Les

Sarcasm - I do not know many expert surgeons or attorneys that work at it part-time and keep their full time job at the hardware store.

I agree with everything written above. Not 100%, but mostly. Commercial is a completely different process for me and my company. There are many aspects of the inspection business including commercial, legal, residential, investment, reserve study(s), construction draws, and on and on. Likely you could find your "specialty" and succeed with your background. I believe there is more profit in the pre-sale residential market. You have to have the sales/numbers and therein lays the rub. Simply look at the job as a business. I don't know the answers and would question those that seem to know everything. I like Jim k's statements about being black and white. Don't be mealy mouthed.

formed in place. not uncommon in parts of mid-michigan.

Pretty nifty! Ironically, I first saw ne of these a million years ago in Oak Park, Il. Then again in Austin, Il I have never seen one in Michigan.

Nein !

Hey Bill, are you saying that horse hair was not used? that is not been my experience.

not very likely. that would be horse hair. or a close neighbor of Rapunzel.

In my mind it make sense to replace the unit with any major repair. around here the service call is $125 and any minor repair would be an additional $100-200 and that would represent what percentage of the total replacement cost of entire component. When it gets to 33% - I would replace.

Aubri, Thanks for the thoughtful response. I know InspectorPro has a unique opportunity to make a significant contribution to our profession and the real estate industry. You have a seasoned (and newly minted) audience that looks to you for advice and counsel. Personally, I have been impressed with most of your writings and how they are presented. Insurance is an important element of the inspection, however it should never set standards nor affect the scope and nature of our work. Thanks again for initiating conversations.

Why do you think it is trash? FTR I don't think it is trash. I don't think it is wonderful either. Just an older building material

maybe things are different in Poland?

He said this is a flip and you should not do anythi ng right.

When I die I want to come back as a ghost in Chicago. Wander around places like this, interContinental, Palmer House, etc. Walking one block around the Water Tower takes a good week or ten days if you are curious!

Marc, if you tried hard enough, I am sure you could find mold. Probably twenty or thirty varieties.

We had one actually show up in Denver, Co and one in Tampa Fl over the past year. We are in Michigan. Both were eventually not recovered even though we knew where they were being used. They were 1027s and not worth the effort.

one of the most beautiful tools ever produced. I have a range of them, but seldom get the chance to use them.

What are you trying to say? I really don't mean to come across as an ass, but.

we use mostly Extend and Climb 12.5" and 16'. been using them since 2004. They last about 1 1/2 yrs for the chunky guys and couple years for the healthy guys. We keep a 32' at the office for hazardous duty.

I love writing. Not good at it, but still admire, respect and envy those that can do it. (read Jim Morrison). As far as changing or using a particular report or format goes, I have changed my mind over the years. I now think you can write a perfectly good report with just a few sentences. The deluge of 70+page boiler reports was a huge factor in my change of mind. I'll go so far as saying "99.999% of home inspection report are crap when viewed by other inspectors. My report is perfect! My report is bigger! My report can save lives! My report is for you and only you! You get the idea. Some of us are good inspectors. Very few, including me, are good writers. Bonnie Trenga, Walter Jowers, Norm Sage and Jerry Peck have to be a part of any writing discussion.

Time for true confessions of a home inspector. Several years ago I decided to limit our inspections. Still stay with the SOP's, but cut them way down. I implemented little changes - Went to a narrative, checklist report, spent more time managing client expectations by the office, etc. I would NOT suggest you do this. It worked for us. Sometimes, just sometimes you need lots of words. It makes you look smart. For instance, don't just tell the real estate lady she is "hot". Stretch it out and tell her she is beautiful, smart, your hero and hot!

C4.

Well it seems she is abt 40-50miles from me. Unfortunately I don't think any of us have any answers for her, on a professional level. We would have advice - Move, but nothing professional without being on-site.

I saw nothing good about it. Too long (likely), wrong materials, wrong fasteners, etc. google the installation manual for that particular dryer. Cost you more for energy also.

very insightful. thanks for the reminder.

it was 7 and 1/2 yrs old. When Kurt was just a whipper snapper