Posts with tag 'Home Inspections Charleston SC'
19
The Surprises Hiding Above Your Ceiling
Terry came home the other day with a story that immediately made me think about homeowners and the parts of their homes they rarely see.
Someone had recently scheduled routine maintenance for their air conditioner. The HVAC technician completed the service, gathered his paperwork, and was getting ready to leave when he mentioned something unusual.
"Before I go, you may want to have a pest company take a look at your attic. I thought I heard rats running around up there."
Now, if someone tells me there might be rats in my attic, I'm probably heading for a ladder and a flashlight pretty quickly. That's exactly what this homeowner did.
What he found wasn't rats.
It was bats.
A lot of bats.
19
What Is Going On Under Your House?
A missing inspector, a crawlspace adventure, and an unexpected plumbing leak became a reminder that some of the most important parts of a home are the parts homeowners rarely see.
A few weeks ago, I was sitting in a living room with some sellers while their pre-listing inspection was taking place. The inspector had gone into the crawlspace, and after quite a while we realized we hadn't seen him come back out. At first, we laughed about it, but after calling for him several times and getting no response, we started to wonder if we should check on him.
We walked around to the crawlspace entrance and called again. Nothing. I called his phone twice and still didn't get an answer. We looked around the house for another access point but couldn't find one. Finally, I did something that probably wasn't in any real estate training manual. I crawled under the house.
16
When Was the Last Time You Checked Your Attic? (And What Might Be Waiting Up There)
There's a part of almost every home that quietly gets ignored.
No furniture. No décor. No reason to go there unless something goes wrong.
The attic.
Most homeowners don't go up there unless there's a leak, a noise, or an inspection forcing the issue. And even then, it's usually a quick glance—just enough to say, "Nothing looks too concerning," and back down the ladder we go.
But here's the part that's worth thinking about: some of the most expensive issues in a home don't start in the places we see every day. They start above us, slowly, quietly, and without much warning.
I've walked through enough homes—during listings, inspections, and buyer showings—to tell you this is one of the most overlooked spaces in a house. And it's often where the truth o...
15
What Was Done Before 1288 Horseshoe Bend Ever Hit the Market
There are homes that get listed…
and then there are homes that get prepared.
Before this home ever went active, we made a decision:
no guessing, no surprises, no unfinished work left for the next owner.
We started with a professional measurement and a pre-listing inspection—not because we had to, but because we wanted to know exactly what a buyer would see before they ever walked through the door.
From there, every step was intentional.
The home received a new roof, not a repair.
13
What Should Be Done Before a Home Is Listed (But Often Isn't)
There are two ways to bring a home to market.
You can list it…
or you can prepare it.
And those are not the same thing.
Over the years, I've seen a pattern that quietly creates stress, renegotiations, and sometimes failed contracts. A home is listed without fully understanding what's attached to it—legally, financially, or physically—and everyone assumes it will get sorted out "once we're under contract."
That sounds harmless.
Until it isn't.
The Assumption Most People Are Making
The underlying belief tends to be this:
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