Stephanie Jaynes

Many home inspectors are wary of what’s lurking beyond the confines of their visual examination. Buried in the ground, septic systems can be one of the last things sellers and buyers consider during real estate transactions. But they don’t have to be. Also known as individual onsite or small community cluster systems, septic systems treat…

In February 2021, severe winter storms triggered a massive electricity generation failure in Texas, resulting in millions of homes and businesses losing power—some for several days. The magnitude of the power outages led to nationwide scrutiny. Why wasn’t the state more prepared for bad weather? Should we expect more crises like this in the future?…

Home inspectors—may your homeowners and buyers be warned: Having a damaged sewer line can really stink. Unnoticed sewage exposure from broken or blocked lines can expose home dwellers to health hazards, like bacterial, fungal, and parasitic infections. Compromised sewage lines can also wreak havoc on homes, causing flooding, sinkholes, mold, and foundation cracks and shifts.…

Exterior Insulation and Finish Systems (EIFS), or synthetic stucco, is a multi-layered exterior finish that gives homes curb appeal and additional insulation. Popularized in the United States in the 1980s, EIFS once did 30 percent of its business in the residential market. According to Walls & Ceilings Magazine, the EIFS market segment for residential construction…

Pandemic buying: It’s a term coined by the media to describe consumers’ changed purchasing habits during the coronavirus health crisis. From a surge of online shopping to runs on toilet paper, Americans have spent money in both practical and unexpected ways to cope with an uncertain time. One industry that COVID-19 has spurred: swimming pools.…

While mortgage rates sit at historic lows, not all bodes well for house hunters. Potential buyers nationwide face low housing inventory and subsequently high prices, leaving many to wonder how they’ll ever secure their dream homes. And, eager to avoid bidding wars with other hopefuls, buyers’ real estate agents suggest that their clients pursue an…

You perform your inspection. Your clients negotiate with the sellers and land on a price. Just a few weeks later, your clients are moving into their new home. Happily ever after, right? Not always. Sometimes, homeowners can’t make their loan payments. And when their loans default, the bank may send someone out to confirm that…

Unlike other ancillary services, drone inspection services are not a means of providing substantial additional income to your home inspection business. In fact, the inspectors we interviewed rarely charge for drone inspections, if they charge at all, and most of our interviewees use their drones during 15 percent of their home inspections or less. As…

American homeowners aren’t living alone. Whether homeowners know it or not, they share their homes with uninvited guests, like termites, rodents, or bats—the three vermin about which homeowners express the most concern. That’s where pest inspections come in. Why inspectors inspect for pests. When asked why they offer pest inspections, the home inspectors we interviewed…

A possible health risk and a costly issue to fix, mold deters many potential home buyers away from otherwise great finds. Others who buy only to find mold later frequently look for someone to blame, leaving you, the inspector, with a sizable target on your back. How can you diminish that target and make some…