my faith in the Real Estate business despite the now hated banks best efforts.  Three times this past week the companies that took our money from congress also took my pay check.  The power company out here in Western Washington has decided, and not a bad idea, that they will inspect the houses that have been sitting vacant for an extended period of time before restoring power. Yes, there is a fee involved and its musical chairs to see who is going to pay it but for now it is not going to be the banks.  After waiting a week for the appointment their inspector goes out and looks at the house.  Since the majority of folks take at least fixtures with them, the house is going to get red tagged.  The utility now requires that a licensed electrician go out and make the needed repairs (at whose expense?).  Once the repairs have been made and the utilities inspector has returned and inspected the property again (for another fee) the utilities can be restored in 48 hours.  Total time wasted on this exercise in futility was three weeks with a second house on-going.   The third pay check they took from us was over leaking plumbing yet again.  With this one a contractor was hired to paint the interior, hang new doors, install new carpet and clean and winterize the property.  However they ignored the fact that both the main and master bathrooms were actively leaking enough to damage the drywall at the ceiling in the garage.  Run some water and it is instantly evident that there is a problem.  One phone call to the listing agent assures all involved that No, the bank will not fix the problem, and No, we cannot allow anyone to open up the ceiling and assess the damage.  Done and done.  The whole thing reminds me of a Chinese finger puzzle.

           Now on to good, positive happy news.  The second half of the week here at the Coast was spent looking mostly at new construction.  New construction you say? Yes believe it or not there are houses being built out there and they are for the first time in years competitive again.  We looked at brand new, never lived in, no leaks or missing anything houses this week that were beautifully finished for prices that were amazing.  The builders we dealt with were also in a giving mood.  We saw new houses with refrigerators, washers, dryers and garage door openers again without upgrade pricing.  We saw fences, window screens and landscaping for no additional charge.  In some cases these new gems went for about the same money as a comparable bank owned house and you didn’t have to make any repairs, replacements or uncover any surprises.  The new ones even come with a warranty.  Now I ask you; why would you show your clients bank owned or short sale properties that will not likely close, waste massive amounts of everyone’s time, are not such a great deal at the moment and have more hoops than a basketball tournament when there are these nice new homes out there.  Now even if you don’t like new construction it is hard to argue with the fact that they will usually pass inspection, appraise and close.  Not to mention the fact that it puts a lot of people back to work who can then afford a new house.  Just one guys opinion.  What do think?  What are you seeing? Have a great weekend, I know we will as we have work to do. 

                              Matt Sorensen……                 

This week’s pictures are of what was holding up a house in Tacoma.  I got the call from some investors I work with regularly and they wanted me to take a look under a house they were thinking about buying. The floors were uneven and they wanted to know why.  Mystery solved!

WestCoast Home Inspection                                                                                    Phone:           253-380-2922

903 291^st Street

                                                                                                        Scheduling:        253-380-5949

Roy, WA 98580                                                                                                                     Fax:        253-843-1807

Team Work.....

I was reminded over and over the last couple of weeks how important a team is in business (or in life for that matter) to get things done.  It seems that more and more often these days everywhere you turn road blocks are going up.  The rules are changing, procedures are changing and sometimes it seems we are loosing sight of what we are actually doing.  We are helping buyers and sellers of real property come together for a mutually beneficial transaction.  It seems that through all of the turmoil of the past few years that has gotten lost.  First almost nothing was required to get a loan and now you have to give up your first born.  We went from drive by appraisals to appraisers that now want to do an inspection complete with work orders.  Banks who on one hand try to sell properties “As Is” and on the other are requiring that all major repairs be made before closing (sometimes just holes in the walls).  Through all of the changes, and they are constant, the most important thing of all, communication, is suffering as well.  Agents can no longer talk to appraisers, lenders who don’t want to talk to inspectors and repair communication getting lost somewhere between the buyer, buyers agent, sellers agent, seller, appraiser, lender and finally, underwriter. After looking back over the last sentence I wrote it’s a wonder we ever get anything done.  

                                       Team work is really the only way to get anything done.  I have been more and more thankful of team work as this year has progressed and I have realized that the more they change the rules on us the more open communication becomes not just important and necessary.  With not just the paper work changing but the requirements as well (and it seems to be happening weekly) we have to all stay in the loop.  I have talked to more lenders, underwriters and appraisers this year than in my entire career.  I see it as a good thing and never decline to speak to anyone involved in a deal because it really is all about team work.  I think we should all keep this in mind as we move forward into a new year and try to keep our clients best interest at heat.  I know there is continuing pressure to give out more and more names and numbers for service providers and not to recommend or refer just one or two people that you know and trust to get the job done right, but unless you know and trust these people to get the job done, the chances of actually closing a transaction are slim.  I say stick with a good team; keep communication open and close some deals.  Clients are only happy when they get what they want and what they want is to buy or sell some real estate.  Let’s all have a great new year and make some happy clients.   

