Category Archives: Maintenance

Take the Chill out of Old Windows

Posted on December 12, 2011 by welmoed

We live in an old house. Now, old is relative, but in our part of the country (Maryland suburbs) anything built before the housing explosion in the early 1990s is considered pretty old. Our house was built in 1942 and … Continue reading →

Posted in Do It Yourself, Maintenance | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Condominium Home Inspection: Don’t skip it!

Posted on November 1, 2011 by welmoed

You might not think that a Home Inspection is necessary when purchasing a condominium. After all, condo owners don’t have to worry about fixing or maintaining the exterior, so why get an inspection? What could go wrong in such a … Continue reading →

Posted in Inspection Tales, Maintenance | Tagged , | Leave a comment

What is “Cosmetic” damage?

Posted on September 26, 2011 by welmoed

Most people hire a home inspector to find the large ticket issues that may be lurking in a home, and to assure themselves that some of the other issues they are seeing are not significant, but possibly just cosmetic. So … Continue reading →

Posted in Inspection Tales, Maintenance | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Upgrades: Which makes most sense?

Posted on August 2, 2011 by welmoed

Which is a more cost-effective upgrade: a new furnace or new windows? Would you believe… neither? Calculating the cost savings for replacing either an HVAC unit or windows can be tricky, but it’s worth doing the math to make sure … Continue reading →

Posted in Inspection Tales, Maintenance | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Do you really want to win a war this way?

Posted on June 29, 2011 by welmoed

“Real Estate bidding wars are back in parts of D.C. area” That was the headline in last week’s Real Estate section of the Washington Post. To a Home Inspector, that is a very scary prospect: people engaged in bidding wars … Continue reading →

Posted in Common Sense, Inspection Tales, Maintenance | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment