Real Estate with Renee Featuring HouseMaster

Good morning. Good morning, Southwest Florida. Good morning, John.

Morning.

In that short introduction, John, I was— I had to pop on my phone because I couldn't remember what day of the week it was. I think we can all relate, John, in Southwest Florida right now, the real estate market, which affects your and my lives, is busy. Crazy. That's why we don't know.

Crazy. I've never seen it like this ever. I mean, I think even in the height of '05, I don't know if it was this crazy.

Yeah. And it's completely unexpected, but before we go there, good morning to those joining us live and for those on replay. My name is Renee Han. I'm with William Ravis Real Estate, and I actually started this connection set, and I don't even know if you know this, John, started these back at the beginning of COVID and I did them as a way to try to help local businesses stay top of mind when their physical doors may have temporarily been closed. And since then, now that things are, you know, certainly we're not past the COVID hump, but we've gotten smarter about how to, to keep things going amidst this. COVID situation. So people are obviously, they have their doors back open. So now I've kind of hijacked them for my selfish purposes and wanted to do a couple highlights on businesses that are directly in the space that I work in, which is real estate. And, and John's been a valued partner, certainly from the beginning of my time in real estate. So I wanted a chance to showcase your business, HouseMaster, And before we get into the inspection business and the topic at hand, John, I'd love for the audience to learn a little bit more about you, if you don't mind sharing.

No, not at all. Not at all. Um, see, I was, well, uh, very quickly, I was born and raised up in New England, Connecticut to be exact. Um, I went to, uh, school in Washington, DC at George Washington University. Um, got my degree in accounting. Um, actually did my CPA in Maryland. And then I moved down to Florida about, uh, probably about, uh, 15 years later. Um, lived in Miami. I did my master's there and then moved over to Naples. So I've been in Naples for about, uh, 17 years, and I moved over here specifically to, um, take over this franchise from my father who had it for a number of years. And, um, And, uh, it's been a pretty good run. Uh, Naples is a beautiful area. Southwest Florida is beautiful place to live in, especially during the winter. Um, and, um, and that's about it. I have, um, you know, while I was here, I also got my general contractor's license and, um, have a general contracting business, uh, that's completely separate. But, um, at least, um, I can tell people I understand, um, you know, construction a little bit more than maybe the average person.

Well, and I love it, John. I just realized you and I have something in common because we're both in careers that don't require all the education we have. I also, from my prior life, had an undergrad and a master's as you do. So I always tell people, don't assume just because what we do might have a narrower scope of requirements, it doesn't mean the people performing these jobs have a narrower scope of experience, right?

Very true.

Yeah. Well, good, good. Well, John, you hit on one of the things that I often, um, when I am in the, in the transaction process, and obviously where I get involved more in inspections is when I have a buyer purchasing a home and we get something under contract. The, the very next step is obviously pick a contractor, a company that is going to inspect your home. At least I hope people will do that. I would strongly discourage people from not doing even if you don't put a contingency in place, at least know what's going on with the home you're about to make an investment in. And when I get to that point in my working process, I always try to give my buyers a choice. I give them a choice of who they'd like to work with. They obviously don't know everyone, so I'm filtering the list down. But one of the things they ask me is, Renee, who would you pick? Well, the good news is I've bought a house recently. I can tell them who I picked. It happens to be the person here across the screen. Me. But beyond that, you mentioned one of the things that I often point out, John, about your services is the requirements to get an inspector's license are different than getting general contractor license. And your depth of knowledge of systems and everything, I have to imagine, is a little bit more grueling on the contractor side because of the type of work you do. So I always see that as an added benefit for people in terms of your depth of experience and knowledge beyond the checklist of the inspection.

