Consulting:

Another option for evaluating the home before purchasing is to utilize the inspector in a consultant capacity.  Consulting consists of a verbal evaluation of the house without any written report.  Several clients have recorded the consulting with cam corders, tape recorders, and/or taking notes.  Consulting inspections take as long as a normal home inspection.  However the whole time I am there I am giving information without the typing into a report format, and charges remain the same.  Many real estate investors who choose to learn ways to inspect the property themselves would choose to have Calibre Home Inspections consult with them to learn how to:

• procedurely and systematically inspect a property,
• evaluate systems,
• estimate the useful life on systems,
• identify properties of different building materials,
• identify building materials that have class action law suits,
• focus on expensive parts of property inspections,
• proper fixes for many typical issues,
• find a contractor to work inexpensively,
• know when/if you should pay a contractor,
• estimated costs for issues noted on the present property,
• use tricks on fixing cosmetic issues,
• use rules-of-thumb about how well cosmetic items need to be fixed,
• use the philosophy of the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association for cosmetic issues,
• negotiation with future renters, leasers, or buyers.
• use ideas for high powered Realtor leverage when selling,
• etc.

My background for this comes from buying, fixing, and selling many homes over a seven year period.  During this time I have learned how rain gets into and what it does to the home.  I have learned how to fix, what to fix, and how well it needs to be fixed depending on what the intentions are with the home.  My construction background helped me locate subcontractors, learn good construction methods, and the building codes.

The reason we offer consulting is that many investors  that are interested in evaluating the property desire to learn many aspects of investing.  Over time an investor will learn the ins and outs of property evaluations and shortly will not need a home inspector at all.  They will in the mean time get to know a highly qualified home inspector.  Our philosophy at Calibre Home Inspections is that we are your real estate partner.  That doesn't end with the close of this transaction.  If there are any questions you have about any property, we want to be the first people you turn to.  This includes any items that come up during any real estate transaction and/or if you are looking for a qualified real estate professional.