Rick Bunzel

Wow they still make Filemaker Pro? I am currently using 3D which includes a client DB, reporting, merge capability (create contracts) and scheduling (which I don't use). I am looking at moving away from 3D, so looking at small business DB apps etc. I thought I would cast the net to other HI's to see what they are using. I will settle for dominating the Pacific NW. If healthcare comes with world domination then I may aim for that! //Rick

I am considering moving over to HIP from 3D. One of the components that HIP is missing is the client / office manager. HIP encourages users to use Inspector Support Network (ISN). But ISN charges $4 per client entry. The first price break is at 50 entries (in a month) so with my current forecast is going to cost me $1,000 plus a year. I am looking at alternatives and wonder what other inspectors are using to track clients and reports? //Rick

Steve, I hear what your saying but if that's the case then where is ASHI on CO Alarms? Only 25 states now require CO alarms. What are we doing about the other 25 plus possesions (PR and Guam)? Hundreds of people are sickened or killed each year and the cost of installation is less than $40. Maybe ASHI should be pushing for residential sprinkler systems. There were 362,100 residential building fires in 2010 and lots of deaths. Sprinkler would have saved most of those people.... My point is we should stick with our core competencies and not stepping into a controversy that has been going on for many years. //Rick

As a home inspector I don't think about standards as often as I should. Henry Ford should get some of the credit for standards. Prior to standardized manufacturing everything had to be custom made by hand. If your steam boiler broke you had to go to the blacksmith to get a new part made. Today we take the part to the corner hardware store and pick out a new one knowing the sizes are standard. * Have you ever stopped to wonder why you can use your bank card almost anywhere in the world? * Buy an electric appliance and know that it will work when you plug it into a outlet. * Buy a DVD and it will play at home? * Or the packaged food you eat is fresh and safe? As home inspectors we are surrounded by an standards from organizations such as the IBC, NEC, CABO, UPC and NFPA (to name a few). These organizations provide a valuable service setting the standard for home infrastructure should be installed in the home. This make our job easier as it give us criteria that we can use to determine good installations versus bad installation. Take the slope of a drain line. Too little slope and the homeowner has lots of headaches. What if there was no standard and we had to argue the point with plumbers who were saying "it looked OK to me." Our job would be a lot harder because now it?s our opinion against theirs. Recently it come to my attention that ASHI is being ask to set a new standard regarding smoke alarms. There is a proposal before the board to recommend photoelectric smoke alarms only. Why ASHI is being ask to go against the Consumer Products Safety Commission, National Fire Protection Association, Underwriter Labs and the NEC (to just name a few) is absurd. Although I believe that we should looking out for our client's safety I think its going to be hard to explain to a client who is buying a brand new home that all the "builder installed" smoke alarms should be replaced when they have been UL approved, been installed to NEC and NFPA standards and then inspected and approved by the local building department. Once we start down this path, what's next? Will we become the light bulb police and identify incandescent light bulbs because they don't conform to the Light Bulb Law*? Personally I like being able to point to standards as I identify issues and use the standard to encourage the repair of the defect. Let not deviate from our mission: To set and promote standards for property inspections and to provide the educational programs needed to achieve excellence in the profession. *http://energy.gov/energysaver/articles/new-lighting-standards-begin-2012

Unfortunately in our litigious society when someone is harmed, especially a child, the lawyers line up everyone who comes close to the property and empties their pockets. My general rule is if its a safety hazard it goes into the report. Unfortunately with septic systems you would have to walk the property to find out if there is an issue. //Rick

It really doesn't matter whether its failed coating or moisture between the panes. The glass has failed and needs replacement. At least this type of failure is easier to spot! //Rick

