Michael's View: October 2008

7 - 0! - Go Titans...

If you are a football fanatic like I am, I stayed up and watched the local team beat up on the Indianapolis Colts. Yes, I should have been snoozing as I have a long drive down to Jacksonville later this morning, but, I just could not help myself. I am sure that the rest of the teams in the NFL are starting to take the Titans seriously and last night's game showed that they can come from behind and win against contenders. Go Titans! 7-0! Who wudda thunk it...

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Michael Thornton, Complete Home Inspections, Inc, Brentwood, TN 37027

Monday Morning Motivator...

Monday Morning Motivator

Good Morning Active|Rain...

"What do you live for?

Life is not how you live, but what you live for

Things that we seek, things that we reap

Love we live for or the hate we die in

Providing love or being provided with it

Accepting defeats or celebrating victories

Masking sadness or happiness

Understanding or knowing

Detached or attached Pondering upon or carefree

Taking in or giving away

Insatiably as a warrior for peace

In reality or in fantasy

To touch the rainbow or own the pot of gold

Celebrating each breath or just letting it pass by

Ultimately, it's your take on life."

~ Vikki Kumar ~ 

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Copyright © 2008 by Michael Thornton

Has Office Met its Match?

As the battle between Microsoft and Apple continues for market share of the PC world, Apple continues to develop new and better software to compete with the PC world as well. Mac's new iWork 08 is a great program full of graphics that's sure to leave the boys at Microsoft scratching their heads. I like Mac's try before you buy policy. You can download a full functioning version for a free trial period before you have to purchase. The price for the suite is $79.00! A fraction of the price of Office. The beauty of the program is that it is fully compatible with Office.

There is something to be said to once going Mac no going back...

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Copyright © 2008 by Michael Thornton of Complete Home Inspections, Inc., All Rights Reserved.

A Little Common Sense Goes a Long Way...

Older properties in Franklin, TN can pose challenges to any home inspector in this area. However; with a little common sense, costly repairs can be avoided while rehabbing, especially during the painting process. There is no real good way to remove paint from a contaminated outlet like this once it is filled with paint. The inside contacts form a insulation barrier which might allow enough contact for light amperage uses such as lamps, but could overheat and cause a fire when larger current drawing appliances such as toasters or microwave ovens are plugged in.

A strip of tape over the outlet face could have avoided a costly visit from the electrician. Price of a service call from an an electrician $75.00. Price of the outlet $5.00. Look on the owners face when presented with the cost of the repairs... Priceless!

 

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Copyright © 2008 by Michael Thornton of Complete Home Inspections, Inc., All Rights Reserved.

Here's One You Don't See Every Day...

Brentwood, TN is known for its green spaces and abundant wildlife. It is not uncommon to see deer, coyotes, foxes and other forms of wildlife around the many creeks and ponds in this area. I had read some articles about an albino deer being in the area, and this morning I was fortunate enough to capture a few shots as it scurried away from the pond behind the house.

I hope that you enjoyed them as much as I enjoyed sharing...

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Copyright © 2008 by Michael Thornton of Complete Home Inspections, Inc., All Rights Reserved.

Early Voting...

Between now and the 30th of October many cities and counties across the nation are conducting early voting. As this is going to be one of the most important elections that this nations faces and the future of this nation as we now know it hangs in the balance; I urge one and all to vote. Currently, early voting in this area is at an all time high and is running well ahead of the last Presidential election. The lines are quite short with most polling places in Brentwood and Franklin having a short 15-20 minute wait. Listed below are the early voting locations in Williamson County TN.

Early Voting Locations - Williamson County, TN

Brentwood, TN

Brentwood Public Library
8109 Concord Road, Brentwood, TN 37027

Franklin, TN

The Factory at Franklin
(near Stoveworks Resteraunt)
230 Franklin Rd, Franklin TN 37064

Prairie Life Fitness Center
(Cool Springs East Area/Carothers Parkway)
300 Shingle Way
Franklin, TN 37067

Fairview, TN

Fairview Recreation Center
2714 Fairview Boulevard, Fairview, TN 37062

Nolensville, TN

Old Nolensville Elementary School
7250 Nolensville Road, Nolensville, TN 37135

Spring Hill and Thompson's Station

Thompson’s Station Community Center
(Near Historic Train Depot)
1555 Thompson Station Rd W.
Thompson’s Station, TN 37179

All polling locations are open from weekdays from 9 - 7 and Saturdays from 9 - 2.

