Kross Inspectors Weekly Newsletter
Weekly newsletter from Kross Inspectors dedicated to keeping Real Estate
Professionals, Home Buyers, Home Sellers, Legal Professionals, and Consumers up to date on the latest news affecting our Real Estate markets.
What Communities Do Not Have Chinese Drywall?
Our Chinese Drywall Hotline is receiving more incoming calls asking if we have lists of communities and developments that have Chinese Drywall. These calls are coming from both Realtors and prospective Home Buyers.
Our simple response is that due to liability and Client Confidentiality policies, we are unable to "label" any development as a "Chinese Drywall development. However, the statistics gathered by performing over 6,500 inspections has given us the ability to provide factual statements.
We have inspected in hundreds of developments all over Florida. We can say for a fact that although some developments we have inspected contained high percentages of Chinese Drywall homes, we have not yet found one in which EVERY home or condo was affected!
Informed Buyers are turning to Kross Inspectors for guidance, even BEFORE they begin to consult with a Realtor. Our statement to them is simple:
"If you are contemplating purchasing a home built between 2003 and 2009, you are increasing your chances of purchasing a Chinese Drywall property by a minimum of 5%. However, there are too many buying opportunities out there to allow Chinese Drywall to scare you off. It a buying opportunity is presented, then be sure you are making an INFORMED decision by having the property inspected by an EXPERIENCED professional."
After making those statements, Buyers come to the realization that an Inspection of the property is a wise investment. Especially those that are re entering the market this year, but experienced a large financial loss last year by unknowingly purchasing a Chinese Drywall home! In recent weeks, Kross Inspectors has had conversations with several Investors that thought they got a great deal last year, but had to turn around and invest $40,000-$80,000 in remediation costs!
Buyers are even more excited to hear that Kross Inspectors includes a Chinese Drywall Inspection with ALL Full Home Inspections.
Our Chinese Drywall Hotline at (877) 496-4662 is open to consumers and Real Estate Professionals daily from 8am-8pm. Our Inspectors are available to schedule inspections with only 24 hours notice!
$50 Off Chinese Drywall & Home Inspections Extended!
Kross Inspectors offers the most comprehensive Home Inspection Services available under one roof! Our team of Professional Inspectors and Administrative Support Staff are trained in providing the highest level of Customer Service in order to save consumers and Real Estate Professionals TIME & MONEY!
Only ONE click by visiting www.krossinspectors.com or ONE call to (239) 677-4403, and your Inspection appointment can be scheduled and confirmed within minutes!
Our Inspection Fees are very competitive due to the comprehensive services and superior level of customer service provided. However, due to the popular demand received during our Labor Day Weekend $50 Off campaign, we have decided to extend this offer through 9/15/2010 to allow returning vacationers the opportunity to take advantage of this great deal!
To receive $50 off of any Chinese Drywall or Full Home Inspection in Lee, Collier, Charlotte, and Sarasota Counties, please visit www.krossinspectors.com/orderform.
Name That Deficiency!
Welcome to our weekly contest, giving Real Estate Professionals and Consumers a chance to win a $25 Gift Certificate from Kross Inspectors!
The rules are simple: The first person to "Name That Deficiency" wil receive $25 Gift Certificate! This week's prize is a $25 Publix Gift Certificate!
Please take a careful look at the photo to the left of this article (if you do not see the photo, please click the "View as Web Page" link at the top of this email).
To submit your guess as to what the deficiency is, please email Inspector@krossinspectors.com or visit www.krossinspectors.com/weeklycontest.
CONGRATULATIONS TO LAST WEEKS WINNER!
Chris Trant of Cape Coral guessed last week's photo (missing shingles) and won a $25 Gift Certificate for Starbucks!
Good Morning,
Although it has only been a day since our most recent newsletter, we feel it is important for consumers and Real Estate Professionals to keep up to date on the lates breaking news in Chinese Drywall.
