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Suit Up With Baez
Level up your real estate, mortgage, and business game with the 'Suit Up with Baez Podcast!' Tune in for bold strategies and expert insights to fuel your success!
Suit Up With Baez
Episode 2 - Home Inspection Mastery: Front-Line Insights
Ever wondered how a deep understanding of home inspections could save you from future headaches in real estate? Join us as John Felix from Felix Inspection sheds light on the nuances of property evaluations, offering sage advice that could protect your investment. With a sharp focus on education and the safety of homeowners, John's bilingual expertise and South Bronx roots afford him the ability to navigate both the New York and Connecticut markets with a unique perspective. We tackle the effects of snow on assessments, the right way to de-ice without damaging your property, and the costly implications of skipping a home inspection, ensuring that our listeners walk away with a hefty toolbox of homeowner wisdom.
Transitioning careers is never easy, but when passion calls, some answer with a leap towards fulfillment. Hear about my own shift from realtor to home inspector, a journey fueled by integrity and professional satisfaction. In this candid exchange, we dive into the dynamics between realtors and inspectors and the unyielding commitment to excellence that defines my approach to client service. John and I navigate the sometimes murky waters of real estate, emphasizing the importance of neutrality and integrity in the inspection process — a cornerstone for anyone aspiring to rise above the fray in this competitive field.
Wrapping up, we explore the legislative landscape shifting beneath the feet of property sellers and the strategic maneuvers both buyers and sellers can employ during negotiations. Providing a detailed property disclosure is now the law, which underscores the importance of diligence and transparency in every real estate transaction. Furthermore, we examine the hidden threats that older homes harbor, from termite damage to energy inefficiency, and how modern tools like thermal imaging can unveil these issues. As we sign off, we remind our audience that resilience is the bedrock of success, and no obstacle is too great to overcome on the road to providing top-notch service. Tune in for an episode that leaves no stone unturned in the world of home inspection.
Hello guys, welcome to suit up with bias podcast. I'm the host, alex bias, and I'm with my co-host, angel bias, and we have a special guest here, john Felix, with Felix inspection.
Speaker 2:Thanks for having me, guys. Thanks, it's a pleasure to be here. Thank you for coming on the show. Thank you, angel. Thank you, alex.
Speaker 1:So this is going to be a very interesting podcast. Due to that, we have someone very important throughout the transaction when you're purchasing a home, which is a home inspector, right? So, john, tell us about you.
Speaker 2:Once again, thank you for having me on the podcast. I don't often, you know, take a platform like this just because I'm more always on the back end, always looking at things right. But you know, I'm originally from the Bronx Dominican native, born in Dominican Republic, raised here, so that's why a lot of people say that when I speak in English I don't really carry an accent, but when I speak Spanish it's completely out of my mind. So, as you can see, I'm fluent both in English and Spanish as a home inspector. So there's a lot of clients that I serve on both markets, right, both English and Spanish. You know I live in Westchester County, serving Westchester County, long Island, the New York metro area, and I'm also licensed in Connecticut, so you're covering a nice so you're licensed in New York and Connecticut.
Speaker 1:Great, great, so you also. You said you're from the Bronx, a part of the Bronx, South Bronx baby.
Speaker 2:Oh, that's awesome.
Speaker 1:Because I'm from the South Bronx too, so I'm huge about the South Bronx. You know, it's beautiful to see everyone that's coming out of the South Bronx and I'm seeing how you know a lot of Bronx natives. I love being next to Bronx because I'm from the Bronx, right.
Speaker 2:Right right.
Speaker 1:So it's good to see successful Bronx natives.
Speaker 2:Yeah, thanks Thanks for sure. I think there's a lot of good things that have come out of the Bronx. You know we could sit here and shoot off and name a couple, but you know the Bronx is one of the upcoming boroughs Just watch it Huge, it's a real Bronx and the Yankees are going to win this year for sure. That's the best thing we got is the Yankees.
Speaker 1:Yes, sir, that's all everyone knows over the Bronx.
Speaker 2:Next to Biles and Felix, but yeah.
Speaker 3:So, john, the weather has been a little bit inconvenient for some. It's snowing and I know that you had made a video about when it snows, what to do in preparation if you do have a home Right, can you talk a little bit about that?
