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How to get your home hurricane ready

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Believe it or not, hurricane season is here. And Cedar Key’s unfortunate run-in with hurricane Colin should be a lesson for us. Now is the time for you to get your house hurricane ready! Instead of waiting for another short notice warning (or even a hesitant warning), make the decision to get your home hurricane ready now, before a hurricane becomes an issue. Although not too many hurricanes have actually landed on Florida’s coast, it can happen at anytime. Below are some key actions you can take right now to prepare for any weather this hurricane season might bring.

Make a List

That daunting list of all the things you own in your home. Nothing about this task sounds fun, unless you love making long lists of many things. Unfortunately, if something does happen to your home and you need to make an insurance claim you will need this list. Having a list of all of your belongings, both inside and outside your home, can save you a lot of time and effort in the long run.

Talk to your Insurance Provider

Believe it or not, you can actually jeopardize your insurance claim if you don’t properly prepare for a hurricane. The best action you can take is to call your insurance provider and find out from them what they require from you to properly prepare your house for a hurricane. As long as you follow their guidelines, you should have no issues making a claim should you need to.

Check the hurricane shutters

If you live in Florida then chances are high your house has hurricane shutters. You will need to check that your hurricane shutters are in proper working order. If you do not have hurricane shutters you may want to consider installing them.

If you want a professional to inspect your home and suggest how to prepare your house better for a hurricane, then you can hire Divinity Inspection Services to do that! Many people believe home inspections are only for buying and selling a house, but home inspections can offer great value to any home-owner! Feel free to contact us anytime to schedule your home inspection.

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Unusual Home Inspection Finds

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You may think coming across something unusual in a home inspection is rare, but unusual home inspection finds are more common than you think. Below is an interesting list of a few things we ourselves have found in various home inspections. We’ve also shared what others have found with you simply for your entertainment! But seriously, these unusual home inspections should make you aware that sometimes we do find some unusual problems. While unusual problems won’t stop you from purchasing your home, it’s good to know before you make the final purchasing decision.

Once our team was inspecting a fairly large home. We had been walking through for about 30 minutes before one of the inspectors found a

gas leak

. The gas detectors were not up to code (i.e. dead batteries) and we had no idea. Needless to say, we were very happy to get out of the house when we did. We were able to turn of the leak, identify the problem, and make both the home-owner and potential buyer aware of the issue. It was an unusual issue but also a scary one!

In another unusual situation, our team was inspection a fairly small home in downtown Tampa. These homes are known for being very old, built decades ago, so we knew what common issues to look for. However, when we crawled into the “crawl space” under the house we were in for a surprise. As we do with all of our inspections, we check every crawl space in the home, no matter where it is located. If we can get our head into the space to check it out then we will. In this scenario, we were a little shocked to find a

tree stump!

Not any little tree stump but a very large tree stump that had been cut down and the house built over it. In case you are unaware of the issue with this find, tree stumps have a tendency to grow. If the home-owners were not made aware of the tree stump then by the time they found it, it might have been pushing through their floorboard.

We’ve got lots of great stories for you! In fact, the next time we’re on the job feel free to ask us. You can hire Divinity Inspections anytime for any home or property inspection. In the meantime, here is a video with even more unusual finds! https://goo.gl/liAwbT

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Rent or Buy: The Struggle Remains

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I think we can all finally, confidently agree that Tampa’s real estate market is on the rise. And it seems to be steady. Current reports prove the demand for housing is increasing, so much so that the market is not able to keep up with demand. At a time when real estate is an excellent investment opportunity, is it time to rent or buy? If Tampa is such a hot market, why are so many people still renting their homes instead of buying?

Renting is Currently More Expensive

. In Tampa, renting an apartment will cost you an average of $1,300 per month. With interest rates on mortgages at an all-time low in 3 years, purchasing a home will cost you an average of $1,000 per month. If you qualify for a mortgage loan and you already know which neighborhood you would like to plant your roots, then buying a home is definitely your best option. However, not everyone wants to plant their roots. Welcome to the new generation of homebuyers.

The Millennials are moving, alot

. Trending within the Millennial generation is the ability to move around. Freedom they call it. Paying more money for apartments all over the Tampa Area just so they don’t “settle down” too quickly. In fact, home ownership is the lowest it has been in over 50 years in the Tampa Bay Area! That is a pretty significant number. In addition, some of these newly-graduated Millennials are still struggling to find decent jobs and as such have not moved out of their parent’s spare room to their own home. Home-ownership is no doubt a tell-tale sign up our economy.

