Licensed, professional home inspectors serving the Blissville Queens neighborhood, offering a broad range of services for our residential customers.
If you have been around for a while, then you’ll recognize the need for home inspections in Blissville. A detailed home inspection protects you the buyer against those obvious problems that every home has. While the inspection is not fool proof, an inspector worth his or her weight in gold should be able to pinpoint the primary systems and components that could be ready to break down on you as a new homeowner. A competent inspector will narrow down the likelihood of system failure greatly.
Simply put, a home inspection is a formal professional evaluation of the accessible and visible systems and components of a home (electrical, plumbing, roofing, heating and cooling, structure, etc.) and is intended to give the customer a better understanding of the unit’s general condition. Phone today to book an inspection at 332-334-7701 or Request a Quote. You’ll be glad you made the call.
More often than not, it is a buyer who requests a formal evaluation of the home’s condition he or she is serious about purchasing. An inspection of the home delivers data points so that decisions about the purchase can be confirmed or questioned, and can uncover expensive-to-repair and serious defects that the home seller may not be aware of. It is not an appraisal of the property’s value. The inspection does not address repair costs for defects the inspector finds. Similarly, an inspection of the property makes not claim that the home and its systems complies with building codes or protects a customer in the event an item inspected fails in the future.
Side note: You can purchase warranties for many items in the home.
Don’t consider an inspection of the home and property as a complete evaluation, but rather property evaluation on the day it is inspected, considering normal wear and tear of the home based on age and location. An inspection of the property can also include for extra, Radon testing, pest inspections, pool inspections, water testing, energy audits, and several other specific items that may be location-specific.
Home inspections are conducted (less often) by a homeseller before putting the property on the market to see if there are any hidden problems, and also by home owners simply wanting to care for their homes, prevent surprises, and keep the home investment value as high as possible
The following are aspects that inspectors pay close attention to during a home inspection:
1. Safety hazards, such as bare wiring in kitchens and bathrooms, no safety railing on decks more than 30 inches off the ground, lack of GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters), etc.
2. Major defects, such as large differential cracks in the home’s foundation; building out of plumb or level; decks not installed or supported properly, and others. These items are costly to repair, which are systems requiring over two percent of the purchase price to fix.
3. Things that could lead to serious defects – i.e., a support beam that was not tied to the structure properly, a roof flashing leak that could grow larger, or damaged down spouts that could cause backup and water intrusion.
Your property inspector should be able to advise you on what you should do about these areas of concern. She may recommend an evaluation on issues – by certified and/or licensed professionals who are specialists in the problem areas. For example, your inspector will recommend you call a licensed building engineer if he/she finds sections of the home that are misaligned, as this could indicate a serious structural deficiency.
Home inspections are always paid for by a buyer after he or she signs a formal contract, right?
This isn’t true! As you will see once you continue reading, a home inspection may be used for interim inspections in new construction, as a maintenance tool with a current homeowner, a proactive technique by homeowners to make their property more sellable, and by buyers wanting to find out the problem of the potential home.
Home owners, in particular, can take advantage of finding a home inspection before listing the home. Here are just a few of the advantages for the home owner:
· The home owner knows your home! The home inspector will have a way to obtain answers to his/her questions on the history of any problems they find.
· A home inspection may help the home owner become more objective when it comes to setting a reasonable price on the home.
· The home owner will take the report and make it into a marketing piece for the home.
· The home owner will soon be alerted to any safety issues found in the home before they open it down for open house tours.
· The home owner could make repairs leisurely instead of being in a rush following the contract is signed.
Of course you can. However, often times, home buyers lack the skill, knowledge, and objectivity necessary to skillfully inspect a house themselves. In other words, they think they know their homes, but they really don’t. Utilizing the services of a professional home inspector, they gain a better knowledge of the problem of the property; especially whether any items don’t “abjectly affect the home’s living space” or “work as intended” or “warrant more attention” by a qualified specialist. Understand that the home inspector is just a generalist and has broad experience in every home system.