On 8/27/2010, the Federal Interagency Task Force and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission issued new Interim Guidance for Identification of Homes with Corrosion from Problem Drywall. As the leader in the Southwest Florida Home Inspection Industry, we would like to offer our comments on this new document:
“On 8/27/2010, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) issued a revised Interim Guidance for Identification of Homes with Corrosion from Problem Drywall. In that communication, the CPSC removed the use of strontium as a corroborative factor to confirm the presence of problem drywall. Furthermore, the Federal Interagency Task Force believes there is a strong possibility that testing for strontium levels in drywall will produce “false-positive” results. At Kross Inspectors, we have developed a comprehensive inspection protocol that exceeds the minimum recommendations within the revised Interim Guidance. Furthermore, should we determine the home displays the positive indicators from our inspection protocol, we do have procedures in place to provide additional corroborating evidence through a third party independent laboratory. This laboratory can further test drywall for the most accurate marker of problem drywall, which is elemental (orthorhombic) sulfur.
Consumers should note that the CPSC and the Federal Interagency Task Force only recommends further testing for corroborating evidence, ONLY if the home displays positive indicators during the threshold inspection.”
If you would like to receive a copy of the new "Interim Guidance-Identification of Homes with Corrosion from Problem Drywall-Revision 1", please email Info@krossinspectors.com or visit www.krossinspectors.com/chinesedrywallinspection. Please remember that Kross Inspectors includes a Chinese Drywall Inspection in EVERY full Home Inspection for FREE! Please visit our web site at www.krossinspectors.com often to find out what discounts are available to clients this week! Inspection appointments are available within 24 hours by calling (239) 677-4403.
Chinese Drywall Update and Home Inspection News 8/30/2010
Weekly newsletter from Kross Inspectors dedicated to keeping Real Estate Professionals, Home Buyers, Home Sellers, Legal Professionals, and Consumers up to date on the latest news affecting our Real Estate markets.
OOPS! I bought a Chinese Drywall House!
Last week, Kross Inspectors fielded phone calls from several Investors that purchased homes containing defective drywall. Some of these Investors knew the home contained defective drywall and others did not find out until later!
A few of these calls last week were from Investors that purchased Chinese Drywall homes unknowingly, then found out after the fact. A trend is developing in that these Investors have taken on remediation efforts WITHOUT proper guidance or without obtaining third party documentation of their remediation efforts. Unfortunately, these are the ones stuck with an investment that cannot payoff.
Unfortunately, the following scenario is becoming a trend:
These events ALL result in one conclusion: The Investor sacrifices profit by not seeking professional advice PRIOR to purchasing a property. Shortcuts taken during the remediation process ALWAYS result in a property that is not marketable and not rentable.
These Investors are now coming to the most experienced firm in Chinese Drywall Inspections to obtain an Inspection report that "clears" the home of defective drywall. Unfortunately, the shortcuts taken to save money are costing the Investors more money than they would ever profit.
Although an Investor may inform us that they have remediated the property, unless we witnessed the remediation efforts first hand, we cannot attest that ALL of the defective drywall was removed. Furthermore, the shortcuts taken often leave behind residual evidence of defective drywall. The ONLY way to "clear" a home of defective drywall after remediation if the Inspector did not witness the remediation efforts is to test EACH piece of installed drywall. This is now costing those Investors THOUSANDS of dollars, sometimes turning their investment into a LOSS!
This time of the year is when the speculative investors are searching for those deals that have been sitting all summer during the slow season. The most common question from these consumers is "What can I do to make sure I do not buy another Chinese Drywall house?". The simple answer is, GET AN INSPECTION! More important, get an Inspection from a firm that is EXPERIENCED in Chinese Drywall Inspections!
Kross Inspectors offers Chinese Drywall Remediation Consulting for consumers. Consumers find that paying a consultant with experience helps them increase their Return On Investment (ROI). More important, a consultant can help REDUCE and/or eliminate LOSSES!
