Licensed, professional home inspectors serving the Fresh Meadows Queens neighborhood, offering a broad range of services for our residential customers.
If you’ve been around for a while, then you’ll understand the need for home inspections. A detailed home inspection in Fresh Meadows protects you the prospective homeowner against the obvious problems that every home has. While the inspection is not fool proof, an inspector worth his or her weight will be able to identify the major systems and components that could be ready to become a problem for you as a new homeowner. A decent inspector will narrow down the likelihood of system failure considerably.
Typically and simply put, a home inspection is a formal detailed evaluation of the visible and accessible systems and components of a home (structure, plumbing, electrical, heating and cooling, roof, etc.) and is meant to give the customer a better understanding of the home’s overall state. Call today to schedule an appointment at 332-334-7701 or Request a Quote. You’ll be glad you made the call.
Typically, it is a homebuyer who requests an inspection of the home he or she is serious about buying. A home inspection provides data points so that decision makers can question or confirm details about the home questioned or confirmed, and can uncover expensive and serious defects that the homeseller 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 home makes not claim that the home and its systems complies with local building codes or protects a customer in the event something inspected fails.
Sidenote: Warranties can be bought to cover several key items.
Don’t consider an inspection of the home and property as a final 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 of course pest inspections, pool inspections, energy audits, Radon testing, water testing, energy audits, and other specific items that may be location-specific.
Home inspections are also conducted (less often) by a seller before putting the property on the market to see if there are any hidden problems, and also by 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 property inspection:
1. Safety hazards, such as bare electrical wiring in kitchens and bathrooms, lack of safety railing on decks above 30 inches, lack of Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters (GFCI), etc.
2. Items that could lead to major flaws – i.e., a support beam that was not tied in to the structure properly, a roof flashing leak that could get bigger, or damaged downspouts that could cause backup and water intrusion.
3. Serious flaws, such as large differential cracks in the home’s foundation; building out of plumb or level; decks not installed or supported correctly, etc. These items are expensive to fix, which we classify as systems needing over 2% of the buy price to fix.
Your property inspector should be able to counsel you on what to do about these issues. He/she may recommend a formal evaluation on issues – by licensed or certified professionals who are specialists in the defect areas. For instance, your inspector may advise you call a licensed structural or building engineer if he/she finds sections of the home that are out of alignment, as this could indicate a serious structural problem and one that would cost thousands of dollars to fix
Home Inspections are just paid for by a buyer after he or she signs an agreement, right?
This is simply not true! As you will discover once you read on, a home inspection can be utilized for ad hoc inspections in new construction projects, as a maintenance tool with a current homeowner, a proactive technique by home owners to produce their house more sellable, and by buyers wanting to ascertain the situation of the potential home.
Sellers, particularly, can take advantage of finding a home inspection before listing the home. Here are simply a several advantages for the home owner:
· The home owner knows the home! The home inspector will have the ability to obtain answers to his/her questions on the annals of any problems they find.
· A home inspection will help the home owner be more objective as it pertains to setting a reasonable price on the home.
· The home owner can take the report and allow it to be into an advertising piece for the home.
· The home owner is going to be alerted to any safety issues found in the home before they open it up for open house tours.
· The home owner may make repairs leisurely instead of being in a hurry following the contract is signed.
You most certainly can. Unfortunately, most home buyers lack the skill, knowledge, and objectivity necessary to inspect a house themselves. In other words, they think they know their homes inside and out, but they really don’t. Utilizing the services of a qualified home inspector, they gain an improved knowledge of the situation 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 a generalist and has broad training and experience in most of the major home systems.
It’s wise for you to be present throughout the inspection – whether you are a homebuyer, seller, or homeowner. With you there, the inspector can explain to you any defects and explain their importance in addition to point out maintenance features that would be helpful in the future. In the event that you can’t be there, it is not a problem because the report you receive is going to be very detailed. If you’re not present, then you need to be sure to ask your inspector to spell out anything that is unclear in the report. Also read the inspection agreement carefully so you understand what is covered and what’s not covered in the inspection. When there is a trouble with the inspection or the report, you must raise the problems quickly by calling the inspector, usually within 24 hours. If you prefer the inspector to go back following the inspection to show you things, this is often arranged and is a good idea, however, you could be charged extra since it’s not part of the inspection, unless, of course, you make that a part of your agreement
However, it’s important for you to let the inspector do the job you’re paying for. We love our customers, but we also know that constant interruptions and interference (some might even call it nagging) make the inspection unnecessarily slow. Write down your questions and ask them after the inspector has presented you with a report.
