Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, May 5, 1990                   TAG: 9005080099
SECTION: AMERICAN HOME WEEK                    PAGE: AH16   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: SARAH COX
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Long

A HOME INSPECTION HELPS PINPOINT PROBLEMS

But no one has to go through this. Not if some common sense techniques are applied. For those home buyers well-versed in plumbing, electrical and appliance operations, many of these inspections can be dealt with in person. Gail Browning of Lemon and Lambdon Realtors advises the following:

Try all electrical outlets to make sure they work;

Try all light switches;

Turn on all the water - is there rust in the pipes?

Test the water pressure - turn all all the showers and baths;

Test all the plumbing - make sure the commodes are functioning properly and the drains are working well; make sure the sewage lines going to the street are clear;

Be sure to locate the main turn-off valve for the water;

Check all the appliances that come with the house - test the stove burners and oven;

Open and close all windows - "if they can be opened; sometimes they're painted shut";

Check the door locks to make sure they're functioning properly; ask who has extra keys to the house;

Ask to look at past utility bills: is this house well-insulated?

Check insulation in the attic; ask about wall insulation.

Turn on the heat and air conditioner; "Go to the vents and actually feel to make sure heat is coming out";

If anything is missing - interior doors, window screens or storm windows - make sure it is still available;

Check the basement - "if you walk in the basement and see the foundation crumbling, you need to check that";

Nothing is out of line to ask, said Browning, but she strongly cautions against first-time home buyers tackling a home inspection by themselves. "Most of us now ask a buyer if he wants a home inspection," she said. And that is a professionally-executed, thorough examination of a home and costs between $200 and $300 dollars.

Often there is a clause in the contract, specifying that the heating, air conditioning, plumbing, electricity and appliances are in working order at the time of closing, said Haywood Fralin, legal council for the Roanoke Valley Board of REALTORS.

"The law in Virginia is quite tough for buyers - if you buy a used house and sign a contract, you buy it as is and the price is a reflection of the condition," he said.

Dick Hylton, who owns Home Inspections Inc., said he's been in the home inspection business for six or seven years, having come from an architecture background. He started his home inspections as a side business, but "it got to be a case of the tail wagging the dog," he said, and he went into it full time.

According to Hylton, homes that are selling for under $40,000 aren't usually inspected , but from there on up - and not just for first time home buyers - most are having it done these days. David Bromm of Progress-Rush Co., a Realtor, advises home inspections no matter what the cost of the home.

"Sometimes I've inspected a house three or four times," said Hylton, explaining that anything can happen to a home during a couple of years. "I'm more concerned with safety - the heating or electrical system. A chimney can get stopped up and carbon monoxide can get into a house. A lot more people in the United States die of carbon monoxide poisoning than radon poisoning."

He is doing more and more radon and asbestos tests, but "we cannot catch everything that may have asbestos."

The charge to test for asbestos is minimal, considering the outcome - $50. For radon, because he has to leave a cannister in the home for three or four days, he will charge about $60 is he's already inspecting the home, and $100 if it's a separate job. These are tests a home buyer usually cannot execute themselves.

Hylton has a complete check list, but with an eye for safety: plumbing, heating, electrical, air conditioning, structure, foundation, walls, roof and all appliances. The cost, which starts at $200, varies according to the age of the house rather than its size. "It takes more time - a lot more things have happened to the house."

He advises home buyers to check air conditioning filters and compressors. "I try to tell people the normal life of an air conditioner is 12 to 15 years - and less with a heat pump. If people take care of their equipment it'll last longer."

He said the outdoor compressors often attract pets, and can be clogged up with animal air, etc. He also said to check the area around the compressor - is it weed-free so it can get plenty of air?

If a home is on a well-water system, the water should be checked, as well as the septic system. "Those septic tanks ought to be checked every three or four years - the sludge can overflow."

He said that home buyers often concern themselves with whether appliances work - and they should - but more important is the safety of the home. "A lot are buying warranties on the equipment in the houses. It's a good idea, but even if you have a warranty, nobody's checking for safety. They're just betting it won't break down in a year's time."

He has found homes with complete electrical systems that were ungrounded. In one home, where the builder had put no ventilation in its attic, the moisture and condensation had destroyed the plywood on the roof. All the shingles had to be taken off and the plywood replaced. To the tune of $10,000. "I saw it; I took pictures of it. Everything in that attic was sopping wet. The same thing can happen in crawl spaces."

Hylton said that ventilation is not only a good idea for dryness, but to keep a house radon-free. "Believe me, it's there. People worry about a leaky roof or a trickle in the basement. But they don't worry about carbon monoxide."

Bromm added some words of caution about home inspection estimates. Before letting the first estimate scare a home buyer off, "you might want to get a second opinion from a subcontractor. Estimates for repairs are sometimes high."