Article courtesy of A B Home Inspections, Inc.! If it’s time to replace your furnace, you may be wondering if it’s worth the extra investment to buy an energy-efficient system. Or, you may be unsure how to choose an energy-efficient system for your home. “Energy-efficient heating systems can substantially lower your fuel costs over the lifetime of the system, so it’s well worth investing the time and money to find just the right one,” says Chip Wade, HGTV(R) expert. “Depending on Continue Reading ...
Prevent Falls This Fall With A Home Safety Checklist
Helpful information from A B Home Inspections, Inc.! After months of sticky heat and humidity, it’s time to put away the shorts and pull out the sweaters because the autumn season is finally here. But, late September brings us more than just cooler temperatures and a wardrobe change. If you or a loved one are over the age of 65, the change in seasons is also an opportunity to think about another kind of fall — the kind that impacts one in four older Americans every year — and the steps Continue Reading ...
Emergency Preparedness 101: Know How to Protect Your Family Against Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
From your friends at A B Home Inspections, Inc.! Few areas of the country are immune to natural disasters or severe weather. Whether you live in a hurricane zone or face icy winters, it is important to prepare your home and family to weather the storm and know the potential health and safety risks that may arise in emergency situations. Beyond inconvenience, widespread and long-term power outages resulting from storms raise a much more serious concern: carbon monoxide poisoning. While the Continue Reading ...
All Home Warranties Are Not Created Equal
Helpful information from your friends at A B Home Inspections, Inc.! Having a home warranty is a smart way to help deal with the inevitable home repair problems that all property owners face at one point or another. After all, a good home warranty can mean getting expert help when your HVAC system needs to be fixed, your water heater needs to be replaced, or your refrigerator requires a new part. But unfortunately, all home warranties are not created equal. And shopping for a home Continue Reading ...
BIRMINGHAM AL HOME INSPECTIONS
A B Home Inspections, Inc. has been serving the Birmingham, AL area since the year 2000. A lot has changed since then! What hasn’t changed is our commitment to helping you know what you are buying. A new home purchase is probably one of the biggest financial decisions most of us will ever make. It’s important to assess the current condition of a home before buying. Why Home Inspections Matter? There are so many things that can go wrong in a home! Electrical, plumbing, heating and air Continue Reading ...
5 SIGNS OF DECK DAMAGE
From your friends at A B Home Inspections, Inc. What are the 5 Signs of Deck Damage? It’s Spring! That means grilling out and relaxing with a cold beverage on the back deck here in Alabama. I’m not trying to ruin your outdoor fun, but there are a few things you should probably do yearly to make sure your deck is safe to enjoy. Today, I am going to go over five (5) signs of deck damage and what you can do to prevent an accident or injury. When we’re out doing home inspections around Continue Reading ...
Attached Garage Fire Hazards
Helpful information from friends at A B Home Inspections, Inc. "Attached Garage Fire Hazards" Originally published by: Nick Gromicko and Kenton Shepard on the InterNACHI website. The purpose of this article is twofold. First, at InterNACHI, we’d like you to take measures to keep your garage free from fire. Fortunately, there are ways this can be done, some of which are described below. Secondly, garage fires do happen, and we’d like you to make sure that a fire cannot not easily spread Continue Reading ...
BUILDING A HOME, WHAT DO YOU NEED TO KNOW?
Building a New Home BUILDING A HOME, WHAT DO YOU NEED TO KNOW? If you want to build and move into a new home, there are things you need to know before you begin. Learn about construction standards and about buying land, so you know your rights. The Minimum Property Standards (MPS) establish certain minimum standards for buildings constructed under HUD housing programs. This includes new single-family homes, multi-family housing and healthcare-type facilities. HUD Minimum Property Standards Continue Reading ...
Differences Between a Home Inspection and an Appraisal
What Are The Differences Between Home Inspection And Appraisal? What is a Real Estate Appraiser? Real estate appraisers develop an opinion of value for the subject property for various reasons including mortgage underwriting. Some examples of this are: buyers purchasing a home owners refinancing a home clients who are building a home Other non traditional uses for an appraisal include: valuation for insurance companies helping sellers arrive at a market value to Continue Reading ...
Don’t Skip The Home Inspection
One thing you should never do when purchasing a home, is to forgo the home inspection. When you purchase a home without a professional home inspection, you do not get the in-depth analysis of the home's current needed repairs or the issues that could become a problem down the road. The home inspector checks the home for safety, function and structure and with this information, you can make a properly informed buying decision. This goes for new construction also. Many people think since Continue Reading ...