                                                Sincerely, Matt Sorensen WestCoast Home Inspection.

Electricians are also necessary when making additions or changes to your house wiring.  Breakers like these are designed to protect only one circuit and should not be doubled up or tripled up like these ones.  

Here’s some more home owner added wiring in a basement.  Please remember that if you add or change wiring a permit has to be pulled and the wiring inspected. 

WestCoast Home Inspection                                                                                    Phone:           253-380-2922

903 291^st Street

                                                                                                        Scheduling:         253-380-5949

Roy, WA 98580                                                                                                                     Fax:        253-843-1807

 

Plumbing Isn't For Everyone.

Yikes, it was an entire week of plumbing problems here at WestCoast Home Inspection.  Supply leaks, waste leaks and missing fixtures; “Oh My”.   It is always interesting to see how folks decide to address plumbing issues or not address them as the case may be.  This week I was reminded over and over again how valuable a good plumber is.   Let’s discuss a few of the best of the week.  Early last week I went to a bank owned property where the exiting owner decided to take everything including the kitchen sink (no pun intended here).  While I don’t agree with taking all of the fixtures, cabinets, appliances, doors, carpet (seriously), there is definitely a right and wrong way to remove these things. 
For example if you are going to remove the water heater or say a sink, a Saws-all is not a required or recommended tool.  The house I was in had the lines to the water heater cut off at the wall and waste piping cut in half under the sink.  These will be difficult replacements now and both could have been removed without damage.  Later in the week I visited a very nice house that had a rather distasteful smell coming out of the master bathroom/ bedroom area.  When I crawled under this area it quickly became apparent why.  Someone had removed the cap from the clean out at the end of the toilet waste line in the crawlspace and had neglected to replace it.  Yep, you guessed it. Every time the toilet was flushed it ran into the crawlspace.  It was nasty and again very avoidable.  I then went to another bank owned property and was truly impressed by the home owner repairs to the plumbing system seen there.  There were several including patching the main bathtub with Super Glue, but my favorite was the master shower repair.   It seems that the valve set for the master shower was damaged and would no longer shut off completely.  I would guess that this was a constant annoyance as well as a waste of water.  Instead of repairing the valve set, the owner added a shut off valve between the shower head and the pipe coming out of the wall.  Ingenious!

                                       I guess my point is that time, effort and money were most certainly spent on all of these cases and money of each will have to be spent now to un-fix and re-fix all of them.  If you have to make plumbing repairs, do some research, ask for the proper pieces and tools and take the time to do it right the first time.  It will save you time, money and save you a lot of frustration in the long run.  If you are uncomfortable making these repairs don’t be afraid to call a licensed plumber.  These guys can get the job done right the first time, aren’t that expensive and will do all the crawling around in the yuck for you.  While we are on the subject of plumbing, it is cold out there this morning and according to the powers that be at the meteorological center it is going to be a cold winter.  Now would be the time to make sure that all of the supply pipes under the house are insulated and the hose bibs are either shut off or insulated as well.  Nothing spells disaster like a burst pipe.  Last winter really wasn’t that cold but I have been through bank owned property after bank owned property that is full of leaks.  My record this year is fourteen leaks.  Yes you read that right, fourteen leaks in one house.  It looked like Swiss cheese inside by the time there were done fixing them.   Well, have a great week all and keep smiling.  At least this weeks pictures aren’t of your house!

                                                Sincerely,   Matt Sorensen WestCoast Home Inspection.

Yes that is an open waste line under the master bathroom of a house I looked at this week and Yes, that is poo.   This was really disgusting and definitely explained the odor in the master.  The cap is lying on the ground making this easily avoidable.  If you are going to clear a back up in the line don’t forget to re-install the cap.   

This was my favorite of the week.  If the shower won’t stop running, just add a shut off valve in front of the shower head.  This made my day. 

WestCoast Home Inspection                                                                                    Phone:           253-380-2922

903 291^st Street

                                                                                                        Scheduling:         253-380-5949

Roy, WA 98580                                                                                                                     Fax:        253-843-1807