As the first Home Inspection firm in the country to offer Chinese Drywall Inspections, Kross Inspectors has developed a database of thousands of Chinese Drywall Inspections and Chinese Drywall Remediation Inspections. With this extensive database of Inspections, we are able to provide consultation services to help Investors and Homeowners obtain their goal of creating a MARKETABLE property.
To find out more about Chinese Drywall Remediation and services offered By Kross Inspectors to protect consumers, visit www.krossinspectors.com/drywallremediation or call our Chinese Drywall Hotline at 1-877-496-4662.
How Can I Protect My Home In Florida If I Live In New Jersey?
Our Kross Inspectors HomeWatch Services has developed close relationships with many consumers that purchased a "vacation" or "retirement' home in Florida. The most common concern is that these homeowners only visit their home for short periods of time, leaving their homes vulnerable to storm damage, burglaries, pest intrusion, and more.
Kross Inspectors offers HomeWatch services that include periodic personal visits from a qualified Home Inspector. The Inspector acts as a personal guardian over your "Home Away From Home".
To find out more about our HomeWatch Services, please contact our Director of HomeWatch Services, Hanzel Ramos via Hanzel@krossinspectors.com or call (239) 839-2751.
Coming Soon!: Please visit www.krossinspectors.com/homewatchto learn more about new HomeWatch services. How would you like to be able to watch your "Home Away From Home" from a secure Internet connection anywhere in the world?
Name That Deficieny!
The rules are simple: The first person to "Name That Deficiency" wil receive $25 Gift Certificate! This week's prize is a $25 Starbucks Gift Certificate!
John Jaffee of Naples won last week's $25 Gift Certificate for Home Depot!
Chinese Drywall Update and Home Inspection News 8/23/2010
Is Chinese Drywall Contagious?
Our Chinese Drywall Hotline (1-877-496-4662) received hundreds of calls each month. A common question among condominium buyers and owners is "If one condominium unit in a building is known to have Chinese Drywall, does that mean that all of remaining units in the building are affected?" Another is "My neighbor has Chinese Drywall, can it spread to my home?"
Of the thousands of Chinese Drywall Inspections performed by Kross Inspectors, approximately 30% of these have been performed on multi family residential units. We have involved in various size assignments from inspecting just one unit in a building to inspecting entire developments.
This vast experience has enabled us to document many condominium projects that may only have one or two units affected. Our inspections of projects like this have shown that the effects of Chinese Drywall do not "spread" from one home to another.
However, we should consider all possibilities. We do understand that the known problem with Chinese Drywall is "off gassing". Simply put, the gases from the defective drywall are the destructive elements that attack a home's components and cause problems for the home's occupants. So long as there is not a way for these gasses to cross from one home to another, then the problem remains contained within the affected home.
The only way to determine if a condominium is affected is to perform a comprehensive inspection.
To find out more about Chinese Drywall in condominiums, visit www.krossinspectors.com/chinesedrywall, or call our Chinese Drywall Hotline at 1-877-496-4662.
NAME THAT DEFICIENCY!
Welcome to our new weekly contest for Real Estate Professionals!
We have received many compliments from Real Estate Professionals about the thorough walk through we perform for those that attend our Home Inspections. Our Inspectors' keen eye for detail has left many saying "Wow, I never would have caught that!"
This week we will begin our new weekly contest, giving Real Estate Professionals a chance to "Name That Deficiency". The first person to submit the correct answer will receive a $25 Gift Certificate from Kross Inspectors. Our prize will change weekly. This week's prize is a $25 Gift Certificate to Home Depot!
Please take a careful look at the photo to the right of this article (if you do not see the photo, please click the photo or the "View as Web Page" link at the top of this email).
To enter your guess as to what the deficiency is, please email Inspector@krossinspectors.com or visit www.krossinspectors.com/weeklycontest.
We will post each week's winner on our web site and in the following week's newsletter.
