Additional Services

We are pleased to offer a variety of additional inspection services to cater to our valued customers, including many more options.

Individual Assessments

Individual assessments may be ordered in conjunction with or after the ReloOlogy Property Assessment.

What is a Pest/Wood Destroying Insect Inspection?

This type of inspection may be performed by a qualified home inspector or by a pest control company and may also include wood destroying organisms – it depends upon state regulation.
The purpose is to determine if there is visible evidence of wood destroying insects (termites, carpenter ants, carpenter bees, or powder post beetles).
The inspection will include crawl space, basements, exterior and interior of home and garage.
Inspection time can vary but usually takes less than an hour.
If treatment has been performed in the past or the property is currently under a termite contract (bond), providing the documentation in advance to your relocation consultant is helpful.

What is a Structural Assessment?

Will be performed by a licensed engineer.
This inspection can be deemed necessary by the relocation company and/or corporate employer due to the age of a home (dependent upon program guidelines)
Or, it may be recommended during the home inspection process if any structural components come into question.
The evaluation may be limited in scope or could include inspection of the entire house – you should be prepared to allow access to the entire home as this will be at the discretion of the structural engineer based on the request and his visual observations.
The final engineer’s report can take more than a week to process and become available to the relocation company.

What is a Plumbing Assessment?

What is an HVAC Assessment?

A qualified Heating and Air Conditioning contractor will perform an HVAC assessment.
It is usually recommended during the home inspection process due to heating and/or air conditioning concerns.
This evaluation will, in most cases, specifically address the item(s) recommended during the home inspection process.

What is a Mold Assessment?

A mold specialist or a mold remediation contractor will perform the mold assessment.
This is usually recommended during the home inspection process due to observation of unusual staining or suspected mold/fungi.
The evaluation will include all areas observed and noted as suspect during the home inspection, but may include greater areas such as interior rooms, attics, crawl spaces and basements.
This evaluation will typically include sampling of affected areas either by swab, tape lift or air sampling.
The report can take more than a week to process and become available to the relocation company, because the laboratory analysis alone can take up to a week.

What is a Siding Moisture Intrusion Assessment?

What to expect during a typical hard coat stucco, synthetic stucco or adhered masonry veneer moisture intrusion inspection.

A siding moisture intrusion inspection can be performed for various reasons. Siding material, siding condition, visible installation concerns and client policy are the most common reasons why a siding moisture inspection is performed.

Since determining the full condition of many siding materials is beyond the scope of most visual inspections, additional invasive methods may be recommended to obtain a better understanding of the siding performance and internal condition. Moisture intrusion inspections are a specialty type of inspection that can help determine if a siding product is performing as intended. Depending on the siding material and conditions, specialized equipment and a detailed process, including possible drilling/probing combined with specific inspector knowledge is required to perform these inspections.

Access

Siding moisture intrusion inspections are primarily performed from the exterior of the house. Depending on the circumstances, access to the interior of the home including attics and basements could be required.

Time

Depending on the size of the home, access to needed areas and the scope of the project, most siding moisture intrusion field inspections will take from 1 to 3 hours of on-site assessment. Total time from field inspection to final report can take 3 – 7 business days. Final field reports are produced by the field inspector, reviewed by inspection management company for quality and then submitted to the relocation management company for processing. Weather conditions can add to on-site time or can delay the inspection until more conducive inspecting conditions become available.

Tools

Although a variety of tool can be utilized during this process, the most common are:

Wet Wall Meters – used to scan walls from the surface

Moisture meters with probes – used to identify moisture content and conditions behind surface

Drill – used to drill small holes in siding for moisture probes

Sealant – used to fill drill holes made during probing process

Ladders – used to access areas to better inspect

Cameras – digital and at times thermographic – used to document materials and conditions

Process

The process for a siding moisture inspection can depend on location, siding material, visual indicators and personal techniques by the field inspector. A typical process could include:

Performing an initial visual inspection
Asking homeowner about siding performance and neighborhood history
Removing exterior outlet cover plate to reveal cross section of siding system
Assessing proper installation techniques; flashings, sealants, clearances, drainage
Assessing high maintenance areas
Identifying areas of potential concern based on knowledge and conditions
Scan walls with wet wall meter
Drill small holes and moisture probe to gather moisture readings in areas of potential concern based on knowledge and conditions
Fill drill holes with sealant
Make field notes and photograph details of inspection
Return to office to finalize and submit report to inspection management company

Field inspectors are asked to be professional and polite at all times. Homeowners should not expect to receive any information from the field inspectors during the inspection process as they are also instructed to only share information with the inspection management company. This is typically a policy of the relocation management company as they prefer the opportunity to review the final report prior to making any decisions.