By Rick Bunzel, ACI When I wrote my first article on flashlights in 2006, the Streamlight Ultra-Stinger won the competition over the Maglite MagCharger. Today, inspectors have many more choices of flashlights that are brighter, smaller and cost less than Maglite or an UltraStinger. LEDs have come a long way in the last 5 years. The first LEDs were dim and cast a blue colored light. These days, LED flashlights have deep reflectors that concentrate the light into a tightly focused beam that throws long distances - as far if not further than a flashlight using a high performance bulb. Early LED flashlights used multiple LEDs to get the desired brightness but 2nd and 3rd generation LEDs have the performance to use just a single unit. My requirements for an inspection flashlight are simple: The flashlights should be rechargeable, preferably with a 12-volt charger, brightness greater than 200 Lumens, comfortable fit in my tool belt, and neutral light color. For this review, I was able to get several new LED flashlights and I found LED conversions for the Maglite MagCharger and the Ultra-Stinger. I made an exception on the rechargeable requirement for Coast flashlights as they had some high performance lights and a monster flashlight that, on paper, outperformed any of the other lights. I used the lights on inspections to provide real life testing conditions. I tried to use the lights for at least two weeks each. For my test pictures, I set up my tripod 60 feet from the side of my house. I set my camera on "night scene" mode and focused the center of the beam on my target. All pricing is from internet sources, but most is from Amazon. L to R: Dorcy Spotlight, Coast HP21, Mag Charger, LED Maglite, Streamlight UltraStinger, Streamlight DS LED, Coast HP14, Coast HP7, LED Lenser P5R. Not Shown: Dorcy Cree Xre. Photo by author Maglite Maglite has failed to keep up with the other manufactures of high performance lights. They have some new products, but nothing that is ground breaking. I included my two Maglites as a baseline of performance. Maglite LED 3 Cell Cost: $25 Lumens 150 The Good- Good price and solid construction. Tight beam. Good backup light The Bad- LED is bluish, mediocre output, no focus. Not rechargeable MagLite Mag Charger Cost $120 (originally) Lumens: 218 The Good - Solid construction. Halogen Bulb is bright and replacements are inexpensive. In its day, it was the light to have but as technology moved on this light stayed in the charging rack more and more! The Bad - Heavy light for its size and beam wasn't as sharp as other lights. Terralux Ministar 30MR-EX (MagLite Mag Charger LED Upgrade) Cost: $80 Lumens: 700 The Good- Wow, lots of light, converts the Mag Charger to a high-powered spotlight. I prefer this traditional shape to the pistol grip spotlights for crawlspace work. Although the upgrade is on the expensive side, if you already have the Mag Charger and charging racks it?s worth considering. The Bad - Beam had a starfish like pattern with no focus adjustment. Too much light for everyday use but for attics and crawlspaces it works well. Streamlight Streamlight products won my first flashlight shootout in 2006. They make a good quality light and included a cradle with AC/DC charge options. They tend to be expensive compared to other lights. StreamLight UltraStinger Cost: $120 Lumens: 230 The Good - Streamlight included a charger base with 120v and 12v adapters with these lights. Good quality construction. The Bad - Little warning when the NiCads died. Battery life is 1 hour. Bulbs are expensive ($15) and break easily if you drop the light. StreamLight DS LED Cost: $130 Lumens: 180 The Good- Streamlight quality and small form factor, throws a nice beam and can go several inspections before it needs a charge. Has several operating modes / levels The Bad -High price per lumen. Terralux TLE-US (UltraStinger LED Upgrade) Cost: $35 Lumens: 300 The Good - This is a no-brainer upgrade for those inspectors who are using the UltraStinger. Although I didn?t test the run time, as my NiCad batteries are older, I expect that the run-time will be 3 to 4 times of the Xeon Bulb. The Bad - Turning the bezel does little to change the focus. Dorcy I came across a rack of Dorcy flashlights at Lowes and was amazed at the price/performance of their products. Dorcy is a 55 year old American company that manufactures in Taiwan. Dorcey Cree Xre Cost: $55 Lumens: 220 The Good - Throws a broad circle of light with a hot spot in the middle. A low price but doesn?t scrimp on aluminum case and comes with 120v and 12v chargers. Best budget light you can buy. The Bad - Taiwan manufacturing shows through with a jack for charging (no cradle). Hotspot in the middle makes it more difficult to shoot picture of defects. Doesn't have multiple modes like other lights. Dorcey 41-1080 Spotlight Cost: $50 Lumens: 500 The Good - A 500 lumen spotlight for $50??? Wow! Throws a nice, bright beam. Even though it has a plastic case, the construction is good with a claimed 3 hr run time. The Bad - Fixed focus. In practice, it doesn?t seem like it goes for 3 hours of intermittent use. Doesn?t give much warning when the battery is depleted. Don't know how the plastic case will hold up over the long run. LED Lenser LED Lenser was a pioneer is LED flashlights, introducing their first product in 1994. Today LED Lenser is a division of Leatherman. LED Lenser P5R Cost:$90 Lumens: 200 The Good - This is a pocket size light (smaller than AAA Mini-Mag) that is super bright for its size. The P5R has a high and low power mode and will run for 2 plus hours in high mode. It's very easy to move focus between flood and spotlight. Comes with 120v contact charger and USB charger. The Bad - The small size is a disadvantage: I kept losing the P5R in my tool pouch. The charger uses a magnet to stay attached while charging which could be problematic if you plan on charging the P5R in your vehicle. A belt clip was included but I found it wasn't secure and carried it in a nylon holster I had for a mini-maglite. Coast Coast is a Portland based company that started out making knives and has added high quality flashlights to their lineup. Excellent machined aluminum construction. All their products came with lanyards and holsters Coast HP7 Cost: $59 Lumens: 251 The Good- Military grade construction. This light looks like it will withstand a fall from a roof to a driveway without missing a beat (no, I didn?t try this!). Water resistant with an easy slide focus that locks with a twist. The Bad- Not rechargeable - uses 4 AAA batteries in a round cradle. Coast HP14 Cost: $72 Lumens :339 The Good - Just slightly smaller than a 2D Maglite but with a lot more power. Run time was 4 hours plus. The Bad- Similar to the battery setup on the HP7 except it uses AA batteries. Specs claim 339 lumens but in actual use, it didn?t seem that much brighter than the 200 lumen lights. Coast HP21 Cost: $274 Lumens :1317 The Good- The king of high performance flashlights in terms of construction, size and brightness. This is a bright light. At 1317 lumens, it trumps any of the lights in this test by 2.5 times. It is easy to change the beam from flood to spot. It comes with its own form-fitting case. It has a heavy-duty aluminum body with a rubber ring around the bezel. The Bad- This is a big light with a large reflector. It takes 4 D cells- that and the metal body explains why it comes with a shoulder strap. Expensive to the point I would have a hard time justifying the cost of this light to my accountant.