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, sure, I think. You know, in the last couple of days it has we've been getting a lot of snowfall, as you're saying. You know, before an inspection, for when we're doing a residential home inspection, snow plays a card in that review, right, and that assessment of the property, because it limits our visibility of the property's condition. You know, and part of that is the grading of the home right, like the actual surrounding of the home right the patio, the yard, the front lawn, sometimes, in some cases, the deck gets covered in snow, so it's hard to really assess the condition of the deck and even the roof right. More importantly, everybody wants to know how the roof is doing in the house and what age is the roof and do I have anything to worry about? So you know, snow plays a role in that respect, and so you know the videos I'm going to get referring to, I did a couple of videos on my social feed where I speak about, you know, practicing safety and then also what types of salt to use.
Speaker 3:That's when I saw Right that was interesting about the salt.
Speaker 1:I didn't know that there was different Pacific salt to one damage of concrete Right.
Speaker 2:So there's actually a large array of salts, right? But I think the most common ones are calcium chloride and rock salt, right? And when you look at the city application, when the city is going ahead and they're plowing through and then they're dropping salt, they're typically using rock salt mixed with sand Because their overall goal is to get traction, right, so cars are driving, you want them to get traction, but rock salt unfortunately does not perform well in low temperatures, right, when calcium chloride, if you're a homeowner, is to safer, more environmentally friendly product to use. It's safer for your lawn, it's safer for grass, it's safer for your pets and just overall. A lot of times, you know we're walking with our boots into our homes and so sometimes you're bringing that salt into the house.
Speaker 2:So I think, just generally, just having a more environmentally safer product is just more appealing to a lot of homeowners. You know, if you have driveways or walkways that are somewhat damaged, with cracks, they're not sealed properly and you apply rock salt throughout time, throughout the course of time, rock salt will degrade the material a lot quicker, right, so it's a little harsher on concrete pavers, even asphalt. So that's why I always steer people. You know, just educate yourself on the product, Although rock salt is a lot cheaper. It's convenient on the pocket, but it's also going to cost you. It's going to cost you a long run.
Speaker 1:It's going to cost you a long run.
Speaker 2:So I always recommend people, you know, just spend the extra 50 cents or whatever the product is. Don't quote me on pricing, but you know, cost you a quarter is not that far off either, gotcha, yeah, so yeah, good one. Thanks for watching.
Speaker 3:You know what else will cost you a long run. What was that? Not getting a home inspection?
Speaker 1:100% on that one. I like that.
Speaker 2:I agree with that. I agree, smart man yeah.
Speaker 1:So what will you tell these first time buyers and investors when they purchasing a home and they decide to waive the inspection? Do you recommend that?
Speaker 2:Well, you know, I know I don't recommend it. It tends to the question outright. I don't recommend it and there's a number of reasons why I don't recommend it. Okay, just taking me, the home inspector, out of the picture for a moment. There's a lot that goes into a home, right, homes, even if they're brand new, whether they have a 50 year age attached to them, 20 years, in some cases 80 to 100 years. You know, it's like buying a used car and just start driving it right Without taking it to the mechanic. You're going to want to get all your change, you're going to want to get, you know, certain things checked out before you start using the product right, and I think in this case a home.
Speaker 2:To buy a home and waive the inspection, it leaves a lot of unanswered questions. And you know, you have your boiler, your heating system, your cooling system, you have your electrical system, your plumbing, your draining, I mean your roof, there's just so much. And sometimes the walls right. Let's say you have a leak. How bad is that leak and how much damage has that caused behind the wall or even on the subfloor? You know, is it soft flooring, is there mold in the home?
Speaker 2:So when you waive an inspection and let's say you have preexisting medical conditions, you know respiratory issues. Let's say you have radon in the home. These are things you're never going to know about because you waived the inspection, because you were trying to rush a process, and this is an investment that you're making for who knows, 15, 20, 30 years I mean, in some cases, even more, if you refinance. So I think that it's important to know. You know they always recommend that we, as people, get checkups every year, sometimes twice a year. Why not do that with the home? And so I think it's super crucial that you don't skip out on home inspection.
Speaker 1:What do you do when you're doing a home inspection? What is it specifically that you inspect?
Speaker 2:Right. So home inspection is a visual inspection of the home's overall condition, right? And where we look at the main components. We're looking at your roof, we're looking at your foundation, we're looking at the exterior of the property. The interior we're looking at, you know, the heating system, the cooling system, drainage, plumbing, electrical. So there's an array of things that we're really diving into and looking at and we're looking at it in, in every detail. I mean, we're taking apart your panel, we're looking at the wiring inside the panel. Make sure that every breaker inside that panel is the proper breaker for that panel, that the proper wiring is connected to that breaker, right. So there's more to it than just looking.
