We do a few of these each week, and most of the time, no big items loom large. However, every now and then, we have things like this come up. The sewer line is one of those items that, if left uninspected, can lead to major costs that the buyer may not be prepared for.

This is just a day-in-the-life video! I decided to walk back through some of the things that I find on home inspections often that are common and that need correction. People ask all the time what are the most common things you find - and truly there is no way to answer because every house is different! That said, here is what a slab house in Helena, AL yielded last week.

Check out these defects and issues we've run across over the past few weeks! Sterling Home Inspection, LLC Spencer Brothers, CPI www.sterlinginspectionservices.com Music: https://youtu.be/AUEdtwct0ac http://soundcloud.com/speomusic https://soundcloud.com/romely Morley & Speo - Hope [NCS Release]

Check out the weekly vlog we put together from last week! If you don't think cleaning the sewer line is something that should be done, be sure to watch this!

Alright guys so despite the craziness of the times, inspections are in full swing! Beyond that, we are as busy as ever and just welcomed a new inspector on board (which leaves me more time to make videos like this!). Check out this recent video of a house I inspected last week that had a few things I felt I should bring to your attention. Sterling Home Inspection, LLC Spencer Brothers, CPI www.sterlinginspectionservices.com Music: https://youtu.be/AUEdtwct0ac http://soundcloud.com/speomusic https://soundcloud.com/romely Morley & Speo - Hope [NCS Release]

This video was made as a guide to a recent blog article I wrote to help explain exactly what to expect when you are having a home inspection performed by us here at Sterling! That blog can be found at www.sterlinginspectionservices.com Spencer Brothers, CPI Sterling Home Inspection, LLC

This is such a common occurrence that I call this out on inspections every week. Rarely, however, do we begin to see the onset of the mold that can further develop. This video, although dark, provides a glimpse as to what can occur if the exhaust ducts are not routed to the outside! Spencer Brothers, CPI Sterling Home Inspection, LLC

RJ provided us with a wonderful review! Thank you for allowing us to help!

Alright so this week we are continuing to find more and more problems with the infrared camera! We can't get enough of it and you'll see why. Also, we have one clip featured atop a very tall building and a message about ensuring that your inspector goes...all...the...way... - Spencer Brothers, CPI Sterling Home Inspection, LLC www.sterlinginspectionservices.com Music: https://youtu.be/AUEdtwct0ac http://soundcloud.com/speomusic https://soundcloud.com/romely Morley & Speo - Hope [NCS Release]

Check out the recently testimonial from a satisfied client! Thank you Jeffrey!

Check out our most recent testimonial from a happy client! Thank you Mr. Pevey!

We performed an inspection at an apartment in Birmingham last week before Christmas, and part of that included a sewer scoping of the main line. Here is a small portion of what we saw.

Watch Hulk and Spiderman bring you this week's show!

Join us this week for a look at the critical problem of mechanical exhaust systems venting into the home! Sterling Home Inspection, LLC Spencer Brothers, CPI www.sterlinginspectionservices.com Music: https://youtu.be/AUEdtwct0ac http://soundcloud.com/speomusic https://soundcloud.com/romely Morley & Speo - Hope [NCS Release]

First video in the series! Join me each week as we walk through the various defects that we see on a weekly basis - and how to avoid them! Sterling Home Inspection, LLC Spencer Brothers, CPI www.sterlinginspectionservices.com Music: https://youtu.be/AUEdtwct0ac http://soundcloud.com/speomusic https://soundcloud.com/romely Morley & Speo - Hope [NCS Release]

Wondering about cracks in normal... But, after this video, I hope you feel much better about that you have... Sterling Home Inspection, LLC Spencer Brothers, CPI www.sterlinginspectionservices.com Music: https://youtu.be/AUEdtwct0ac http://soundcloud.com/speomusic https://soundcloud.com/romely Morley & Speo - Hope [NCS Release]

You may need to access this quickly! You don't want to have to add another minute or two to your time in the need of an emergency when you desperately are attempting to shut power off! Move everything away from your panel! It helps us all, yourself included.

Drone footage from the track that Austin put together ahead of Jaxson's 5th birthday party!

Here is some Drone Footage from my sister's gender reveal party!

