Tag: inspection

January 8, 2026 – Is An Inspection Necessary?

January 8, 2026 /

We are getting to the point in the process where it is starting to get real. There is an offer on our house and we are already renting the new house. The devil is in all of the details for financing but we need to decide what inspections that we want to have on the house. I personally feel like I am pretty knowledgeable in the process and I am more likely to be more nonchalant about things. This is not to mention that the house is less than ten years old.

In the picture below, you can see our new kitchen. It is both cluttered because we have nothing in the cupboards or drawers and sparse because what you see is what we have. It looks nice and this is the view that you get when you tour the house to decide if you want to proceed. It has stainless appliances, quartz counter tops, contemporary finishes and a nice island.

I want to make it clear that I am not nitpicking anything. I know exactly where the faults are in my house. I know where the exterior paint is spattered on the interior wall because I didn’t realize there was wet paint on the bucket when I roughly set the bucket down and it is hard to reach but can only be seen at a certain angle. I see the door trim that does not reach the floor (not my work). I do my best to try and make it at least good enough and I never intend on leaving things done incorrectly to the point it is detrimental to life or safety.

Because we are renting the house until we can close on the current house, we have spent six nights at the place spread out since early December. This is a highly educational process. I talked about the heating earlier in the week, now let’s look at the kitchen.

In the upper left, the backsplash spans the entire length of the counter. This prevents the range from being pushed all the way to the wall, where it belongs. It is not terribly noticeable nor is it problematic, it is just not how things should be done. Our future plans include installing a larger gas range so we will live with that until such time.

The window trim has a wonky corner. From my brief look at it, I would say that the wood is warped and not nailed well to a solid surface. These are the kind of things that potentially turn out to be devastating. A small cosmetic detail that is hiding a much larger problem. However, this is an exterior wall and I see no problems on the other side.

The tile on the far west side of the the kitchen has a different color grout along with some small gaps. I am not sure what is going on there, but I would be willing to bet that this is a DIY faux pas. Something was changed from what it was originally or it was estimated incorrectly or this was a retrofit application that just wasn’t quite right. This is a cosmetic issue that is barely noticeable unless you are taking pictures like I am doing.

Finally, I took a picture of the drawer slides. I have used many of these in my shop projects. But what I am pointing out is that using this style of slide versus ball bearing slides is an indicator of the quality of the cabinet. I suspect like all decisions, there was an economic component. My mind goes to why would you spend money on the counter tops and have inexpensive cabinets? At this point, it is what it is but it goes to today’s HGTV culture. It looks good from a distance but might not be what it seems.

I want to reiterate that I am not nitpicking but that a person cannot possibly make a value proposition with a 30 minute breeze through. I saw the first picture the first couple of times I was in the house. All of those things I can live with or modify over time if it gets to that point. What I think is the problem is most people cannot look at a drawer slide and determine the value of a kitchen. That speaks to the cost of a house being appropriate or potentially other more devious problems.

The value of an inspector is that in theory, they should be able to go straight to the soft and vulnerable spots. While doing that, other observations are made. But, that is it. It is then up to the uneducated buyer who couldn’t do their own inspection to translate observations into deficiencies to then ask from the seller. This is at least my analysis of why our first deal fell through. The buyer wanted things that were actually wrong from a code standpoint based on observations.

Despite the fact that I am very knowledgeable about things, I do believe that we are going to have a septic inspection. That is something that I cannot see myself and admittedly I am weak on this new technology installed in this house. It is not just a gravity fed tank but it has pumps and other things I have never seen.

End Your Programming Routine: We very well might have a whole home inspection, I need to do some looking first. I am not so arrogant as to believe that I couldn’t learn something from an inspection. I could miss things and this is a whole new area and climate that might have nuances that I am not familiar. But, I am pretty confident that this is an appropriate deal for the price. I am not expecting any real problems to be found.

December 9, 2021 – ‘Tacticool’ Thursday

December 9, 2021 /

Just because I don’t shoot as much as I would like, it doesn’t mean that there isn’t maintenance that needs to be done.  There is a saying in the used firearm world ‘Carried a lot, shot a little’.  This implies that there is what is called holster wear or places where the holster contacts the metal and rubs the finish but the bore is like new.

So, if you are in that carried a lot, shot a little camp like I am, then you should also take a look at things now and again.  The two primary things to watch out for are corrosion and lint build-up.  Both of those things are fortunately addressed by periodic cleaning.  This is a long way of saying, inspect and clean you firearms even if you don’t shoot them.

It is the similar justification I use for changing my own oil.  When I am in there, I plug in the scanner, look at the washer fluid levels, check the battery and the conditions of belts and hoses.  Most people argue that it is not worth their time to change your own oil, as you know from my previous post, I think it saves you time.  Plus, I am familiar with my vehicle and its’ condition.  You need to assess the condition of your tools.

I have heard advice from people that live in hot/humid climates to clean firearms once a week.  The premise being that you are constantly sweating and that doesn’t mix well with metal.  This of course has a lot to do with the construction of the item.  Polymer and stainless steel have much less issue with corrosion.  However the small screws and springs are rarely ever mad corrosion resistance.

You can see all of the crud in the barrel from the picture above.  This was clean, post the last use.  I also disassembled everything (for the first time) so that all the interior lint and powder crud could be cleaned out.  It is also worth noting that magazines should be inspected and possible cleaned as well.  It goes without saying but the last thing you want in a carry piece is a failure because of neglect.

There are other considerations after cleaning.  Particularly carry pieces, you want them as dry as possible.  I am not saying no lubricant, but as little as possible.  That reduces the amount of stuff that ultimately adheres to an oily surface.  If your firearms are in a high humidity environment and just stored, I prefer a wipe down with a light silicone oil lie Birchwood Casey Barricade. 

End Your Programming Routine:  If you are serious about personal safety, then you realize that concealed carry is a lifestyle.  Your wardrobe, your tools, your choice of spare time activities and where you spend your money is part of the consideration.  I think it has been over a year since I last cleaned this firearm, and I feel OK.  It doesn’t mean that you have to be obsessive, just be aware of the risks and responsibilities.