Dungeon Down Under: A Wet Crawlspace Can Be Your Home’s Worst Nightmare

Ignoring your crawlspace is like ignoring a cavity. It doesn’t get better on its own. As a home inspector, I’ve been places you couldn’t pay me enough to go if it wasn’t literally my job. I’ve shimmied into attics hotter than the surface of the sun and squeezed behind...

New Year, New You (Almost) New Habitat: Optimizing Your Home for Health And Sanity

Instead of just resolutions for your waistline, let’s make some resolutions for your home. Okay, everyone,let’s see a show of hands if you’ve already bought a ridiculously large bag of spinach you swear you’re going to eat before it turns into green sludge in...

The House History Detective: Decoding the Do It Yourself Cover-Up

My job is to uncover the secrets the house has been whispering (or sometimes screaming) behind that suspiciously fresh coat of paint.Photo by alexey turenkov on Unsplash Selling a house is a lot like dating. You clean up, put on your best face, and strategically hide...

More Than Meets the Eye: What Your Home Inspection Really Tells You (A Psychic’s Perspective)

My fictitious colleague, psychic home inspector Alistair Hearthstone, blends expertise & “second sight.”Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash In this month’s post, I’d like to introduce you to my fictitious colleague, the psychic home inspector Alistair...

Smart Homes, Smarter Inspections? How Connected Devices Might Change the Home Buying Process

Smart technology offers potential benefits and challenges.Photo by Moritz Kindler on Unsplash The real estate market is constantly evolving, and with the rise of smart home technology, a new layer of complexity and opportunity has been added to the...

Home Maintenance: How to Budget for the Inevitable (and Expensive)

Welcome, brave homeowner to the glorious and expensive world of home maintenance! Ah, home ownership. The American Dream. Visions of picket fences, manicured lawns, and warm summer weekends grilling on the backyard deck. What they don’t show you in...