Right. And the only thing is, as a, you know, as a general, you know, we have to kind of bring that down a couple levels because, you know, as you know, the contract, we're not inspecting necessarily for code. You know, you don't need to bring a house up to code for title transfer ever. Um, but we do point out some, um, elements that might fall into the code area, but more because of safety than anything else. Um, but having the knowledge of how it works, because the biggest thing is, you probably, uh, you know, know is, okay, you've identified this is broken. What's it going to take to fix it? Is this an expensive, is this a minor thing? Is this a handyman kind of, um, repair or are we talking serious dollars? And I can at least explain to somebody, here's what it's going to take based on what I see, uh, here's what I— here's what it's going to take, and roughly, um, here's, here's what it'll cost to, uh, to get it done.

And that's priceless.

Well, good.

Well, let's talk about, to get us started on the topic of inspections, what John, in your experience— and you do, between you and your team, I mean, I, I don't know, in a given week How many inspections do you guys do? It's got to be huge.

Um, yeah, during a, during a busy season, um, like our quote season, January through, uh, let's say, uh, April, um, you know, we're not— it's not uncommon we're doing anywhere between 50 and 60 inspections a week. Um, I, I think right now this year we're probably doing more like 60 to 70 a week. Um, it's really been I mean, I, you know, we're working Saturdays, we're, um, you know, we're doing— you guys doing 3 inspections a day. It's just been really, really, um, uh, active right now. Uh, very—

yeah, unprecedented. Well, that's a lot. Even in the slower times, it's a lot of inspections. So when you look across that, that wide array that you guys do on all price points, all types of homes, John, what are the more common defect items or, or inspection items that come up in terms of non-working or defective items that you see, you and your team?

Well, going— if I said between houses and condos, I'd say probably the most common thing is defective receptacles, GFCI to be exact, and probably windows. Um, because people don't open them down here in South Florida for some reason. So balancer arms get disconnected. But those are really, I would say, very minor, uh, defects, easy to fix. There's, uh, um, you know, anyone knows anything about electricity can change out a GFCI in about 5 minutes. I think it's about $10 at Home Depot for a receptacle. Balancer arms, there's window guys that that's all they do all day, every day, and it takes them no time at all to repair them typically, but they, they restore these, these things back to proper operation. Um, I'd say the things people are most concerned about, um, of course would be their, um, AC system in the roof. And, um, you know, we find enough of those, uh, with defects. Um, you know, keeping in mind that what we're allowed to do as an inspector is, is, um, is less than what an HVAC technician or professional or a roofing professional is allowed to do.. But we can at least examine and we know enough that we can say, hey, there's a problem here. And those are the two biggest systems that people, you know, really hanging their hat on when they're considering a purchase.

I imagine if I take each of those by themselves with the roof, it could be a number of things, right? It's not uncommon on a roof, even new roofs, to have a cracked tile, but there's other things beyond that. You can have loose ridge caps, right? You can have issues with underlayment. And John, if I understand, those are varying degrees of severity, right?

Yeah, and keep in mind, again, being, you know, we want everything, we wanna do everything possible to, you know, assuage any concerns or fears someone would have, even when we point out roof problems. And not all roof problems are serious roof problems. Cracked tile is not a serious roof problem. Cracked tile is a repair, that's done. And actually, you don't even need a roofer to do it. Um, you know, they have a special type of adhesive that they use to repair roof tiles. Um, ridge cap tile is the same thing. They just have an adhesive to hold them down. And what we try to do is when we issue the report and we, um, we say that there's defects or problems with the roof with these kinds of issues, we try to follow that up to and explain to the realtor and the client that this is not a serious issue. Um, it's maybe a, a roofer or a guy that knows what he's doing to get on the roof for maybe half an hour, an hour, and secure these things down, um, as a almost more of a maintenance thing. Um, and like I try to always impress on people, you know, maintenance is always pennies. It's repair and replacement that gets really expensive. So we're trying to get you ahead of the, uh, the curve here and, um, address these issues before they become a serious problem like damaging the underlayment, you know, of the home, which is what keeps it dry.

