P.O. Box 632 Findlay, Ohio 45839 Phone: 419-420-9327

Real Estate Matters
Real Estate Matters In June
By Starley Cannon
Jun 1, 2006, 00:00

It's summer time and the Realtors are working long hours and making the American Dream come true for many buyers and sellers. The real estate market is a flurry with activity and solds are appearing all over the city and county.

I thought I would share some information that my friend Steve Smith shared with me from the Home Team inspection service. It is called: Ask The Inspector.

Q:  I recently bought a new home and I am in the process of taking up the old basement carpet in preparation of installing new. In one rook, there was considerable pet damage (cat urine).  After pulling up the carpet, I found dark stains left on the concrete floor. Is there a way to treat these stains so that the smells of the old cat does not come back?

A. You are wise to treat this before the new carpet is installed, because cat urine is very persistent odor. I found that covering the stained areas with baking soda and a layer of fine cat litter for a few days will help remove the odor. You may have to do this more than once.
 Carpet applied to concrete basement floors can get damp and stay that way for a long time just from the ground moisture wicking into the carpet. This can cause a bad odor from mold and mildew. Using a waterproof sealer on the floor before the carpet is installed will help block smell and prevent mold and mildew. 

Q. I am in the process of buying my first home, and I have tried to do every thing in the process to protect my investment including a home inspection. The inspection report came back clean except there was a safety note about the electric garage door opener. The home is only two years old so I did not expect anything to be wrong, but I was told to get an inspection anyway. When I received the report it stated that there is safety concerns due to the auto reverse out of adjustment and the extension springs that have no safety cables. How serious or how costly will this issue be?  The reason I am concerned is that the seller has given me his lowest price and state up front that he will not make any repairs based on that price. Is this a big problem?

A. It is always a good idea to get an inspection regardless of the age of the house. Your report is typical and the issue is inexpensive to correct. Your garage door has two safety devices to keep it from closing on someone or something. One of these devices is photoelectric eyes that are mounted on either side of the door near the floor. If an object is in the path of the door, it breaks the site of the two eyes and the door will not close. Same principal with auto reverse. When these door openers are installed the pressure sensitivity is set with an adjustment screw located on the opener. If the setting is incorrect the auto reverse will not reopen the door and can cause injury to someone in its path. This can be corrected by making slight adjustments to the pressure set screw.

That is all for now; but remember to call your favorite realtor for all of your real estate needs~I would love to be your realtor.

 Contact Starley Cannon @419-423-8004