ROBB'S CORNER

Hi friends and colleagues,

Welcome to 2009! We are all looking forward to a busier, more productive year. With a new president taking office and a new congress, it looks like our representatives in Washington are going to work and play in a more bipartisan manner. We certainly hope they can all get along better than the last one. Time to put aside our petty differences and start enacting programs that will get our economy moving again. Some will work, some may not, but we all have to encourage our Senators and Representatives to keeping working until our nation starts moving in the correct direction.

Enough about politics, time for all of us to work together to help the Chicago Real Estate Market. First, we all need to stop the gloom and doom. Yes it is tough going at this time of year, ok, its January, where is everyone. Answer, mostly on vacation, if they are lucky. Second, the rest of us are planting our seeds and crops for the late Winter, early Spring market. Third, I can assure you with a great degree of certainty, that if we all get out there and just keep a good attitude and posture along with smart, hard work, we will overcome this temporary down turn in our local economy and as the credit and real estate markets stabilize, we will reap the benefits of being prepared for the eventual recovery.

So what to do. First, we all need to wake up every morning and decide what kind of day we are going to have. For myself I choose Joy. Yes, I know this sounds like pop psychology, but believe me it works. Second, I list five things or people I am grateful for. Third, I do a few loosening up exercise, they are good for you and it clears your mind for the day ahead. One thing I have figured out and that is your mind can only hold a single thought at a time. So you might as well make a positive one.

I hope these suggestions will be useful to you. Remember I am still Your home and building inspector. If you ever have any questions about a potential client deal or your own property, never hesitate to call and ask me a question. I will always endeavor to give you the best answer to your query.

Here is to a great 2009,

Robb
847-808-8488
www.metrospectltd.com

Robb's Corner, Holiday 2008 / 2009

Happy Holidays from all of us at Metrospect Ltd. That means Happy Chanukah, Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanzaa and Festivus.

Fern, Steve and I want to wish all of our compatriots in the Real Estate Community a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year. As we complete a very challenging 2008 ( and am I glad it is over), and look forward to a better 2009 I can't help but feel positive about the upcoming year. The word on the street seems to point to a better year and we in the Chicago Real Estate Market may have dodged the "Big" bullet ( we still have to contend with the smaller bullet) affecting the rest of the country. Chicago is better able to weather ups and downs in real estate due to the gentler swings in our market.

So what can Metrospect due to help in the recovery? First, when doing the property inspection, all issues need to be presented realistically. This means getting to the point in a factual and calm)fashion. Two, knowing as much about a property as possible (age of roof, furnace, etc.) would lessen the surprise to the client and the inspector. And three, for short sales and now foreclosures, having all utilities on during the inspection would add closure to the process and lessen the possibility of deals falling apart due to an incomplete report.

More than ever, we all need to work together in this current economic tsunami. We are all part of the same circle and each of us need to succeed for all of us to succeed.

Wishing all a wonderful 2009,

Robb
MetrospectLtd.
847-808-8488
http://www.metrospectltd.com/

ROBB'S CORNER

Radon has been a "hot" topic in the news of late. I thought I would use this post to give some straight talk on the subject. First, as you may already know, Radon is an odorless, colorless gas which is 2nd leading cause of non-smoking lung cancer. The good news is that Radon is easily identifiable and once detected is easy to mitigate to non-actionable levels.



Second, how do i understand all the Radon jargon. Radon is measured in pico curies per liter of air. Simply put Radon is measured in micro units of gas and the action level starts at 4.0. As it decays, Radon is released through the small cracks in the slab of your house. So if your house has a basement, crawl space or is build upon a slab, it will enter your house through these small fissures. The good news is that radon can be mitigated to levels well below 4.0 and a secondary consequence of a Radon Mitigation System is that levels of moisture, mold and many allergens are reduced through the mitigation process leaving your house in many cases healthier than before.



So if having Radon in your house is a concern, ( and it may well be), please call us at Metrospect Ltd. and have a Professional Radon Measurement. We can be reached at 847-808-8488.

ROBB'S CORNER

Hi friends,

Welcome to Metrospect Ltd. Inspection News. Today I am going to speak on getting your house ready for winter and some of the simple steps you can do to save money this Winter.

First, a good themostat is indispensable in controlling your heating (and air-conditioning) costs. A programmable thermostat whether analog or digital will help prevent energy waste. If you are single or a couple without children, setting your thermostat to heat you up in the morning and before returning from work or activitives will save you tons by using only the energy you need and during the rest of the day only maintaining a much lower temperature to keep your house comfortable and safe.

If you have children or work from home, you can either set the thermostat just slightly lower let's say 68 degrees or put on slippers and a light sweater thereby allowing you to use less energy. By the way did you know that Pediatricians suggest a house in Winter to be cooler as to not shock your children when you take them out on errands.

Although newer Energy Star Rated windows and appliances will save you money and increase the value of your home, you can adjust windows and doors to improve effiency and energy costs. Using window wrap, door snakes will help you control the flow of money seeping out your doors and windows.

If you have any questions on improving the energy effiency of your home or other issues, please contact me at: robbpacker360@aol.com or 847-808-8488

Robb's Inaugural Blog

Welcome to Metrospect Ltd.'s first Blog. I am very excited to bring you up to date information on the latest trends in Home and Building Inspections. From geo-thermal enviroments to 'Green Construction'. Over the next few months as I figure out my newest forary in the every changing evolution in high technical communication, I will endeavor to show case useful ideas which I hope will enrich your home buying and living expirence.

Sincerely,

Robb Packer.