Haack Homestead Inspections, LLC.

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Home inspector provides education to buyers and owners

By Ray Anderson

 

Originally printed in the

Mount Horeb Mail, April 6, 2006

 

 

His license plate says it all: CKB4UBY-check before you buy.

That’s the advice Dave Haack of  Haack Homestead Inspections has given to potential home buyers and sellers throughout southwest Wisconsin since starting his business last year. He provides both pre-purchase and pre-

listing inspections, as well as maintenance inspections for those who simply wish to have an older home assessed by a professional.

“I really enjoy it,” said Haack, a resident of Cross Plains. “You run into lots of different issues. Sometimes I feel bad for the buyer. I’ll find things that are beyond the scope of what they wanted to take on. But then you think, ‘I saved that person a lot of money and headaches.’ It’s rewarding.”

A thorough inspection is a critical component in the home buying process. Costly repairs can lurk beneath the exterior beauty of that dream home.

“I try to give people knowledge and understanding of a home and its components,” said Haack. “It’s more than an inspection, especially for first time buyers. I consider it an education. I help people understand the risk of home ownership and give them an idea of what to expect.”

Haack spent 26 years in the printing industry before setting out on his own. He decided to turn a personal interest into a career after walking through a home for sale with his mother-in-law, a realtor in Mount Horeb.

“As we were going through, I was telling her all the things I noticed about the house,” he said. “She told me, ‘You should be a home inspector.’ I didn’t even know what that was. I did a little research, and I was in school within a month. I haven’t slowed down since.”

He received formal training through the American Home Inspectors Training Institute in Milwaukee and is licensed by the State of Wisconsin. Haack performed two dozen “practice inspections” on the homes of friends and family and consulted with professionals in every facet of real estate before taking on clients.

During a standard inspection, Haack will assess anywhere from 400 items to more than 1000 in larger homes. Afterward, he issues a report identifying potential safety hazards, major concerns, and what he calls deferred cost items - major mechanical components that have exceeded the manufacturers’ life expectancy.

“Generally, I tell people plan on three hours [for the inspection]. I tend to find something new and interesting in every home,” he said. “Mold, wet spots, leaks. There are certain things I know to look for as hazards that send up a red flag. I’ll test the furnace for leaks in the heat exchanger, check for blackened areas around the floor registers that can indicate carbon monoxide.”

“In older homes, I find lead plumbing,” he continued. “I also inspect the exterior; check the landscaping and the affects on the foundation. 99 percent of the time, I’ll find plugged gutters. Windows are also a big thing, leaking seals or cracks.”

While inspections are essential in helping to spot potential defects in a home, they often turn up pleasant surprises as well.

“I did an inspection for a woman who wanted to replace all of the carpeting with wood flooring, which can be fairly expensive,” he recalls. “I told her there might be wood underneath the carpeting, and she said ‘You can check that?’  I looked up through the sub floor and sure enough, there was oak flooring up there, beneath the carpet. She was elated.”

Though well versed in most facets of home construction, Haack has no reservations about referring potential buyers to experts in fields which exceed his expertise.

“I’m a general practitioner,” he noted. “I look over everything. But if I come across something like knob and tube wiring, or major plumbing issues, I recommend that the buyer have a certified or licensed professional take a look at it.”

 In addition to issuing a detailed written report after completing his inspection, Haack provides customers with a home maintenance manual and videotape. The manual provides space to record any repairs or upgrades done on the house.

“The average first time buyer stays in their home for seven to ten years,” he said. “There’s generally a lot of work done. The manual can be a nice marketing tool in resale. You can show potential buyers what you’ve done.”

As the real estate market heads into the busy spring and summer months, Haack is seeing a steady increase in business. And after just one year in the trade, he is receiving the supreme compliment.

“I’m getting a lot of referrals from people whose homes I’ve done,” he said. “The best part is getting referrals. Know I made people happy, and did a good job.”