GOOD LUCK!
Mold Inspections
In a recent newsletter, we warned consumers about vacant properties and the potential for hidden mold growth. As we head towards the end of summer, call volume has increased regarding Mold Inspections.
Mold is a natural occurrence in Florida, however if it is left unchecked, it can cause multiplying problems for a home's occupants.
To find out more about how Kross Inspectors can help with Mold Inspections, please visit www.krossinspectors.com/moldinthehome.
Chinese Drywall Update and Home Inspection News 8/17/2010
Fannie Mae Announcement 8/16/2010
Fannie Mae issued a service announcement on 8/16/2010 which provides the use of "Disaster Relief" if they suffer a "Unique Hardship" such as owning a home with problem drywall.
Relief is available for those that suffer a financial hardship due to the costs associated with additional housing expenses and remediation. However, proof must be provided in order to qualify (please note that our comments are provided in bold italics. All other text is direct quotes from the Fannie Mae Announcement SVC-2010-11):
After preforming thousands of Chinese Drywall Inspections, our Inspectors have witnessed many distressed families with nowhere to turn when faced with a disaster such as this.
We were first informed of Fannie Mae's decision to include Chinese Drywall as a provision under their "Disaster Relief" in February of this year. Our hopes were that sufficient relief would be provided to allow these families to correct the problem and live out their American Dream of home ownership. However, this service announcement only provides relief to those that have incurred an expense that typically exceeds 75% of their home's value (today's value, not the value of the home when they purchased).
Where else can these home owners go for relief? Until the federal government recognizes that Chinese Drywall causes a "DISASTER" within a home and renders it uninhabitable, there will be no relief available to these distressed families.
As the first Home Inspection Firm in the country to provide Chinese Drywall Inspections and due to our comprehensive inspection protocol, all servicers of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac do accept our Drywall Inspection Reports as sufficient documentation that a home does or does not contain defective drywall. However, we caution consumers that many Inspectors will attempt to use this announcement as an inducement to inspect for Chinese Drywall. The inspections required under this service announcement are only required to document the presence of problem drywall PRIOR to remidiation. "Unique Hardship" relief is only available AFTER remediation.
To obtain a free Chinese Drywall consultation, call our Chinese Drywall Hotline 1-877-496-4662 or email Info@krossinspectors.com.
FREE Gift Certificates For Realtors!
Last Month, Kross Inspectors implemented a new "Gift Certificate" program for Realtors. We visited many offices and passed out Home Inspection Gift Certificates that Realtors could provide to their Clients in order to obtain discounts on Home Inspections. Many Realtors thanked us for providing another tool that helps them build relationships with Clients!
Due to overwhelming demand, we have decided to extend this offer to ALL Realtors in Southwest Florida.
If you would like to obtain FREE gift certificates to provide to your Home Buyers, email Info@krossinspectors.com. or call our office at (239) 677-4403
*Limited quantities available.
Kross Inspectors Chinese Drywall & Home Inspection Update 8/2/2010
$25 OFF
Receive $25 Off of our Chinese Drywall and Full Home Inspection fees by visiting:
www.krossinspectors.com
Why Do Some Inspectors Charge Additional For Chinese Drywall When Performing Purchase Inspections?
Some Home Inspectors use the rationale that a Chinese Drywall Inspection is beyond the Scope of a typical Home Inspection. For Inspectors with experience in Chinese Drywall Inspections, this is simply not true. Many of the components inspected by our Inspectors for the presence of defective drywall are already included in our Full Home Inspection. Therefore, we feel that we would be taking advantage of consumers by charging twice for something that we only look at once!
Furthermore, we do believe that consumers should always be given the opportunity to "downgrade" their inspection if the home is found to contain defective drywall. Therefore, we ALWAYS give the buyer the option to reduce the Inspection to a Chinese Drywall Only Inspection and avoid having to pay for the additional information contained in a Full Home Inspection that they simply will not need.