Since condominiums are units within a condo building, homeowners pay assessments to a also is on the hook for maintaining the community boiler system or HVAC. In smaller condo buildings, many owners have their own mini-boiler that suffices for the HVAC that a building would normally provide. Owners are responsible for everything inside the condominium including plumbing, electrical, porches, balconies, walls, and appliances. There are fewer items to inspect, but getting an inspection from someone qualified is still a must. As you well know, Home Owners Associations are a fickle bunch. And they’re all very different, even within a neighborhood. Ask us about it and we’ll be honest with you. If we can inspect your condo, 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 items may be in the inspection you get, but the inspector will follow a standard checklist for the home:
* Heat controls and pumps
* Kitchen appliances (microwave, range/oven/stovetop/hoods, dishwasher, trash compactor, disposal)
* Laundry appliances (dryer and washer)
* Eaves, soffits, and fascias
* Site drainage and grading
* Ventilation systems and Insulation
* Bushes, trees, shrubs, lawn
* Retaining walls
* Heating controls and equipment
* Ducts and distribution systems
* Fireplaces
* Roofing system
* Safety items such as TPRV valves, railings, egress etc.
* Ceilings, walls, floors
* Entry stairs, handrails
* Decks
* Masonry
* Foundation, basement, and crawlspaces
* Garages, garage walls, floors, and doors
* Electrical system, panels
* GFCI, outlets, electrical grounding
* Fire detectors
Other tests which are not part of the initial inspection usually require an additional charge.
· Swimming Pool and Spa Inspection
· Mold Screening
· Gas Line Leak test
· Septic systems
· Alarm System
· Sprinkler System test
· Water quality test
· Termites
· Radon gas test
Your brand-new home has lots of systems and over 9800 moving parts – from heating and cooling to ventilation systems and to appliances. When appliances and systems work together, all is right with the world. Weak links in the device, however, can produce a myriad of problems ultimately causing a loss in value and shortened component lifecycle. Would you get a used car with no reputable mechanic taking a look at it? Your house is far more complex, and to really have a thorough inspection that is documented in a report arms you with substantial information to make informed decisions.
The majority of people assume that everything is inspected exhaustive on inspection day. This misunderstanding is responsible for many a homebuyer to get upset with their inspector. The inspections we all do usually are not exhaustive and there’s a acceptable reason for this.
In the event you hired individual licensed experts in heating, engineering, plumbing, electrical, etc to inspect your home, it would take about thirteen hours and cost you about $2000! It is much more practical to hire a reliable inspector who has a general knowledge of home systems, knows excellent customer service, and can suggest further inspection by a specialist if needed. Your inspector is likewise following very specific guidelines issued by state or national organizations as he/she inspects your home. The guidelines are meticulously written to safeguard both your house and the inspector.
Here are some examples, we are told to NOT turn systems on if they were off during the time of the inspection (for safety reasons); we are not able to move furniture (might harm something); banned to turn on water whether it is off (possible flooding), and banned to sneak through a sealed attic hatch (possible damage). The down-side of this practice is that often by not operating a control, by not seeing below the furniture, and failing to get enough in the crawlspace or attic, we are going to might miss identifying a problem. However, put into perspective, the probability of missing something serious because of this is pretty low. There are many products which 96% of inspectors consider outside a standard inspection, for example inspecting most things which aren’t bolted down (installed inside the home) like electronics, low voltage lighting, space heaters, portable ac units, or specialized systems like water purifiers, home security systems, etc.
Rich Rinaldi moved to Fresh Meadows as a toddler 45 years ago and says he will never go again. The fact that the neighborhood has a subway station helps to convey a country – joie de vivre for those of us who like cars, but he likes to say, “I’m in the long haul,” and he said he would like to stay. Fresh Meadow is one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in New York, with an average income of $65,000 a year.
