The Bergen County Homes Blog

Are you buying a home?  Are you a first time home buyer or are you a homeowner who needs more space or is trading down?  No matter why you are buying a home, make sure you do it right with the best professionals.  Here’s a story about buying a Leonia home that’s a lesson for everyone.

Leonia homes are always in strong demand.  Why?  Leonia has a simply fabulous commute to NYC via express bus service from NJ Transit  and Coach USA whose commuter buses typically take it’s residents to Manhattan in less than 50 minutes.  Leonia also has a strong school district and great community spirit.   Leonia homes are mostly older, gracious colonials for which it is renown.

Recently I sold a Leonia home to a young couple buying their first house.  Marketed as well kept and updated with a beautiful young kitchen and shining hardwood floors, it really is a very pretty home plus the location was perfect – a quiet street only one block from the NJ Transit #166 bus for a perfect commute.  Everything looked great until the home inspection.

I have been a full time professional residential agent for over 20 years so you can imagine that I’ve sold hundreds of homes but no real estate agent is a home inspector.  When the home inspector got to the attic, he found that the roof substructure had separated a bit.  Doesn’t sound like much does it?  Guess what - it’s huge.  I contacted a local contractor who advised we needed an architect.  When they came a few days later, the home inspector’s findings were confirmed; fixing it will cost $6,500.

Getting a good home inspection is the best money any buyer can spend.  My buyers were also fully protected by their superb attorney who got them the extra weeks I needed to get the right contractor to look at the house.  Using excellent professionals - home inspector, contractor and attorney – gave my buyers the protection and information they needed to avoid making a home buying mistake.

Whether you’re buying a home in Cresskill, Tenafly, Teaneck, Englewood or anywhere else in Bergen County, you need to do a home inspection.  Once Attorney Review is completed and you have a firm purchase contract on your new home, often the next step is to do the home inspection. 

This is when most people focus on finding a home inspector.  And for most people they find a home inspector in a matter of minutes which really doesn’t make a lot of sense.

Consider this:  Didn’t you spend a lot of time doing research on the market and looking at a variety of locations?   Let’s say the home you picked is in Bergenfield.  Didn’t you also spend time looking at homes in Englewood, Teaneck, Dumont, Bogota and perhaps further out in Bergen County like Fair Lawn and Waldwick where pricing is similar?  

Amazingly enough, most people spend hardly any time at all in finding their home inspector.  Just a few minutes on the web and that’s it.  I tell my buyers to get ready early on.  Don’t wait until you’ve found your house to find the right professionals you need and that includes a home inspector.

The State of New Jersey licenses home inspectors.  If someone gives you a recommendation, you can go to the State of NJ Divison of Consumer Affairs to verify that the person recommended is licensed.  A great resource is the American Society of Home Inspectors and HUD has it’s own top 10 list of questions to ask the inspectors you investigate.  Another idea is to consult with your attorney and, of course, your real estate agent can suggest home inspectors too.

When you buy a house the home inspection is one of the major parts of the home buying process.  Spend the time to do the research you need to get the right home inspector for you.

When you are buying a home, part of the process involves a home inspection.  Home inspections are usually done in 3 sections – structural, termites and wood destroying insects and radon.  Radon is a gas that occurs when uranium and radium breaks down in the soil or in rock formations.  When this gas is released, it can build up to dangerous levels in a house.  Radon is a leading cause of lung cancer. 

Not only is it dangerous, it’s clear and odorless.  The only way to discover if the radon level in your house is unsafe is to test for it.  Home buyers rarely re-test after they’ve moved in and most people who bought their home before radon became a known issue have never tested to see if their home is safe from this dangerous gas.  The good news is that you can solve a radon problem through contacting a licensed radon mitigation contractor; this often involves a simple ventilation system in your basement.

Bergen County Executive, Kathleen Donovan, announced that there will be a limited number of free radon testing kits for Bergen County residents on a first come first served basis this month.  Just call the Bergen County Department of Health Services at 201-634-2803 or stop by Room 103A, 327 E. Ridgewood Ave in Paramus to pick up your free testing kit.  Do this today to protect yourself and your family!

A major source of stress for people who are selling their home is the home inspection.  No matter how well you’ve maintained your house, there can be unpleasant surprises.   Pre-empting a buyer by having your home inspected before it’s for sale is smart.

Buying a home is often the biggest purchase buyers make in their lifetime.  Home inspections are additionally stressful for buyers because most are ill equipped for even minor home repairs.  This is because of a sociological shift.

Most homeowners are older than their buyers.  These are 2 different generations.  The majority of sellers had parents who came through the Depression.  Their parents didn’t call the plumber; they fixed things themselves.  What sellers heard growing up was “We’ll make do with what we have.”

Their younger generation buyers grew up in a very different world.  They never saw parents with a screwdriver trying to fix something nor did they see dad putting together a tricycle for them with 1,000 small parts.  They drove plastic Big Wheels.

By getting your house inspected by a professional home inspector, you will learn what issues are likely to come up.  You can repair them or get estimates from contractors.  Either way, you’ll be prepared and that puts a homeowner in a good position.

Buying a home should always include a home inspection. Even if the home is new construction, it’s best to have the guidance of a professional home inspector. In New Jersey, home inspectors are licensed by the State but there’s also another resource for you – the American Society of Home Inspectors known as ASHI.

ASHI was started in 1976 by a group of home inspectors who wanted to set standards of practice and create a learning center for inspectors, buyers, sellers and real estate professionals. Every member of ASHI must take a Standards and Practices training module and agree to abide by their Code of Ethics. Today ASHI is the largest trade organization of home inspectors in the US. I consider ASHI to be a wonderful organization and only recommend home inspectors who are both licensed in New Jersey to perform home inspectors and members of ASHI.

BTW, when you’re on the ASHI website, be sure to check out the Virtual Home Inspection

You should always attend your home inspection. It’s one of the most important parts of buying a house plus you’ll learn a lot about your new home. The average inspection takes around 3 hours but this varies on the size and condition of a home. Be sure to bring a pen and pad so that you can take notes during the inspection. The inspector will tell you about the home’s condition and teach you how to maintain various aspects of it.

If you are selling, it’s a good idea to inspect your home before it’s for sale. An inspection can uncover problems you never knew existed and gives you an idea of what a buyer will hear.