Welcome to Roz's Real Estate University. Here I will regularly share advice by industry experts. Be sure to bookmark this page for future reference.

DISCLAIMER: All articles written by third parties featured on this site are provided solely for your informational purposes. I cannot and do not warrant nor guarantee the accuracy or completeness of the information provided or their services.

• Clean debris from the surface of the roof.  Debris has a tendency to hold water, and water will expedite roof deterioration.
• Keep all gutters free of debris.  Make sure that the downspouts are draining properly by testing them with a garden hose.
• If your roof is starting to collect moss or algae, install some zinc or lead control strips.
• Check all caulking and sealants.  Scrape and remove any caulking that is weather cracked and damaged and reapply.
• Check all flashings and make sure they are not deteriorated. Check for holes.  Secure it to siding or other surface and reapply roofing cement.
• Check the open valley metal for rust.  Wire brush the rust then prime and paint the metal.
• Trim back any overhanging tree branches or any overgrown vegetation.
• Dab some roof cement under any loose shingle tabs and replace damaged shingles.
• Check the mortar on chimneys and parapet walls, both in between the brick and on top.  If it is damaged or deteriorated, have it re-pointed.

Russell Cook, RHI Inspector
(C) Canadian Residential Inspection Services - 2007
www.CanadianResidential.com

Loose grout or sealant usually causes cracks around the bathtub, shower or bathroom tile joints.  If these cracks are not quickly cleaned out and filled they can let water in that can damage your walls and framing behind them.  This provides a perfect environment for mold growth inside your walls.  Cracks also catch dust and can grow mold.  Dust and mold are increasingly being recognized as sources for health and indoor air quality problems.

Cracks should be cleaned thoroughly before installing new grout.  New grout should be installed in joints between tiles.  Since tubs expand and contract slightly due to temperature differences, grout is not suitable between the tub and the tile walls.  Silicone sealant is required in that location.

Carl Thorne, RHI
Registered Home Inspector
Canadian Residential Inspection Services
www.CanadianResidential.com

© 2007 Arun Mehra Insurance Agency

The importance of having insurance to protect us in case the worst happens is immeasurable. Once we've bought home coverage, we often assume that we're covered for everything in our home and anything that may happen to us. Here are some of the most common myths that people have about their insurance coverage:

Myth #1: Anything that is considered an act of God is not covered under your insurance policy.

Contrary to popular belief, many acts of God are covered under most home policies, such as hail, tornado, lightning, blizzard, hurricane, storm, and freezing rain. Some may not be covered under the basic policy, like earthquake, but you may be able to buy extra coverage.

Myth #2: If you have to make an insurance claim, the insurance company is obligated to provide you with the amount for the replacement cost value of whatever was damaged.

It all depends on what coverages you purchased with your policy. If you have Replacement Cost then the claims settlement will be based on the cost to repair or replace the item at today's prices. If you have Actual Cash Value on your policy, then the claims settlement will be based on the value of the item today, including depreciation. Let's say you bought a TV 10 years ago for $500 and needed to make a claim on it. If you have Replacement Cost, and the item can't be repaired, then your TV would be replaced with a new one of comparable kind and quality. If you have Actual Cash Value on your home policy, you would receive the actual value of it today including the depreciation, which won't be much.

Myth #3: If I'm renting an apartment, I don't need to have any tenant insurance because if there is a fire or burglary, the landlord will be responsible.

Your landlord may have insurance but it only covers the building itself, hallways, etc. It won't protect you if you have a loss (such as fire or burglary in your apartment) or if you are responsible for injuries or damage to others or damage to the building. As a tenant, you should have a policy for your personal property and liability.

Myth #4: You've returned home from a week's vacation in the winter to discover that your water pipes have frozen and burst. You didn't have anyone checking your house while you were gone but you're sure your insurance will cover the damage.

Not necessarily. Most home policies state that if you are leaving your home for more than four days, you must have someone check your house daily or you need to shut off the water supply and drain all the pipes. Your insurer does not have to pay for any damage to your frozen pipes if you do not take these precautions.

Myth #5: Once I have an all risk home insurance policy, then everything in my home is completely covered against all types of perils.

While your home policy will cover a lot, there are a number of items which may not be included automatically or may have only limited coverage in most policies. Some optional coverages that can usually be purchased are:

• Sewer back-up
• Golf carts
• TV antennas and satellite dishes
• Earthquake damage
• Business equipment
• Bicycles

Most home policies have a limit that they insure jewellery up to, so it's best to check what limit your policy has. If the value of your appraised jewellery is above that amount, you can purchase additional coverage to provide complete protection. Other valuable items, like furs, fine art, and stamp and coin collections, also have limits and may need additional coverage. Having a yearly review of your home insurance with your Agent, will ensure that your home and valuables are properly protected.