Speaker 2:A lot of people say that home inspectors are not professionals to that trade, and that is true. So a lot of us are not professionals to that trade. I'm not a carpenter specifically, I'm not an attrition specifically, but we're trained and licensed and we have to maintain a certain level of education throughout the state in order to execute our profession the right way, right. So an inspection in general can last anywhere between an hour and a half to two hours, the bigger the home obviously for like a single family you talking about right for like a single family or even a two family right.
Speaker 1:An hour and hour and a half.
Speaker 2:Yeah, two hours, two and a half, depending on the square footage. The bigger the square footage, obviously, the longer. I mean obviously. Then there's some buyers that ask a lot of questions and they're very in tune with the walkthrough and so while they don't inspection, you also answer questions. Oh, absolutely.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. You walk them through the whole process.
Speaker 2:Look, alex, I think that you know buying a home is a very what do you guys call it? The?
Speaker 1:biggest asset right.
Speaker 2:The biggest asset, the biggest transaction of someone's life Right, and so I think for me it's super valuable for a home purchaser or an existing homeowner, If you're just doing an annual home inspection, to walk with the inspector, understand the home, understand why the when you open the faucet, why it's burping water right, Then to realize that there's air in the line, right. So these are things that is better to understand it with the home inspector next to you as opposed to getting a report 150 pages and then trying to make heads of tail of what's what.
Speaker 3:So, john, before we keep going on with the podcast, can I ask, like, what were you doing before being a home inspector and what led to it?
Speaker 2:Right, Right, yeah, so prior to getting into the home inspection world, I was a corporate investigator for about 17 years and that's where I made my career. Is just doing investigations on a private sector right On the corporate side is what I mean. From there I got into real estate and, as some people may know, I was a realtor for a short period of time and that's how I really understood the market, the industry, and with that information I also I became a homeowner myself, and you learned, and so I took a passion to the industry. So I left corporate investigations and then I came into home inspections and I launched home inspections and so now I'm investigating homes, for lack of expression. So I've been loving it, you know, and I think that's where my thirdness comes in. That's where I am Excelling so well and making sure I understand how the home works and how it breathes and what we need to do to get next to the next step. So you used to be a realtor before. Yes, sir, how long were you?
Speaker 1:a realtor for A few months actually A few months, A few months and then you went to home inspection right afterwards.
Speaker 2:Right. So then I went and got licensed and you know, got all the education.
Speaker 1:I mean, to me it's very interesting because I actually want to know and understand, like from being a realtor to going into a home inspector. I mean, how did this happen, or what went through for you to make that transition to becoming a home inspector, which is also a great career, and it's still real estate right. Real estate is broad right, so I'm just curious to understand that a little more.
Speaker 2:I think you know, there was a moment in my career where you sit and you think you know, especially at our age. Shucks, I'm going to now have to reinvent myself, right? My peers already know me as a realtor. How do I like? What are people going to think? What are people going to say? What's the interpretation? Are people going to receive me properly or not? What am I going to be up against? Right, A lot of unknowns and so a lot of hesitation. I was one of those.
Speaker 1:Right, no, I was curious.
Speaker 2:And it's valid. And it's valid because there's a lot of preconceived ideas out there. And so I said you know what, I know where my heart is, I know what my ultimate mission is and I'm not looking to continue the career path of a realtor. Okay, my career path is solely to do home inspections and that's what I've been doing. So I merged and I re-transitioned right, I reinvented, you know, because we're all a brand. So I reinvented my brand, so to say, for lack of expression, and that's what I'm doing now, you know. So I'm solely now just doing home inspections.
Speaker 1:I would say that I definitely see you enjoying more being a home inspector than a realtor, so it's very important to do what you love, and it seems like you like you know. Let me know if I'm wrong, but what I see is that you enjoy more.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think you know there's always that expression out there like do what you do, what you feel really brings passion and excitement and fulfillment. Right, and I think that's I found my passion. That's the most important thing.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and you can tell it with all of the clients that we've referred them to you. They always just have tremendously good things to say about you.
Speaker 2:Amen, yeah, yeah, that's awesome.
Speaker 3:Yeah, like I know, there's a recent client that we had who unfortunately the deal didn't go through, but she said she never regretted the inspection because she was so professional about everything and that she would do it all over again Because the fact that you went into the home, into the basement part where there was like a I believe there was like a little hole in the basement where you had to crawl. She said the other inspector that she worked with they wouldn't have done that, but you went in there and actually inspected it yourself.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think that you know when, when folks are buying a home and they they put all their trust in a, in a realtor, right, they're putting the trust in you, as you guys know, to really represent them and really be their guide, be their eyes and ears and guide them even in the absence of light, right, yeah, and the same thing when you guys call in the inspector, like they want to know that that X amount of numbers that they're putting down on a home is worth that investment.