Yeah, absolutely. And, and John raises a good point. I always, as I've learned by skinning my knees through my real estate transactions, I was sharing with John earlier, I really try up front to do a good thorough job of, of walking people through the process, what to expect, how what John and his team do is complementary to the contract but not exclusive. And let me explain what I mean. John's team is hired to come in and inspect the house thoroughly. So they are turning every bit of equipment on and off. They are looking under sinks to make sure there's nothing going on with plumbing. They're up in attics. They're all of those things. And because you have hired them to investigate your whole house, they're going to put everything on the report that they find that may not be as it would be expected to be in a home. Your real estate agent is responsible for then sitting with you to dissect all of those findings and figure out which ones contractually would fall under, depending on which contract you have, whether it's a Lee County FAR BAR or whether it's Collier County NABOR contract. Your real estate agent will help you dissect which of those things contractually would fall under the, the confines of non-working systems and equipment and You know, and therefore appropriate to ask and expect to be fixed. So that's one of those things people, because we put so much in your, you know, in your plate in terms of our expectations of you, sometimes buyers don't always realize that just because it shows up on the report, that doesn't mean it's something that the seller would be obligated to fix.

Right. And you said it wonderfully, and it's almost like I'm channeling my inner me through you when you say that. Um, but that, that is, that's exactly right. I mean, our, what the buyer has contracted with us to do is very different than what the buyer and the seller have agreed to. And like I always say, it's incumbent upon the realtor to explain that difference, have that conversation. I always encourage before the inspection because they're going to get an inspection report and oftentimes there's a lot of things on the summary But if you really look at them, you know, critically, if you know what, you know, you're doing, um, repair-wise, most of them are, you know, maybe a handyman for half a day and you get rid of a lot of your issues. But like I, like I always say, oftentimes with, especially with new agents, um, here's 7 words that'll probably save you at least 70% of your problems. Um, you are not buying a new house. And there's, you know, there's fair wear and tear and there's cosmetic and And, and this needs to be understood by the buyer, um, that exactly, we're there to tell you everything we can about the house so when you walk in there's no surprises. And you're there then to explain to the buyer, here's what you're, um, you know, here's what the seller agreed to take care of, uh, based on the inspection report. And again, we're happy to always speak with realtor and/or client to walk through the findings and what's wrong and, you know, how serious they are, what it might take to, you know, fix them or replace them, um, and aid them through the sale. Because we always want to be seen as a partner in the sale, um, not, you know, not trying to, uh, destroy the sale or, uh, you know, kill the deal. We want, you know, we want the buyer to have a successful transaction. And, you know, and the realtor as well, of course. But, you know, we want to tell them everything we can, give them time to ask us questions about the home they're purchasing, and, you know, and get them, you know, get their head in the right place with regard to what's really wrong with the house, which oftentimes is nothing that serious. I don't think I've ever done a house where I say, you know, you got to run away from this. Um, most people— I mean, most people, you know, walk into a house, they get a sense of it. They get a sense of it. They know they're buying either, you know, a teardown, a fixer-upper, or a pretty nice place. And, you know, they're sort of expecting, um, you know, certain things in the report. Um, but we're there just like you are to sit down calmly, you know, uh, discuss the inspection, the findings, and walk them through what they're going to require so they can make a good decision on the buyer or, you know, buy or walk away if, God forbid, they have to do that.

