Standing Out in Ohio Podcast
Brought to you from Ohio based home inspection company of Habitation Investigation. Information helpful to agents and buyers. Conversations with professionals and entrepreneurs regarding their stories and what makes their companies and themselves stand out and gain competitive advantages. Listen to stories from Ohio real estate agents and related businesses to help you know how to improve and who to consider using for yourself or friends. Created by the owners of a highly rated home inspection company in Ohio and the Winners of Best Home Inspection Company in the Midwest https://homeinspectionsinohio.com/
Episodes
Ever walked into your “fixed” new home and caught a whiff of something you can’t ignore? We dig into a real case where promised repairs didn’t hold up, a bathroom vent dumped sewer gas into an attic, and grading still shoved water toward the foundation. Along the way, we unpack why reinspections are the unsung hero of a smart purchase and how small misses in plumbing ventilation, moisture control, and documentation sn...
Ever wondered who truly owns a home inspection report? We pull back the curtain on a practice too many buyers don’t see coming: agents circulating a paid report to future buyers after a deal collapses. We explain why that report is the buyer’s property, what the purchase agreement actually requires, and how reusing a report exposes everyone to risk while stripping you of negotiating power.
We walk through the...
A vacant home. No furnace. Water service left on during a deep freeze. That combination set the stage for a preventable disaster—and a master class in how frozen pipes actually happen. We unpack the physics in plain language, explain where pipes freeze first, and share practical steps to thaw safely without turning your crawl space into a bonfire hazard.
We start with the scenario: a two-story house sitting a...
Thinking about putting solar on your roof? We break down the real numbers and the hidden costs most sales pitches skip. From roof age and orientation to removal fees and financing traps, we map out the path that makes solar pay—and the scenarios where it stalls. If your shingles are nearing the end of their life, adding panels now can force an expensive remove-and-reinstall when you inevitably replace the roof. That e...
Your house shouldn’t make you feel worse. We unpack the crucial difference between VOC testing and mold testing, and explain why treating them as the same can waste money, delay answers, and leave you stuck with symptoms. We also take you beyond the basics to explore mycotoxins—chemical defenses from mold that standard remediation often ignores—and why some homes feel “clean” after a wipe-down yet still trigger headac...
Ever wondered what actually stops a home inspection? Not a dead furnace or a closed gas valve—but a city do-not-enter notice, active squatters, or a flooded basement inches from the electrical panel. We open the playbook on how professional inspectors balance thoroughness with safety, what we can still evaluate when utilities are off, and the conditions that require us to walk away.
We start with the practica...
The repair was “done,” but the furnace cabinet was open and a part sat on the door. That moment kicked off a blunt breakdown of how buyers can protect themselves from empty promises, fake receipts, and cosmetic fixes that fail the first cold snap. We share real stories from the field—vents “extended” with gutter downspout, window trim rebuilt with silicone, and invoices from contractors who don’t exist—and turn them i...
A quiet estate home meets a busy family and the sewer taps out—under a foundation wall, no less. We walk through the call, the chaos, and the choices that turn a near $10k excavation into a fast, clean, no‑dig relining that brought the house back to life the same day. If you’ve ever wondered whether a standard home inspection is enough, or why older cast iron piping fails right when you move in, this story lays out th...
A scratchy throat and a pounding head turned into a hard look at what winter really does to a house—and how to stop small issues from becoming big, expensive messes. We open with the realities of backup teams and why a multi-inspector firm keeps your project on track when life happens, then shift into the seasonal steps that keep water out, heat in, and stress low.
We get practical about cold-weather prep: di...
The sump pump wouldn’t quit, the skies were clear, and the water meter sat perfectly still—yet the service line whispered a steady roar. We follow that mystery from the first clue to the likely culprit: a hidden water leak just outside the foundation, feeding the perimeter drains and keeping the pump cycling. Along the way, we show how a sonic listening device turns guesswork into evidence by tracing sound intensity t...
If the air in your home could talk, what would it reveal about your health five or ten years from now? We pull back the curtain on radon—the silent, odorless gas that seeps up from soil and quietly becomes a leading cause of lung cancer for non-smokers—and we do it without the myths and fearmongering that clutter the internet. Jim and Laura walk through how radon forms from uranium in rock and soil, why its decay prod...
A roaring fire feels timeless, but the way we move heat and smoke has changed dramatically—from open hearths that once filled rooms with fumes to thoughtfully engineered systems that keep warmth in and hazards out. We explore how castles got away with walk-in fireboxes, why Count Rumford’s angled design still matters, and how Benjamin Franklin’s stove reinvented efficiency by keeping more heat where you need it.
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Fireplaces feel timeless, but the safety of that glow lives inside a dark shaft most of us never see. We pull back the curtain on chimney scopes—the video inspections that reveal cracked terracotta liners, missing mortar, offsets, and even missing tile sections that can channel heat straight into framing. Along the way, we explain pyrolysis in plain language and why wood repeatedly heated over time can ignite at surpr...
Unexpected challenges can reveal valuable lessons in real estate transactions. When one of our inspectors encountered a malfunctioning jetted tub that temporarily sprayed water onto nearby surfaces, what should have been a minor incident quickly escalated into something much more complicated.
The heart of this story illustrates the vulnerability of For Sale By Owner sellers who lack professional representatio...
Trust your instincts and never skip the inspection - this crucial advice could have saved one Ohio family significant headaches with their new manufactured home. Their story begins with excitement about upgrading to a newer home on land they already owned, but quickly turns troubling when the installation company prevents them from viewing the construction process.
What seemed like minor ceiling cracks reveal...
What happens when you trust someone else to read your home inspection report? One homeowner's devastating story reveals the dangers of delegating this critical responsibility.
Meet an older woman who moved to Ohio to support her daughter through chemotherapy treatments. She did the responsible thing by hiring Habitation Investigation for a home inspection, but then made a critical mistake: she never read...
Ever wonder if building your dream home from scratch is worth the hassle, or if finding that perfect existing property makes more sense? We tackle this crucial homebuying crossroads with hard-earned wisdom and practical insights.
The housing market in Ohio mirrors challenges seen nationwide – inventory shortages, construction delays, and shifting buyer-seller dynamics create a complex landscape for decision-m...
Ever wonder what happens when the delicate dance between home buyers, sellers, and inspectors goes sideways? We dive into a revealing situation that unfolded during a recent inspection that perfectly illustrates the emotional complexities of real estate transactions.
When a seller erupted in anger because our inspection ran just 15 minutes over schedule, it highlighted something crucial about the home selling...
What happens when your dream home becomes a health nightmare? In this eye-opening discussion, Jim and Laura share three shocking stories of Ohio homeowners facing potentially life-threatening situations in their own homes.
The first tale reveals how one family's new HVAC system created toxic gas resembling mustard gas when improperly installed equipment overheated. Despite children showing abnormal EKGs ...
The real estate market is experiencing a significant shift with 71% of active agents making no sales in the last 18 months, creating both challenges and opportunities for those who can adapt to changing conditions.
• 71% of active real estate agents have made zero sales in the past 18 months
• The "Great Pushback" shows buyers refusing to pay inflated prices for homes
• National Association ...
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