Honey Bee & Yellow Jacket Removal in Bonita Springs FL

It all started off like a regular day in sunny Bonita Springs, Florida.  Somewhere through the course of the day my family loaded up to have lunch at the Survey Café.  Upon our return we were met with a bit of Amity meets Bonita Springs.  There were bees in the house, many bees, lots of bees, honey bees.

While we did manage to get most of the honey bees out of the house they kept coming in slowly, like a dripping faucet. We’d hear the bees buzzing and there one would be zipping through the house.  There was a brief period where the bee traffic slowed but then it picked up again, this week.

We finally called a bee person, or bee company, a pest control company who specializes in bee infestation or bee removal and Kevin came straight out to analyze the situation.  In a matter of moments he was able to determine where the bees were coming from, how they were getting in and put a stop to it. Sorry bees, but a house is not a home when it’s full of bees. Plus, Dillon the Villain doesn’t have enough sense to not bite or eat them.

If you’re ever surprised by a visiting colony of bees someday you might need a bee professional and that would be Pro-Tech Pest Control Specialists, Inc. Here’s their info:

www.ProTechPestSpecialists.com

Pro-Tech Pest Control Specialists, Inc.

239-348-2337 – Collier County

239-567-2337 – Lee County

Plumbers and Dentist Should Have a License

A bona-fide plumber was needed for a listing that was threatening to (hell nearly froze over) finally close. It was one of those eleventh hour emergency calls and I started working my way down a list of saved numbers from various resources.

As one can imagine, the changing economy has sent folks scattering or changing professions so many of the vendors that were around years ago are missing in action. Finding one still in the area and available to come out on such short notice could take some doing.

As luck would have it the first call I made was picked up on the third ring. Pleasantries were exchanged and I asked “Jack” if he was a plumber and still in the area. He said yes. Knowing the situation I was dealing with I immediately asked if “Jack” was a licensed and insured plumber. He said no and I said, no thank you this job requires a license and insurance.

Now, in the back of my mind I’m thinking that when someone asks you if you’re a plumber and you say yes, the part that actually qualifies you to be a plumber would probably be the license. I’d say, if you don’t have a license you’re just a handyman with a toolbox and maybe one of those squishy foam pad things to kneel on when you’re in front of a sink fixing the leak.

Technically, I guess he could also be a dentist … I mean, for a hundred bucks he could pick up a Dremel and file down that sharp little corner on my fifth wisdom tooth so it quits poking the side of my tongue. I’m sure he’s a Jack of all trades … from toilets to tooth aches.

The next call went to David and the same questions were asked. This time the plumber bursts into laughter. I didn’t know what was so funny so I repeated, I’m serious, do you have a license? He said yes and still laughed a little more.

Apparently, there are many frugal consumers out there who are more worried about the price for the service rather than if the person performing the work is actually qualified by way of license. It had been a while since someone had asked David the plumber about actually being qualified to do the job and my call came only moments after someone put his feet to the fire pricing him against an unlicensed “plumber” on Craigslist.

It seems that the consumer just didn’t understand why he wouldn’t do the same job for the Craigslist price. Pesky things like expenses of licensure and insurance get in the way of competing with scabs and grifters.

It’s a huge responsibility hiring any type of contractor to perform repairs. I happen to coordinate repairs for real estate owned by other people so it’s important that it’s done by licensed contractors for a few reasons, least of which is insurance if something goes wrong, like the job isn’t done correctly and it results in more damage or, God forbid, there is an accident and someone is hurt.

There is a value in using properly licensed and insured contractors which also extends beyond the actual job. Those same contractors are our local southwest Florida business owners and they need the support.

What they don’t need is the Craigslist handymen pretending that they’re licensed, dragging pricing to the basement and taking work from the contractors who are actually following the rules.

Hire a licensed contractor. Verify their license. It makes a difference that reaches much farther than the scope of the work.

The licensed and insured plumbing contractor in this story did a great job at a reasonable rate and responded to the request immediately.  If you’re looking for a fantastic Bonita Springs/Naples area plumber: David Gaines Plumbing (239)597-2421 www.DavidGainesPlumbing.com

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Real Life in Bonita Springs is a project by Chris Griffith dedicated to writing useful blog posts for consumers about the Bonita Springs, Florida area.  Find out what it is really like to live in Bonita Springs, Florida by reading about our fair city. You’ll get the latest in local real estate information, Bonita Springs real estate market reports and a little bit of humor.  If you have topic ideas, feel free to request a story about the idea, after all, this site is just for you.

You can subscribe to a weekly email newsletter by visiting www.LifeInBonitaSprings.com and entering your email in the subscription area on the center pane of the web page or by adding us to your reader by subscribing to this blog. Oh, and if you’re reading this content anywhere else but www.LifeInBonitaSprings.com or Naples Daily News it is probably stolen.

Renovating Foreclosure & Short Sale Homes

This is a Capri in Village Walk of Bonita Springs, Florida.  Like many production homes in gated or deed restricted communities, the homes are very similar.  The homes in Village Walk are nearly identical and when they were first contracted for sale they offered few choices in options or upgrades. 

