Crazy Sh*t In Real Estate with Leigh Brown - Episode #50 with Joe Battisto

In this episode, Leigh interviews Joe Battisto, an NYS licensed property inspector from Syracuse who works for Haven Environmental. Joe founded Haven Environmental in 2015, and they're trying to raise the bar for home inspection. Listen to Joe's advice as an expert in the field and hear how he rescued a couple from buying a problematic house that was a far cry from what was shown in photos. Please subscribe to this podcast in iTunes or in the Podcasts App on your phone. Never miss a beat from Leigh by visiting The Leigh Brown Experience. Joe Battisto President Haven Environmental www.havenenvironmental.com Up here in Central New York I did one last week I had to post on the company Facebook page.   The homeowner started using cardboard boxes as HVAC duct work after his metal ducts starting rotting away.  Then he used old bed rails as structural support posts to hold up the floor from falling into the basement.   He was asking low 6 figures for the hot mess.  The prospective buyers were making an offer based on the online photos from the real estate advertisement without ever actually seeing the property in person.  Bad idea, at least they called a home inspector to put eyes on it before sealing the deal! If you check our site, you will see we are trying to raise the bar for home inspection by adding capabilities most one man operators don't have: We are a licensed firm in NYS to provide mold assessments. We have a highly experienced Certified Industrial Hygienist on staff. Our principal IAQ inspector Is certified by the IICRC, NORMI, OSHA, and NACHI. We are certified for thermal imaging analysis. We are licensed in NYS to provide buyer/bank property inspection for real estate transactions on properties up to 4 units. We are FAA commercial certified to fly camera drones for high resolution roof inspections. We are experienced and formally trained to provide contractor estimates for mold and water damage restoration. We are trained and experienced in providing property insurance underwriting inspections. We can provide asbestos, radon, and lead testing. In addition to general liability and an attestation of worker's compensation exemption filed with NYS, we carry professional liability and errors and omissions insurance on all our projects. We oversee an extensive network of reliable mold and water damage sub - contractors across upstate NY. We use 2 of the most highly respected microbial laboratory firms in the country for our lab work. Realtors tell me 50% of the homes they list have mold issues, so we try to guide buyers, sellers, and agents all the way through that mess and keep the closing on track. Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:21 – Introduction for today's episode 00:49 – Leigh introduces Joe Battisto 00:58 – Joe is from Syracuse, NY 01:06 – Joe is from Haven Environmental and they provide buyers' inspection services for real estate transactions 01:21 – In real estate, the inspection process is sometimes the most uncomfortable part of the transaction 01:55 – The moral of the story is never ever buy a property that you haven't physically walked through yourself 02:07 – A few weeks ago, Joe received a call from a couple who wanted to buy a house 02:15 – It is a 2-storey house and Joe was asked to do the inspection 02:33 – When Joe was inspecting the property, things began to cramp up 02:44 – Joe describes the structure of the house 03:06 – Joe went to the basement and saw that the metal brackets that held up the first floor were cracking and slipping 03:15 – Old bed rails was used as structural support posts to hold up the floor from falling into the basement 04:06 – The homeowner repurposed cardboard boxes as HVAC duct work after his metal ducts started rotting away 04:48 – On Joe's way out of the basement, he saw another major problem with plumbing 05:30 – Joe sent the report to the buyer and he learned that the couple haven't even been in the house 06:02 – The couple only saw the listing online and were buying it from Europe 06:40 – Joe became the buying agent 07:10 – The listing agent put up photos of the house which looked really good 07:26 – Joe had a serious talk with the buyer and the buyer thought that they wouldn't need to put much money into the house 08:02 – The couple found Joe online 09:30 – When having a talk with your home inspector, match your needs to your home inspector's qualifications and be comfortable with what he is going to do 09:55 – Ask for a copy of the report done by your home inspector to get an idea of how he does the inspection 10:52 – Joe sees himself more as a partner than a vendor 11:00 – Regarding how realtors should select their home inspector partner, Joe advises… 11:17 – Realtors control 80% of the home inspector's work 11:32 – "Realtors should be qualifying those home inspectors as well" 11:52 – The past week, Haven Environmental was approved by the New York State to provide continuing education instruction for realtors in their area of Syracuse, NY 12:20 – Find Joe on their website which links to their Facebook 13:01 – Tweet Leigh Brown for your very own crazy story in real estate 3 Key Points In real estate, the inspection process may be the most uncomfortable part of the transaction, but is also necessary. . Never buy a property that you haven't physically walked through yourself. Try to match your needs to your home inspector's qualifications, so you can be aligned and comfortable with how they choose to do their job. Credits Audio Production by Chris Mottram Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives Cover Design by Two Minds Design Original Music by Rimsky Music