CITY OF CHINO HILLS

HOLIDAY HOME DECORATING CONTEST - REGISTRATION BEGINS

NOVEMBER 16th

Plan some fun with your family and show your holiday spirit by decorating the

outside of your home and competing in the City of Chino Hills sixth annual Holiday Home

Decorating Contest. The top three winners will receive a “Family Prize Package” valued at

$150. Judging is based on the following categories: Most Creative, Best Use of Festive

Décor, and Best Overall Appearance. Registration begins Monday, November 16th at

Founders Recreation Center only, located at 2000 Founders Drive. The deadline for

entries is Wednesday, December 9th at 5:00 p.m. Judges will venture into the hills to view

the residents’ homes during the week of December 14th through December 18th between

6:00 and 9:00 p.m. Winners will be notified on Monday, December 21st and will be

recognized at the January 12th City Council meeting. All Chino Hills residents are eligible

for this free activity.

PR09-128

Contact: Denise Cattern Valerie McClung

(909) 364-2615 (909) 364-2618

Date: October 20, 2009
PRESS RELEASE

Buyer Beware A Home Inspection

Over the past year and a half much of my competition in the home inspection industry has dropped out for one reason or another. And recently it appears some have returned and seem to compete solely based on price. So I thought I'd share with you some insight on the home inspection process so you have a fair warning.

Let me start by sharing my own personal story of my experience with a home inspector when my wife and I purchased our first home. Our real estate agent stated we needed a home inspection and gave us 3-brochures. They then stated there is no need to spend too much money, so they recommended the cheapest inspection. We didn't know anything about home inspections at the time, so we listened to their advice. To make a long story short, we ended up selling in 10-months to up-size and we found out we had a recalled attic furnace when the buyers of our house had a home inspection. Though it would be about 2-years before I became a home inspector, it was the spark that triggered my interest and desire in customer service and professionalism and is the cornerstone of how I built my home inspection business.

So recently I have had buyers call and state that another home inspector offered to do the home inspection cheaper! Here are the questions I asked these prospective clients, many of which the other home inspectors simply don't offer. (Remember, these are specific to my area, and may not apply to other states)

1. Does the home inspector inspect full-time?

Though this seems like a trivial question, it is quite important. Those who inspect full-time have a vested interest in providing the best home inspection and customer service, since it's their only source of income. Is also shows that they have built a solid customer base, which 9 times out of 10 is due to superior service.

2. Does the home inspector carry Error and Omissions (E&O) insurance and General Commercial Liability (GCL) insurance?

No one is perfect, plain and simple. E&O insurance covers the buyer and home inspector alike and GCL covers any damage or injuries that might result by the home inspector's actions on-site. Though I've had my $1,000,000 insurance since 2004, I have never had to use it, but my clients have that peace of mind.

3. Is the home inspector a member of the American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI), the National Association of Home Inspectors (NAHI) or the California Real Estate Inspector Association (CREIA)?

Though it's not a guarantee, these associations at least weed-out most of the lower-quality inspectors by having minimum requirements and proctored exams that must be passed. Since there is no licensing for home inspectors in California, these associations are all the more critical since anyone can call them self a home inspector. The associations lay out minimum standards a home inspector must follow.

4. How long does the home inspector usually stay on-site?

Our home inspections usually last about 2 1/2 hours with another 30-45 minutes to put the pictures in the laptop, print out the report and review it on-site. We take the time to answer any questions you might have and then give you a copy of the report in a professional binder. Ultimately the answer to this question is your personal preference as a consumer.
5. How long has the home inspector been in business and how many home inspections have they performed?

The minimum requirement for this is whatever you desire. I have been in business since 2004, I hired an additional inspector in 2008 and have completed well over 1,000 home inspections. Remember our home inspections are the 3-hour home inspections and not the common 45-minute to 1-hour home inspections with some other competitors.

6. How long does it take to receive the home inspection report?

Once again, this is your personal preference. With Pillar To Post, everything is done on-site. The report can also be printed out for your agent and can be emailed that evening at no additional cost.

7. Does the home inspector walk on roofs and enter attics and crawlspaces as long as it's safe to do so?

Yes, there are plenty of home inspectors who do not walk on roofs or enter attics or crawlspaces, there's simply not enough time if the home inspector is only spending an hour on-site. If you browse through my other blogs, you can view the numerous items we see while inspecting these areas. Many items can only be seen by actually walking the roof or entering the attic or crawlspace. It is a must in my opinion.

8. Does the home inspector carry a moisture meter, water pressure gauge, ladders, infrared thermometer, flashlight, circuit analyzer, mirrors, screwdriver and digital camera (just to name a few)?
These are just a sample of the tools and are minimum requirements in my opinion. Like they say, you need the right tools to do the right job.

Ultimately, though a good home inspection might cost you a little more up-front, you will usually see the savings in items to possibly be requested for repair or at least being able to anticipate costs for items that need repair. If your home inspector doesn't catch the problems then you don't know they need to be fixed.