Speaker 2:And so you know, being a realtor in the past and understanding all the struggles that a realtor goes through, understanding the anxiety that the anxiety that they're under when they're buying a home, like I, take all that into account. And so you know when you, when you're explaining these defects, when you're explaining these findings is how you explain it, it's how you go into the conversation, right, but you know, the good thing about things is that it's important to let people know, with a lot of integrity and a lot of honesty, what's going on with the property, so when they leave they have a better understanding of what the property is really like, as opposed to just reading it in a report.
Speaker 3:Exactly. I mean, we had a question here that was basically have you ever felt pressure to overlook the downplay issues during an inspection to facilitate a sale, and how do you handle such situations Right?
Speaker 2:There's a lot of pressure I'm not going to sit here and tell you there isn't. There's a lot of pressure from the selling side, from the buyer side, to get things where they got to go to. But as home inspectors, we don't go in with that mindset. We go in with a very clean, neutral mindset. But the only thing that we hold dear and this is not just me, this is every home inspector out there is our integrity. That's the one thing we hold very dear, because they're trusting us to really look at this inspection without bias.
Speaker 1:You know, I definitely want to share that the reason I feel comfortable with my team for coming to referring new clients because you understand our position as realtors. You understand that the pressure comes to us and when we refer someone right it comes back to us because clients instantly like who you refer us and once we say John Felix, they go to you and it's great that you give them that service, that great service. And you understand our position as realtors, because you was also a realtor and that's why I feel very comfortable working with you and referring you to everyone I come across. Because you understand our position. And then that's huge and more important you give the client the service they deserve.
Speaker 2:Well, I think I was watching your first podcast, your first episode, which, by the way, congratulations on everything that you're doing so far. You made a comment what sets you and your team apart? And it's communication, communication, communication, communication. And I can't stress that further anymore, right, and I think that's very important. And when you have that level of transparent, honest communication very respectfully, because you got to be professional in everything that we do that brings people comfort, right, and I think that's you know how we've been executing a few of these inspections.
Speaker 1:The transparency and communication to us is everything in our team and obviously you're part of it and you do the same thing we do. You give the same service, which is transparency and communication. I make it clear to everyone when you work with us it's transparency and communication and wherever we refer you, we make it clear to everyone that it's also transparency and communication because it comes back to us, because I'm referring you right, so I do appreciate that you always come and give that client a great service and also transparency which is huge, of course.
Speaker 1:Of course.
Speaker 3:I mean when. So let me ask this like when you know how there's new regulations coming into play all the time, coding and all of that, building codes and whatnot how do you keep up to date with all of that To make sure that when you're doing a home inspection, you know what to look out for if there's new things that were implemented?
Speaker 2:Right. So just like any other true profession out there, you know and I'll keep referencing to the realtor profession just to keep it relatable you know you guys are part of an association that kind of keeps you up to speed on current news, new laws that are coming out, and you also take continuing education. Same thing for us, right? So you know we're part of a larger group organization that kind of keeps us in tune with what's going on. And, in addition, you know we have to buy law by state law. Whether it's Connecticut, whether it's New York, we have to have continuing education. So I got to have those credits under my belt in order to, you know, continue my path if this is what I want to do. If you don't, then obviously you get penalized and then there's issues that go along with not doing that.
Speaker 1:So I saw you did a video very recent about laws is changing for sellers Right. Can you tell us a little about that, about that they have to do?
Speaker 3:another disclosure yeah, the property condition disclosure statement.
Speaker 2:So yeah, governor Houttu is changing the dynamics behind that. And so just to kind of sum it up really quickly right now, when you're purchasing a home, the sellers typically give a $500 credit towards the buyer in lieu of disclosing defects in the home Sometimes they know of the defects, sometimes they don't know of the defects but in lieu of having to disclose it I believe it's a $500 credit. You correct me if I'm wrong on that. So now the laws have changed, so that's kind of gone.
Speaker 1:Right. When is the date that it starts? March 20th March, 20th, right it starts that sellers have to do now a disclosure, property disclosure, letting everyone know exactly what are the detailed defects for the property, and did so.
Speaker 2:So I think one of the biggest things in this disclosure is that you have to disclose if there's been any flooding in the property, right, whether it's through your basement, whether it's through the roof, so that has to be more transparent. And then, obviously, there's other things that go with the electrical issues, things that you really know are wrong with the house. There's a whole questionnaire. I don't have a copy of it.
