Tampa Home Inspection

Chinese drywall firm to pay $55 M

2011-06-22T13:43:00.000-04:00

JUNE 2011
A Miami-based supplier of tainted Chinese drywall has agreed to a $55 million settlement of claims that the product damaged homes, almost all located in Florida.
The proposed settlement, which requires judicial approval would resolve claims by thousands of plaintiffs against Banner Supply Co., several related companies and Banner’s insurers.
Banner bought 1.4 million sheets of drywall which was manufactured by Knauf Plasterboard Tianjin Co.

How you can donate to the Curtis/Kocab Memorial Fund

2010-07-14T14:10:00.000-04:00

Clear Channel Radio of Tampa is teaming up with the Tampa Bay Storm and the St. Pete Times Forum to present a charity dodgeball tournament to benefit the families of slain Tampa Police Officers, David Curtis and Jeffrey Kocab.

The event will take place inside the St. Pete Times Forum on the Storm field on Saturday, July 31st, 2010 from 11:00am-2:00pm. Tournament registration is open to the public with thirty-two available team slots. Each team will consist of six members with an entry fee of $120.
All proceeds will benefit the Curtis/Kocab Memorial Fund.
The event will be open to the public to watch and donation opportunities will be available on the concourse at the Forum.
If you would like to make monetary donation to help the families of the fallen officers, TPD asks for checks to be made payable to the Curtis/Kocab Memorial Fund and sent in care of the Tampa Police Memorial Committee, P.O. Box 172995, Tampa, FL 33672. Donations can also be made in person at any Tampa Bay Federal Credit Union location.
Thank you.
BLC

Help Our Troops Phone Home

2010-06-01T09:32:00.005-04:00

Florida Realtors® 'Help a Soldier Call Home'

Show our troops we care -
donate today

Your donation allows our men and women fighting overseas to reconnect with their families. Please give as if your freedom depends on it.
Donate online today. Use a credit card and give through the USO’s secure website. Deadline: Aug. 15, 2010.

Why give?

"To our soldiers, ‘going home’ means 10 minutes on the phone hearing a loved one’s voice. If 'home' to our service sons and daughters is a short phone call, then we, as Florida Realtors, should help them find home.” - Wendell Davis, Florida Realtors president.
"When your son is in Iraq or Afghanistan, he’s physically 7,000 miles away, but the distance is much, much farther emotionally. For so many of our sons and daughters, comfort is a phone call. That’s it – their only connection to family." - Patti Fitzgerald, Florida Realtors president elect and mother of two Marines.

"I was able to talk to my wife and family from Afghanistan thanks to the phone cards donated by patriotic individuals, such as Realtors. For that, I offer a sincere thank you." - LCpl Joseph Fitzgerald, Patti Fitzgerald’s son.

The Details

· A donation buys international calling cards that the USO gives to deployed members of the U.S. armed services – the item most requested by our men and women serving overseas.
· Donations are fully tax deductible.
· Anyone may donate. Encourage Facebook friends, clients and family to support our troops.
Tampa Home Inspection
More Tampa Home Inspection Blogs

US Credit Conditions: You can focus on Tampa.

2010-05-17T12:42:00.000-04:00

Whether economic conditions are good or bad, inquiring minds want to know about mortgage delinquencies, foreclosures, and their impacts on communities across the United States.
The data is provided by one of the nation's dominant credit agencies, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Thay have created this dynamic map that tracks credit conditions related to auto loans, bankcards, mortgages, and student loans.
On the website's homepage, visitors can zoom in on our local counties or focus on any county elsewhere in the country. You can also toggle different data sets on and off on the display map. The site also includes a set of technical notes, a glossary, and a link to subscribe to email alerts. Visitors can display information from the current fiscal quarter, or look at year-by-year change. http://data.newyorkfed.org/creditconditions/
- - blc - -

As Seen on TV

2010-04-27T12:59:00.000-04:00

Who did the pros at Tampa’s TV Channel 10 turn to when they needed expert advice about home inspections?

Why, us, of course. You can watch the short video clip here.

http://www.wtsp.com/news/topstories/story.aspx?storyid=130303&catid=250

The big surprise was to the homebuyer who stepped out to grab a cup of coffee a block away. When he returned, there was a Channel 10 news van in his driveway and a reporter doing an interview with me in the living room.