In summary, like most things in life... you get what you pay for. I'm not saying my list is the perfect list or are the only qualifications, but in my experience they are very important. Please, please, please... even if you don't use our home inspection services, at least make sure you interview your home inspector and know his or her qualifications and exactly what they are offering.


By Joseph Lang of Pillar To Post Professional Home Inspection

Real Estate Reality TV Shows

Jeff Lewis, Flipping Out The third season of Bravo's popular docu-series Flipping Out returns on Tuesday, August 18 at 10 p.m. ET/PT, with everyone's favorite obsessive-compulsive house-flipper, Jeff Lewis. The economy has taken its toll on his business, but if anyone can figure out a way to flip things around and go from chaos to clarity, it's Lewis and his team.

Foreclosures? Nationwide recession? These guys can handle it! Bravo gives viewers an up-close and personal look at the top agents in Los Angeles's tough real estate market, who stop at nothing to close the deal on the third season of Million Dollar Listing.

Are we there yet?

If you have kids or you can remember when you where a kid, you heard this before.

 When it comes to this real estate market that's the question on everyone's mind. Have we finally found the bottom of what has seemed like a bottomless pit. It's been a wild real estate ride for many areas in southern California as real estate prices have fallen just as fast as they rose. Back in 2005 some called the top as they where witness to prices rise 83% in some areas, in five short years. Now four years or so later we have seen the correction and the fall out. The contributing factors why such an event took place. Bad loans, cheap money and deregulation of lending practices all where factors. I just finished a good read by David Faber called “And Then the Roof Caved In". "How Wall Street's Greed and Stupidity Brought Capitalism to Its Knees".This book is based on Mr. Faber documentary “House of Cards” which investigates the origins of the global economic collapse. The origin being the US housing market and the so called AAA rated CDOs

So are we there yet? that's still is a very hard question to answer are we at the bottom of the real estate market. As we show property here in Chino Hills and the surrounding communities. Most of the homes for sale that are priced to sale have multiple offers. Most if not all are still short sales and foreclosures. Banks have multiple offers coming in so it's very completive out there, if you think the market is down and you as a buyer will walk in and get a deal. I would say you are half right. you can and should get solid purchase price on a home today. But it will not come without some stiff completion from investors and the like. Lending is still very tight, but not impossible. All loans are documented, the days of stated income and no money down financing, are long gone.

Here is a snap shot of California September Home Sales.

"Orange County’s 4.2 percent year-over-year increase in its resale house median last month was also the first for any month since August 2007, when that median rose 3.6 percent. San Diego County’s median price paid last month for resale houses rose 1.5 percent from a year ago, the first annual gain since August 2007, when it rose 0.9 percent. Ventura County’s September resale house median rose 2.2 percent - the first year-over-year increase since October 2006, when it climbed 1.3 percent".

 Data provide by DataQuick.

If you're ready to purchase a home today here are a few things you having going for you. Interest rate are still at an all time low. Inventory fell 10.8 percent in August to 3.62 million units available, down from a revised 4.06 million units in July. At the current sales pace, the homes on the market now represent an 8.5-month supply, down 8.6 percent from the 9.3-month supply of the previous month which is still high.

Still the question is out there is this the bottom? The answer, only time will tell if this is the bottom of a very shaky real estate market. I don't know if this is the bottom or not but it's looking better every day.

How Does a Seller Pass a Home Inspection?

I hear this question every so often so I thought I'd address it. Of course here in Southern California, about 90% of the home inspections we perform are vacant houses, usually foreclosures or short sales. However I know there are still sellers out there.

So how does a seller have the house "pass" the home inspection? First of all, a home inspection in California is not a pass/fail process. There is no requirement to have a home inspection and the reports are advisory for the client... nothing has to be repaired from the home inspection, with the exception of earthquake bracing. I have heard of some local cities sending code enforcement officials to do their own inspections, and they have the authority to require items to be repaired, but that's different from the home inspection. Having said that, the home inspection sometimes still can be used to negotiate the price or at least to be prepared for repairs that are needed.

So what can the seller do? There are certain things a seller can do to prepare the home for the buyer's home inspection. One option is to have the home inspected before it goes up for sale, therefore any repairs can be made and the seller will not have deadlines. When there is a time crunch, many times you are forced to settle with the only person who is available to perform the repair and end up spending more money. Or, the seller can at least be aware of repairs that are needed and can adjust the price accordingly if needed. Either way, the seller is aware of the items to be repaired.

The seller can also go through routine maintenance items themselves and take care of those. Painting, caulking in kitchens and bathrooms, cleaning rain gutters, replacing light bulbs, cover plates for light switches and receptacles as needed, running water and checking for leaks under sinks or back ups, changing the air filter and checking GFCI receptacle test buttons are all relatively easy items a seller might be able to do themselves. The better the condition a home is in, the easier the process of selling a home becomes. Take care of what items you can ahead of time.

I hope this gives you a little more information about a professional home inspection and its value. Be safe out there.

By Joseph Lang of Pillar To Post Professional Home Inspection