I urge one and all to exercise your right to vote. Many brave Americans gave their lives so that you can do this...

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Copyright © 2008 by Michael Thornton of Complete Home Inspections, Inc., All Rights Reserved.

Monday Morning Motivator...

Monday Morning Motivator

Good Morning Active|Rain...

" The contradicting truth... We believe that nobody knows us more than we know ourselves. But in daily life we come across situations where you realize that this is not the "You" that you knew."

~ Unknown ~ 

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Copyright © 2008 by Michael Thornton

Don't Worry, It's Been Inspected by Codes...

I was having a discussion with a real estate agent in my area as to why a customer who had placed an order for a home inspection later changed their mind and decided forgo this part of the property transaction. It seemed as if the buyer was talking to the on site real estate agent and the project supervisor and they convinced them that everything was cool with the property, that the codes officials had inspected the property several times during construction, and had gone through it with a "fine toothed comb" before issuing the CO (Certificate of Occupancy) as required by local building departments.

To me, this is like having the fox look after the chicken coop. To be brutally frank, many builders do not want pesky home inspectors picking their properties apart as some inspectors feel that they are a gift from God to the industry and go to real extremes and make mountains out of mole hills. I do not blame builders for not wanting to deal with these guys.

However, the main purpose of having a new construction inspection is to have a fresh, independent set of eyes assess the real issues. Generate a final Punch Out List that all parties can agree on before the new owner takes possession of the property. I even label these reports, Punch Out Inspections.

A good example of what I am talking about is this electrical panel. Although we are not "Codes Inspectors", the electrical departments for Davidson and Williamson Counties here in TN have adopted the National Electrical Codes requirement for having Arc Fault breakers installed in the electrical panel that provide service for the bedrooms and the smoke alarm system. The red arrows are pointing to these circuits.

Now, it seems as if both the electrician and the codes inspector failed to notice that these circuits did not have these breakers installed. Most new home buyers do not know this and would not have been noticed or thought about again until the house was sold years later. Worse yet, there was the potential for shock hazards for the couples young children as these are designed to trip the circuit if a surge or arc situation is sensed.

So even though a house has been inspected by the codes officials, for peace of mind, get a second opinion from an independent inspector. Houses are built by people, and people do make mistakes.  

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Copyright © 2008 by Michael Thornton of Complete Home Inspections, Inc., All Rights Reserved.

Photo of the Day...

In our hurry up, get it done quick society, it is not uncommon to see "tradesmen" take shortcuts when building our new houses. Generally speaking, if something does not look right, it typically isn't. While inspecting a new construction house in Nashville, TN I ran across a wooden block by a doorway that really looked out of place. Being the inquisitive type, I pulled the block off and lookie what I found...

Now I know that a switch was supposed to have been installed here, but this should not have passed the electrical codes inspection which is a scary thought when buyers do not often get an inspection on a new home because they buy into the builder's line, "This house was inspected by codes and they are here all the time making sure that we do things right." Yeah! Right!

Even though a house has been inspected by the codes officials, for peace of mind, get a second opinion from an independent inspector. Houses are built by people, and people do make mistakes.  

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Copyright © 2008 by Michael Thornton of Complete Home Inspections, Inc., All Rights Reserved.

Sad Signs of the Times...

These are really trying times for the real estate industry. With so many real estate agents putting their licenses in retirement, throwing in the towel and calling it quits or working part-time jobs just to make ends meet. Not to mention the other ancillary markets that have been taking it on the chin as well such as the mortgage, title and home inspection industries. With new construction starts at a minimum, project managers are have now replace superintendents on several of the larger developments.

One thing that is not down though, is theft on construction sites. With times being tough, there are some elements of our society that think that it is far easier to steal than it is to go out and earn a honest day's wages. It is really sad when $6,000.00 worth of heating and air conditioning units are trashed in order to get another fix or a few bottles of hooch...       

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Copyright © 2008 by Michael Thornton of Complete Home Inspections, Inc., All Rights Reserved.