I took the heat exchanger inspection course from Ellis Pratt several years ago and one of the students ask what furnaces he preferred for his own home. He basically said stay away from those condensing high efficiency furnaces. For the additional money you pay, there not worth it. He said the heat exchange will fail before you see a payback. His advice buy a plain old 80% efficient furnace and keep the filters clean. http://www.heatexchangerexperts.com/

Try Mail Chimp. Its free for the first 500 names and cheaper than Constant Contact after that. Mail Chimp's reporting is on par with Constant Contact but the mail creation is easier. Give Mail Chimp a try! //Rick San Juan Island Home Inspections

Another reason to keep the blade on your lawnmower extra sharp!!! Boy I bet they make a mighty crack when you run over them! //Rick

Marc, Some people will use a checklist, others will call it a workflow. You develop a "process" that works for you to ensure that everything gets inspected. I don't have a checklist other than what is in my 3D Report Software. I think most people on the TIJ board (grizzy veterans!) have developed their own process over the years. If I had to mentor someone I would probably write it down and create that list. I do have an exit checklist to ensure the furnace and oven is off, doors and windows locked, etc. This way if there is any questions I can say with confidence that we checked to make sure the oven was off!!! //Rick

Steve, I think you missed the point of the article. I never said that there could be a perfect inspection however our client's and those that watch Holme's Inspection program believe we should see and write up everything. Can we as an industry do better, yes, I think we can. Good practices and years of experience can get you to near perfection. Can you still miss issues, yes you probably will, as I probably will have misses. We work in an ever changing environment and have clients with different needs. Good preparation and good process's during the inspection will give you the opportunity to catch and document all the issues. Will it be perfect, probably not. But it doesn't mean that there isn't room for improvement..... //Rick http://www.paccrestinspections.com/Orca ... ection.htm

Marc, Fundamentally I agree with you. My emphasis was not on increasing the quantity of inspections but rather the quality. We do not work in a controlled environment like McD's or Boeing but if we bring controls into our environment by establishing how we do the inspection we have a better chance of catching significant issues. For example on yesterday's inspection I was on my second trip around a house in the opposite direction I discovered issues at the eaves of the home. On the first trip into the sun the issue was in the shadows. If my process didn't call for a second pass in the opposite direction there was a good chance I could have missed it. The fact that I was following my own process put me in a position to see something that was obscured on my prior pass. Do they processes work in all environments, no - but that we adapt and overcome! //Rick

I don't know any details on the cases mentioned but when the WSDA investigator looks at the house in questions they will spend hours investigating it. If your inspection report documentation doesn't include everything they find over the course of their investigation then you will get spanked regardless of accessibility or the conditions present when you did your inspection. From talking to other inspectors and taking SPI classes I get the impression that the WSDA wants to make an example everytime they do an investigation. I am just thankful that the home inspectors are under the DOL. At least they seem to be more realistic in their approach. Frankly unless the banks start requiring WDO inspections, I don't see any reason for an HI to carry the SPI license. Clients don't seem to care or value it. //Rick

Jim, Interesting info. Good thing I didn't actually have one of their pics on my site!