We won’t forget 2008

. And neither will the younger generation who witnessed what their parents endured through the massive home foreclosures and job losses. The stench of a down-trodden economy still lingers in the air, making young adults more cautious of such a big decision. I believe this statement from a published article by the Tampa Bay Times, Robert Trigaux, sums it up perfectly:

“Our research indicates that not owning a home has a sizable financial cost, as renters miss out on low mortgage rates and are hit by higher rents,” states the August analysis by Apartment List. “This phenomenon may exacerbate inequality in our society, as those wealthy enough to invest in real estate benefit from lower interest rates, whereas minorities and younger Americans, hit by rising rents and student debt, risk being locked out of homeownership.”

Sources:
https://www.tampabay.com/news/business/realestate/trigaux-the-decline-in-home-ownership-in-the-tampa-bay-area-needs-to-end/2290229

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How do you Price Experience?

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A ship engine failed, no one could fix it. Then they brought in a man with 40 yrs. on the job. He inspected the engine carefully, top to bottom. After looking things over, the guy reached into his bag and pulled out a small hammer. He gently tapped something. Instantly, the engine lurched into life. The engine was fixed! 7 Days later the owners got his bill for 10k. ‘What?!’ the owners said ‘You hardly did anything. Send us an itemized bill. ” the reply simply said Tapping with a hammer. $2 Knowing where to tap? $9,998 Don’t Ever Underestimate Experience.

This story is an interesting one. Many times we don’t understand pricing. I’ve had many customers ask why our home inspections are priced the way they are. Some of our competitors might try to undercut us by pricing their home inspections lower and if you decide to go with them that’s okay. Of course we want your business! But we also understand the value of experience that each and every Divinity Inspector brings to you and your home inspection. A combined 50 years of experience to be exact!

Our testimonials and Google Reviews speak for themselves. Our reports are extremely detailed and thorough. We don’t cut any corners because we understand the value of educating your on your new home.

Divinity

knows our home inspections contribute to making one of the biggest decisions of your life! We don’t take that responsibility lightly. Our home inspections average 3 hours or more depending on the size of the home. Like the story above, it’s not just our actions that determine our work, but our experience as well. We are confident you won’t be disappointed with our service. We take appointments last minute or you can schedule an appointment with us. Early mornings and late evenings are no problem. Did we mention we work 6 days a week? And you can request a home inspection right here on our website!

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Home Inspections Cost Less

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Home Inspections cost less than you think. The average new home buyer may consider skipping a home inspection but when you think about the cost of a home inspection vs. potential home repairs, it makes no sense at all. Check out some of the average costs in common home repairs we find during our inspections and compare them to making the $500 decision of getting your home inspected. The list we’ve created below are potential repairs, that when identified ahead of time, could save you a significant amount of money. We hope that after reading this article you find that home inspections cost less than you ever realized!

The Roof

The average new roof on a home costs approximately $15,000. The larger the home the higher the cost of a new roof. Every home inspector will inspect the roof to identify how many years are left on the vitality of the roof. If your roof will need to be replaced soon you can better prepare for that big expense. Sometimes you can even negotiate the expense into the purchase price.

New Plumbing

The average cost of new plumbing in a 1500 square foot home ranges from $4,000 – $10,000. In older homes, plumbing is a common issue that many times need to be addressed. Without a proper home inspection this issue is easily overlooked. With such an expensive potential home repair, a $500 home inspection should seem necessary.

Flood Zones

In Florida, if a home is in a flood zone then it will be listed. However, not all homes that experience some type of flooding is actually listed in a flood zone. Some neighborhoods might experience flooding throughout the neighborhood, or a driveway, or backyard, etc. A home inspector would be able to find identifiers that suggest flooding issues. A major flooding issue would easily cost you thousands of dollars to repair.

As you can see, home repairs come in all sizes. Some big, some small, some minor, and some major. When you get a thorough home inspection like what Divinity Inspection Service offers, you can find peace of mind knowing that any issue will be determined, listed, and detailed in our home inspection report.All of a sudden $500 doesn’t sound like a lot now does it?