Colorado Pro Inspect

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

"Independent" Home Inspectors?

I have heard some home inspectors claim they are "independent", meaning that they do not market or attempt to solicit their services to real estate agents, brokers, or lenders. I also think that some of these so called "independent" home inspectors think they are the elite of home inspectors. I believe this to be totally false. I am not saying that there aren't home inspectors out there that may provide services differently depending on the person who contacted them, but I know for sure that I, and the person who trained me, do not. It is offensive that certain organizations might make claims that myself or many other home inspectors are not "independent" home inspectors because we market to realtor's directly. I market to every single person I come into contact with. I have built my business on good, solid, consistent work, not the cheapest prices, (although I believe I have excellent pricing), or shady business practices. I market realtor's, lenders, brokers, and consumers. I do not care how they get to me, as long as they get here. When consumers do use Colorado Pro Inspect they receive the absolute best inspection or related services I can provide, insuring they are purchasing a safe and well built home. I would never consider doing a home inspection differently to please a specific agent or hide a problem because I was paid to do so. The return business I receive, whether it is from agents or home buyers, is because I do a good job for them. This is a personality driven business at times, and unfortunately not everyone always likes each other. If someone does not like me, or the way I inspect, they don't have to use me. I am as independent as they come. I own my own business and therefore have a vested interest in doing a excellent job. So for anyone looking for a "independent" inspector, call me. The most important thing a person can do when choosing a home inspector for your home inspection is to ask questions, lots of questions. Call several inspectors, most people can tell what a person might be like over the phone. This is probably the biggest investment most of us will ever make and you want to be sure you choose someone who will do a great job and stand behind their work. As far as I can tell the vast majority of home inspectors will do just that, regardless of how they were referred.

posted by Evan Hughes at 10:08 PM 15 comments

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Inspecting Your New Home?

One of the most often questions I receive is, "Should I get a home inspection on my newly built home?". The short answer is a resounding "yes". A home inspection conducted on a brand new house is one of the tougher home inspections I perform. There are several reasons people choose not to have their new home inspected and the one most often heard is that the house is new and the builder has taken care of everything properly. In many cases this is true, but more often than not I run into issues. Many times the builder either installed systems improperly, had poor workmanship, or just flat out missed an issue. One of the key factors to a beautiful and properly finished new home is, in my opinion, the work and proper oversight of the superintendent in charge on the job site. I recently performed home inspections on two homes built by the same builder, during the same time period, at two different locations. The differences were stark. One home, located in Ft Collins, was almost perfect. The other home, located in Broomfield, was an absolute disaster. The home in Broomfield had many problems found during the home inspection that were not only serious, but dangerous. Some of the most common issues we see on new home home inspections are disconnected duct work, improper crawlspace ventilation, GFCI outlets not operating properly, dirty furnaces, missing insulation in attics, broken trusses, leaking drains and faucets, and, as always, multiple cosmetic issues. A home inspection is always a good idea and hiring a certified home inspector to inspect your new home is cheap compared to the price you may pay to correct unknown issues as well as giving you valuable insight as to how different systems operate in your home. I typically like to do the home inspection near the time of your walk through. Colorado Pro Inspect does not charge extra for a new build home inspection. I go through the home with a fine tooth comb and guarantee that you will be satisfied with our thorough and complete home inspection. Please visit http://www.coloradoproinspect.com/ for pricing and more information.

posted by Evan Hughes at 8:54 PM 10 comments

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Reasons To Get Your Investment Property Inspected