His expression was, ‘Did they find a dead body in the attic?’

Our thanks to Channel 10 reporter, Laura Kadechka, for giving us air time.

BLC

What's That Thing?

2010-03-09T13:05:00.000-05:00

When we conduct a home inspection, one tool we use to test the electrical circuits is a GFCI Arc Fault Receptacle Tester and Tripper. It looks like a toy and it’s small enough to fit in a pocket, but it tells us quite a bit.

The warning lights can confirm faulty wiring, GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit Interruption), correct polarity, ungrounded outlets and more.

Why is this important to you?

Remember – we look for things that may cost our clients money or are unsafe.

When we test a three- prong outlet that is located near water – such as a bathroom or kitchen – it must be properly grounded to prevent shock or worse. We have encountered many instances where a three- prong faceplate is present, which leads you to believe that you can plug in a three- prong plug and be safe – but once the outlet is tested - there is no ground present. Someone swapped out a two-prong faceplate for a three-prong without the ground!

Now we have a safety problem.

Almost every major appliance – computers, hair dryers, televisions, curling irons, radios, toaster ovens, coffee makers, etc. have a three-prong plug. It is there for a reason. It is used to prevent shock or electrocution or electrical fire. How many times have you seen a house fire in the news where the cause was attributed to faulty wiring?

If an appliance or other equipment is plugged into the outlet, and that appliance has a three-pronged plug, then it also has metal that is capable by being touched by people when they use it. The ground wire in that appliance is connected to that appliance metal.

Now, when you plug a three-pronged appliance into a receptacle that has three slots but does not have a ground (green) wire, the circuit breaker will not trip and when you touch the metal – ZAP. You may walk away (if you’re lucky) with Don King hair.
...BLC

New Loan Program - Hillsborough

2010-02-09T16:44:00.000-05:00

HOME OWNERSHIP PROGRAM

The Authority currently offers a 4.99%, 30 year, fixed rate mortgage (actual APR to be disclosed by the lender). Down payment and closing cost assistance is also available in the amount of $5,000 per loan in the form of a 0% second mortgage. For more information, see the Single-Family Program page. There are $20 million of funds available on a first-come first-served basis.

Home Ownership Program
If you have ever dreamed about home ownership but felt that buying a home was a little beyond your reach, the Housing Finance Authority (HFA) of Hillsborough County may make your dream easier to reach with the 2009/2010 Home Ownership Program.

How does the program work?

The program offers a borrower a first mortgage loan at 4.99%. The borrower receives a 30-year, fixed rate, fully amortizing first mortgage loan. There are zero origination points and zero discount points on FHA, VA or RD loans (0.5% origination fee on conventional loans).

Down Payment and Closing Cost Assistance

Assistance is available in the form of a second mortgage of $5,000. The second mortgage is a 30-year deferred, 0% loan that may be used for down payment and/or closing costs. It is never forgiven and it is repayable at 30 years or sooner if the property ceases to be the borrower's principal residence, is sold, refinanced or rented.

What kind of home may I purchase?

You may purchase a new or existing single family home (attached or detached) a condo, town home or PUD anywhere in Hillsborough County, including unincorporated Hillsborough County, the City of Tampa, the City of Temple Terrace or Plant City. The purchase price of the home may not be more than $258,690. In some areas of the county there are areas referred to as "targeted areas" that have higher income and sales price limits. A participating lender can provide information regarding targeted areas.

Who qualifies?

1. Buyers must be first-time buyers (have not had an ownership interest in a home for the past three years) and meet standard credit requirements.

