ISPYINSPECTION.COM

I-SPY HOME INSPECTIONS, LLC #10781 – Joseph Althage

“Green Air is Clean Air”

Find out about the quality of the indoor air quality at home or at work with an Air Quality Test.

Whether you have concerns of mold issues, animal dander allergies, dust mite allergies and/or large amounts of pollen spores inside your home or work space, I-Spy can help you determine the type of allergens affecting you, your family, your colleagues.

Stop suffering from the symptoms related to allergen spores that are floating in the air you breathe. Schedule and indoor air quality inspection and I-Spy will report back to you with a lab generated analysis (Pro-Lab Inc.) from the samples taken during your inspection.

Upon confirmation of the specific allergens affecting you and yours, the proper steps for removing the allergenic spores can begin.

Joey Althage
Indoor Air Consultant-Certified #02-4743 (IAC2.org)
ispyhomesinspections@gmail.com
504-255-5608 or 985-277-9252

I-SPY HOME INSPECTIONS, LLC #10781

A family oriented, small business owner (very small), local father of three and Licensed Home Inspector has succumbed to the pressure of colleagues (mostly real estate agents) by officially publicizing his company and services to the general public. I-Spy will no longer be kept secret for sole use by it’s current and loyal agents/clients although they will always receive immediate attention.

The first order of business is simply to announce that I-Spy Home Inspections, LLC is open and ready to help any buyers (clients) and agents begin the push to finalize the contract in agreement by conducting a quality I-Spy home inspection. I-Spy believes that there is no perfect home but more importantly that there also is no problem or condition that cannot be addressed to the satisfaction of everyone involved.

I-Spy was originally conducting business solely by word of mouth from agents and clients who previously experienced our inspection work and reporting. The idea behind staying as small as possible was simply to be different than the larger inspection franchises who dominate the industry and make it very difficult for smaller inspection companies to survive. I-Spy is not ignorant of the fact that agents need to trust inspectors in order to refer them to clients especially considering the importance of this aspect of the home buying process.

It is a validated belief of I-Spy’s that agents actually prefer a smaller inspection company, one that can be as close to his/her own “private inspector” as possible. This belief has been evidenced by the success of I-Spy and the time I’ve spent working solely through word of mouth networking, etc.

To all of you professional agents out there: If you would consider recommending I-Spy Home Inspections, LLC for just one home inspection, I’m sure you will experience and appreciate the individualized attention that I-Spy gives to it’s clients and agents and more importantly, still receive the quality and professionalism you are looking for in a licensed home inspector.

Because of our autonomy and smaller size (as compared to the larger franchises), I-Spy provides you and your clients with many advantages.

1. I-Spy is almost always able to schedule within a 24-48 hour window, if not sooner.

2. I-Spy will treat you and your clients as if you were a family member and/or close friend.

3. I-Spy always goes the extra mile before, during and after a home inspection. It doesn’t bother me to get that model and serial number you need for a home warranty or to take the time to pull a good light bulb from another fixture to make sure the one in the bathroom works, it just had a burned out bulb.

4. I-Spy inspections include the top tools and equipment in the inspection industry whether it is technology related or other. I spare no expense when it comes to the necessary tools/equipment. If the big franchises use it, you can be sure I do as well because my clients deserve the best inspection results that can be provided.

5. I-Spy includes a free “Home Maintenance” book with the inspection binder/report for every client. This book is purchased through InterNACHI at my expense so that my clients have a home maintenance resource for when they move into their new home.

6. Being a client or agent associated with I-Spy, you will never become a number to me. I know how hard it is to raise a family and live in this world. My family and I appreciate any business that I receive and you will know how much we appreciate it too by my support and service.

7. Once a client, always a client. I make myself available for my clients whether it is two days after the inspection or two years after. Never hesitate to call me or use me as a resource and you won’t be charged an extra fee for every contact or re-visit to a property.

8. I-Spy’s inspection fees are as they are listed. I-Spy does not nickel and dime clients with extra fees for additional a/c units, etc. My fees are based on the living square footage of the property only (another difference between I-Spy and most other companies who base their prices on total square footage).

If there is ever anything I can do for you whether you are a potential client or an agent looking for a trustworthy inspector, please call or email at any time.

Blessings,

Joey Althage LHI#10781

Indoor Air Quality Consultant-Certified #02-4743

(Cities/Towns: Hammond Home Inspections, Covington Home Inspections, Mandeville Home Inspections, Folsom Home Inspections, Gretna Home Inspections, Harvey Home Inspections, Algiers Home Inspections, Marrero Home Inspections, Westwego Home Inspections, Metairie Home Inspections, Kenner Home Inspections, Laplace Home Inspections, Baton Rouge, Springfield, Madisonville, and many more)

Homebuyer Articles:

3 Home Buyer Mistakes – http://www.nachi.org/3.htm

Speed Up the Home Inspection Process - http://www.nachi.org/tentips.htm

What Really Matters - http://www.nachi.org/what_really_matters.htm

Health Home Articles:

Indoor Air Quality – http://www.nachi.org/indoorair.htm

Everyone Should be Tested for Mold – http://www.nachi.org/testformold.htm

Fire Safety for Homeowners - http://www.nachi.org/fire-safety-home.htm

The FACTS about I-Spy:

(1) We offer the most affordable home inspections in relation to the product (home inspection report) our clients receive.

