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Summer Projects To Make Your Home Feel Like New

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If your home feeling a little old or dated? Here are a few summer projects that you can do in a short amount of time to make your home feel like new again!

Paint

A fresh coat of paint can brighten up any room or home. Painting the exterior of a home can give it a whole new look. Depending on how much you want to paint, this can also be a very affordable upgrade.

Landscaping

The rainy season is here but it is a good time to plant flowers or start a garden. Increasing your curb appeal can give your home a very refreshing summer look.

Build A Tree House

This is a summer project the whole family can get involved in! Build your kids a tree house, playhouse, or fun house they can enjoy for the rest of the year.

Clean Your Gutters

This summer project won’t just give your home a face lift, but this is really good home maintenance. You can avoid major repairs by keeping your gutters clean.

Now that you have summer projects to work on, you better get to it! Don’t forget to schedule your home inspection with Divinity Inspection Service.

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Home Inspection Checklist: What To Expect

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Are you feeling anxious about your home inspection because you are unsure of what to expect? Many new homeowners, and even veteran homeowners, find the home inspection process stressful. We believe we can alleviate this stress by telling you what you can expect through a home inspection checklist. This way, you can feel confident as you walk through your home with your inspector.

Plan to be there

One of the most important steps you need to take is to attend your home inspection. Plan to be there for at least 3 hours. A good home inspector will walk you through all of their findings and detail the report.

Interior of the Home

Your home inspector will start with the interior of the home. Any and all spaces, including attic and crawl spaces, will be inspected. You won’t be expected to go into those small spaces yourself unless you want to.

Exterior of the Home

After inspecting the interior of the home, the home inspector will inspect all areas outside the home. This will include gutters, the roof, the driveway, and the backyard. Again, you are not expected to go into all areas, such as the roof, unless you really want to.

The inspection report

Finally, at the end of the process, you will receive your inspection report. This report will detail everything the home inspector already detailed as you walked through the house with them. This report is great to refer back to, will be required by your bank or home insurance, and is good to keep on file.

If you hire Divinity Inspection Service we will keep your property inspection report on file in our online system for up to one year. Now that you know what to expect in your home inspection checklist, go ahead and schedule your appointment now.

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2017 First Quarter : Tampa Housing Market

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The Tampa real estate market is in a good place. There were a lot of predictions for 2017, particularly about home prices and what to expect. So has Tampa lived up to the hype? Check out what the most recent reports have said about the first quarter on the Tampa housing market.

Good, but not thatgood

According to the National Association of Realtors, home prices spiked 6.9% in the first quarter of 2017. Rising prices are an excellent sign of an abundant economy. In a new report by ATTOM Data Solutions, Tampa Bay homeowners who sold in the first three months of this year realized an average gain of $30,100 over what they originally paid. I think it’s safe to say that’s pretty good!

However, that average is still $35,000 less than what it was at the peak of the real estate boom in 2006. This same report has also showed that homeowners are keeping their homes longer. A result of the bubble burst back in 2008. Will we reach that peak once again? Possibly.

The Results: inventory in demand

As a demand of the housing market, in combination with homeowners keeping their homes longer and the increased prices, homes are in demand. Prospective buyers poured into the market to start the year as the job market also shows increases.

Another player that we might see soon are automated homes, which are now part of the mainstream. These new builds come equipped with built in automation – from the shutters to the security system. Ten years ago this technology was very high end but now average home owners can enjoy this type of automation.

So for now, the Tampa market is looking great! As long as the available housing can keep up with the demand you can expect prices to continue to rise and profits continue to increase. Don’t forget to give us a call to schedule your home inspection before you complete your home purchase.

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What Are Home Inspection Deal Breakers?

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A home inspection comes at the end of your home buying process. This position has a tendency to be stressful to home buyers. In fact, fear of home inspection deal breakers is a common misconception. In this blog, we will address some potential home issues that could make or break a deal. Keep in mind, at the end of any home buying process, the decision to complete the purchase is completely yours. No matter what home issues are uncovered during a home inspection any issue can be repaired or resolved.

New Roof

A new roof can be one of the most expensive repairs. However, if a home needs a new roof many sellers will include the cost of the new roof into the home price. This means the seller will decrease the price of the home to accommodate for the cost of the new roof. During a home inspection, your home inspector will walk on the roof and look for damage or any indication of need for repair.

Plumbing and Electrical

One of the most common home issues is with the plumbing or electrical. A leak in the wall or pipes, faulty wiring, or both can be an expensive repair. Worse, if you have to replace anything. The good news is most of these home repairs aren’t huge and can be taken care of fairly quickly. Home inspectors use infrared lights to detect water leaks behind a wall so you can feel confident that we will find any leaks even if it is not obvious to the naked eye.

Sinkholes or Foundation Issues

In Florida sinkholes are becoming a nuisance. For this reason foundation inspections are one of the most important inspections you need to have. Inspecting the foundation should be included with any home inspection. Any good home inspector will go into the crawl space if it is available and properly inspect the foundation. Any issues or concerns will be included in the detailed report.

You can schedule your home inspection directly on our website. We will walk you through everything you need to know about your potential new home and answer all of your questions. Schedule your home inspection now or give us a call!

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How Much Should Your Home Inspection Cost?

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The Value Of A Home Inspection

Some home buyers don’t see the value in getting a home inspection. Maybe you think a home inspection costs too much or maybe you think because the home is a new build it doesn’t need one. Whatever the reason might be, no reason is big enough to avoid getting a home inspection.

The average home inspection costs between $400 – $500, depending on the size of the home. A home inspection will take a few hours to complete and you’ll be left with a detailed report. You are paying for time, the report, experience, and you are paying for saving yourself from potentially major issues.

So how much should your home inspection cost?

Let’s look at the potential problems a home inspection is saving you from and their value.

Some of the major issues that could break a purchasing deal include foundation issues, electrical wiring, plumbing, a new roof and mold. Any one of these difficulties could create quite the quandary if they were a surprise. A new roof could costs $15,000 to replace. Mold could make your new home unlivable until extracted. Between your down payment and closing costs, unless you have a few extra thousand or more put away for emergencies, you could be facing a predicament. We don’t want to see that happen to anyone.

No matter how much you love the house you absolutely need to have it inspected.

Our goal is not to kill your deal.

Our goal is to make sure you are well educated before you complete your purchase so you can do so confidently. Home repairs come in all sizes. Some big, some small, some minor, and some major. When you get a thorough home inspection like Divinity Inspection Service offers, you can find peace of mind knowing that any issue will be identified, listed, and detailed in our home inspection report. All of a sudden $500 doesn’t sound like a lot now does it?