© 1999-2004 Pillar To Post®

Increasing electrical fire safety:

There is a new type of circuit breaker that promises to reduce the number of electrical fires in homes. Some new homes already have a few installed. The ‘arc fault circuit interrupter’ or ‘AFCI’ is reported to detect sparking in the electrical system and can shut the affected circuit down before it causes a fire. Since this device is quite new, the jury is still out as to whether it is saving lives and property. In the mean time, here is what it’s all about.

The National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) estimates that fire damage, caused by electrical distribution equipment, cost $680,000,000 in 1998.

According to the Consumer Product and Safety Commission (CPSC) wiring problems are associated with 40,000 home fires and 1,400 injuries including the loss of 350 lives each year.

There are two ways a household electric circuit can cause a fire, one is overloading the circuit, the other is sparking. Standard circuit breakers or fuses are quite good at protecting a circuit if it is overloaded but they may not trip if there is a problem in the circuit that causes intermittent sparking.

For example:

1) If you hammer a nail into the wall to hang a picture and it pierces an electrical cable, you could sever a wire or create an intermittent short. The result is intermittent sparking that may not trip the circuit breaker but could easily cause a fire. The sophisticated electronics inside the AFCI is designed to detect just this kind of problem.

2) A piece of furniture is pushed up tight to the wall and is pushing on a lamp cord. The cord is forced into a tight bending radius next to the plug. This could eventually damage the cord. Sparking, and ultimately a fire, could result.

Here are a few other electrical hazards that could cause sparking:

• A frayed extension cord running under a carpet or pinched in a door jamb.
• Old and cracked insulation on electrical wires and cables
• Loose electrical connections

What’s the difference between an AFCI and a GFCI?

A GFCI is a ground fault circuit interrupter. It protects people from getting serious electrical shocks. You will typically find them installed where the risk from electrical shock is high like in bathrooms. In short, GFCIs protect people from serious electric shock and AFCIs protect homes from electrical fires caused by sparks. There may ultimately be a device that does both.

What do they look like and where will they be installed?

An AFCI is a special circuit breaker that fits into the electrical panel in place of a standard circuit breaker. It looks like a GFCI circuit breaker except that the AFCI has a blue test button and the GFCI has an orange test button.

The requirement for AFCIs is creeping into local electrical jurisdictions. In 2002 it became a requirement of the National Electrical Code that bedroom electrical outlets and their branch circuits be protected by AFCIs. What this means is, you will see AFCIs in new homes in areas that have adopted the 2002 electrical code. Even in these areas, they are only required for bedroom outlets.

Does this mean they can’t be install in existing homes or that they can only be used for bedroom outlets? No. They can be installed in any home with a modern circuit breaker panel. Before you ask your electrician to replace all of your breakers with AFCIs here are a few things you should know:

• They are still quite expensive, about $40 to $60 dollars per breaker. For a typical panel, this could cost $1,500 not including labor.
• AFCI breakers may not be available for an old panel.

The high cost of AFCI breakers is one reason why they are only required for bedroom receptacles right now. The idea is to introduce the device to the public, monitor the reaction and the gauge whether they are functioning as expected. In time, AFCIs will become less expensive.

Can it make an old electrical system safer?

Old wiring has likely endured many years of modifications and abuse. You would expect that old wiring is more likely to spark than new wiring. In particular, knob and tube wiring has had lots of attention from the insurance industry. It would seem that the AFCI is the ideal retrofit for older wiring. Unfortunately the AFCI has not been tested under these conditions. Certifying laboratories and electrical authorities cannot assure the public they will perform as expected for old wiring. In theory they should work.

Not quite electrical Nirvana:

It will take several more years before the statistics are in. In the mean time we can assume that AFCIs will reduce the chances of electrical spark induced fires. By how much, nobody knows. The intention of electrical authorities is that ultimately every breaker in your electrical panel is either an AFCI or a GFCI or a device that is both. People would be protected from serious electric shock and homes would be protected from electrical fires. We are still several years, and a few growing pains, away.

Pillar To Post advocates safety in the home and would encourage anyone that feels they would benefit from AFCIs to consult an electrician for an opinion. We would like to make one thing clear. We do not believe AFCIs are an excuse to live with an unsafe electrical system. AFCIs are not a quick fix for dangerous wiring. Improper or unsafe wiring conditions should be dealt with promptly by a qualified electrician.

Carbon monoxide is an invisible, odorless gas that can build up inside a home, potentially causing significant harm.

Unlike natural gas, carbon monoxide has no telltale scent, so early detection is important. Poisoning may be detected through the onset of early flu-like symptoms such as fatigue, shortness of breath, dizziness, headaches, and nausea. Prolonged exposure may result in death.

