Common Questions Answered

• Questions About Insight Home Services
• Questions About Homes and Buildings
  

Questions About Insight Home Services

How can I prepare for a home inspection?

We've put together a quick checklist to print out and check off if you'd like to prepare your house for an inspection. Also, make sure the inspector has access to the attic hatch, the crawl space hatch, the furnace, water heaters, and electrical panels.  (Click here to view our list.)

Will Insight make repairs to my home?

Insight Home Services does not make any repairs or any specific recommendations for repairs.  While you might find this a little frustrating, we want to ensure you that we are not finding things just for us to fix them.  We are also not receiving anything for referring you to someone who can make your repairs.  However, we have put together some helpful information to assist you in finding quality repair specialists.  (Click here for our repair information.)

What is your service area?

We service a large area - from Oakland, down to Gilroy and back up to San Mateo.

When will I get my report?

You will always get your email copy of your report the next day. Hard copies will usually be the next business day, but are not delivered on weekends.

Do you include pictures?

We include full color digital pictures.  We also include some mechanical drawings.  These help to understand a problem when you can see the problem, but need to understand the correct implementation or understand a mechanical concept.

Can I attend the inspection?

Yes!  We highly encourage you to get a first-hand look and listen to your inspector's findings.  Feel free to talk to your inspector about any questions or concerns you may have about the property.

Questions About Homes and Buildings

My agent says my water heater must be strapped properly - how do I do that?

The State of California wants to have all water heaters properly strapped and asks you to certify that at the time you sell your house.  They are looking out for your safety in the event of an earthquake.  We have the California State Architect's Guidelines for Earthquake Bracing available for you here.  However, your local jurisdiction may have more stringent standards.  You can check with your city's building inspection department for more information.  However, we have found that most adhere to the State Architect's standards.  (Click here for the "Guidelines for Earthquake Bracing of Residential Water Heaters by the Division of the State Architect".)

What is an angle stop?

An angle stop is the water shut-off valve to your sink or toilet.  They are usually chrome and are oblong.  The best example is to look behind the toilet near the floor.

Where should I place the smoke detectors?

At a minimum, there should be at least one smoke detector on each level of the home and within 10 feet of each bedroom.  The safest and most effective use requires that one be located in each bedroom.

Click here to submit any home inspection question you might have to Insight Home Services.

1-9-No Problem   or   408-871-9909