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 | How much do you charge?
Prices are
based on factors such as square footage, age of the home, driving distance, etc. Discounts are given for paying at or before the inspection.
Please call for a price quote. We are price competitive with
other home inspection firms. We are not priced the lowest or the highest (we
are in the middle). If you are price shopping, yes...you can
beat our prices. If you want the cheapest inspection you can find, I can
tell you who to call. (The cheap home inspectors charge what they're
worth.)
Let's face it--there are no educational requirements to obtain a home
inspector's license. And in this industry, as in others, many who practice it
are just plain incompetent. Be aware that there are costs to hiring a
cheap home inspector.
See this link:
How much should a
home inspection cost? Compare our reports
(see the button at the left) to
reports from "inexpensive" home inspection firms.
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| How long with the inspection take?
2 to 5 hours, depending on the square footage, age, number of HVAC
systems, condition of the home, and the presence of
a crawl space. Be aware that many home inspectors are in and out in little
more than an hour. They charge a low price because they are in and out
so quickly that they can do 3 home inspections a day and make their money in
volume. (Some are overweight or physically unable to access the attic or
crawl spaces, which obviously speeds up their inspection). They don't test
every window, door, or outlet. We prefer to charge a fair price, do a great
job and spend as much time as necessary on the home and the report.
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| Who will actually perform the inspection?
Joe Funderburk, the owner of the company, who is fully licensed by NC and
SC and is a member of the National Association of Certified Home Inspectors
(NACHI). We use no employees or sub-contractors. Be aware many other
home inspection companies proudly proclaim their certifications or
credentials, but they send uncertified employees or sub-contractors to perform
your inspection. In some cases, the employee or sub-contractor is an
"associate inspector", meaning they are not a fully State licensed inspector;
they are in the apprentice phase of the licensing process.
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| What type of license do you have?
I am licensed by the states of North Carolina and South Carolina. If you
don't hire me, be sure to hire an inspector who is also licensed in NC, no
matter where the inspection will take place. NC's licensing procedure is
more rigorous and NC requires annual re-training. SC's licensing process is
relatively simple and they require no annual training. You have a higher
probability of hiring a competent inspector if he is licensed by NC.
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| What is your experience?
My educational background includes two university Bachelor degrees -- one
in Business, one in Computer Science. Previous careers include four
years as an OSHA Compliance Officer inspecting the construction industry in
SC. (It was the OSHA work that taught me how to do an inspection!)
After inspecting a major hydro-electric project being built by Duke Power
Company, they hired me. I spent the following eleven years in the
electric utility industry with Duke Power as a Safety Supervisor at nuclear,
fossil, and hydro plants and was responsible for safety at large-scale
construction and maintenance projects in NC & SC. I am a licensed home
inspector by the states of North Carolina and South Carolina. I attend
annual training, which is required by NACHI and the state of NC. I
started this business in January, 2005 and perform as many as 10 inspections a
week.
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| Should I have a new home inspected?
Absolutely!
New homes are routinely inspected (it's approximately 30% of our business). It is encouraged,
especially if the seller is paying closing costs. We've never inspected
a house where we didn't discover defects. Examples of problems
often found in new homes are: leaking water supply lines or drains,
damaged roof shingles, broken
or mal-functioning windows, furnaces and water heaters improperly vented
(creating fire hazards), bathrooms vented
into attics, floor and ceiling joists excessively drilled or notched, etc.
Click here to see new
home sample reports.
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| Should I have a home I'm selling inspected.
Yes! If you're a homeowner thinking about selling,
click
here. If you're an agent thinking about having your client's
home pre-inspected,
click here.
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| Can the client attend the inspection?
The client is encouraged to attend the inspection, but it isn't
required. For liability reasons, if the house it occupied and the client
wants to attend, a Real Estate agent (the listing agent or the buyer's agent)
must be present during the entire period of the client's attendance.
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| How will the inspector gain access to the property?
If the property is located in York, Lancaster, or Chester Counties in SC,
or the Charlotte metropolitan region of NC, then the inspector has the capability to unlock
any Supra
lockbox installed by a realtor. Otherwise, arrangements will need to
be made to have the property unlocked at the time of the inspection.
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| How is the inspection report provided?
The report is normally emailed to the client and/or the realtor in PDF
format. Alternatively, It can be uploaded to a website where you can download
it with a username and password. Arrangements can be made to mail a printed
report or CD to the client if they do not have email.
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| What is required prior to the inspection?
A signed agreement. Also, the utilities (electric, water, gas)
need to be turned on at the property prior to the inspection. Pilot
lights need to be lit. All rooms,
crawl spaces, etc. need to be unlocked and panel boxes and attic openings need
to be made accessible. The inspector should be informed
as to the square footage, whether or not a crawl space exists, whether or not
the siding is synthetic stucco.
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| What if the weather is bad on the day of the inspection?
Depending on the severity of the weather, the inspector may
perform the inspection anyway. If an additional trip is required, the
client will not be required to pay an additional cost.
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What about mold?
There is no "safe" or "unsafe" limit or standard set by the EPA, OSHA, or
any other government agency for mold--it is completely unregulated. So
while there is no limit on mold, it is not something you want to have in
abundance in or under your house. Molds produce tiny spores to reproduce and
the spores waft through the indoor and outdoor air continually. When mold
spores land on a damp spot, they may begin growing and digesting whatever they
are growing on in order to survive. There are molds that can grow on wood,
paper, and other organic substances. When excessive moisture or water
accumulates, mold growth will often occur, particularly if the moisture
problem remains undiscovered or un-addressed. There is no practical way to
eliminate all mold and mold spores in a building; the way to control mold
growth is to control moisture. While there is no regulatory limit for mold, it
may adversely affect the health of those with certain allergies, asthma, or
other respiratory illnesses, and if you consider yourself at risk we encourage
you to retain an industrial hygienist or mold specialist to evaluate the
building. Click here
for more information. |
Home Inspection Service Areas
We provide home inspections in all of Charlotte, Waxhaw, Pineville, Gastonia,
Matthews, Weddington, Lake Norman, Indian Trail, Concord,
Cornelius,
Mooresville, Lake Wylie, Fort Mill, Rock Hill, York, Clover, Lancaster, Chester,
Gaffney, Spartanburg, Greenville, and the surrounding areas in SC & NC. We do
home inspections in Sun City Carolina Lakes, Fort Mill, SC.
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