This crack was seen in a retaining wall on a house in Birmingham. What was the reason? Most likely, it would seem that the lack of gutters and the slope of the land above the retaining wall was causing water to pool near the wall, and due to the nature of the material it soaked it up and eventually caused the crack. This could have potentially had to do with a footer as well but this wasn't observable from the angle I had. Sterling Home Inspection, LLC Spencer Brothers, CPI www.sterlinginspectionservices.com Music: https://youtu.be/AUEdtwct0ac http://soundcloud.com/speomusic https://soundcloud.com/romely Morley & Speo - Hope [NCS Release]

This video was shot a few weeks ago, around noon on one of the hottest days of the year, in Talladega, AL. This family houses has a bit of trouble with it when it comes to nearly every system of the home but we were up there fixing a roof on this day and I decided to shoot some video to show you guys that the homes we have today are not like the ones we had then in more ways than one. Sterling Home Inspection, LLC Spencer Brothers, CPI www.sterlinginspectionservices.com

We shot this drone video the other day at my father (John Brothers) house. We are getting this thing primed up for roof inspections and also for listing videos if any local realtor is interested. MAKE SURE TO WATCH THE END! My little boy makes a showing. Sterling Home Inspection, LLC Spencer Brothers, CPI www.sterlinginspectionservices.com Track: Diamond Eyes - Everything [NCS Release] Music provided by NoCopyrightSounds. Watch: https://youtu.be/_XspQUK22-U Free Download / Stream: http://ncs.io/EverythingYO

Be careful out there! Things lurk around every corner in this business; especially considering we are out here in the field looking for improper things, to begin with. Sterling Home Inspection, LLC Spencer Brothers, CPI www.sterlinginspectionservices.com Music: https://youtu.be/AUEdtwct0ac http://soundcloud.com/speomusic https://soundcloud.com/romely Morley & Speo - Hope [NCS Release]

These three things are required to be listed in every home inspection report. Beyond this, these things are important because, in times of emergency, you need to know exactly where to go to find these things! Sterling Home Inspection, LLC Spencer Brothers, CPI www.sterlinginspectionservices.com Music: https://youtu.be/AUEdtwct0ac http://soundcloud.com/speomusic https://soundcloud.com/romely Morley & Speo - Hope [NCS Release]

Quick video here explaining the basics of the GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter) outlets. Sterling Home Inspection, LLC Spencer Brothers, CPI www.sterlinginspectionservices.com Music: https://youtu.be/AUEdtwct0ac http://soundcloud.com/speomusic https://soundcloud.com/romely Morley & Speo - Hope [NCS Release]

Some inspectors that I know will raise a red flag on nearly anything and everything they come across. In all honesty, I'm not sure how they stay in business. Cracks are a concern at times, and other times are not significant at all. Make sure you understand the details of the house itself (foundation, type of slab, grade, etc) before jumping to conclusions. Sterling Home Inspection, LLC Spencer Brothers, CPI www.sterlinginspectionservices.com Music: https://youtu.be/AUEdtwct0ac http://soundcloud.com/speomusic https://soundcloud.com/romely Morley & Speo - Hope [NCS Release]

Not a whole lot to see here. I'm simply trying to figure out how these roofers step back after running a line like this and can honestly walk off of the roof as if the job was well done. Sterling Home Inspection, LLC Spencer Brothers, CPI www.sterlinginspectionservices.com Music: https://youtu.be/AUEdtwct0ac http://soundcloud.com/speomusic https://soundcloud.com/romely Morley & Speo - Hope [NCS Release]

This video wasn't taken to be posted as an explanation for viewers but was rather one that was posted in an effort to help explain to the client who was waiting outside. I think that sometimes pictures really do not do it justice, but a video can. In this case, there were worried about water getting into the basement on one side of the house, but they had no idea water was getting into the crawlspace side as well. The reason? Poor grading. Sterling Home Inspection, LLC Spencer Brothers, CPI www.sterlinginspectionservices.com Music: https://youtu.be/AUEdtwct0ac http://soundcloud.com/speomusic https://soundcloud.com/romely Morley & Speo - Hope [NCS Release]

As mentioned in the video, i'm generally not one to call out minor cracks. I believe from experience that most inspectors do this regularly in an attempt to simply shift liability off of themselves, but in most cases, the crack is not significant enough to warrant having the buyer bring out specialists to further evaluate. Yet, in some cases, that is what is needed. Like here. "Correction and/or further evaluation recommended" Sterling Home Inspection, LLC Spencer Brothers, CPI www.sterlinginspectionservices.com Music: https://youtu.be/AUEdtwct0ac http://soundcloud.com/speomusic https://soundcloud.com/romely Morley & Speo - Hope [NCS Release]