There were only about a dozen upgrades in Village Walk product and some of those were basic. The room comes with carpet, to upgrade to tile is (for example) $6,500.  Do you choose light beige or dark beige?

Investors who were speculating on the real estate market sometimes didn’t choose any upgrades.  They bought cheap with the intention of selling high and letting someone else worry about their kids running across carpet dripping from the swimming pool.  A year or two down the road this same real estate is back on the market.  A good portion of these properties were formerly tenant occupied so they’re sporting worn carpet which has seen better days.

With more than five years passing the tile has become discontinued and the option of running the identical tile through the main [formerly carpeted] part of the home is no longer an option. Close enough counts with horse shoes and a few tiling options. 

The picture above is actually resale real estate that had carpet right where that futon is sitting.  The existing tile was out of production so a near color match was located and integrated by using a small border to break up the joint.  It’s nearly impossible to see.

I had a chance to tour this Capri at Village Walk shortly after it closed sale and the renovation was complete. It was a really impressive application of corrective tile.  Below is a close up version of the border and replacement tiles. 

In case you happen to be looking for a flooring remedy or a remodel contractor, the contractor who renovated this home and completed the flooring rehab was Spolar Enterprises, Inc. – 239-287-5497.  Besides being a licensed and insured general contactor, they offer home services, home watch, etc.  www.SpolarEnterprises.com  is their webpage.

This home owner was thrilled with the results and would be happy to provide a reference upon request.

Appliance Repair or Just a Second Opinion of Condition

The major appliances are always on the list of the items that get checked during the home inspection process.  Whether the purchase of real estate is as-is or not, the home inspector will check everything, refrigerator, oven, dishwasher, washer, dryer, microwave, etc. 

At a recent home inspection, where I was the listing agent the home inspector found moisture in the water collection tray of the fridge and remarked that the water line was leaking and needed repaired.  The reality of the situation was that condensation was forming on the little ice flapper thingy and would run down to the tray. The water line itself had no leak at all.

The home buyers were adamant that the fridge needed a repair and were refusing to close unless it was fixed.  I called the Appliance Doctor who was able to come out right away (the day of closing) and make the repair.  It turns out that even though the technician from Appliance Doctor was prepared for a repair and brought the necessary parts on the first visit, there wasn’t a repair to be made.  He determined that it was really only condensation forming.

As explained to me by the Appliance Doctor technician, this particular model “does this” and if we had googled it we would have found scads of consumer complaints on forums regarding the issue.

Now, even though the Appliance Doctor knew that this was a common occurrence for this model, he disassembled the entire ice maker mechanism, cleaned it,  and reassembled it for a test, just to make sure. 

There are a couple of lessons to be learned by this little ice maker flapper thingy:  Sometimes, home sellers need to pay for a second opinion instead of a repair in order to get a property closed … even when they know they’re right. 

It’s about winning the war, not the battle, home owners … getting the real estate closed.  Second, there are really affordable, smart appliance people who will take emergency calls for silly things like sweaty ice flapper thingies and not charge an arm and a leg.

If you need a great home appliance repair in Bonita Springs or Estero, Florida, call The Appliance Doctor  or visit their website:

• 239-936-0111 – Lee County
• 239-992-0505 – Bonita Springs  Estero
• 239-540-9500 – Cape Coral
• 239-434-7546 – Naples
• 239-642-0505 – Marco Island
• 239-353-2020 – Golden Gate
• www.SickAppliances.com

The Aftermath – After the Warranty Expires

The last couple of home or condos that I’ve sold have all had one thing in common. They’ve been fairly new, not lived in or barely lived in and nearly every defect that showed up during the home inspection was defective from the day the property received its certificate of occupancy.

Even before the big building boom home buyers weren’t fond of getting a home inspection on brand spanking new home. Many buyers don’t understand that it’s usually an illusion that a new home is perfect. It doesn’t matter who built it, it was still built by human beings who can make mistakes.

That huge amount of real estate inventory that we’ve been selling off was essentially built over night and maybe even at night. If it was an investor owned property it was likely one of a half dozen properties that was purchased on the “get rich quick” program. There were a lot of homes built to flip and corners were cut, most especially with getting the homes inspected at closing.

A simple investment of a couple hundred dollars in a home inspection could have saved thousands down the road. Those little issues could have been taken care of under the builders warranty if they’d just been discovered when the warranty was in effect or before the builder faded off into the sunset or went ten toes up.

Roof issues seem to be sleeper issues that balloon into a larger, costly fix. Skimping or just plain neglecting to install flashing is more common than anyone could even imagine. Mistakes are blatant enough for most of us to wonder out loud if a building inspector even looked at the roof at any point during the construction process.

Water is the enemy and we’re supposed to keep it from leaking into our homes at all costs but roofs aren’t water tight? Add to that, thresholds that are put in backwards to collect water in driving rain, windows don’t close completely and a classic new favorite: buildings with phantom leaks where everything is wet but nobody’s sure where the water is coming from.