It’s recommended for you to be present through the inspection – whether you’re a home buyer, seller, or homeowner. With you there, the inspector can show you any defects and explain their importance as well as point out maintenance features that’ll be helpful in the future. If you can’t be there, it’s not a problem because the report you receive will soon be very detailed. If you are not present, then you need to be sure to ask your inspector to explain anything that is not clear in the report. Also see the inspection agreement carefully which means you know what is covered and what is not covered in the inspection. If you have a trouble with the inspection or the report, you should raise the issues quickly by calling the inspector, usually within 24 hours. If you’d like the inspector to come back following the inspection to show you things, this is arranged and is recommended, however, you could be charged extra since it’s not part of the inspection, unless, of course, you make that a part of your contract
However, it’s very important to let the inspector do the work you’re paying for. We love our clients, but we also know that constant interruptions and interference make the inspection unnecessarily slow. Jot down your questions and ask them after the inspector has presented you with a detailed report.
Since condos are units within a building, homeowners pay a monthly assessment fee to a HOA or home owners association or condo association, which pays for the upkeep and maintenance of all exteriors including the Home Owners Association is also on the hook for maintaining the HVAC. In smaller condo buildings, many home owners have their own boiler that suffices for the HVAC that a building would normally provide. Home owners are responsible for everything inside the condo including porches, electrical, balconies, walls, and appliances. There are less items to inspect, but getting an inspection from someone qualified is still critical. As you know well, Home Owners Associations are a fickled lot to be brutally honest. And they’re all very different, even within a city. Ask us about it and we’ll be blunt with you. If we can inspect your unit, we’ll do it; if we can’t, we’ll also let you know. We believe honesty is always the best policy and we live by it.
The following list is not exhaustive. Not all of these may be in the inspection you get, but the inspector will follow a standard check list for the home:
* Driveway
* Entry stairs, handrails
* Decks
* Masonry
* Shrubs, trees, bushes, lawn
* Retaining walls
* Roofing system
* Soffits, eaves, and fascias
* Crawlspaces, basement, and foundation
* Garages, garage walls, floors, and doors
* Kitchen appliances (stove top, oven, disposal, trash compactor, dishwasher, microwave)
* Laundry appliances (washer and dryer)
* Floors, walls, ceilings
* Kitchen floors, cabinets, counters
* Window systems
* Interior doors and hardware
* Plumbing systems and fixtures
* Electrical outlets, GFCI, and grounding
* Fire detectors
* Ventilation systems and Insulation
* Heating controls and equipment
* Fireplaces
* Air Conditioning and controls
* Heat pumps and controls
* Safety items such as railings, TPR valves, egress, etc.
Other tests which aren’t part of the initial inspection usually require an additional charge.
· Radon Gas Test
· Water Quality Test
· Termites
· Sprinkler System Test
· Swimming Pool and Spa Inspection
· Mold Screening
· Septic systems
· Alarm System
Your new home has dozens of systems and about 10,000 moving parts – from cooling and heating to ventilation systems and to appliances. When these systems and appliances work together, you have peace of mind. Weak links in the machinery, however, can produce a myriad of problems leading to a loss in value and shortened component lifecycle. Would you buy a used car with no reputable and qualified mechanic taking a look under its hood? Your property is far more complex, and to really have a thorough inspection that is documented in a written report arms you with substantial information to create informed decisions.
The majority of people believe everything is inspected detailed on inspection day. This misunderstanding is responsible for many a homebuyer for being upset utilizing their inspector. The inspections we do are usually not exhaustive and there is a acceptable reason for this.
For those who hire separate licensed experts in HVAC, engineering, plumbing, electrical, etc to inspect your property, it could take about fourteen hours and run you around two grand! It may appear far more practical to get an experienced inspector who’s got a general information about home systems, knows what to look for, and can recommend further inspection by an expert if needed. Your inspector is additionally following very specific guidelines issued by state or national organizations as he/she inspects your home. These guidelines are written to safeguard both your house as well as the inspector.
For instance, we are told to not turn systems on if they were off during the time of the inspection (for safety reasons); we are really not permitted to move furniture (might harm something); prohibited to turn on water if it is off (possible flooding), and prohibited to get rid of by using a sealed attic hatch (possible damage). The downside in this practice is the fact by not operating a control, by not seeing within the furniture, and enough sleep. on the crawlspace or attic, we’re going to might miss identifying a problem. However, put into perspective, the prospect of missing something serious as a result is pretty low. There are additional items that more than 95% of inspectors consider outside an ordinary inspection, and these include inspecting most things aren’t bolted down (installed inside the home) like electronics, reduced voltage lighting, space heaters, portable air conditioning, or specialized systems like water purifiers, home security systems, etc.