Why do these continue to be installed wrong? That's a serious question. This is something that takes all of 2 minutes to install and prevents something that will cost hundreds of dollars to repair, if the sink does collapse. Why risk it? Sterling Home Inspection, LLC Spencer Brothers, CPI www.sterlinginspectionservices.com Music: https://youtu.be/AUEdtwct0ac http://soundcloud.com/speomusic https://soundcloud.com/romely Morley & Speo - Hope [NCS Release]

In this video we take a quick look at some of the things that stood out on the side of this house in Calera, AL. Sterling Home Inspection, LLC Spencer Brothers, CPI www.sterlinginspectionservices.com Music: https://youtu.be/AUEdtwct0ac http://soundcloud.com/speomusic https://soundcloud.com/romely Morley & Speo - Hope [NCS Release]This video is about My Movie 37

So if you watched the video I asked for you to post below what you would have done in this situation. What did I do? Shut the water off. the shutoff was next to it. This was, in fact, a busted tank. The buyer came about halfway through the inspection and prior to both of us leaving, a plumber showed up to take care of it from there. Sterling Home Inspection, LLC Spencer Brothers, CPI www.sterlinginspectionservices.com Music: https://youtu.be/AUEdtwct0ac http://soundcloud.com/speomusic https://soundcloud.com/romely Morley & Speo - Hope [NCS Release]

So what was the issue? The main pipe busted and the rest was history. Water was shutoff post-video by the plumber. So, what caused this? An investigation was out of the question for me on this one simply because we have crossed the boundary and have a true technical issue, yet in this case, this house 75+ years old and the piping did not appear updated. Also, lots of renovations had just taken place. There was a plumbing issue known at the house as evidenced by the toilet lid being taped down so as to not open. Several other things may have factored in, but the key here is that a quick response in these situations is urgent.

Attic defects are hard to find sometimes, and even when circumstances prevent us from seeing something the first time, we have to go back and look again! Make sure your home inspector is finding these things. Mold in the attic is not a good issue. Birmingham Home Inspector! Sterling Home Inspection, LLC Spencer Brothers, CPI www.sterlinginspectionservices.com Music: https://youtu.be/AUEdtwct0ac http://soundcloud.com/speomusic https://soundcloud.com/romely Morley & Speo - Hope [NCS Release]

This was the test flight done with the new drone that we will be featuring from now on when we are presented with a roof that is steep enough to keep us off of! Home Inspection Drone use is something that keeps us different from the other guys and makes us stand out in the Birmingham area! By the way, keep the gutters cleaned! Sterling Home Inspection, LLC Spencer Brothers, CPI www.sterlinginspectionservices.com Music: https://youtu.be/AUEdtwct0ac http://soundcloud.com/speomusic https://soundcloud.com/romely Morley & Speo - Hope [NCS Release]

This is the latest product offering that we are rolling out at Sterling! This is absolutely no cost to the home buyer, but is a great advantage that we have over other companies that allows us to see things that they cannot see! We expect the be launched by the first of June, or perhaps that week! Make sure to follow the videos! Sterling Home Inspection, LLC Spencer Brothers, CPI www.sterlinginspectionservices.com Music: https://youtu.be/AUEdtwct0ac http://soundcloud.com/speomusic https://soundcloud.com/romely Morley & Speo - Hope [NCS Release]

Super quick video, but man there are useful! Don't forget them.

A quick look around the attic would not have discovered this. I was up there for a while, as you can tell by my reference to sweating to death, and it took that much time to be able to see this. Boxes were piled in the attic that prevented some spaces from being seen, but I was able to navigate on a small board to get back there and discover this.

Just a quick overview of some of the components we see on a roof each day. The power line is very, VERY, frequent. This happens all the time with service drops. Sterling Home Inspection, LLC Spencer Brothers, CPI www.sterlinginspectionservices.com Music: https://youtu.be/AUEdtwct0ac http://soundcloud.com/speomusic https://soundcloud.com/romely Morley & Speo - Hope [NCS Release]

Today's inspection revealed something that we never want to see. What we have in the video above is a gas water heater that terminates into the crawlspace. We want to avoid even the slightest chance of carbon monoxide poisoning, and frankly, this is not how we do that. Sterling Home Inspection, LLC Spencer Brothers, CPI www.sterlinginspectionservices.com Music: https://youtu.be/AUEdtwct0ac http://soundcloud.com/speomusic https://soundcloud.com/romely Morley & Speo - Hope [NCS Release]

One of the things about the inspection business is that you are constantly in different homes and you run across all kinds of different things! Some are scary, some are unique, and some are pretty cool. Sterling Home Inspection, LLC Spencer Brothers, CPI www.sterlinginspectionservices.com Music: https://youtu.be/AUEdtwct0ac http://soundcloud.com/speomusic https://soundcloud.com/romely Morley & Speo - Hope [NCS Release]

Today's training was on Moisture movement and heat transfer. These are important elements in a home that may not be visible, but absolutely need to be considered. Is your inspector checking this?

