There are many things a home inspector will look for when inspecting a home in the Bronx. There are certain things he will write up every time. Most are unknown by the home owner and can break up the impending sale. Make a note of some of these things to ensure whether or not they exist in your home.
The first is your electrical panel. All homes have an electrical panel, and thankfully not all were manufactured by Federal Pacific Electric. The biggest problem with these panels is the circuit breakers. Circuit breakers are designed to trip when overloaded. The circuit breakers on the Federal Pacific Electric Panel do not always trip when the breaker has been overloaded and some times if the breaker handle does trip it does not always mean there is not electricity still flowing through the circuit. Also the "Stablock" breaker was made with a faulty design. It will sometimes arc and overheat, which can cause a fire. The Consumers Product Safety Commission never officially recalled these panels, but home inspectors know enough to write them up any time they are seen in a home.
The Consolidated Furnaces are another red flag for home inspectors. Consolidated built around 190,000 of these furnaces from 1980 to somewhere in the 1990s using various brand names. These furnaces are a known fire hazard and are responsible for many home fires throughout the United States.
Another potential fire hazard and a red flag for the home inspector is aluminum electrical wiring. Aluminum electrical wiring was used in the construction of home from the middle of 1960 to some time in the early 1970s. Aluminum wiring has a problem with expansion and contraction, which can cause arcing and overheating of the circuits, which will ultimately lead to a fire. In the 1970s, the design was altered, but it created more problems.
Several different companies from 1984 to 1990 manufactured ABS Plumbing. It can be recognized by the rigid black pipe used to drain your sinks, tubs, showers, and washers, these pipes are defective and known to leak. Every good home inspector will write this up on sight.
Water supply lines ranging from grayish to blue in color are the polybutylene plumbing lines. They were manufactured some time in the 1970s and have an issue with leaking due to the chemicals in tap water, which cause deterioration and will harden the fittings.
If you are planning on selling your home, you will want to address these problems before you list it for sale. Taking care of the problems before the sale will save you a lot of heartache. If you are not sure whether or not these problems exist in your home, you can call a good thorough home inspector. If you live in the Bronx, there are several quality home inspectors to choose from. He or she will be able to recognize these problems and should be able to recommend a solution to correct them. This will ensure the sale of your home will go as smoothly as possible.