For more information about our comprehensive Home Inspections and Chinese Drywall Inspections, please visit www.krossinspectors.com.
*Don't forget! Click on the $25 OFF Button to receive a $25 discount on Chinese Drywall & Full Home Inspections! Call (239) 677-4403 or email Info@krossinspectors.com for immediate placement on our Inspection Schedule!
What ever happened to "Cheap" Home Inspections?
With a large decrease in new home sales and an increase in existing home sales also comes a demand for more professional Home Inspectors to assist Home Buyers in making informed decisions. This is especially true in markets with large volumes of vacant homes and those areas hardest hit with the Chinese Drywall problem.
As we all know, the basis of any service industry, such as Home Inspections, is customer service and quality of work. Although many consumers and Realtors begin their search for a Home Inspector with "How much do you charge?", many are beginning to understand that not all Home Inspectors are equal!
Although it is EASY to find a "Cheap" Home Inspector, it is DIFFICULT to find a Home Inspectors with ALL of the following attributes:
These are some of the items that ALL consumers and Realtors should be asking when interviewing potential Home Inspectors. Seeking a Home Inspector is much like looking for a new Doctor. The fee charged should not be the first thing considered, as just like Doctors, not all Home Inspectors are the same! A few questions to ask a Home Inspector:
Finally, the last item consumers should ALWAYS ask for is that the Home Inspector email a copy of a sample Home Inspection Report along with their current fee schedule. If the final decision is based on the fee, then consideration should be made to compare the Reports received and determine if anything important will be sacrificed in the Home Inspection in order to save a few dollars on fees. (Are the sacrifices worth it?)
To obtain a copy of a sample Home Inspection report from Kross Inspectors, call (239) 677-4403 or email Info@krossinspectors.com.
Chinese Drywall Update & Home Inspection News 7/26/2010
How Much Experience Does An Inspector Need To Find Chinese Drywall?
Although there are no state or federal regulatory agencies overseeing Inspectors that perform Chinese Drywall Inspections, we believe that an Inspector should have significant exposure and/or training by experienced Inspectors before offering Chinese Drywall Inspections. Kross Inspector has lead the industry by being the FIRST Home Inspection company to offer Chinese Drywall Inspections.
We were contacted recently by a concerned Home Buyer to perform a Chinese Drywall Inspection on a property he was contemplating purchasing. He was concerned that there had been three Inspections performed on this property and all three Inspectors informed him that the home did not contain defective drywall for the simple reason that they could not find "Made In China" on any drywall after cutting several holes in the walls throughout the home. The Client further expressed his suspicions about the property because it is a townhouse and three other properties in the same building were diagnosed as containing defective drywall.
We performed a comprehensive Drywall Inspection on this property and discovered that the property DID contain defective drywall. Our extensive protocol, which does not allow for shortcuts, discovered that several walls on the first floor were affected by defective drywall. Furthermore, the holes cut in walls by the previous Inspector(s) revealed several markings matching those that are associated with defective drywall (these holes even revealed a copper plumbing distribution line that was obviously affected by defective drwyall-photo to the left).
This does prove to be an ideal example as to why it is so important to find an Inspector that has EXPERIENCE in performing Chinese Drywall Inspections.
Many Home Buyers turn to Kross Inspectors for Full Home Inspections because of our experience. It is well known that many Home Buyers back out of the transaction if Chinese Drywall is discovered, therefore we ALWAYS give the Client the option to downgrade our Inspection to a Chinese Drywall Inspection and reduce the fee accordingly.
Our $25 OFF discount is now available for both Full Home/Condo Inspections AND Chinese Drywall Inspections! Visit www.krossinspectors.com to find out more or call (239) 677-4403.
What Temperature & Humidity Level Bring Out The Odor Of Chinese Drywall?
As we enter the climax of Summer in Florida, we are reminded that the "off gassing" from Chinese Drywall is directly associated with elevated temperature and humidity levels.