This is what your inspector should look like in the summertime after existing your attic! Make sure he stays up there long enough to take pictures and inspect every part of the attic that is accessible. These are things you want to know! Plus, that's part of his job. Sterling Home Inspection, LLC Spencer Brothers, CPI www.sterlinginspectionservices.com Music: https://youtu.be/AUEdtwct0ac http://soundcloud.com/speomusic https://soundcloud.com/romely Morley & Speo - Hope [NCS Release]

What are the things you need to have on before crawling the dreaded crawlspace? 1. Suit 2. Mask 3. Goggles 4. Gloves Per Inspectapedia... Assistant or accomplice: do not enter an unsafe or confined space alone - station an assistant at the entry and maintain contact. Battery operated flashlight and spare flashlight. A spare light is important if the crawl area is large and you could be far from the entry - to avoid being trapped in darkness if your first light fails. Watch out: Dragging an extension cord and trouble light into a crawl area, powered by plugging the extension cord into a wall receptacle is dangerous unless the cord is protected by GFCI and AFCI devices. Cell phone or two-way radio - to summon help in an emergency Eye protection - in dusty areas full coverage eye protection or goggles are most secure; in low-dust areas, eye protection has the advantage of less tendency to fog up in humid work areas. Gloves - to protect hands especially if you need to crawl. The very thick welder's glove on our mock-up photo's right-hand offers the good dry-area protection but makes it almost impossible to handle a camera or other equipment. For wet areas, we wear heavy rubber padded gloves. Knee pads - we like the gel-type knee pads shown in our mock-up photo - they make crawling easy on the knees, and their thickness keeps the legs and knees up off of damp surfaces. Protective clothing - jumpsuit, Tyvek suit (shown in our photo), padded clothing Respirator, with cartridges rated for both organic chemicals and fine particulates - a HEPA filter and charcoal filter or other special filters may be required. Do not rely on a simple paper dust mask. Sterling Home Inspection, LLC Spencer Brothers, CPI www.sterlinginspectionservices.com Music: https://youtu.be/AUEdtwct0ac http://soundcloud.com/speomusic https://soundcloud.com/romely Morley & Speo - Hope [NCS Release]

Sometimes we do more than just inspections...but we still rock the inspection gear (because most of the time we are coming from an inspection!) Sterling Home Inspection, LLC Spencer Brothers, CPI www.sterlinginspectionservices.com

What is Water Hammer? Per InterNACHI, water hammer is "the loud thump of water in a pipe when a valve or faucet is suddenly closed." http://www.plumbingmart.com/water-hammer-information.html Sterling Home Inspection, LLC Spencer Brothers, CPI www.sterlinginspectionservices.com Music: https://youtu.be/AUEdtwct0ac http://soundcloud.com/speomusic https://soundcloud.com/romely Morley & Speo - Hope [NCS Release]

This is just a sample of what we look for on a bathroom inspection. Note the simplicity. Sometimes it may feel like you don't need an inspector based on what you see us do, but generally speaking, bathrooms are not where the "major issues" are found, until they are. The smallest thing can hint at something major, which, when further inspected, can end up costing thousands of dollars. Sterling Home Inspection, LLC Spencer Brothers, CPI www.sterlinginspectionservices.com Music: https://youtu.be/AUEdtwct0ac http://soundcloud.com/speomusic https://soundcloud.com/romely Morley & Speo - Hope [NCS Release]

This kicked off my week! I'm always happy to find things like this because I know that the client will SAVE MONEY. In this case, this was likely just the sump pump lid, because the unit operated fine but we won't know until it is repaired. Sterling Home Inspection, LLC Spencer Brothers, CPI www.sterlinginspectionservices.com Music: https://youtu.be/AUEdtwct0ac http://soundcloud.com/speomusic https://soundcloud.com/romely Morley & Speo - Hope [NCS Release]