Yeah, no, John, you're absolutely right. And one of the things I personally love about working with HouseMaster is you guys are thorough but you're not alarming. I, um, I was at an inspection recently down in, um, uh, the Bayshore Art District on a listing that I had, and I, I try to always attend my, my inspections for my sellers for this very reason. We're sitting, we're getting to the end of the inspection, and the gentleman they had subcontracted come in and do the termite, um, came in, and the buyer agent said, so how did it go? He goes, oh, not good. And I, you know, I immediately, I said, oh my gosh, what, you know, what's going on? And he said, oh, termites. And I said, oh really? You know, please show me, where'd you see them? And, you know, I'm, I want to make sure I fully understand. He said, well 'I found these two wings right here on the exterior windowsill.' I said, 'Okay, and I'm waiting for the rest of it.' 'Okay, well, I found these two wings on the exterior windowsill.' I said, 'So there's no other?' And he goes, 'No, no, this was, this was it.' I said, 'No, no other windowsills, nothing inside, no, no excretion from the termites, no indications of termite burrow, I mean nothing, just two wings on the outside structure where they live. And you know, and I'm kind of making light of it, but that was exactly how it went. And I said, oh my gosh, I said, thank you for explaining because your initial response really concerned me. And so, you know, we went from there, but that That's so important because there are some people, you know, everybody Renee, I don't know if you can hear me. I can again. Sorry, there was some kind of bleep there. I think I got my, my point across before we lost it. I think it was that inspector that just intercepted our signal there. He didn't like where that conversation was going. Well, good. Well, John, where I wanted to take us next is, um, really kind of what we've all already been building on, and that is, you know, when, when an inspection comes in, um, I always say don't be alarmed by the length of the items, look at the type of items they are. But what advice do you have, um, for a buyer and how best to decipher that to decide What are major issues versus just, look, there are suggestions that you need to be aware of and something you may want to watch in the future?

Well, you know, again, I always encourage people, um, uh, reach out to the inspector after the inspection if there's any questions at all, and the realtor included. Um, you know, we don't want to scare anyone. That's not our, that's not our job. We want to make people just enter into this purchase with complete confidence that they know what they're getting into. Um, you know, they're not getting, you know, um, you know, over their head with repairs. Um, and to do exactly that, explain, uh, look, this is not major. You know, you could easily, um, you know, you could easily table this until, uh, you know, like a repair— or not a repair, but a replacement. Um, you know, you just need to get some maintenance on something, or this part of it needs to get fixed, and then you should be good for, you know, for a while. So that's the best advice I can give, is to talk to the inspector. And then if it's, you know, beyond our scope, you know, let's say— I'm trying to think— like a pool heater is not working, you know, then we definitely have to tell you, look, there's not much I can tell you you have to get this specific contractor to come out there and address the issue and tell you what's wrong with it. Um, and those are usually— that usually involves mechanical things, things in the house construction-wise. We can often explain, um, pretty thoroughly what, you know, what the problem is and what the repair is, or, you know, what needs to be done to bring it back to, uh, you know, proper working order.

And I don't know that many people don't know that you mentioned a pool heater. Pool heaters, not every pool company can work on pool heaters. There are certain license requirements. And the last few I've had, we've had to bring in HVAC companies.

Yeah, pool heater is essentially a pool heater, like an electric one, people call electric a heat pump, is essentially half of an air conditioning system. I mean, if you know your typical split system, which has your air handler on the inside of the house and a condenser with your compressor on the outside of the house, that condensing unit is your— is a heat pump for the pool. So yeah, it's usually an HVAC guy and not all pool companies, you know, have a, um, a licensed person to do that.

Yep, absolutely. So, well, John, when, um, you know, when it's time to pick an inspector, inspector. These are obviously major purchases that people are going through, and even if you're loaded with money beyond all belief, it's still an important and major purchase. And we do have some of those in Naples. Um, it's still an important purchase because money is money, and, and these are expensive assets. So finding a qualified inspector is, to me, um, invaluable. If you stepped outside of your inspector role for a moment, you're also a home owner, knowing what you know about inspection companies, about inspections, what are some of the things you would advise—

I lost you again. Well, I got your question. I don't know.

I guess I'm— yeah, the screen lost you for a minute.

