Category: Blog

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

 

These days, a large portion of single-family homes are being flipped, that is, the homes are bought, renovated, and resold quickly.   In recent years, it has become harder for flippers to finance these investment properties, and properties are often bought with cash or hard money loans.  However, many markets are in need of housing inventory and so those that can amass the funds to flip a property can make money in the process.

Prospective homebuyers should always have an eye out unprofessional looking renovation work and defect cover-ups.  However, when the entire property has been flipped, it may be harder to tell where the investor cut corners while prepping the home for sale.  “A lot of these guys who buy these homes to remodel and flip them do a good job,” said Bill Jacques, president of the American Society of Home Inspectors. But, “there’s always going to be the person to put lipstick on a pig and sell it. They try to honey up these houses and paint them, put some new light fixtures in and make people think they’re in new and good shape.”

Read More “Should you buy a house that was a flip?”