Speaker 1:It's about 50, 55 questions.
Speaker 2:I was told on my.
Speaker 1:Reddit and so so let's prepare yourself. We have to do home inspections now, prior to listing your property.
Speaker 2:I want to correct that. So it's not required.
Speaker 1:It's not required, but I recommend.
Speaker 2:I wish it for our world. It was. But it's not required to do a home inspection in order to list. We want to be very clear with that right, because I don't want to put the wrong information out there. But it's highly recommended that you do a home inspection because now you're pretty much having to fill out this form and sign it.
Speaker 1:It's somewhat liable.
Speaker 2:Right, and so, yeah, exactly. And so now you're on the hook for saying, hey, this is what I'm disclosing the issues to be, but if you miss them, then what Right? So until that really rolls out and starts playing out the attorneys, I obviously play a huge role in this and making sure that this disclosure statement is filled out properly, in conjunction with the realtor and, obviously, the sellers. But yeah, listen, if you're selling a home, get a home a pre listing home inspection done. Understand the conditions of your home before you buy sellers Now you know buyers if you're buying a home, don't skip the inspection because there's a pre listing inspection done. Get it done anyway. Get your own fear assessment, do your due diligence. Understand the home. When I saw people.
Speaker 1:Waving inspection was when the rates went down tremendously. Like 2.5 people were, everybody was just waving.
Speaker 1:Oh, everybody was because everybody with the bidding was just ridiculous, right. So good thing is that I have barely see it nowadays. Also, I always recommend. I told my team we always have to recommend them to do inspection. Why? Because once we saw you guys the house right, you are gonna find issues with the house, right. But I prefer you to know what you're walking into. I would say that I want everybody to know what they're walking into. So it's very important for me for everybody to do a home inspection before purchasing, especially your first time buyer. You don't have the experience, right. It could be costly, it could be expensive, right. And it's always good to do an inspection right. Because when inspections come in, you know me and my team, we're very aggressive. I'm getting you guys a great amount of credit so you can fix the issue. So it's good for you to know, but without an inspection report, I cannot negotiate it, right? So it's very important for you to always do an inspection.
Speaker 3:I'm trying to make that clear. Even when it's being sold, as is sometimes, you still want to do the inspection, just to have that information available to you. So once you purchase the home, you already have a head start on what to do on the home if it needs any tinkering or anything like that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you know what's interesting. You know they hear you guys say that often times and I mean often we do home. You know inspectors do inspections and I'll speak in my case, in case there's any a home inspectors watching. That Would disagree, but I think you will agree with me a hundred percent of this. We do inspection and very rarely is very seldom that we hear the negotiation part of it, like you were able to save your client X amount on a credit or you were able to negotiate a repair. You know, very seldom do we hear that outcome. Not that we need to hear it, because we're already off the the transaction in a way by that part, but sometimes it's good to know that our efforts Are really impacted the the sale in a positive way for the buyer, right yeah.
Speaker 1:I do want to add this, which is huge. You know, when you do an inspection run, you get the inspection report. You have two options. You have the option of asking requesting from the seller to fix it, do the repairs or ask for a credit. I highly always recommend to ask for a credit. Why? Because you don't want the seller to do the repair. Everyone's gonna find the easy way, cheap way, route right. We have witness in closings that we request the seller to do the work and what happens? The seller goes through the cheap route right. And guess what happens? Another chaos starts at the closing right.
Speaker 1:But me, I always ask for credit and I usually go for a high credit for it just so it could be fair. Because now Labor is very expensive. You know these contractors are very expensive, the materials have gone out tremendously. So always request a very fair for both sides, right, because you got to be fair for both sides of a credit amount. So then the buyer when they buy the house, they know exactly what to repair, they know exactly how much it will cost, because I also will get them a contractor and get an opinion from Felix and also from a Contract as well, to see how much it will be, an estimate based on your report, of course, right. So I always recommend guys get a credit when you, if you guys, are in that position of negotiating right, most sellers are selling as this but if they give you that position to negotiate, always request a credit. Do not, in my opinion, do not ask the seller to do the repair. That's my opinion.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think it's also good to note that that negotiation phase is not on the home inspector.
Speaker 1:I'm happy to mention that to engage right?
Speaker 2:I don't think it's. It's an art in our interest to Put that vibe out to anyone to say, hey, you know what, instead of getting a repair, get a credit. Instead of getting a repair, get a. Yeah, I'm sorry it's not getting a credit, get a repair. I think that's something with you. I think that's a, that's a street, that's an avenue that I don't turn into right, that I leave to you because you're the professional in that respect. Yeah, I'm with you, I'm, everyone has their lane.
