What a home inspection experience!

From the time you took my order to the time you finished the inspection, my experience with your company was fantastic. Your staff was very friendly and knowledgeable and did a great job. Thank you for doing our inspection so late just to help us. I will definitely recommend Certainty Home Inspections to all my friends. ~ Rhonda Logsdon~ New Albany 47150

Indiana Home Inspector Tells About Negative Grading

Louisville Home Inspector Impressed Me!

A true professional home inspector. Very prompt and ready to get the job done as soon as he stepped out of the truck. Revealed more about my home than I thought possible. Very pleased with services, saved me money, informing me of small problems that could have turned into large problems. Very reasonable price for the service received. Highly recommend to all who are buying or selling a home. You WILL be impressed. April 09, 2009 by: Steve McPike THANK YOU! Louisville Kentucky 40201

Most Professional Home Inspection Company In Southern Indiana!

Certainty Home Inspections is certainly one of the most professional home inspection companies in the Southern Indiana area. Vince Hopper EXP Realty

New Albany Home Inspector inspects homes for sale in New Albany IN!

Diane Thomas’ first time home buyer had a home inspection from Certainty. I welcomed both the buyer and her father to the inspection and to ask any questions they may have. Certainty had the computer monitor, color photos, and report that we went over thoroughly at the home after his 2 hour inspection was made. Not only did William answer the questions the new buyer’s father had, he gave both the buyer and her father tips of home ownership. He took an additional 1 hour explaining items and home tips. It was much appreciated and they have told everyone to use Certainty. Diane K. Thomas Coldwell Banker McMahan

Best Home Inspection Service In Our Marketplace!

I feel confident that William has one of the best inspection services in our marketplace and feel my clients are treated respectfully and receive the service they deserve. Rob Millman Coldwell Banker South Central Realty

Water Entry In Basement

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

A growing number of states and cities are requiring homes to install a device that detects the presence of carbon monoxide, a dangerous gas that kills 2,000 people a year and sickens many times that number.

Surprising to most homeowners, carbon monoxide is the leading cause of accidental poisoning in the U.S. Detectors have been available for almost a decade, to alert people to the gases — odorless and colorless — spewed out by faulty furnaces, stoves and even barbecue grills. However, fewer than one-third of American homes have these inexpensive devices, according to industry surveys.

Just as laws requiring smoke alarms spurred nearly every household to install them during the past 20 years or so, legislators and doctors are hopeful that the new carbon-monoxide detector requirements will have the same effect.

Starting next month, most homes sold in New York state — new or resale — must have a carbon-monoxide monitor. Similar laws have already passed in Rhode Island, New Jersey and West Virginia. A number of other states are contemplating legislation. Action is being taken at the local level too: Cities such as Chicago and St. Louis have ordinances requiring detectors.

“A detector can save families from something they can not control,” says Stephen Gladstone, vice president of the American Society of Home Inspectors. “If somebody doesn’t have a carbon-monoxide alarm and their heating system malfunctions, they might just not wake up.” Nearly a decade ago, tennis star Vitas Gerulaitis died of carbon-monoxide poisoning from a faulty heater.

Legislation seems to have life-saving effects: Cities with ordinances that require carbon-monoxide detectors have much lower death rates from exposure to the gas than those that don’t, according to a study published last year in the American Journal of Emergency Medicine.

While fires and automobiles are the top producers of carbon monoxide, a typical family home has many possible culprits. Furnaces, kitchen stoves, water heaters, fireplaces, generators, camping stoves and charcoal barbecues — anything that burns fossil fuels such as gasoline, diesel fuel, wood and kerosene — can produce dangerous levels of the gas.

Carbon monoxide is produced when these fossil fuels don’t burn completely. Incomplete or “dirty” burning can occur if rust or grime falls into a furnace burner, if equipment cracks or rusts, if gas pressure is out of adjustment or if there isn’t proper ventilation for these devices. Health officials have seen carbon-monoxide poisoning occur after people warm up their cars in their garages, even for a few minutes.

“It can be produced so easily and it can spill into a home so easily,” says Tom Greiner, an Iowa human-housing engineer who is pressing for a law in his state to require detectors.

Today’s carbon-monoxide detectors don’t go off anytime they sense the gas. Earlier versions of the device (those made before 1998) did that and were tripped off so easily — a car pulling into the garage could cause it to go off — that many consumers saw them as an annoyance and were inclined to ignore them. New models go off when they sense a certain level of gas over a period of time. The detectors measure how many molecules of carbon monoxide are present in one million molecules of air (parts per million). Government regulations state that 50 parts per million is the maximum concentration a healthy adult should sustain over an eight-hour period. (A concentration of 400 parts per million can be life-threatening within three hours.)