Carbon monoxide can enter the home through a variety of sources including car exhaust, blocked chimneys, cracked furnace heat exchangers, and leaks in gas appliances. Recent studies have estimated that up to 10% of homes have indoor carbon monoxide levels exceeding safe limits.

The good news is that you can keep your family safer by paying attention to a few details.

AN UP-TO-CODE DETECTOR.
UL 2034 or IAS 6-96 on your alarm ensures that it is up-to-code. Older models are known to fail to sound an alarm when they should.

THE RIGHT LOCATION.
Place one detector on each floor and in hallways near sleeping areas.

NEVER RUN A CAR IN AN ATTACHED GARAGE.
Carbon monoxide could creep into your house even if the outer garage door is open. Be especially careful if the garage adjoins a bedroom.

KEEP A WATCHFUL EYE FOR TELLTALE SIGNS.
Have a professional check for leaks when there is excessive moisture build-up on windows, a decrease in hot water supply, furnace with trouble heating the house, or soot gathering around gas vents. Because it takes time for enough carbon monoxide to build up to register on an alarm, do not rely on simply holding a detector to your appliances or heating systems. Be sure to leave your detectors mounted or plugged in all year long.

Breathe cleanly and safely at home.

We are half way through our heating season; it would be a good time to check our humidifying systems. Our heating and humidifying systems have been working over time and a little maintenance now will help you get through the remainder of the heating season.

Whole house humidifiers attached to the side of furnace ducting require regular checking and cleaning.  Clean and soak humidifier parts with a good quality calcium and rust remover such as CLR. If the water supply or humidifier are not functioning properly, contact your local heating expert for servicing. Faulty humidifiers can leak causing damage to the surroundings, including the heat exchanger on your furnace. Several health issues can be avoided by proper humidification of the air we breathe in our homes.

NOTE:  Not all geographical areas in Canada require a humidifier.  Homes located in environments of high humidity such as coastal areas often benefit from a de-humidifier rather than a humidifier.

David Watson
Certified Home Inspector
Canadian Residential Inspection Services
www.CanadianResidential.com

Immediately:

• Fix dripping faucets and toilet.
• Inspect roof for damage after windstorms.

Annually:

• Check fireplace damper and make sure it closes securely.
• Ensure fireplace damper hinges and handle works smoothly.
• Check fireplace flue for blockages. Clean if necessary.
• Check fireplace for broken or loose bricks. Repair if necessary.
• Inspect foundation for holes, cracks, improper drainage. Repair if necessary.
• Clean exterior surfaces, check for mildew, paint if necessary.
• Check roof for holes, cracks and rotting.
• Drain hotwater tank.
• Replace batteries in smoke detectors.
• Water foundations during dry summers.
• Inspect for pest infestations.

• Do you have a security system?
• Do you have motion-detector lights around the property?
• Do you keep your garage locked?
• Did you change the locks when you moved in?
• Do you have strong locks on all doors and windows?
• Have you kept your keys guarded against unauthorized duplication?
• Do you always use the peephole before answering the door?
• Do you have automatic timers controlling your lights when you are out or away?
• Are your possessions insured and do you have a complete inventory of them?
• Are extremely precious items secured away from home, i.e., in a safety deposit box?
• Have you recorded all the serial numbers or identifying marks for all your valuable items?
• If you are going away for an extended period, have you informed your neighbors, arranged to have someone cut the grass and cancelled your newspaper(s)?
  

Annually:

• Check your heat and A/C systems.
• Check windows and outside doors for drafts

Seasonally:

• Check furnace switch, fuse and breakers.
• Check furnace blowers, oiling motor and changing belt if necessary.
• Check thermostat accuracy by taping thermometer to wall next to it. if discrepancy, have serviceman re-calibrate unit.
• Check central air condensing unit for obstructing leaves and debris, and hose out if necessary.
• Keep shrubs pruned back to maximize airflow.
• Check room A/C condensate drain outlet for plugging.

Monthly:

• Check and clean/change room A/C filters.
• Check room A/C condenser coils and intake vents for obstructions.
• Check furnace filter and change if clogged.

General:

• Check insulation for type/thickness, beginning in attic/top floor. Upgrade if inadequate.
• During humid weather, check central A/C condensate drain to ensure it is carrying off excessive moisture.

Copyright Pillar To Post ® 2007

Current and prospective homeowners are increasingly aware of how indoor air quality can affect their comfort and even their health. Fortunately, there are many simple things that can be done to improve the air quality in the home. Here are just a few suggestions:

• Replace furnace filters regularly.
• Have fuel-burning fireplaces and stoves serviced yearly.
• Use bathroom and kitchen fans that vent to the outdoors.
• Allow new carpet, draperies, and furniture to air out before bringing them into the home.
• Empty and clean humidifier and air conditioner drain pans.