Covid-19 Recommended Precautions for Home Inspectors

[Dave K.]

Here is a web-site that lists the recommended guidelines for home inspectors regarding health and safety precautions that should be shared with your Clients before a home inspection.

Feel free to share with others.

 

 

Edited March 22, 2020 by Michael Brown
Edited youtube url

[Jerry Simon]

So, anybody notice a slow-down?

[Mike Lamb]

I went one full week with nothing and now I'm busy again.

My precautions so far are:

Keep my distance from people

Wear disposable gloves during the inspection. I cut off the pinky on one glove so I can feel hot water (and other things temperature related if needed)

Sanitize hands after the inspection.

Sanitize all the tools touched during the inspection which is usually cameras, screwdrivers, electric tester, flashlight, etc. 

Wash my work clothing after each job.

That's about it for now.

 

 

Edited March 23, 2020 by Mike Lamb

[hausdok]

At 11:59pm last night the mayor of my municipality - Edmonds, WA - issued a mandatory shelter-in-place order. Only those folks who must go out - ambulance, police, medical personnel - folks that are employed at food stores (Folks gotta eat!) etc. are allowed to do so.

For me, it's no big deal, since due to my knees I rarely leave the house anyway, and the two Korean high-school college-age boarders who rent rooms from us haven't been to their campuses since those were shut down over ten days ago and they're doing their schoolwork via the net. It's been an issue with the frau though. She's more stubborn than a 20-mule team and insists on going to the market instead of shopping over the net and having the food delivered to the house, and she insists on going, of all places, to her friggin' church. Finally, after my haranguing her and others in her congregation about it for weeks, they stayed at home yesterday and had their service via video chat or something like that on their phones.  I'm a Deist, so I don't attend any church or services and never will. However, if she brings that crap home and I catch it from her I'm gonna be one very pissed off dude.

I'm not concerned about the boarders. They are both young and strong. Even if they get sick, they're likely to recover if they are diligent about getting treatment quickly. It's the frau and myself. She tends to catch just about anything floating around out there and it takes her forever to fight it off, and sometimes she spreads it to me. Last year at this time she had bronchial pneumonia. It took her weeks to get rid of it. By then I'd caught it from her and it kicked the crap out of me. I didn't fully recover until the end of May. There's no telling what will happen if I come down with this crap, but I'm not inclined to experiment with it to find out. 

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike

[Marc]

I was on my way home just now from helping a friend move to another apt when I noticed a pain in my throat.  Then I realized that I have had a slight headache for the last couple weeks.  So, I spoke with my spouse just now and we agreed it could be the corona virus, it could be the flu (which is currently making its rounds in my area) or it could be something else of little significance.  So, I've started gargling with 1/2 teaspoon in warm water 3 times a day anyway and watching my temperature, and I'm going to stay home for a week or two until we see just where this thing is going.

[Tom Raymond]

Welcome home, Mike. 

NY closed all nonessential business Friday. It closed real estate brokers down yesterday. I just turned down a 203k on the edge of the Indian reservation citing the RE closures as the reason. To many risks in a high density poor neighborhood for far too little pay. 

Construction is considered essential and still going. I'm on hold for a week before I get back to work on the big house. 7 weeks into the interior trim. At least 2 weeks to go. 

[hausdok]

Yeah,

The Governor issued a stay-at-home order yesterday after the Edmonds Mayor. I just finished reading through the list of 'essential' services/jobs allowed to venture out. It does not include real estate professionals or home inspectors. It does, though, allow construction workers and municipal inspectors of new properties to venture out, but the language doesn't seem to leave any opening for home inspectors to flout the rule and continue doing what they do.

Despite that, I saw, on a Facebook site for Washington State Inspectors, that some home inspectors are trying to get signatures for a petition that will allow them access to those electronic key boxes that the multiple uses, so that they can still book inspections and go and do them unaccompanied. I'm not sure what good a petition will do - the MLS is responsible for those boxes and (here anyway) will levy heavy fines on agent-members that allow inspectors to remain in a home unaccompanied by an agent. I don't think it really has anything to do with the state or the governor's authority at all.

They said something on the local news last night that cops were empowered to issue citations for fines up to $500 and that some violations could result in imprisonment of up to 90 days. That's fine too, except the local police spokesmen have all said that they don't have the manpower to police the stay-at-home order and would, therefore, not be doing so. Last weekend, despite the Seattle Mayor's shelter-in-place order, Alki Beach was full of young folks partying, congregating and enjoying the rare sunny day. No citations issued I understand.

So, if a bunch of us old farts get sick and croak I guess we can blame the hoards of environmentally conscious snowflakes and millennials that are always lecturing their elders about social responsibilities and our lack of it.

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike

[John Kogel]

Y'all take care down there, and don't put yourselves at unnecessary risk. Go on relief if you must. Self-employed workers here are eligible for special EI benefits. I imagine moneys will be borrowed from the Big World Bank in the Sky and added to the existing national debts. That is the future, but this is now, survival.

My wife and I are lucky to be retired and receiving pensions, so far so good, and staying home comes natural to us anyway. Gas is the cheapest it's been in 18 years, and we haven't been out in the car in 10 days. Oh well.

Marc, I hope you've just caught the typical flu or cold. There are still plenty of the familiar bugs out there. Seems strange to wish the flu on someone, the new reality. Cheers.