I received a demand letter from Getty Images saying I infringed on one of their pictures and that I owe them $780.00 or they would take me to court. The letter was quite professional and included a screen shot of the image in question and my website. Interestingly the screen shot of my website did not include their image nor do we have their image on our site. It smell like a scam to me. Has anyone else had this happen to them? //Rick

I have had on my todo list for several months to update my flashlight shootout article. There are several good lights out there and the LED tech is getting better and better. One area I see the Fenix lights lacking is the ability to charge the flashlight with out disassembling it. This is one of the things that keeps the Streamlights and Maglight in the hunt. I have chargers in my car and garage that I just clip the lights into. IMHO this is a must have for a working flashlight. //Rick

Mike, I didn't see anything other than this "Mold: Cause, Effect, and Response" http://store.awci.org/cgi-bin/awci/product?;43; This seem general and not specific to attics. If you got a link I would like it!! thanks //Rick

Thanks for the clarification. One question I didn't ask but will now is how will the loss reserve reflect against the total value of your coverage? For example if I carry a $500K policy and my insurer is carrying a $300K loss reserve against a potential claim does that mean my coverage is reduced/ reserved by that amount? If this is not true then how does the loss reserve potential affect me if I am staying with the same insurance company? thanks //Rick

Rob, I run into a few recently that aren't so simple. For example last weeks attic mold was as follows: New house built in 2008 but never occupied. Attic had 15" of insulation (R-38) , eave baffles, full ridge vent and no visible openings between living space and attic. Roof deck was osb and visibly dark from the mold/mildew. The mold shadow appeared to be pretty even on the north side of the attic so not apparent source of the moisture could be located. Heat was radiant floor and I was told was kept between 55-60 while house was on the market. My client's really like the house but if the issue grew this fast in 2 years they will probably walk unless the root cause can be identified and resolved. Quite frankly the CDC is pretty basic and really doesn't address these type of issues. //Rick

Anyone know where I can find any articles about attic mold? I would like something that I can pass on to sellers/ buyers etc. I probably find symptoms in 5% of the homes I inspect. I would also like to hear how inspectors refer this out. Sorry guys but I don't like referring it to Mold Mitigators or qualified professional. The mold guys are like grave robbers and trying to describe what a qualified professional is to my client or worse yet the sellers realtor is a royal pain. //Rick

David, After reading your article its still not clear to me when to notify the insurance company. Does every phone call that generates a second look justify a notification to my insurer? Or is it a demand letter? Does an e-mail demand letter count? Although it doesn't happen frequently how long does the insurer maintain a loss reserve? In a bad year I could see a lot of your loss reserve being tied up.... Please clarify for all of us, //Rick

I disagree that you need a backup profession or wife with lucrative career. If you have a good business plan and execute to the plan, you will have an income stream. Look at your local MLS numbers. Have sales dried up entirely? I doubt it. Are they off by 20%, perhaps. But that means that 80% of sales are still happening. Will you get a piece of that business, you should! I know I can pay my bills if I do XX inspections a month. I really want to be at YY inspections a month. To do that I challenge myself to have at least 30 realtor contacts a month and at least 4 other marketing oriented activities. My wife helps with this. Does it work all the time, no. But after doing this for 6 years, I can look back and say there is a direct relationship between marketing, personal contacts and business coming in. This month I am wearing my salesperson hat more often than my inspector hat. Not happy about that but its what you have to do in this marketplace. //Rick

Istation, Not having seen your business plan, we can't determine if your going to start marketing in March or start inspecting in March. If its the latter you better start marketing now. For most realtor's they have to see you or have contact with you at least three times before they consider you. I have had realtor's tell me that they have seen so many inspectors, mortgage people, insurance agents, title people come through there doors drop brochures on the counter and never be seen again that many automatically dump the first two trips of materials in the waste bin before they consider using them. Prime season is March through September and you want to be positioned that if the realtor's favorite isn't available you will be ready and waiting to do the job, //Rick