Consumers can choose from inexpensive no-frills monitors that simply beep and cost around $15 to fancier $50 devices that have digital displays and flash the concentration detected. There are also combination smoke and carbon-monoxide alarms. Safety experts recommend that an alarm be placed outside bedrooms and on each floor of the house. Some also suggest putting a detector near carbon-monoxide-producing devices such as furnaces. Manufacturers suggest that people replace their alarms every seven years since sensors can degrade and electronics can fail. Companies that sell detectors include U.K.-based Kidde PLC and BRK Electronics’ First Alert.

Symptoms of carbon-monoxide poisoning vary depending on the concentration of gas in the air. Mild carbon-monoxide exposure often mimics the flu or food poisoning — with headaches, nausea, vomiting and fatigue — and is thus commonly misdiagnosed. Higher concentrations of carbon monoxide can cause almost immediate dizziness and nausea and can lead to convulsions, coma and death within a few hours, or even minutes at extremely high concentrations. Small children and those with heart and respiratory conditions are most at risk. And some patients complain of neurological symptoms months and even years after exposure.

Carbon monoxide suffocates the cells of the body: It enters the bloodstream and prevents the release of oxygen to the tissue. The only treatment for carbon-monoxide poisoning is to immediately leave the source of the gas and to administer oxygen.

If you suspect carbon monoxide poisoning in your Kentuckiana home, get everyone out of the building immediately, and call 911.  If it is safe to do so open windows to allow entry of fresh air, and turn off any appliances your suspect my be releasing the carbon monoxide.

When needing to test for carbon monoxie in your home locate a home inspector in Southern Indiana or Louisville Kentucky. Be sure to call one that is certified, licensed and insured. Certainty Home Inspections has three licensed home inspectors to make sure we can get your inspection done in the time you have left on your real estate contract. Don’t waste your money on a cheap Charlie inspector, have “Certainty” with your new home purchase.

Home Buying In Kentuckiana

So many questions, so little answers!

Who do I choose for my realtor?  There are several excellent realtors in Kentuckiana to choose from.  Choose one who seems to be knowledgeable about the home buying process.  One who will take the time to find you that perfect home.  Find one whose character you like, one who listens to what you want.  Are they available to show you homes when it’s convenient for you!

What kind of home do I want to live in?  Are you interested in owning a home with a basement, crawl or slab?  Do you prefer a one story or two? Brick or Vinyl?  Condo, Farm House, Manufactured Home?  How many bedrooms and baths do you need?  Garage or no garage?  Small lot or lots of acreage?

Where do I want to live?  Are you a city person who likes to live next to a park or a country person who likes their privacy?  Are you tied to a specific geographic region or will any town work?  Something close to work or you don’t mind if you have to commute?

When is the right time to buy a home?  Are you financially ready to buy a home?  Are the interest rates right?  Will you be able to provide the upkeep necessary on a home?  Is my job secure for long term payments?

Why do home inspectors prices differ so much?  Some inspectors just do the minimum, making sure your home inspector does a thorough job is the most important part of the home buying process.  All inspectors are required to be licensed in Indiana and Kentucky but don’t cut corners where it matters the most in your home buying process.  Their are plenty of Desperate Dan’s  in business and needing work.  Even though someone has a license to perform home inspections not all are truly qualified to trust with the condition of your new home.  Look at what others have to say about them, visit their website, call them, talk to them, and judge their character.  Find one you know, like & trust.  Ask what other offers you may be eligible for when you use their service?  Do they charge you full price again if you don’t buy the first home you look at and need a subsequent home inspection.  Last, do they inspect homes full time or are they a weeknight warrior of home inspections?

How do I get started looking for my new home?  Start by finding a realtor you can trust to lead you in your home buying process.  Talk to your realtor, tell them what you’re looking for and what your finances are.  Do not over estimate your income, you want to be able to keep your home and live comfortably in it financially.  Let your realtor help you chose a lender that is right for your circumstance, one who offers the loans that are the most beneficial to you and your situation.  Be honest with what you want!

What questions do I need to ask my realtor, lender and home inspector?  What type of a payment can I afford based on my income?  What are good locations to buy in?  What are the interest rates? What are the taxes on the home?  Are there any exemption filed on the home for tax purposes?  Is it located in a flood zone?   What are the major problems of the home?  What are you required to inspect & not inspect?  What can I do to maintain my new home in good condition?  Although you can ask an inspector whether a home is worth the money or not, a professional inspector cannot advise you on whether the home is a good or bad investment but rather only advise you on the homes condition at the time of inspection.

Where do I get the answers to the questions I have?  Ask your realtor, your lender or your home inspector about any questions you may have.  Be sure you understand clearly the condition of the home and any maintenance that may be required in the future.  To book your home inspection with a qualified Kentuckiana home inspector call 1-866-417-9591.

2009 Realtor of the year tells all!

Your inspection was great and I truly appreciate you!  I wanted to take the time to tell you how much I respect you as an Indiana and Kentucky home inspector.  You have always been professional and efficient for my clients and you go the extra mile for us.  I will definitely use you in the future.  Thank you for everything.  Betty Jo Tucker Broker Associate Semonin Realtors 2009 Realtor of the Year

Next Page »