The eastern edge of Fresh Meadows is partially defined by a race track that was started in 1908 by the industrial heir William Kissam Vanderbilt and extends east to Ronkonkoma. Weather permitting, it is located on the east side of Flushing Meadows – Corona Park, south of the Queensboro Bridge and north of Queens Boulevard. On the west side, Fresh Meadow is also in the Bronx, with its own subway station, as is its neighboring Corona Park neighborhood, about a mile away.
The area is crossed by Fresh Meadows Road, which follows the same route under various names, including “Meadows Road,” “Flushing Meadows – Corona Park Road” and “Fresh Meadows Boulevard,” and is served by the Flushing Meadow Park and Recreation Center, as well as the Queensboro Bridge and Queens Boulevard subway station. The area is crossed by a number of roads, most notably the New York City Subway and the Brooklyn – Queens Metro – North Line.
The Fresh Meadow Country Club opened in 1923, and the farmland that was the result of blackened stumps has since been replaced by roads and single-family homes. The Country Club is named after the area northeast of Flushing, because it is located on what is now the Long Island Expressway at 183rd Street. British troops remained at Fresh Meadows during World War II, while Ryerson Tavern is on the north side of the road, north of Corona Park Road. King Yum is a popular neighborhood restaurant, but the more melodic acronym “Fresh Meadows” still holds true.
Fresh Meadows is located on the north side of Corona Park Road, which borders Cunningham and South Flushing, and adjoins Cunningham Park, the site of the original Long Island Expressway, on 183rd Street. Fresh Meadows has been located at its current location, which borders Cunningham in South Flushing, for over 100 years.
The street’s current name is superimposed, but its old name was “Black Stump,” a reference to the blackened tree stumps that used to mark the edge of each plot line. In the colonial Fresh Meadows, the row of blackened stumps along the land line marked the land lines on the farm, so that the name “Fresh Meadows” was called “Black stumps” until its spread in the area. The oldest name of the street is “blackened,” and Fresh Meadow is named after it because the edges of its respective property lines are marked with black stump. It has its own numbering scheme, which extends the Queens numbering systems at the intersection of 64th Circle and 194th Lane to their climax.
In the 19th century it was called “Black Stump Road,” but it was renamed “Fresh Meadows,” which was probably a more friendly name. When the renaming of the streets of Queens came into effect, it had been renamed Black Stumps Road, and Fresh Meadows was part of the city of Flushing, which had its own name, “Flushing Meadows Park.” The 1900 “s are the time when it calls itself, although it has since been renumbered, as a reference to the blackened stumps on the land border.
In 1949, the New York Life Insurance Company bought most of the land and began the Fresh Meadows Housing Project, which led to the construction of a new residential building at the intersection of Black Stumps Road and Queensboro Bridge.
The complex was called Lewis Mumford and was completed in 1949 and named after the founder of the New York life insurance company Fresh Meadows Housing Project. In February 1946, the land was sold and bought by the NY Life Insurance Company, which had previously been part of the Fresh Meadow Country Club. The land was converted into a “Fresh Meadows” housing estate, but the complex was not completed until 1949, partly due to the construction of a new residential building at the intersection of Black Stumps Road and Queensboro Bridge. This land was bought and sold by the settlement “Fresh Meadows” in February 1946. These plots were sold and bought and became “fresh meadows,” which, despite their name, were “freshly cultivated.”
Today, Fresh Meadows is one of America’s most diverse neighborhoods, and comes from a predominantly white neighborhood. Interestingly, it has a higher proportion of residents who were born in one country than in other parts of New York, particularly the Bronx. The cuisine of the neighborhood was decidedly diversified by eating a wide variety of foods such as meat, fish, poultry and seafood. We know that the Fresh Meadows neighborhood has more people of “Asian” and “Iranian” descent than any other neighborhood in Manhattan.
If you are searching for a reliable, professional, and affordable condo, home, or town home inspection in Fresh Meadows, your search is over. We know you have choices and we would be honored to send out one of our inspectors to inspect your home and property. We’re committed to getting the job done right and making you a satisfied customer. Email or call one of our staff now (332-334-7701 or Request a Quote) to book an appointment.
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