Photo credit: Element Construction

So you listed your home for sale and received a fair offer – great. But now it’s time to book all the inspections and hopefully pass with flying colors. And, with any luck, the buyer’s offer will align with the value on the appraisal report.

I wish it could be that easy. List your home, get your asking price, appraisal comes back perfect, and the inspection reports come back with an A+. But, in the real world it usually doesn’t turn out this way and discoveries made during the inspection process could cost you the sale or delay the escrow period.

The Inspections

• Chimney inspection
• Pest inspection
• Roof inspection
• General inspection

A chimney inspection can reveal cracks that need repairing or something as small as adding or replacing a chimney cap or screen.

Pest inspections can reveal termite damage, dry rot and mold. If your home has any of these issues, you can expect to pay thousands in repair costs and perhaps need a $2,000 to $3,000 fumigation tent. You could lose your buyer over any of these issues for fear of future problems.

Roof inspections will reveal damage from water, missing shingles, or it could suggest you replace the entire roof. Depending on the materials you use, a roof replacement can run between $10,000 (very low end) to $30,000 on a typical 1,600 square foot home.

General inspections are where tons of little things add up to cost a small fortune, especially if you’ve had work done without a permit. I recently bought a home and the repair work on the general inspection report came out to $3,500. The fence needed new posts, all the electrical wiring was reversed, there were areas of exposed exterior wiring, etc. In total, the seller’s out-of-pocket expense for all the repairs came to $10,300. That’s a chunk of change. (more…)

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We love them. We hate them. At one time or another we all think we can do their job, but the truth of the matter is, if it weren’t for contractors we’d still be living in huts or tents.

The contractor is a different sort of breed than most of us and I can say this with authority, having lived with one (married one, bred with one, etc.) for the past 17 years. There are many things that contractors do that leave the rest of us just dumbstruck and sometimes annoyed. Personal digs aside, here are 10 things that top the annoying list of contractor habits:

1. Not having the ability to purchase the proper size pants. This particularly applies to plumbing contractors, hence the loving term “Plumber’s Crack” – it ain’t pretty and there’s not much you can do about it except steer clear. In fact, it may just be their very clever ploy to keep customers from interrupting their progress until the job is through and their standing erect.
2. Not showing up on any particular day. It happens, one day he’s there plugging along and the next – nothing. A good contractor will be in touch, though, to let you know if he won’t be there for a day or so. Typically the reasons for not showing up that are acceptable will include bad weather (for outdoor jobs), need to shop for supplies/materials, have another customer with an emergency or multiple customers that the contractor is splitting time between — although this should be admitted to the customer up front.


Photo credit: Redfin blog

3. Leaving a mess. It’s one thing when a contractor leaves a mess around MY house (after 17 years I’m pretty much used to it), but it’s another thing when you pay them and they leave a mess around YOUR house. A quality contractor should always clean up after themselves, be it from his lunch break or from your home improvement project.

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Art.com says they have the best wall decor to complete your space and achieve your design vision, and that certainly appears to be the case. I’m delighted to have discovered this resource, and sharing it with you completes the fun.

They offer a rich and diverse group of collections from both famous and emerging artists, and you’ll find high-quality prints of the works of classic masters, contemporary originals, and children’s art — just to name a few categories.

This English classic, The Apple Gatherers, by Frederick Morgan, is so summery! It’s available as a Giclee print. The Giclee printing process delivers a fine stream of ink resulting in vivid, pure color and exceptional detail. This print is produced on acid-free, watercolor textured paper.

Here’s an aspect of Art.com’s offerings really rang my bell: They have a team of professionals who specialize in anticipating trends, knowing the current — and next — season’s color palettes, and what the latest decorating trends are, too. (more…)

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