(2) Our home inspection prices are competitive with even the largest inspection franchises.

(3) Our reports provide much more than a home inspection “checklist” used by many inspectors.

(4) I-Spy is one of the few home inspection companies that offers indoor air quality testing.

(5) We schedule no more than two inspections per day to ensure that our clients receive the time and attention he/she deserves during his/her inspection time. We are not about pumping out 3 inspections a day! Professional attention and service with a truly personal touch.

Apart from my home inspection services, I also conduct a number of mold inspections each month (testing for mold spore accumulation in the indoor air of a home). Most clients schedule an indoor air inspection as a “just to be sure” confirmation that there are no other problems with the house.

The purpose of a mold inspection is not to test visible signs of mold to see whether it is actually mold or some other environmental growth. Homeowners and/or buyers should not be concerned about what he/she can see on the walls or a/c ducts inside the home. If we can see it, we know it’s there (mold or other growth) and that it needs to be removed.

As a certified mold inspector, my concern is determining whether we have a mold condition that we cannot see and that would consist of mold spores in the indoor air. To determine the quality of a home’s indoor air, I conduct two 5 minute air tests with a suction pump, attached hose and sampling cassette. The first air test is conducted outside of the home near an entrance door. The second air test is then conducted inside the home in a central location under normal operating conditions (doors closed, a/c running, etc.)

The lab compares the results of the outdoor sample (control sample) with the indoor sample and generates a rating based on those results. The home will either have a “elevated condition” or an “unelevated condition”. Spores of many types are listed on the analysis and are measured in cubic meters. The number of spores per cubic meter is what determines the end result of the test.

Air-Quality inspections are appropriate for families with allergies, especially those that frequently affect a person’s health. While the effects of mold and human health is still a widely debated and unresolved issue, the lab analysis following an inspection will also detail other types of spores found in the indoor air of a home (such as plant spores, etc.)

The conclusion of the analysis will also provide remediation ideas and/or tips for cleaning the inside of your home, removing specific types of spores from the air and more importantly, give the client a picture of the invisible air. All homes contain some type of mold spore simply due to the fact that the air outside your home makes it’s way inside.

Finally, with regards to the home’s structure and components, an “unelevated mold spore count” inside a home also tells us that the home is free from any active water leak or condition. The homes that will end up with an elevated concern almost always have some type of active water issue because mold needs a constant source of water to grow and sustain itself. This then is what typically leads to high mold spore counts inside the home.

Costs for a indoor air inspection for mold depend upon the number of samples taken (usually two suffice) and the time it takes to inspect the home (a visual inspection is done as well). Typically speaking, you can look to spend about $350 ($125/sample and $50/hour with a 2 hour minimum) to remove any suspicions about the indoor air quality of a home. Check out the Mold page on my website for more info or call me at 504-255-5608.

Is your home currently for sale? Are you planning on selling in the near future? The most under valued type of home inspection is the “Pre-Sale” inspection. The advantages of scheduling a home inspection prior to listing it are many and these advantages far out weigh the $250-$350 it will cost to have it done.

At I-Spy, we offer a “Move-In Certified” inspection for homeowners and their agent preparing to sell their home. This is a great marketing tool for homeowners because it greatly increases the chances of selling your home by reducing the unknown suspicions of perspective buyers interested in your home. Much like the vehicle industry, Move-In Certified Homes come with a completed home inspection report for buyers to review while they decide on whether or not to submit an offer. Buyers have the advantage of seeing a licensed home inspector’s report which tells them that, “This home has been inspected and there are no visible signs of any MAJOR defects.” For owners with an agent, we want your agent included in the entire process as well.

The process is quite simple. Homeowner’s schedule a home inspection at a time/day convenient for them. They also get to shadow the inspector during the inspection so that the inspector can point out what he/she is looking for on each particular system of the home. The report is then reviewed by the owners which ends up being a basic punchlist of home maintenance items and minor repairs that should be considered before presenting the home to perspective buyers.

Once the owner and his/her agent agree that the home is ready to be listed, a Move-In Certified sign goes up in the yard with the for sale sign. Copies of the inspection report are provided inside the home for any buyers who tour the home. Whether you are a seller or buyer in the market, you know if you see the Move-In Certified signage in front of a home, you know that that home has been inspected for any major defects and that any suspicions of potential issues in the home have been removed.

Please visit my “Services” page to learn more or the Move-In Certified (“Links” page) website to read about all of the advantages for sellers and buyers.

Here’s a word bank for all of you to enjoy. See if you can pick out the “banked” words.

My father’s mother’s name was Gertrude. She was a Gardner by trade and probably would have enjoyed the latter for name. Upon inspection of her flower’s blum, she noticed her home’s foundation sloping slightly. Had she lived in the 21st Century, she could have contacted a contractor who raises slabs on homes. She gave her firstborn son the nickname Remax for realty since he was always consumed with the land and those who sold it. Most of the land he scowered was for “sale by owner” back then. There weren’t any appraisals needed for a mortgage loan either. Most of the agents did all of their own selling of loans. Her best friends were Vick and Susan. They all played on a cabbageball team named team 1. The local Prudential bank sponsored their jerseys.