2. There are household income limits:

1-2 Person Household Income Limit = $63,831

3 or More Person Household Income Limits = $73,406

Hillsborough County Offers Home Buyers A Break

2010-01-30T11:39:00.000-05:00

STARTS FEB. 5th, 2010
First time homebuyers in unincorporated Hillsborough County should take advantage of a new program that provides assistance for down payments and closing costs. The Hillsborough County Affordable Housing Dept. will release more than $1 million for eliginle residents, including those in Temple Terrace and Plant City. Called 'First-Time Homebuyer Program', the plan is to provide help with mortgage financing with private lenders (not banks).
Go Here: www.hillsboroughcounty.org/affordablehousingoffice

Dogs Sniff Out Chinese Drywall

2010-01-18T15:47:00.000-05:00

When members of our team suspect that Chinese drywall was used in the construction of a dwelling, we use our noses because Chinese drywall emits a rotten egg, sulfur smell.
The only way to positively confirm the presence of the tainted drywall is to take a core sample of the drywall and have it lab tested. Problem is, one can never be sure exactly where the drywall was used. Where do you take the core sample? From a panel in the ceiling? A wall? Several walls? Is it just one panel or dozens used throughout the house?
One of our competitors, an inspection company in Manatee County, Florida (Professional Building Inspectors) got a brilliant idea. If dogs can be trained to sniff out drugs and other contraband, why not train them to sniff out Chinese drywall?
Working with the Von Asgard K9 Center in Myakka City, they formed a company called K9 Detection Service that trains dogs to sniff out Chinese drywall. This doesn’t mean that specific panels can be singled out for replacement. What the company does do, however, is to confirm the presence of the drywall and a very specific location.
So far, the company has seven dogs in training or in the field. K9 Detective services charges about $400 to conduct their detection services. This is much less than the $2,000 some homeowners have paid for core sampling and lab testing. More info can be found at http://www.wfla.com/ keyword: Chinese drywall.
BLC

Hillsborough County Resources

2009-11-05T08:13:00.000-05:00

Homeowners with tainted Chinese drywall have a place to go for updated information.
Hillsborough County's website, http://www.hillsboroughcounty.org/ has a new page with links to federal and state agencies handling investigations or offering help. It also has information on the tax breaks offered by the Hillsborough County Property Appraiser's Office as well as the latest news reports.

In addition, residents who are are having their drywall replaced may be eligible to install a temporary mobile home on their lot while work is in progress.

Go to the website above or call (813) 307-4739 for more information.
To return to our website: http://www.tampahomeinspection.com/

Legislation and Home Inspection

2009-08-25T22:46:00.005-04:00

(Washington, D.C.) May, 25th, 2009 — The U.S. House of Representatives committee charged with solving the home mortgage/foreclosure/credit crunch crises has added key home inspection counseling provisions to the Predatory Lending Bill, HR1728.

The Financial Services Committee, chaired by Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) adopted the concept that was also championed on Capitol Hill by Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-NY).The legislation is designed to use the vast resources of the federal government to awaken harried homebuyers to the benefits of home inspections at a critical time in the home buying process.

The General Accounting Office (GAO) conducted a study of homebuyer confusion and its impacts on home inspection. GAO found that, even among people who had just bought a home, most did not know that home inspections are not conducted automatically, or that appraisals are not home inspections, or that HUD recommends that buyers obtain a voluntary home inspection. Many thought that FHA performed inspections automatically or did not realize that they would need an inspection.The bottom line is that many potential home buyers do not order a home inspection due to confusion , poor understanding and ineffective, untimely communication.

The suspicion of the existence of massive homebuyer confusion has been vindicated by revelations that homeowners now drowning in mortgage debt were utterly confused about many aspects of their purchases. This has put the entire home sales industry at great risk.

In response, the Financial Services Committee added a major chapter on housing counseling in the Predatory Lending Bill. The Velazquez Amendment adds to that the counseling chapter. The provisions added to the Predatory Lending Bill require the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to take such actions as are necessary to inform potential homebuyers of the availability and important of obtaining an independent home inspection.

At a minimum, the new legislation requires HUD to:

Publish HUD’s advisory “For Your Protection: Get A Home Inspection”
Create a new booklet for homebuyers advising them to obtain a voluntary home inspection
Publish HUD’s advisory “Ten Important Questions To Ask Your Home Inspector."
Ensure the new booklet will address FHA and non-FHA home sales.
All publications shall be published in both English and Spanish to reach the growing market of Hispanic homebuyers.

HUD is charged to make the widest possible distribution of the materials, including electronic distribution on the Internet, and, where appropriate, public service announcements and toll-free hotlines operated by HUD.

The agency is charged to give special emphasis to reaching first-time and low-income homebuyers. One of the greatest challenges is making sure that prospective homebuyers get the message on home inspection with certainty, and early enough to influence the process, and that the message on home inspection reaches the entire market.