What comes around has gone around. The original investors that finally get a buyer on board are often selling short and selling “as-is with the right to inspect”. If things get too hairy the buyer can bail out. This is where those little undiscovered defects that grew fangs change the game.

There’s nothing like the “M” word to scare buyers. The discovery of a little errant H20 followed by the phrase in the home inspection report “conditions conducive to grow mold” can put an end to the love affair with a home.

There are a lot of sellers and even agents that end up pointing fingers at the inspectors for killing deals. The fact of the matter is they’re just doing what they were hired to do.

They’re also doing the job that also should have been hired to do years earlier when the property was new, when the warranty would have covered the repair and before a mountain was created from a mole hill.

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Real Life in Bonita Springs is a project by Chris Griffith dedicated to writing useful blog posts for consumers about the Bonita Springs, Florida area.  Find out what it is really like to live in Bonita Springs, Florida by reading about our fair city. You’ll get the latest in local real estate information, Bonita Springs real estate market reports and a little bit of humor.  If you have topic ideas, feel free to request a story about the idea, after all, this site is just for you.

You can subscribe to a weekly email newsletter by visiting www.LifeInBonitaSprings.com and entering your email in the subscription area on the left pane of the web page or by adding us to your reader by subscribing to this blog. Oh, and if you’re reading this content anywhere else but www.LifeInBonitaSprings.com or Naples Daily News it is probably stolen.

Red to Complement the Purple

So I just thought I’d see if there were any Passaflora at the Lowes garden center and there she was.  It’s already planted out front.  If history repeats itself I will scare the blossoms white, they will then fall off, the caterpillars will come and eat the remaining leaves, the lawn service will spray it only after being asked to save what’s left and then there will be glorious new flowers everywhere.  If not, I’m going back to Lowest to buy this:

If you’re looking for a plants for a gardening project or even a Red or Purple Passaflora, Lowes is located on Corkscrew Road in Estero, Florida.

Map To Lowes Home Improvement Store

Where Was Chinese Drywall Used Most?

Bonita Springs is located in South Lee County and Northern Collier County.    On the map Collier County is the orange section at the bottom 6-20 reported cases.  Up and to the left is Lee County in Red  21-55 reported cases.  Very little of Bonita Springs, which would be Bonita Shores and Barefoot Beach, is located in Collier County.

For more information and to get on the State of Florida list:

http://www.doh.state.fl.us/Environment/community/indoor-air/drywall.html 

To find a list of references and photos regarding what to look for if you think you have Chinese drywall:

Chinese Drywall Inspector’s Checklist

Issue: Hazard Assessment of Copper 25Corrosion and Air-Conditioner Evaporator Coil Failures Possibly Associated with Imported Drywall.

The State of Florida is currently identifying and assessing potential human health hazards related to the phenomenon of rapid and recurring corrosion of metals inside of homes.  This phenomenon is suspected to be associated with the presence of Chinese Drywall in homes built since 2003. 

In an effort to keep people updated there is an online subscription you can sign up for.  Visit: Imported Drywall Updates or

http://www.doh.state.fl.us/Environment/community/indoor-air/drywall.html

Be sure to check your email after you sign up.  You have to *confirm* your addition to the list via email or you won’t get updates regarding new information and findings regarding Chinese Drywall.

If you’re you’d like to learn about the signs of Chinese drywall read also:

A Home Inspector’s Chinese Drywall Checklist

Chinese Drywall Checklist

I received the contents of this post in an email and thought the signs of Chinese Drywall was so well documented that it was worth sharing on the blog.  The photo examples are superb.  If you suspect your home has Chinese drywall you may find a few ways to self test the home before calling an expert.    Of course, the author of this content is an expert and you should probably call him.  Russell Hensel has 25 years of home inspection experience.  Phone:  239-481-3977

Does the residence have a sulfur or rotten eggs smell?  Do not get this confused with a water heater that has been sitting for a while, it gives off the same odor.  Be careful.  Look for more that just one of the signs.

Have any of your electrical appliances failed to operate or have they needed regular repair or replacement before they typical life expectancy?

Check wall mounted mirrors for blackening or lack of luster.

Inspect metal surfaces on plumbing fixtures for staining/and or pitting.

With electrical covers off at the outlet and the cover removed from the circuit breaker box look for the ground wire (copper wire) for blackening and corrosion.

Inspect air conditioning coils for blackening and corrosion.  This calls for the removal of one of the Air Handlers access panels.

If possible look a the back of the drywall on the wall which can be sometimes seen at access panels or underneath stairs.

Inspect Jewelry/metal objects – has any of your silver tarnished more rapidly than normal?  has gold become speckled or tarnished?

The copper lines at the refrigerator turn black and corrode.

Please do not inspect anything you are unsure about.  Electrical wiring is dangerous and can lead to injury or death.  Have professionals perform the services you are not familiar with.

13650 Fiddlesticks Blvd.  Suite 202-399

Fort Myers, Florida  33912

Website:  Chinese drywall inspection Email:  russell (at) bestinspector.com