Shifrah Combiths With five children, Shifrah is learning a thing or two about how to keep a fairly organized and pretty clean house with a grateful heart in a way that leaves plenty of time for the people who matter most. Shifrah grew up in San Francisco, but has come to appreciate smaller town life … Read more
Whenever she steps into a bathroom for the first time, home inspector Welmoed Sisson has two things on her mind: safety and water. As a certified home inspector in Maryland, Sisson is trained to think in terms of the worst-case scenario, so it makes sense that these are her overarching concerns, and they often go … Read more
When you’re buying a home, the property inspection can reveal potential money pits — things like a roof that’s nearing the end of its life cycle or a cracked foundation. As a best case scenario, the inspection uncovers all of the major fixes lurking in the home, and the seller agrees to have these maintenance … Read more
Purchasing a home is no small investment. And a few months after handling your closing costs is not the moment you want to incur a four- or five-figure surprise — like, say, learning that the roof of your recent purchase needs to be replaced. This is where the importance of the home inspection comes in. It … Read more
Just like you can’t always judge a book by its cover, you can’t always judge a home by what’s above ground. “Foundation” is the red-flag word that sends most homeowners and buyers running, and often, it’s not clear from first glance that anything is wrong. Issues can vary from house to house, depending on the … Read more
If you think of homebuying like riding a rollercoaster, the home inspection can often be one of those unexpected loops you didn’t see coming. Before you reach the closing table, a home inspection gives you, the buyer, a good snapshot of the home’s condition. During this process, a professional will examine the physical structure and … Read more
After following my home inspector around for several hours as he considered every nook, cranny, and system in my soon-to-be home, I asked him to give it to me straight: What was his opinion of the house? Was I making a good choice by buying it? “If one of my kids were trying to buy … Read more
Many buyers know to do a home inspection to find any hidden problems in a home for sale, but not as many people know to do a sewer inspection that focuses on the sewer lines running from the house to the street. In fact, they’re often unaware that they’re responsible for the sewer lines between … Read more