home inspection
last week i scheduled the home inspection. the home inspector's wife works with my friend at the state trasportation dept. vive le small world networking! why? because the guy let me tag along. and not only did he let me tag along - he also gave me a crash course on home owner 101. we made our way meticulously through all the important points in the house. the water heater, the furnace, the electrical panel, the sprinkler system, the AC unit. and not just as part of the inspection, but rather, he showed me what kind of fuses i should keep handy for the ac just in case one blows. how to shut off the water main. how to switch the air filters in the furnace. how to switch off power to different sections of the home if necessary. needles to say, i did not know any of this. i have been renting for the last 6 years and any time something went wrong - including something as trivial as a light bulb replacement - i had maintenance people come over and fix it for me. o the joys of apartment living. but now i'll be the primary resource for home maintenance, so might as well be prepared. and when i piss and moan abt how my life is in shambles, i need to remember these little kindnesses from strangers.
downside of hiring the guy who moon lights as a home inspector (which i found out when i was actually paying him) was that he didn't test for mold or pests (two major problem areas). it was too late now. he needed to be paid, and i had hired him without asking what he covered. i could hire somebody else for a full inspection but that would mean $300 more. money was tight as it is. i asked him if he had seen any signs at all. he did assure me that from his visual inspection, he did not see anything that should cause concern but he could not guarantee.
i was taking a huge risk here perhaps by regular standards. but we are in the high desert here and i pray that it'll be alright.
downside of hiring the guy who moon lights as a home inspector (which i found out when i was actually paying him) was that he didn't test for mold or pests (two major problem areas). it was too late now. he needed to be paid, and i had hired him without asking what he covered. i could hire somebody else for a full inspection but that would mean $300 more. money was tight as it is. i asked him if he had seen any signs at all. he did assure me that from his visual inspection, he did not see anything that should cause concern but he could not guarantee.
i was taking a huge risk here perhaps by regular standards. but we are in the high desert here and i pray that it'll be alright.
