Our Services
Residential
We provide a full range of inspection and testing services for residential structures. Our inspectors have HUD and Supra keys and our area of service includes Mecklenburg County, Lake Norman and all of the surrounding counties. Whether you want a pre-drywall inspection for a home under construction, an inspection on your new home before closing, an 11 month builder warranty inspection or an inspection on an existing home we have talented, experienced inspectors that can get the job done right. Some of our additional services include:
Radon Testing
In 2005 the Surgeon General came out and said that naturally occurring radon gas is the second leading cause of lung cancer. Later that year North and South Carolina elevated its status from a contract addendum to actually being on the Offer To Purchase so that it would always be addressed with home buyers. For real estate purchases we recommend conducting radon testing using continuous monitor machines that can produce results immediately, as opposed to the home test kits that can be more easily tampered with and have to be mailed off to a lab to get results. For more information on radon go to the EPA’s website at: http://www.epa.gov/radon/pubs/citguide.html
Wood Destroying Insect Reports
Our inspectors are licensed in both NC and SC to perform wood destroying insect inspections and issue reports.
Mold Testing
Arvil Price is our mold inspector/tester. EPA protocol says that a separate party should do the mold testing than the one proposing remediation. We only conduct testing so there is never any conflict of interest. While there are over 5,000 different types of mold, only about 50 of those are toxic. Many more of them are allergenic and still need to be remediated. It is very important to remember that mold is not the problem, but rather moisture. Mold is the result of an adverse moisture condition. Before any clean-up work or remediation is done the moisture infiltration has to be stopped or the mold will come right back and resulting in wasted expense.
Well Water Testing
All of our inspectors have the equipment and knowledge to test private water supplies (wells) for bacteria and additional elements (Nitrite, Nitrate and Lead) that are required for FHA, VA and USDA loans. It is important to remember that if the home has been vacant the water supply should be flushed the day before well water testing. Also, after the water supply system has been flushed it should not be used for 8 hours prior to testing for lead. Testing for bacteria should be done Monday through Thursday since the lab work consists of a 24 hour culture. If the water is brought in on Friday there is an extra charge by most local laboratories to come in on Saturdays to do the testing and provide the results.
Commercial Inspections
Commercial inspections include inspecting all of the structural and mechanical systems for the building. When possible, Arvil Price prefers to go on-site and visit the property before giving the price for a commercial inspection. Depending on the structure/facility, we may propose doing all aspects of the inspection ourself or we may add additional professionals (Electrical, HVAC, Roofing and Structural Engineer) which are established members of our team. An upfront, on-site visit will allow us to evaluate what services are needed to help you make informed decisions.
FHA 203-K
Arvil Price is our HUD certified FHA 203-K consultants. With all of the distressed properties on the market there are very few loans currently available for a second loan or a construction loan to repair these distressed properties. HUD has a program called FHA 203-K for the purpose to provide for the repair of homes with at least $5,000 in damages when the total cost of the home in our geographic market is less than $303,000. Under this program, the certified consultant does an inspection similar to a home inspection which is called a feasibility study. The consultant lists the cost of repairs for minimum HUD requirements and any other repairs/renovations the buyer may desire. The real estate agent and ultimately the appraiser can determine what the home will be worth after the repairs have been performed. The main objective of the feasibility study is to determine if the cost of the home in it's current condition plus the cost of repairs is less than the appraised value after the proposed repairs are complete.