Buying A Home? Don't Panic! with Home Inspector

Send a text Hiring a general contractor can feel confusing and overwhelming—especially if you’ve never tackled a remodel, repair, or major home project before. In this episode, we break it all down so homeowners and home buyers know exactly what to expect before they sign a contract. I’m joined by licensed general contractor Michael Fucci , owner of The Proud Crowd Inc. , who walks us through what...

Send a text first-time homebuyer’s emotional rollercoaster — from panic to potential — when they see an abandoned house they just bought. Part 1  First time home buyer Jason Land walks out of his first showing because it was a cluttered old home with overgrown vegetation even after i told him Don't Panic! Jason shares his emotional experience and we discuss how to best use his home inspection...

Send a text John Laforme and YC with SoCal Seismic Foundation discuss the pros and cons of CMU (concrete masonry unit), brick and River rock foundations. They note that many older CMU foundations are hollow and difficult to retrofit, while brick foundations are often unreinforced and non retrofit-able. They emphasize the importance of inspecting for anchor bolts and rebar, which indicate a foundat...

Send a text The posts and piers under your home support the foundation and floor structure of your house. They help distribute the weight of the home evenly to the ground, preventing sagging, shifting, or structural failure. Specifically, they support: John Laforme and YC from SoCal seismic construction discuss the importance of posts, piers, and beams in home foundations. They explain that these...

Send a text John Laforme and YC of SoCal Seismic discuss foundation issues such as efflorescence and spalling. Efflorescence is white mineral deposits from moisture intrusion, while spalling is concrete crumbling. They emphasize the importance of proper foundation inspections and testing, such as the pen test, to assess the sturdiness of foundations. A foundation replacement can cost around $85,00...

Send a text Seismic retrofitting your foundation is crucial if you live in an earthquake-prone area. Here’s why it’s a smart investment: 1. Protect Your Home from Structural Damage Many older homes were not built to modern seismic codes and can suffer severe damage or even collapse during an earthquake. Retrofitting strengthens your foundation and connections to prevent shifting or cracking. 2. En...

Send a text John Laforme and YC from SoCal Seismic Construction House Bolting discuss foundation issues, emphasizing the commonality of cracks in raised foundations. YC explains that vertical cracks are typically caused by improper drainage and can be repaired with epoxy injection and metal straps. Horizontal cracks, however, indicate foundation failure due to rebar issues. They highlight the impo...

Send a text James Walsh Explains what Beneficial Ownership Information (BOI) is and how important it is to file before the 12/31/24 deadline. If you own a business in the United States do not delay and file today with link below. James has created a website to help you with filing your BOI https://boifilings.com/ Click link below to watch the YouTube version of this episode. https://youtu.be/r7gfk...

Send a text In this podcast I am joined by Oreoluwa Babatunde Co-Founder & Head of Software @ UplinkRobotics LLC John Laforme and Ore Babatunde discussed the latest developments in robotics for home inspections, including drones, rovers, crawl bots, and camera technology. They explored potential applications such as navigating tight spaces and providing detailed images. Later, they discussed s...

Send a text John Laforme and Ron King discuss the effects of hard water on homeowners, They emphasize the need for proper evaluation and recommendations for water treatment systems, highlighting the importance of testing water quality and evaluating plumbing system tolerance. Ron also discuss's water quality standards and regulations set by the EPA and local water providers, arguing that thes...

Send a text My guest Doug Smaldino is the owner of Hillhurst Mortgage located in Los Feliz California. I purchased my home with the help of Doug and and his awesome team at Hillhurst Mortgage back in October 2022. Doug has a message for all first time home buyers! Stop Procrastinating and buy a home now! Don't worry about the rates so much just focus on getting your foot in the door of that h...

Send a text In this episode I am joined by Isaac Colon the owner of Electric Brothers Co. located in Pico Rivera California.   I hired Isaac to do a major electrical upgrade on my home. I found his company searching on google, I am 200% satisfied with the work they did and their professionalism before, during and after the electrical upgrade. I highly recommend Electric Brothers Co. Isaac explains...

