Home Inspector: How much do they really know?

Home Inspector: How much do they really know?

When you are buying a home, you want to make sure you're not getting a lemon. Your Home Inspector is the one person on your Real Estate team that has the knowledge you need at a critical time. A home is comprised of many complex components and your Home Inspector is trained to look for things that the average person (even your brother-in-law, who is a contractor) may not consider. Your home is most likely the largest purchase you will make, so make it the best decision of your life. You and your family will appreciate it later. When you hire a Home Inspector, you want to make sure they are experienced. Now, in most States it is required that a Home Inspector be licensed. When a Home Inspector is licensed, it means that they have gone through rigorous course study and training. A licensed Home Inspector is also required to have many apprenticed Home Inspections under their belt prior to earning their license. This is an area in the real estate industry that has been carefully regulated, and for good reason. Your Home Inspector will cover the following areas during a home inspection: grading, driveways, sidewalks, exterior, decks, porches, foundation, structure, doors, windows, insulation, ventilation, heating system, cooling system, plumbing, electrical, gas service, flooring, roof, attic, basement, crawlspace and interior. The cost of an average home inspection is relatively inexpensive when considering the amount of knowledge and time your Home Inspector has in the area of houses and the components they contain. You get all that knowledge to yourself for a day. Wow, and you didn't even have to crack open a book. Take advantage of what your Home Inspector has to offer. They are there to help you.

Dan Wos
Home Inspector 
House Detective Inc.
1-888-692-2711

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Hövding-revolutionizing the bike helmet market

: : For months now Iz and I have been talking about ideas for creative marketing strategies that would be aimed at convincing more people to wear bike helmets. Why people don't wear bike helmets I can't understand. A simple solution that will save your life one day. Let's just say it's a very unwise decision not to wear a helmet, one of the worst decisions you can make in your life.

Then today I get some great news from my Swedish friend Tina. A couple of her  classmates from the Design program at Lunds University, Sweden have been working on developing a new bike helmet which started as their thesis project while in school. Today,  6 years later they are launching their bike helmet, .Hövding.,  which looks like a collar and functions like an airbag for your head. A brilliant invention! Watch the video on their website to see how it works. Not only will it save your life, but it's a style statement as well, with interchangeable sleeves to match your outfit. Check out their available styles.

Congrats to the .Hövding. team, a great accomplishment! Let's hope this is the solution or at least the direction for the solution of this age old problem.

PLEASE WEAR AND ENCOURAGE THE ONES YOU LOVE TO WEAR A BIKE HELMET!

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This is Sweden to me...

: : Dreaming back to the most amazing summer vacation in Sweden ever this summer!! I miss Sweden so much some days!

Here are some photos from two of my favorite Swedish photo blogs that truly capture Sweden and "Swedishness" to me.

Sandra Juto
Hilda Grahnat- Forever is Today

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Geometry and color

: : Okay, more inspiration, really inspired by .Charis Tsevis. work (via .ShareSomeCandy.). Beautiful and detailed work! Love the colors and use of geometrical triangle shapes!

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Patterns in the making.....

: : I am going to be focusing on creating more patterns in the coming weeks and hopefully get an etsy shop up and running. I'm also participating in a Holiday Bazaar with some other very talented ladies on Dec 5th in Brookline, MA. So pencil in the date and keep your eyes out for more updates.

So at the moment, I'm trying to gather as much inspiration as I can. I like what .Patrick Hruby. is drawing (via .ShareSomeCandy.)

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Mila's Daydreams

: : One of my best friends (and probably one of red.house most frequent readers) is having a baby in a few weeks. She sent over this amazing and creative blog the other day. .Mila's daydreams. started by a mom on maternity leave who decided to get creative while her little daughter was napping. It's absolutely genius! She can do amazing things with blankets, fabric and stuffed animals. See more of what Mila is dreaming about.

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Mushroom picking +Sweet Paul

: : mushroom picking is a big "sport" in my family. I say sport because it's about competition. Each family has their own "secret" mushroom picking place in the woods surrounding our Swedish summerhouse. Mushroom picking is something I associate with late summer in Sweden. On rainy days when the weather doesn't allow us to sun tan on the dock or take the kayak out, we head to the woods looking for "gold". Gold to us is chantarelles (kantareller). It's our favorite mushroom, lightly seared in some butter and salt on a piece of bread it's the perfect evening snack. The photo at the top is proof of what a great mushroom year it was this year! And my parents picked another heap of mushrooms just this past weekend.

.Sweet Paul. has a fall issue out (2nd issue) of their new online magazine. Their recipe for creamy mushroom soup and mushroom risotto (photos above) sound delicious. So, if you haven't tried mushroom picking yet I would recommend you to, but make sure you know which mushrooms to pick and which NOT to pick.

happy hunting!

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Recieve a Head Start and Begin Preparing for Winter Now!

Recieve a head start and begin preparing for winter now!

Home Inspection tips to prepare For winter

By: House Detective Inc. Home Inspections and Appraisals



Tempetures are beginning to drop and it is important to make sure your home is weatherized to keep you comfortable and your energy bills down. Here are some highlighted home inspection tips to check out before it gets too cold.
I know, I know - the fall season has just begun. However, now is the time to get your home ready for winter. Winter can be brutal regardless of where you live in the county. Here are just a few small home inspection tips to keep you warm and safe.

Home Inspection Winter Checklist

1. Have your heating system checked now. Have a professional perform a maintenance routine on your system to make sure it is running in top condition.

2. Change your air filters throughout the house. This should be done in regular intervals throughout the year. Fall is a good time to check them.

3. Have a professional chimney sweeper perform routine maintenance and have your chimney cleaned.

4. Replace the warm weather screens with storm windows. This will add another layer of insulation during the cold months.

5. Check all the windows and doors. Make sure they are working properly and have tight seals.

6. Check the plumbing fixtures. Make sure there are no gaps between the fixture and the wall.

7. Clean out the gutters and downspouts. This will prevent excess build up.

8. Check under the house plumbing. If you have a crawl space make sure there is adequate insulation.

9. Check the attic space. Be sure there is no insulation covering the vents

10. If you have ceiling fans, reverse their direction for winter months.

For all your Home Inspection needs contact House Detective

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