Speaker 3:Like you don't need the legal issues to your realtor, you leave it to the exactly being the financing to the realtor, you leave it to the mortgage. Yep, you don't leave your opinion about the home to the realtor either. You leave it to the home inspector.
Speaker 3:Everyone has a little point and you have to, you have to know who to ask these questions to. Yes, and also. So, felix, you've done so many home inspections, right. I was wondering, do you have some that stood out, that were a little bit Like bizarre or you know, just stood out to you the most?
Speaker 2:Yeah, well, you know what?
Speaker 1:you want at least you see.
Speaker 2:You see things and you experience others that are you know, Interesting in a sense. You know I was doing an inspection one day. You know single-family house and I can tell the house was elevated, Indicative that there's a crawl space is what I'm trying to get to. But there was no access to the crawl space.
Speaker 3:So people who don't know what a crawl space is. Can you explain that?
Speaker 2:A crawl space is literally just that. It's a space between the grading of the home and when the home begins. Right, it's just a little like a space below the house. Typically is all dirt. It's never really a finished floor. In some cases, depending geographically where you sit, it may house your boiler and your water heater. In most cases it doesn't. It just keeps the pipes underneath the house there and that's. That's a crawl space.
Speaker 2:So I couldn't get access to this crawl space for the life of me. There was just no entry point on any of the four corners. So I'm inside the house, I'm in the living room we're talking. There's a nice big area rug and as I'm stepping on it I hear a little creaking sound. So obviously, if I go into a home and I see an area rug, I lift my area rugs just to make sure I see the condition of the floor, because I'm looking for wear and tear, I'm looking for holes, but this is a very specific creek. So when I lift the carpet and I look, there's a trap door, it's like a hatch and the hatch opens up through the ground. Right in the middle of the living room is the. It's the most interesting thing. So the buyers like freaking out.
Speaker 2:Her anxiety levels were through the roof at this point. She didn't know about it. Yeah, she didn't know about it because it was covered. It was covered and they had a table on it, yeah, but I didn't move the table. Then the seller was there. He moved the table. I get down there and there's the crawl space. But what was in the crawl space? It was interesting, so forget the part that it's in the middle of the living room. It's what's in it a lot of um, raccoons and Squirrels coexisting in the space. Do you get it into?
Speaker 2:Oh, well, look at the end of the day I got to practice safety first right.
Speaker 1:So if I feel my life is in danger. I'm not going how many that you face at once.
Speaker 2:I I faced a couple of raccoons in my time, you know, in garages and crawl spaces.
Speaker 1:So um, you know I immediately closed the hatch.
Speaker 2:I didn't go in there Um, I documented the findings and I recommended that we get an exterminator there ASAP.
Speaker 1:How many raccoons do you count it? You see, how many eyes you saw there. I counted at least six. Jesus.
Speaker 3:Eyes, six eyes Right did you take photos of the raccoons to put it on?
Speaker 2:the board.
Speaker 1:I honestly I didn't want to take a chance, so I kind of just closed the hatch and I'm curious to know what the solid said to you when you discover this, because I'm pretty sure you did it shock right shock and all right.
Speaker 2:Oh my gosh, I didn't know.
Speaker 1:You know what typical seller.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so you know what else can I say? My job is not to sit there and engage dialogue. My job is to sit down, report the findings and and make the best the buyer still by the house. Byrd did still buy the house.
Speaker 1:Oh my god, with the recoolings.
Speaker 2:Yeah, without the recoolings Relocated to another part of the state or wherever they put them, but yeah, they were removed by a licensed exterminator and then the space was cleaned out a little bit.
Speaker 1:That's good, yeah, the sellers did right.
Speaker 2:The sellers did right.
Speaker 1:That's good.
Speaker 2:They just didn't know that they had tenants that were living there without paying rent.
Speaker 3:Right, it had to be delivered fully vacant, fully vacant.
Speaker 1:Has squad is there tenant rights has waters there.
Speaker 3:Oh interesting, yeah. Well, activists are gonna be after you, yeah.
Speaker 1:I'm curious about something you know when you got to do a home inspection, what is? I know everything's important when you're purchasing a home, right, what is like what would you say it's like the most important thing that you need to really inspect when you're purchasing, like one thing that you will say it's like they all important. But I really want to know one thing that you think is more important than everything.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think for me, I can't just I, I isolated to just one thing Okay, being seen the things that I've seen. So I think that if I, if I had to spitball a couple, I would say your foundation make sure your foundation is in good shape.