This quick video shows how danger is present in our homes in ways that we don't always think it is. In this old house, the "knob and tube" wiring was still active, even though the electrical panel had just been upgraded to 200 Amp. The danger was in that some wires were exposed, and located directly over the attic access, making it very easy to come in contact with the live wires anytime someone attempted to climb into the attic. Sterling Home Inspection, LLC Spencer Brothers, CPI www.sterlinginspectionservices.com Music: https://youtu.be/AUEdtwct0ac http://soundcloud.com/speomusic https://soundcloud.com/romely Morley & Speo - Hope [NCS Release]

This is simply a brief overview of a house that I inspected last week. This is where we start every inspection, and from here we move around the exterior before moving in. This quick video simply fills you in on my general observations before I really "dig in" to the inspection. Sterling Home Inspection, LLC Spencer Brothers, CPI www.sterlinginspectionservices.com Music: https://youtu.be/AUEdtwct0ac http://soundcloud.com/speomusic https://soundcloud.com/romely Morley & Speo - Hope [NCS Release]

Sometimes you have to climb the roof that the other inspectors won't climb! In all fairness, some inspectors won't climb a roof AT ALL. Needless to say, if the client has a concern, I'm going to do everything I can to make sure that their concerns are put to rest. I'm 26 and have been a lifelong athlete, and I needed both of those traits to get me up here! While the problem wasn't major, as damaged vinyl is common, over time it could become worse. The location is one certainly subject to getting wet. Sterling Home Inspection, LLC Spencer Brothers, CPI www.sterlinginspectionservices.com Music: https://youtu.be/AUEdtwct0ac http://soundcloud.com/speomusic https://soundcloud.com/romely Morley & Speo - Hope [NCS Release]

This is a quick video that I filmed with no intent to share with you guys but with one of the people in my company to demonstrate when water pressure becomes excessive. After showing the client when she arrived I decided to go ahead and post it so that everyone can see. Perhaps we have an issue with the strainer? The pressure did not look like this at any other fixture/faucet in the house. Sterling Home Inspection, LLC Spencer Brothers, CPI www.sterlinginspectionservices.com Music: https://youtu.be/AUEdtwct0ac http://soundcloud.com/speomusic https://soundcloud.com/romely Morley & Speo - Hope [NCS Release]

I figure that now is as good a time as ever to start training up the next generation. I'll start sending him out in a few months when he gets a bit more training under his belt :) Sterling Home Inspection, LLC Spencer Brothers, CPI www.sterlinginspectionservices.com

In this instance last week, I decided for the sake of time to inspect the attic prior to inspecting the roof. Now, ordinarily, as per our system, we start with the outside of the home and move inward. Nonetheless, I noticed that the majority looked good except for this area. So what caused the leak? Was it the missing decking (the square) or was it the nail? Or Both? It may be a combination of both since the nail heads were not covered and some shingles were starting to deteriorate. By the way, some inspectors don't even carry ladders to the inspection. Make sure that your inspector does and that they climb into the attic to check things out! Sterling Home Inspection, LLC Spencer Brothers, CPI www.sterlinginspectionservices.com Music: https://youtu.be/AUEdtwct0ac http://soundcloud.com/speomusic https://soundcloud.com/romely Morley & Speo - Hope [NCS Release]

So the other day I stumbled up to the exterior panel at my third inspection for the day and found this gem. The issue as you can see in the video is that several nests have been built in the electrical panel. This is not uncommon in our area (Birmingham, AL) to have exterior panels. Any slight opening in the panel can allow for pests to enter in, particularly "Dirt Dobbers". Ensure that all of the gaps are sealed! I recommended in this instance that an electrician correct the panel. Sterling Home Inspection, LLC Spencer Brothers, CPI www.sterlinginspectionservices.com Music: https://youtu.be/AUEdtwct0ac http://soundcloud.com/speomusic https://soundcloud.com/romely Morley & Speo - Hope [NCS Release]

It's important when you are walking the roof and walking through the inside of the house to note where you see bathrooms and kitchen exhaust fans terminating through the ceiling. When you then come to the attic, make sure to look in those exact locations to ensure that your exhaust fan is venting to the outside and not just into the attic...like this. Sterling Home Inspection, LLC Spencer Brothers, CPI www.sterlinginspectionservices.com Music: https://youtu.be/AUEdtwct0ac http://soundcloud.com/speomusic https://soundcloud.com/romely Morley & Speo - Hope [NCS Release]

This video is about My Movie 35

Fireplace Observations

Home Inspection - Knob and Tube