There are huge benefits to living in Queens Plaza, and the redevelopment of Queens West reflects the fact that we have the opportunity to make the area more accessible to commuters traveling to Manhattan by ferry and subway. There are plans to end the commercial hotel complex that was formerly used as a hotel on the corner of West 57th Street and Queens Boulevard in Blissville, Queens, and create a new community center for homeless families and residents of the neighborhood. The plan to turn the hotel into a shelter for homeless people and families in Bliss County, New York City, is progressing, according to a Queens City Council press release.
If you want to escape Manhattan, Midtown is there, but if you’re too far away from its entertainment and amenities, you can take the subway to Manhattan. The F train ends at Jamaica Estates and the C train ends at Queens Plaza, just a few blocks from Blissville.
If you decide to live here, you may need to downsize and find a nearby warehouse in Queens. If you’re moving to the area, here are ten parts of Queens you’d like to call home.
I seriously doubt that half of New York City’s guidebooks even mention the two areas in southwest Queens we are going to visit today, both of which are in the Queens neighborhood and which I would have written about before Christmas. When examining the origins of the neighborhood names, one needs to look at the cities that do not separate Queens from Queens.
Astoria is part of the former Long Island City, which consisted of the city of Astoria (which we will discuss here) and the borough of Queens. The State of New York has its origin in the fact that the USA originally had 13 states. In 1870, four counties, Queens, Nassau, Suffolk and Suffolk County, voted for independence and were chartered as Long Island City. It was consolidated and founded in 1899, but it was on its way to leaving it, so it became independent. In 1898, all four districts voted to incorporate New Jersey into the state legislature, and in 1901, the United States Supreme Court.
As an independent city, Long Island City officially included a portion of the Western Queens, including the lesser-known of Astoria and Queensboro, as well as parts of Queens and Brooklyn.
What is also beginning to define the area these days are the high-rise buildings and commercial towers that are soaring around Queens Plaza. There is View59, the Queens Plaza Condos, which comprises a mix of residential, office, retail and office space, as well as a few restaurants. As for the open spaces, there are also some very nice ones, like the park in the middle of the square and a large park on the west side of Queens Boulevard.
It borders Newtown Creek, which separates Queens from Greenpoint in Brooklyn, and is lined by Queens Boulevard, the Brooklyn – Queens Expressway and Queens Plaza Boulevard. It is also home to several colleges, including New York University School of Law and Queens College of Art and Design
When Greenpoint Avenue reaches Queens Boulevard, it becomes Roosevelt Avenue and is shaded by 7, and today this route is still the main route for the IRT, which is washed out most of the way to Main Street.
The Long Island City district is near Manhattan and takes only about ten minutes by train. There seems to be more affection for the old name “Queens” than for a district full of numbered streets, which is not the natural order of things. The district is home to many of the city’s most popular restaurants, bars and shops, as well as a large number of restaurants.
Residents of the tiny Queens neighborhood of Blissville have access to an estimated two million souls who sleep in Calvary Cemetery forever. The cemetery’s architecture is to be overshadowed by the great Manhattan skyscrapers that towers over the cemetery. Built in the 1980s, the Citibank Towers symbolize Long Island City’s transformation and heaven – high living has taken the old neighborhood to a new level of development, with new hotels, restaurants, bars, shops and apartments.
Sunnyside is significantly lower than Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens, with an average price of $2,500 a month for a one-bedroom apartment and $3,000 for two bedrooms, with the median being just $1,200 a week. Queens is, however, one of the best places to live in New York City in terms of the cost of living, and can offer a wide range of amenities, including restaurants, bars, shops, hotels, restaurants and apartments.
If you’re looking for a professional, affordable, and reliable condo, home, or town home inspection in Blissville, your search is over. We understand you have choices and we’d be honored to send one of our inspectors to inspect your home and property. We are committed to getting the job done right and making you happy. Email or call one of our staff today (332-334-7701 or Request a Quote) to book an appointment.
