An Interview With A Top Las Vegas Home Inspector

Today we are talking to Craig Stivale of Alpha Home inspections. He has agreed to answer some questions to give us an inside look at the home inspection business.

Chris: Hi Craig, and thank you for taking time to answer a few questions for my readers. Tell us a little about yourself.

Craig: Hi Chris, I have been raised in the construction business starting at an early age so I guess you could say it's in my blood. When I moved to Las Vegas years ago I took my state test for inspector of structures and passed with high grades, so I went to work for a national franchise and stayed there for a few years and then started my own business. It's been great.

Chris: How did you get into the business?

Craig: My farther owned a construction company and I started as a laborer. So I know the building process from top to bottom.

Chris: Has business slowed down since the market has slowed a little?

Craig: Yes, but I've noticed so has the competition. I think the market is cleansing it's self at this point.

Chris: I have heard listing agents say to their seller, "a home inspector will nit pick and always find
something wrong just to justify getting paid." How would you respond to this?

Craig: I agree - great point and some will. I don't. I approach each inspection like I was buying the home for myself, I am very through yet I do not include cosmetic issues like dirty carpets section... If there is a problem like a cracked roof truss for example, I will take a picture with an arrow pointing to that broken truss.

Chris: Why should a buyer pay for a home inspection?

Craig: To reassure themselves that they are buying a safe home that is up to code and that includes fire safety and to address potential problems.

Chris: If someone purchased a brand spanking new home, they should be OK, right?

Craig: NO!!! By all means have a new home inspected. I have seen plenty of structural defects not to mention plumbing leaks along with HVAC issues. When you do your final walk through with the builders representative they will not be looking for anything but cosmetic. A home inspection will find these issues before you get moved in.

Chris: Take us through an inspection on say a single story home of about 1500 sq feet.

Craig: All the built in appliances, HVAC, plumbing, electrical (breaker box) all outlets including GFCI, attic framing, insulation's, trusses, fire walls of the garage, lot drainage, mold, pests, the list goes on and on.

Chris: Sounds very through. What is the worst thing you have ever found?

Craig: Several broken roof trusses where the entire attic was covered in mold.

Chris: Wow bet the new homeowners were glad you found that. I know mold can have serious affects on your health. Is there a builder in town that consistently has very few things wrong?

Craig: Yes, I would say Pulte and Toll Brothers's are our best builders.

Chris: That is good for buyers looking to buy in the valley. If they are buying resale it would be good to ask their Realtor® to look into these builders and the subdivisions they have built. In my previewing of new homes I was always impressed with Pulte.

Chris: I want to thank you Craig for giving us some insight on the home inspection business. For people moving to Las Vegas and buying a home how may they contact you to get your fine services?

Craig: Feel free to visit my web-site Alpha Home Inspection in Las Vegas . Thank you for the chance to talk with your readers. I hope I can be of service.

Here are the monthly stat comparisons for September 2006-September 2007. I will add these stats from now on. Check back

http://statspak.firstamericanmls.com/LVARStat/statRpt%20Summary.pdf

There is nothing on a cool or cold winter's evening like a nice cozy fire.  How safe is your fireplace and when you go to sell is it going to be in good working order?

Keep furniture, curtains, and other flammables at least three feet away from your fireplace.

Don't let children stand to close.  They might get burned or their clothes might ignite.

Never burn garbage, charcoal or coal.  Also do not burn paper or cardboard as stray embers can cause indoor fires or fires on the roof.  Wrapping paper can cause toxin fumes to come out into the air.

Don't leave the fire unattended and keep a fire extinguisher handy.  Make sure the fires is out before going to bed or leaving the house.

Gas Fireplaces  should be checked by a professional annually they will clean the fan, clear any blocked vents and make any other adjustments that should be done.

Make sure the pipes connected to the fireplace are clear.

Turn the gas off completely when fireplace is not in use.

Keep the Chimney swept and the flue open.

 Wood-Burning Fireplaces  keep your roof clear of branches and anything that could block your chimney.

Always use a sturdy fire screen to keep sparks from coming out of the fireplace.

Open the flue before starting the fire and keep it open until the ashes have cooled.

Burn only properly seasoned hardwood that has dried for at least six months and doesn't appear green.

Don't overload the fireplace.

Use manufacture directions when burning artificial logs.

Soak ashes in water and store them in a tight fitting container. 

I have lived in Las Vegas for 7 years.  The growth has been really something to see.  You would have never believed 10 years ago that the growth would be this much.  I have never been much of a gambler.  I do not think you can be a big gambler and live in this town.  Just in the Summerlin area alone there are three major hotel/casinos.  Sun Coast, Rampart, and Red Rock Station.  Not to mention every gas station, drugstore, and grocery store has gambling in it.  So if you have a problem gambling this would not be a good place to be.  That being said my mom and I decided to explore the town a bit and do some overnight stays at some of the casino's.  So from time to time I will let you know where we have stayed and an over all view.

Our first adventure was at Sam's Town.   Sam's is located on the corner of Boulder Highway and Flamingo Ave.  It is built around a hugh atrium that is a huge park like setting.  Inside is Mystic Falls which several times a night has a lazer show with the water.  It is a beautiful sight.  Our room was situated where we could watch th show.  Very nice view.  It was built in 1979 by a father and son team Sam and Bill Boyd.  There are several restaurants Willy and Jose's Cantina and Billy Bob's Steak House and Saloon.  There is also a food court and a cafe.  We chose to eat at the cafe and they had very good roast beef.

Over all our adventure at Sam's Town was very nice and we enjoyed it very much.  I would recommend it very highly to people coming to visit Las Vegas.    

                                                    .

The desert is a very dry place.  We have water problems in Las Vegas.  So we become more and more gray and brown.  In other work rocks and dirt.  So an alternative to all this brown and gray is synthetic grass.  It is becoming more and more prevalent in this valley.  The Wynn and The new Red Rock casino both have used SNYLawn and it looks pretty good.  A person down the street from me also has it and it looks great. 

Reading the weblog for SNYLawn  a company that does most of the business here in Nevada there are many uses for this grass.  It has been used in sport fields, putting greens, dog pens, playgrounds and as you can see from the photo's below some creative things can be done.

The weblog also says some McDonald's and quite a few places in Britain use this grass.  It may be the answer to not only the water shortage but all the brown and gray landscape.