I have recently talked to several individuals who decided that getting a home inspection done on there home purchase was not required. I want to talk a little about this. A large number of people who have forgone a home inspection are investors. I believe the reason for this is because they are fairly versed in the construction and renovation of homes. I also believe that they are making a calculated mistake. Many of the people who rehab investment properties do not do the remodel themselves and typically they follow a strict budget where surprises can add significant costs. What if there is a large mold problem in the crawlspace and they do not know how to recognize this type of situation? what if the roof is in need of major repair or replacement and they fail to inspect it properly? Both of these items as well as a host of other issues can be extremely expensive and completely missed by the untrained eye. One of the biggest problems I run into while doing inspections on fix and flip homes is when investors spend large sums of money on renovations like tile or wood floors, kitchen and bath remodels, and new appliances, while forgetting to invest any money into the homes major systems like the HVAC, water heater, electrical, roof, or plumbing systems. This is probably done in hopes that the new buyers will either not get a home inspection, or just flat out miss any problems with these systems. If that happens then the investor comes out okay, but if it is not missed (any good home inspector won't miss) then the investor most likely will have to either make concessions on the price of the home or fix the issues. I am not going to tell or even recommend how people should handle their fix and flip, but I would highly recommend that everyone (including investors) retain a competent home inspector to do a thorough and complete home inspection. It just makes good sense. As a home buyer or investor a thorough home inspection can alert you to many different things that even a number of professional contractors will miss. Evan Hughes and Colorado Pro Inspect offer a variety of home inspection services geared towards the new home buyer as well as the investor.

posted by Evan Hughes at 10:26 PM 17 comments

Sunday, January 18, 2009

New Website Release and Denver Foreclosure Tour

I recently launched my brand new, updated, and refined website. I am extremely excited about the new features. I have updated many sections of the site to include more informative information from your basic home inspection to mold sampling. There is a large amount of information pertaining to the home inspection profession. We have added a blog, and news feed also. The news feed is a excellent source for additional information. I have also been heavily involved with a few colleagues of my running the Denver foreclosure tour (http://www.denverforeclosuretour.com/). What we are doing is renting a bus and taking 25 to 30 people who are interested in doing fix and flips, rentals or just looking to buy real estate at bargain prices on a tour of foreclosed and HUD homes in the Denver metro area. It is fun, informative, and a excellent opportunity to meet people and talk to some of the most professional and educated individuals around on these types of homes. We bring along a real estate professional, a lender, a lawyer, and a home inspector. The other associates involved are Rob Kelly of Remax (http://www.robkellycolorado.com/), DJ Robbins of Golden Lenders (http://www.goldenlenders.net/), Kurt Hofgard of Hofgard and Associates (http://www.hofgard.com/) and myself. The next tour is February 7th @ 9am. There is absolutely no obligation to buy, or use any of the professionals that are on the tour. What we are doing is trying to provide some good, solid information including estimated cost of repairs, contractor information and a general idea about how the process works. Please contact me if you are interested in coming along with us on the tour. You can also find these people on my references page. I will talk to you again in the coming days.

posted by Evan Hughes at 8:27 PM 4 comments


To speak to a certified Colorado Home Inspector or to schedule a Home Inspection for your home, please contact Colorado Pro Inspect today. Evan J. Hughes is an InterNACHI Certified Colorado Home Inspector and will help you make an informed and educated decision on the purchase or sale of your new home.

InterNACHI Certified, IAC2 Certified - Radon Certified - Mold Certified, Green Certified, Move In Certified, Member US Chamber of Commerce, Pro-Lab, ESA Environmental Solutions, Better Business Bureau - Accredited Business InterNACHI Certified IAC2 Certified - Radon Certified - Mold Certified Green Certified Move In Certified US Chamber of Commerce Member Pro-Lab ESA Environmental Solutions Better Business Bureau - Accredited Business

(303) 249.1359

Client Testimonials

Evan was extremely courteous, helpful, and thorough... [Read More]

 

- Albert Greuter

Denver, CO

Radon Testing

The 2nd leading cause of Cancer in...

[Read More]

Mold Testing

  • Mold Sampling
  • Mold Screening

[Read More]

Login to Review Your Report

Lost Password?

Welcome to our website, please upgrade your Flash Plugin and enable JavaScript.

Book an Inspection

Have Me Call You!
View Your Report