Speaker 2:That you know, because that's the foundation that's was holding the home. You want to make sure that the elements are staying out. You don't want water fluttering inside the home Through the walls, through cracks, through windows. The other thing is your roof, and you can show your roof is in good condition, okay. And then you're electrical, right. I think electrical to me is a very important, delicate thing, and if you play with electrical the wrong way, it could give you a big surprise. And then obviously, you're plumbing right after that. Plumbing to me is very important because these are things that we use on a daily, right. We use like switches every day to see and move around the house. We use plumbing all day long, right, kitchens, bathrooms. And then your roof, that's your safe haven, that's what's keeping you dry, and then your foundation, that's what's keeping the house up.
Speaker 1:So you think is the the basement is very important, then basement is a very Returning and issues that yeah, it tells a lot of.
Speaker 2:it tells a lot about the home.
Speaker 3:Absolutely, I'm a hundred percent Gotcha 100% Really good like we're on a clutch right and in your experience, what are the most common issues found in older homes compared to new constructions?
Speaker 2:compared to new constructions. Older homes Subtle, right once you put a house on a piece of terrain, throughout time it just settles. So you get, you know, some, some noticeable settlement on a home. You know some of that comes with minor cracks. Some are horizontal, some of them are vertical. One is a lot worse than the other, but that's another conversation. New homes you just got to watch out for the materials that we're using and making sure that they they met code when they were building it. You know they didn't cut any corners or that they used the proper plumbing fittings. You know proper size. You know pipes, you know, versus a half inch to two inch or three inch on a drainage, those are really important. And then also you know making sure that the older home, you know you look for signs of termites, depending on where you are. Also, you know that's another thing that we look for is termites. Termites, yeah, you know wood destroying insects?
Speaker 1:What is termites? Exactly the ones that understand what termites are and what termites do the termites are Just that.
Speaker 2:They're like little insects that eat wood. Wow. So they kind of go, they find a wood source and that's how they feed. You know. They normally leave traces wherever they go. They leave traces, you know, and they do cause a lot of damage. It's important because sometimes they affect the foundation of the home.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I actually bought a property about two, three years ago and Termites destroy all the put, all the beams. Yes, the house was literally slanted and the only thing that was holding the house that I bought was a two-house because it was attached from both sides, right. So, termites, if you guys did take termites, definitely give the service instantly, because termites are serious. They will destroy the beams, the most important things in your house, with those beams, right to the house, won't you know, collapse right.
Speaker 1:So termites are huge guys. I just don't know that's the reason I pointed it out, because it's huge. Right, because I bought a house and I'm telling I was worried. I had my contract that instantly put brand new beams Also I got also Turn my service to right. So it's serious guys. Termites are serious.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think also some, some banks when they're giving home buyers a loan, mm-hmm, I think that's one of the. The caveats to the loan is ensuring that there's no termite damage or active Termite activity in the home. So that's something that we look for when we're doing these, these inspections. But obviously, make sure your home inspector is licensed with the state to perform actual termite inspections, right? Not?
Speaker 1:so you are licensed to do that.
Speaker 2:Yes, sir.
Speaker 1:Oh, interesting, I did not know that, or something you are learning.
Speaker 2:Yes, sir, yeah, so we do termites, we do water testing. So if you have a System of a well well water, okay, so test the water quality, whether it's municipal or well. We provide the service as well. Well the service. You guys provide a thermal Imaging. So if you want, to see.
Speaker 1:What is that exactly?
Speaker 2:so we use a thermal camera to check, for you know, energy loss and also for you know, humidity and moisture. Hi, yeah, kind of scans the walls to tell us what are the wet spots or the human spots, changes in temperature. It's good for electrical assessing HVAC systems and then you rule.
Speaker 1:Fossil question John and raid on right and raid on absolutely. I remember that one, yeah, right on John question.
Speaker 3:Back to the termite thing. You said that we leave traces. What are those traces look like?
Speaker 2:Right. So what are the traces? The most common trace is what's called the mud tube, right? It's a little trail of literally what looks like a little Tunnel on the exterior portion of the wood. That's crazy, right, because you'll travel either. Typically, they'd like to travel in the dark of night, where you don't see them, but sometimes it's not that easy for them. So they'll travel and create a mud tube and then travel through that mud tube to their destination, where they're gonna feast and have a party in that wood?
Speaker 1:and what season will you say they're more active? The termites?
Speaker 2:in the summer, in the warmer months.
