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Home Inspections In The Time Of The Corona Virus

COVID 19 IMAGE for BLOG

The new coronavirus has disrupted our lives in so many ways. Our hearts go out to anyone dealing with the illness and especially anyone that has lost a loved one from it.

We are thinking of you and working hard to be thoughtful and careful in these very unusual times! This is definitely a challenging time, with a lot of uncertainty, but we are all in this together. In the spirit of working through all this, we have been trying to stay on top of all recommended safe practices and best practices during this time and at the same time, remaining positive. This will not be with us forever.

At this time, we are continuing to conduct Home Inspections and all of our other services. We are following all CDC recommendations and believe that this is still safe, as we are not in contact with any people during the course of this process. However, we continue to be concerned about everyone’s health and safety in this current climate. We’ve adjusted our procedures and are taking specific steps to protect everyone involved in the inspection process.

Since the best way to prevent illness is to avoid being exposed to this virus, the NCLHIA strongly urges its members and all inspectors practicing in North Carolina to implement and adhere to consistent and stringent safety practices AND request the same of those that occupy the dwelling (property) being inspected. Reliable resources for these practices can be found with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/cleaning-disinfection.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fcoronavirus%2F2019-ncov%2Fprepare%2Fcleaning-disinfection.html

http://nclhia.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/NCLHIA-COVID-19-Statement.pdf

https://www.nachi.org/covid-19-safety-standards.htm

Restrictions:

  • If we exhibit symptoms of acute respiratory illness or have signs of a fever, we will help you find another inspector.
  • We will not inspect a house that is occupied by anyone else. This is a time to be extraordinarily careful and overly protective. Staying away from people is the key to prevention.
  • The Home Inspector will follow an Anti-Viral Protocol (see below) in an attempt to reduce the risk related to the spread of coronaviruses.
  • The Home Owner must inform the buyer’s agent and/or the home inspector if anyone in the home has been sick in the last 14 days. We will delay inspections with sick homeowners, share the CDC cleaning protocol with the seller, and reschedule the inspection only after the patient has been relocated and the home has been cleaned and disinfected following the CDC’s protocol.
  • We recommend having all pets (dogs/cats/etc.) removed or secured during the inspection. At this time there is only anecdotal evidence that pets can be infected by COVID-19. There is the possibility, however, that they could transfer it in their fur from one surface to another.

Our Safety Protocol for Home Inspections:

  • Only online payment and contract signing are allowed.
  • Before entering your home, we put on N-95 masks, nitrile gloves and shoe covers.
  • We wash hands immediately upon entering home, and multiple times during every inspection, especially after touching things like faucets and door handles.
  • Bring our own hand towel(s) for drying our hands after washing.
  • Keep alcohol-based hand sanitizer and/or disinfecting wipes nearby and use frequently.
  • Use disinfectant wipes on faucets and door handles.
  • We avoid contact with dirty laundry, towels, dishes, trash cans, paper towels/TP/tissues on the premises.
  • Properly dispose of our gloves, masks and shoe covers after leaving the site.
  • Wipe down all equipment brought into and out of the house the house: cameras, tools, phones, tablets, bags,…
  • Wipe down the interior of the van.
  • We do not wear “work” clothes inside our own homes and shower as soon we get inside.

For Our Clients Benefit:

  • I recommend you call or email any of your concerns about the house before the inspection – things you want us to pay special attention to.
  • During the inspection, I take 360 degree photos of every room in the house, so that you can see what I saw during the inspection. I also take numerous photos of the issues found.
  • At the end of the inspection, while we are still on site, we will call you and give you the highlights (as I would in person during a “normal” inspection) so that we can discuss these findings.
  • And as always, you can contact us with any questions you may have after reading the report. You will usually receive the report within 24 hours after the end of the inspection.
  • (I plan on writing another blog post detailing how I do my inspections so that you will have an understanding of the inspection process.)

Please understand that we will be following all safe practices for social distancing. Our usual friendly greeting will be at a distance for the foreseeable future. We’re eliminating “elbow bump” and any other contact greetings at this time

We understand that all of this may be an inconvenience, and yet we are doing everything we can to keep everyone safe. We realize that things are subject to change at any time, and we will continue to practice safety best practices. Please call our office with any questions (919-897-4643).

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