Okay. Um, you know, I would say, you know, experience has a lot to do with it, but it's not just the inspector. As I always I tell people, you know, there's a, there's a kind of a before, during, and an after. And the before, of course, is that, you know, you need to book the inspection. Um, so, you know, when you call, we have an office with 2 people that answer the phones business hours and, uh, after hours and on weekends. Um, and they're very experienced and, uh, they can answer a lot of questions for you and give you your pricing, get get it scheduled, get you in touch with the inspector before the inspection if need be. Um, so, you know, that's one part of the, um, of a recommendation is, you know, the organization itself. Uh, and then with the inspection, uh, you know, inspector that has some experience, uh, background, uh, with, or some sort of a background with regard to, uh, construction. Um, and, you know, again, you'll see that we show up in a nice vehicle with the sign on it and in a uniform. And, um, you know, we do extremely thorough inspection. Um, our report is, uh, very, um, we're very proud of it. It's a very good report, very clear, you know, color pictures and, um, good descriptions and, and an easy-to-understand rating system. Um, which you can always get a sample of that report before you book an inspection. Um, and then there's the after, you know, we're the only company that offers a guarantee on our inspection. Um, not that we're necessarily guaranteeing an item like, um, a stove, but what we're guaranteeing is that our inspection was done as thoroughly as it could be done on all the elements of the house. And if there's a problem, um, you know, we're committed to trying to step up and do everything we can, um, to help the homeowner get past that. Um, whether it's our fault or not, we're, you know, we're in it to help out., the, the, uh, the client and the transaction, if that's, if that's what their intent is to go through with it.

Now, that's great. And, you know, I, I do, John and I were joking a little bit before we came on, not to make light of it, but because it sometimes can be comical with the timing. Um, just because something breaks or isn't working after closing doesn't always mean that it's a flaw in the inspection. There are, and John used a great analogy. Every day we turn our lights on. And one day, one of those lights isn't going to work. It doesn't mean that yesterday when you saw it working, that was an incorrect observation. It just means the next day it chose to stop working. And so sometimes that happens and I've seen it and it's frustrating when someone moves into a home and 2 days later, maybe their AC goes out or something happens. But, um, you know, I, I've yet to see any inspector that has a crystal ball that's able to tell them that it may be working today, but in 2 days from now, this bad boy is about to give you a heart attack.

So yeah, I wish it all came with a gauge on it, but it doesn't. Um, but yeah, we've all had that experience. You know, your car warranty went out, you know, 2 weeks ago, or, or the warranty on an item went out, uh, you know, just, just the other day. It seems like they somehow time it that way. But, but, um, yeah, it's, it's, uh, you know, one of the big things about inspections, of course, uh, is at the time of the inspection is all we can report. And, you know, again, we try to do that as thoroughly and accurately as possible. But, you know, it's— these are mechanical items and they're made with human hands and therefore they eventually go— they go down.

Yeah, absolutely. So true. It's sort of like how the smoke detector batteries always seem to choose 3:00 a.m. to go out. They never go out during the day. It's always in the middle of the night. Yep. I think someone in the development process had a great sense of humor when they created that. Well, John, I really appreciate you sharing your time and your knowledge here today. As I— when you're purchasing a home, it is really important to make sure you do your due diligence. And that's everything, right? It's doing your due diligence on communities to make sure that the associations are in alignment with your living requirements. It's doing your due diligence to make sure that you're paying a fair and equitable price for the home you're purchasing. It's important to do your due diligence on making sure that you understand the condition of the home you're purchasing. We are all excited when we come to Paradise to get our slice of it locked in, but do it responsibly and do it informed. And again, John, I really appreciate you sharing your your knowledge on this part of the process.

Anytime, I'm glad to do it. And again, anyone can call us at any time if they need to, uh, you know, ask a few questions before even considering a purchase.

Yeah. And John, your team is busy and growing. If somebody's looking for an inspector job, maybe they need to call you.

Give me a call. We're always looking for good talent.

There you go. But you have to be as good as the existing ones are to get in.

We'll get you there, don't worry.

Yeah, well, thank you everyone for joining us, whether you're live or on playback. If you've got any questions for John, his information is below. Feel free to reach out to them directly if you're in the process of purchasing a home and looking for an inspector. And as always, if I can be of any assistance, don't hesitate to call. Everyone have a great rest of the week. Thank you, John.

Thank you. Happy holidays to everyone.