Send a text In This episode Skip Walker and I talk about home inspection report writing and you probably suck at it! Yes this means you! The report is your product and thats what your selling to your client, so consider each and every report to be your masterpiece. Fine tune your reports or risk having a potential legal issue with your clients.  A well written canned response for a system defect w...

Send a text In this episode I am joined by Isaac Colon the owner of Electric Brothers Co. located in Pico Rivera California.   I hired Isaac to do a major electrical upgrade on my home. I found his company searching on google, I am 200% satisfied with the work they did and their professionalism before, during and after the electrical upgrade. I highly recommend Electric Brothers Co. Isaac explains...

Send a text Part 2: Emil Kapanadze with EKO Flooring joins me to discuss underlayment's for Engineered Hardwood flooring and Luxury Vinyl flooring. Emil explains correct installation techniques from his years of experience installing all types of flooring including correct underlayment and moisture barrier applications. Emil also gives ballpark costs for different types of flooring cost and i...

Send a text I am joined by home inspector Skip Walker who is also one of the co-authors of the Code Check series. Skip and I discuss report writing best practices as well as how to utilize the code check series of books. Code Check Series books are the most widely used code reference series in the U.S.  Each Code Check book is a condensed guide to the most commonly used code sections.  They includ...

Send a text Emil Kapanadze with EKO Flooring joins me to discuss Engineered Hardwood flooring Vs. Luxury Vinyl flooring. Emil explains correct installation techniques from his years of experience installing all types of flooring including correct underlayment and moisture barrier applications. Did you know that most engineered hardwood and luxury vinyl flooring is discontinued after just a few yea...

Send a text Is home solar for everyone? Or is solar just snake oil? I have not been sold on solar because of past conversations with solar contractors and realtors as well as home owners. As of now no one has explained solar to me in a way i could understand it and how solar would benefit me. So does it really work? And is solar for all home owners or all homes? Lets Ask Manny I met the owner of S...

Send a text Fire Captain James Walker shares his 24 years of firefighting experience with us to better educate and bring awareness to common causes of home fires. Look, we all get complacent in our own homes and ignore potential fire hazards with everyday bad habits. Are you cooking dinner on the range and then going outside to watch the kids while the open flame is unattended in the kitchen? Are...

Send a text Home inspection attorney Greg Pyfrom is back with more legal claim discussion regarding home inspectors, home buyers and realtors. Greg shares a few ongoing legal claims with me as well as some past claims. Did you know that singer/song writer Rihanna had a major house defect claim on a home she had purchased where a major water leak into the home was discovered during a major rain eve...

Send a text Is home solar for everyone? Or is solar just snake oil? I have not been sold on solar because of past conversations with solar contractors and realtors as well as home owners. As of now no one has explained solar to me in a way i could understand it and how solar would benefit me. So does it really work? And is solar for all home owners or all homes? Lets Ask Manny I met the owner of S...

Send a text Pool Inspector/contractor extraordinaire Jeff Schulte is this episodes guest, Jeff shares his experience with a recently built built pool by an unknown pool contractor that has completely failed. This below ground pool has multiple major cracks in it and the pool cannot be repaired. This pool will need to be completely removed and then rebuilt from scratch. Listen to find out the poten...

Send a text Todays guest is attorney at law Allan B. Gelbard Esq. Allan has been practicing copyright/trademark cases for about 27 years. Allan explains what trademark means and how it may affect you and your business. A trademark is a type of intellectual property that helps to protect your brand by distinguishing it from competitors . It is used to protect the name, logo, or slogan associated wi...

Send a text Part 2 with Manny Hernandez from Solar Service Professionals. Is home solar for everyone? Or is solar just snake oil? I have not been sold on solar because of past conversations with solar contractors and realtors as well as home owners. As of now no one has explained solar to me in a way i could understand it and how solar would benefit me. So does it really work? And is solar for all...

Send a text Heating & Cooling Contractor and owner of Kilowatt HVAC Dean Gilford Answers FAQ For Home Owners: Part Two Dean offers 30 plus years of heating and cooling experience installing retro fit upgrades for existing homes. Dean and I answer frequently asked questions from our everyday customers to help current and future home owners better understand their heating and cooling systems. To...