Jennifer

At Parkwood, we pride ourselves on being available at all hours to the people that have trusted us with their home purchases.  A testament to this dedication is that our home inspection business has grown beyond our wildest expectations.  While it is easy to get wrapped up in work, it is ever more important to stop and remember the reasons we are putting in so much time: an increased amount of flexibility to be available to our children.

We have just returned from our children’s first trip to Disney World.  It has been a highly anticipated birthday excursion for them both, and we were excited to spend time away as a family.

We would especially like to thank our agents and clients for their support over the last week as we scheduled inspections around this trip. Your loyalty and willingness to work with us has been greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,

Brant and Jennifer

We do most of our inspections before homes are purchased or sold. But as the seasons begin to change, have you considered how important it may be to schedule a maintenance inspection?  Think about it: When was the last time you were in your crawl space? Is your water heater down there? What about your furnace?  Have you climbed up on the roof to investigate your roof covering for signs of wear?  Have you been in the attic to check for leaks?  Do you have annual services contracts with providers to check your major systems? If not, chances are you are running the risk for a shortened lifespan on your equipment. Have you changed your air filters, or checked your smoke detectors?  Do you have a septic system, and when was it last inspected or pumped? 

Read More “Maintenance Inspection”

On this Labor Day, we are thankful that we love what we do! Hope you are having a wonderful and relaxing day.

Two weeks ago we took a small vacation from inspecting homes and spent some time at one of North Carolina’s beautiful beaches with a group of friends.  After frying 3 pounds of bacon one morning for a community breakfast, a fellow beachgoer asked why I was pouring the grease in a dish rather than down the drain.  Her comment prompted this blog.

Read More “Ask the Home Inspector: Can I Pour Grease Down the Drain?”

The average size of an American home is on the rise.  According to census data, the average new home is around 2500 square feet, which is roughly 50% more area than the average 1970’s era home.  Houses of today often have larger rooms than houses of the past. They also typically have an extra bedroom and bathroom.

This expansion has come at a cost: The American lawn.

The first diagram below shows what the average house looked like in 1978, when it measured 1,650 square feet and sat on 0.22 acres. The second shows its counterpart from 2015. As homes have grown larger, the lots they’re built on have actually gotten smaller—average area is down 13 percent since 1978, to 0.19 acres. That might not seem like a lot, but after adjusting for houses’ bigger footprints, it appears the median yard has shrunk by more than 26 percent, and now stands at just 0.14 acres, a substantial reduction.

Read More “The American Lawn”

This blog is dedicated to a lovely friend (who shall remain nameless, unless she chooses to reveal herself), and written at her request.  Last night we attended a wonderful farm to table dinner event in High Point. It was a great gathering in a group setting.  People often ask us home related questions, and last night was no exception.  Between meal courses, our fellow diner asked: “Can you explain why the paint is already peeling in our bathroom?  Our house isn’t even old!”

Read More “Ask the Home Inspector: Peeling Bathroom Paint”

“Those who won our independence believed liberty to be the secret of happiness and courage to be the secret of liberty.” – – Louis D. Brandeis