Home Inspections in Huntington BeachMichael Sedillo Property Inspections provides home inspections in Anaheim, Santa Ana, Huntington Beach, Mission Viejo, San Clemente & Surrounding cities & areas. Email Your Home Inspector or Call 949-728-8292

Inspecting Flippers

I come across a lot of flippers and there are some differences in them that are worth noting. First of all, they are usually freshly painted inside and out. Now it's not always true that they painted them to hide stuff, like water stains from leaks, but that is a possibility. 

Whether or not the home is a flipper or not I ALWAYS look carefully at plumbing under sinks, behind refrigerators, laundry plumbing, toilet plumbing, and water purification equipment. I also run dishwashers and I check the flexible tubing under the sink and I check the air-gap device plumbing for leakage.

Many of the flipper daddies specialize in the application of lipstick. They install new cabinets and counter tops, new doors and door casings and new base floor moldings along with new floors. They paint with the latest fashionable colors and install new white electrical outlets and light switches. This is the first stuff you see when you walk into a house and it's sure to make a good first impression that lasts. 

One of the most telling areas to spot a "blow-n-go" flipper is to look in the attic. Flippers like to add can lights and when they use a real (licensed) electrician, it shows immediately in how they leave the attic when they're done. If he strings the Romex wiring like Christmas tree lighting, you know he's just a handyman who thinks he's an electrician. Licensed electricians put connections into junction boxes and fasten wiring to framing in an orderly fashion.

And if a flipper is more that a cosmetologist he'll also update the electrical panel if needed and the plumbing where you can't see it knowing that a good thorough home inspector will discover these items when he looks a little closer and finds corroded angle stop valves and deteriorated galvanized plumbing under the house.

That's why it's smart use an inspector that is also a general contractor. A GC will see the telltale signs almost immediately.

Homes in southern California are expensive. Why use a bargain priced inspector to inspect a house your spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on? You're buying a house for $400k to $900k or more and your using a $200 inspector? One item that a good inspector discovers can save you $1000 or $5000 easily, even more on many issues.

I'm like you and I want to save money too. I shop extensively when I buy products and services but I don't shop for experts that are cheap because there is no such thing as a cheap expert. Look for an expert when you shop for home inspector.

Call me for your next inspection. I will save you money by helping you buy smarter.

Comments

Inspecting Pools

The fact that I am a Licensed Contractor and also having done a lot of construction defects consulting I am aware of the liabilities of being in the inspection business. That's why when I inspect a home with a pool I bring along a licensed pool contractor. Ken, the pool contractor I bring, knows pools and he's able to look at the sometimes intricate plumbing and electrical on pool equipment and spot irregularities and defects. He inspects the equipment and I document and photograph the areas of concern. I then incorporate these findings into my inspection report. A home buyer can easily hire a pool inspector but they will usually charge $100 or $200 more because they will get overly technical and write a several page report of their findings which will include a lot of technical data which I don't think you need. Most people who are buying a home with a pool just want to know if the heater works, does it have any leaks in the structure, is the wiring ok and are there any unsafe conditions that would be dangerous. The rest of it is a visual thing. If the pool is old and crummy looking that will be obvious.

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