Under the new provision:
All FHA-approved lenders will be required to provide prospective mortgage applicants these materials at first contact, whether for pre-qualification, pre-approval, or initial application, to ensure that prospective homebuyers consider home inspection as early as possible in any transaction.
The housing counselors for each counseling agency certified by HUD to provide housing counseling shall be required to provide these home inspection materials to prospective homebuyers as part of the counseling process.
All HUD-approved housing counselors will be trained to counsel homebuyers on home inspection, including the importance and availability of home inspection, and information on how to locate and select a qualified home inspector.

Tampa Home Inspection Results

2009-08-11T16:53:00.005-04:00

Several of our clients have asked us to post a pic of Chinese Dry Wall. The pic on the left clearly has the word, "CHINA" printed on the back of the drywall face. The second (on the right) has the word, "KNAUF" which is the licensee (in Germany).

We have some pics on the main site,

http://www.tampahomeinspection.com/ as well.

Chinese Dry Wall - What is it?

2009-07-20T23:47:00.003-04:00

There are numerous theories and no consensus. The most common theory is that the tainted drywall was manufactured in gypsum mines in China which used fly ash, a waste material that is a byproduct from power plants using coal.

Coal fly ash can leak into the air and emit sulfur compounds. Samples of Chinese drywall recently tested by United Engineering, however, consist of 5-15% organic material, which contradicts the assumption that Chinese drywall was made of waste from coal fired power plants.

Another theory is that Chinese drywall contains bacteria which is degrading iron and sulfur compounds to produce sulfur odors. Drywall imported from China was kept on barges at sea for months awaiting permission to enter the United States. While at sea, the drywall was exposed to seawater. In fact, there are reports that the drywall was wet (and stunk) when unloaded from the ships. According to many experts, however, if bacteria is in fact present, it is not significant enough to cause an odor.

Testing of drywall outer paper and the gypsum core has been found to release sulfur compounds. Thus, there are potential causes aside from the drywall itself, including contaminants in the adhesive that binds the paper to the drywall. Additionally, the drywall or outer paper may have been treated with a fungicide after entering the United States. No one has yet to determine whether tainted drywall has been found in China or Germany (where Knauf, the German importer of the material, is based)

Here is a pic of a lightbar in a bathroom located in a house we inspected in Riverview, FL.

Notice the corrosion on the lightbar and around the light bulb sockets.

BLC

40 Lawsuits and Counting

2009-07-14T11:39:00.003-04:00

Homebuilder Lennar Corp. has identified defective Chinese-made drywall in about 400 Florida homes - most built in 2006 - 2007. According to their filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, this represents about 2.1 percent of homes it built in Florida at that time.

Lennar has set aside $39.8 million in warranty reserves for homes that have the defective drywall. State and federal tests have found high levels of sulfur and organic compounds in the drywall.

Lennar says it has been named in 41 separate lawsuits as of this date (14JUL09). Lennar has filed suit against the entire supply chain, including manufacturers of the defective drywall.

For an up-to-date report, click the link below.

http://www.cpsc.gov/info/drywall/drywallstatus07092009.pdf

Chinese Drywall and Air Conditioner Damage

2009-07-07T11:23:00.002-04:00

Your air conditioning system pulls the gases released by the Chinese Drywall into your air handler where it attaches itself to the copper lines. The sulfur gas attacks the copper lines and begins to severely corrode those copper lines. The corrosion weakens the lines and causes failure in the system. No matter how many times the air conditioning system is replaced, the system will continue to fail until the Chinese drywall is removed from the structure. BLC

Chinese Drywall

2009-06-29T15:21:00.004-04:00

There are no standard tests to determine if the drywall in your residence is the 'Chinese Drywall' associated with outgassing, corosion and the rotten egg smell.

The best way to confirm is to ask your home inspector to go to the attic and try and read the brand name printed on the back side of the drywall.I say, 'try' because in many buildings the drywall may be covered with insulation that cannot be removed.

The tell-tale signs are sensory, anyway.Corrosion on fixtures like interior mirrors, towel bars in the bathroom, A/C coils and, of course, the smell.

Find more about this and inspections, go to our site:
http://www.tampahomeinspection.com/
...BLC