Speaker 2:Interesting summer but usually they're like a humid, moist areas that really cause their attention. So they usually start in the basement, they usually start outside and then they come into the base and then they kind of travel on the knees to ground. That's why, if you look at some homes that get serviced by an exterminator for termite Treatment, they'll put base stations on the exterior of the home Right and then once that base station has activity, they know okay, this is the area where they're coming from, this is the entry point, we have activity here and then gotcha, yeah, nice, these guys are. These guys are bombarding me with questions. I love it.
Speaker 1:The reality is that we just trying to get as much out there for our public of course. So we want to, you know, get them as much information out there.
Speaker 3:No, this is good so. Yeah, I mean, can you? This is one that is more tailored to maybe a lender as well. So the question is what makes a home uninsurable by homeowner's insurance? I'm not sure that you would know that, or perhaps you do right.
Speaker 2:so what makes a home uninsurable? Yeah okay, a bad roof. A bad roof, I'm told, makes a home uninsurable. Now I can't tell you that with specifics because I'm not the home insurance Correct Right, that's a whole different world.
Speaker 1:It's more like the house has to be livable, right.
Speaker 2:So what the insurance wants to ensure is that the home is habitable, right. That the roof is not going to fall apart on you, that it's not going to rain on you, that the foundation is in good condition, it's not going to collapse, that the electrical system is not posing a potential fire hazard and that the house is not going to back up and flood through drain systems, right? So once you cover those areas and a couple more that I just didn't mention, I think that your home will qualify for proper insurance. If not, you may be spoken to in regards to maybe adding some type of other liability coverage.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I have a question for you, John. What advice do you have for those young crowds that coming up, soft broncs, the broncs, those young kids? What advice would you give them as a being an entrepreneur, being a successful inspector? What advice would you give them For their future goals or for anything they want to accomplish? What advice would you give them Coming from the areas that we came from? We came from the soft broncs.
Speaker 1:I didn't know you was from the soft broncs, so that's cool. So what advice would you give that crowd to uplift them?
Speaker 2:Yeah, the only advice I would really give people and I think you might have heard, this is like a new trending advice is show up, right. Show up, be present. Be present, but also sit in the audience and applaud. What do I mean by that? Sitting your audience and applaud? Look at what you guys are doing, right, the growth that you guys are having and helping communities. So by me saying, show up and sit in the crowd and applaud, it's really empower your community, right. Empower your community, take an active part, really support those around you and your peers, because you're going to learn from that. You're going to learn a lot from what other people are doing. Sometimes you don't have to reinvent the wheel. Sometimes you could just really learn by surrounding yourself around good people and then show up and just be the best at whatever it is that you're doing and commit. These days where you're going to want to give up, just commit, keep showing up, keep doing what you're doing and then just stick to it.
Speaker 2:So one thing about me one thing I didn't tell you go ahead, I'm sorry is that when I was in the military, there were days where I just wanted to give up, because going in, you just don't know if you got it, and so one of the things that I learned while serving the Air Force was it's just, you got to push through. It's all about mental discipline. You serve Air Force, yeah, I serve the US Air Force, yes, so it's just pushing through, Thank you thanks so much.
Speaker 2:You're welcome. It's just pushing through and just really committing to what your goal is, because there is light at the end of the tunnel. You just got to keep pushing through.
Speaker 1:So I just want to give my respect to everyone that's serving our country. My brother's one of them. He's in the Army, so my respect to him and thank you for serving our country. I deeply appreciate it. It's an honor. I'm happy that you served our country. Thank you so much. So one thing about me, guys. I love to share motivational quotes. So I just want to share one really quick with you guys. All right, the future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dream. By Eleanor Roosevelt.
Speaker 2:That's a good one. That's a really good one. That's a really good one. You have to believe your dreams and you have to believe in the beauty of your dream.
Speaker 1:You have to enjoy the ride Right. Enjoy the process. I always say to my team and everyone around me the process is the best. That process was going to build you, so always enjoy the process, and I'm very huge about that. I love when things happen, when you go through obstacle in the business. That's the best feeling ever. I tell my wife all the time enjoy it. Smile. Why? Because you're building yourself so strong that you're ready for anything that comes your way. And guess what? What happens at the end of it? You're going to give everyone and your clients the best service because your experience is going to take control of everything Right on. So, guys, thank you so much for joining our Apocas. Our second podcast was Suit Up with Bias podcast. Stay tuned for our next interviewer, which is going to be great. And stay tuned, guys.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and guys, please comment, like and subscribe if you like the video.
Speaker 2:Thank, you guys, thank you so much.
Speaker 3:And thank you John.
Speaker 2:No worries, thank you for having me.
Speaker 3:Woo-hoo.