The Inspection protocol followed by our Inspectors during thousands of Inspections has provided us with an extensive research database to "fine tune" our Inspection methods.
Our research shows now that the odor emitted by defective drywall is very prevailing when the building's interior temperature exceeds 75 degrees and the interior humidity exceeds 60%. We have found that even in isolated cases, the distinctive odor of defective drywall will be present!
Investors Request Cost Estimates Of Repairs
Although Home Inspectors are not required to provide estimates for repairing deficiencies found during the Home Inspection, many Investors need to be informed prior to making their decision whether to purchase or not.
The total estimated cost of repairs plays an important role in an Investor's decision, therefore Kross Inspectors will soon be offering Repair Cost Estimates as an additional service. These estimates will be based on LOCAL costs. This will provide buyers with the most current information available and assist them in making an informed decision.
To find out more or to provide your input, please contact Jim Kreider at (239) 677-4355 or email Jim@krossinspectors.com.
On 7/24/2010, Kross Inspectors participated in the Hodges University "Staycation" event held in Fort Myers, Florida. Kross Inspectors is proud to participate in events supporting our local community of Southwest Florida. This event was a free event hosted by the Hodges University Ambassadors. This organization comprised of students hosted a fun day with many family activities and a car show.
Kross Inspectors would like to express appreciation to those that attended and donated canned food items to the Lee County Soup Kitchen. The Lee County Soup Kitchen has been cooking in Fort Myers since 1984. This organization, an aoutreach of Community Cooperative Ministries, Inc serves a nutritious lunch six days per week to homeless and at-risk individuals and families. Please continue to show your support of our local community through volunteering and donating to organizations like this.
Many visitors had fun during this event playing our "Bean Bag Toss" game. Participants tossed bean bags for free in order to win tickets for a drawing for a Home Improvement Project Kit from Kross Inspectors. As promised, the winning ticket number is 304015. This lucky gentleman made 4 out of 4 tosses! Congratulations!
Chinese Drywall & REO Properties
Buyers Ask The Home Inspector!
WHAT DO HOME INSPECTORS SAY TO POTENTIAL BUYERS?
Southwest Florida offers great opportunities for Home Buyers from all over the world. Our office logs many phone calls per day from prospective buyers that tell us "I am thinking about buying a home in your area, but before I start looking I want to know how bad the Chinese Drywall Problem is down there".
Our answer to that ongoing question is simple: "We have performed over 6,500 Chinese Drywall Inspections. This has given us the unique opportunity to build a database that allows us to assist Home Buyers in making informed decisions about our local Real Estate Market. With this volume of data, we have found that less than 5% of the homes inspected that were built between the years of 2003 and 2009 contain defective drywall."
When our professional staff of Home Inspectors answer these questions for potential Home Buyers, they are put at ease and ready to go house hunting!
Of Course, we always suggest that the prospective Home Buyer consult with a local Realtor prior to embarking on their search for a home. Realtors has proven that their being on the front line in the market is the Home Buyer's first line of defense from making a bad buying decision.
Kross Inspectors is proud of the unique partnership we have developed between Home Inspectors and Realtors. Therefore, we would like to offer an exclusive discount option for referrals from our local Realtor community. Please direct your Home Inspection referrals to www.krossinspectors.com/realtors for an EXCLUSIVE discount opportunity that ONLY you can provide!
Open House Events With Kross Inspectors
Kross Inspectors has received some positive feedback from Realtors about participating in Open Houses. We have a full staff of Home Inspectors willing to help Realtors draw more traffic to local Open House events. A simple breakdown of our Open House program:
If you would like an opportunity to have Kross Inspectors participate in your Open House event, please email jeff.roberts@krossinspectors.com or call (239) 677-4403 and ask for Jeff Roberts.
Real Estate Professionals that would like to participate in an Open House event with Kross Inspectors, please complete the following survey for your entry:
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