What is a Well Assessment?

The well assessment is a general evaluation of the above ground components of the well, such as pressure tank, gauges and actual water pressure.
A water sample is taken and laboratory testing is performed to determine the condition of the potable water.
A qualified home inspector, well contractor or laboratory technician may perform this type of inspection and sampling.
If you know the location of the well, it is very helpful to make it known to the inspector during his inspection.
Testing is typically for coliforms and nitrates but may include other tests as required by state or local regulations.
The water may be run for a 30-minute period to check well pressure and flow.
Lab results may take up to two weeks to process and a few days thereafter for report preparation.

What is a Septic System Assessment?

A septic system is a wastewater delivery / treatment system that is generally located on the same property as the house. Most systems consist of a septic tank and a drainage field, but some might also have additional components that may need to be assessed.
The septic assessment can be performed in one of the following manners and is determined by client request in conjunction with state or local regulations:
A Visual assessment by a home inspector will include running the water for approximately 30 minutes to watch for slow drainage. The inspector may also walk the surface of the area identified as the drainage field to look for any visible signs of effluent rising to the surface.
A Visual & Dye assessment by a home inspector is the same as a visual assessment with the introduction of dye into the system.
An Open Tank assessment is performed by a septic contractor and may be in conjunction with a home inspector or health department official. This will generally include digging to and opening of the septic tank lid to provide access to the internal components. This may or may not include running water through the system and walking about the drainage field.
An Open Tank assessment with pumping is the same as above and it includes pumping out the contents of the septic tank.
PLEASE NOTE: When tank lid excavation, and in some cases excavation of the distribution box, is performed, care is taken to disturb the landscaping as little as possible. However, the digging site will still show signs from the soil disruption and will take time to resettle. Over-seeding and re-sodding are not included as part of the septic inspection. Plants that need to be removed in this process are generally not replaced.

What is a Roof Assessment?

What is an Electrical Assessment?

A qualified/licensed electrical contractor performs the electrical assessment.
It is usually recommended during the home inspection process due to electrical concerns observed which may include Federal Pacific or Zinsco panels, single strand aluminum branch wiring and knob & tube wiring.
In most cases it will include evaluation of the electrical panel and sub-panels and may include a whole house evaluation of electrical components.

What is a Basement / Crawl Space Assessment?

A qualified moisture intrusion specialist or a general contractor will perform a basement and/or crawl space assessment.
This type of assessment is usually recommended during the home inspection process due to moisture entry concerns found in the basement or crawl space.
This evaluation may include both the basement and the crawl space if both exist and may include the exterior drains and grading as well.

What are Re-Inspections?

Re-inspections may be performed at our client’s request. These may include, but are not limited to, items disclosed on the original RAL Property Assessment or Individual Assessments. Re-inspections may also be performed as a result of limitations experienced during the original assessment. It is always helpful when documentation can be provided to substantiate that qualified repairs have been performed in needed areas as disclosed in the original assessment.

Winterization Services

Winterization Services - House

Licensed plumbers follow and complete a thorough checklist of tasks to winterize the house. This includes: shutting off the water supply to the home, draining all water supply lines to their lowest point, disconnecting exterior hoses, draining the water heater(s), draining commodes, adding “RV type” anti-freeze to all drain traps, setting the thermostat to 60 degrees, verify windows are shut, and placing notices in several areas of the property. If a house has a hot water heating (boiler) system, the proper ratio of propylene glycol and water is added. Fees are determined based on the location and size of the house and the types of systems to winterize. Verification of the winterization service completed is provided along with photos.

De-Winterization Services - House

Licensed plumbers complete a thorough checklist of tasks to de-winterize the house. This includes Closing all faucets, restoring the water supply to the home, checking for leaks, filling the water heater(s), restoring the gas/electric supply to the water heater(s), running the dishwasher, testing all faucets, and verifying all systems using water are working correctly. Fees are determined based on the location of the house and the types of systems to de-winterize. Verification of the de-winterization service completed is provided along with photos.

Pools & Hot Tubs

A specialist conducts the winterization/de-winterization service of a pool and/or hot tub according to the type of pool and/or hot tub. Services often include: Checking and balancing chemicals needed for water quality, installing a safety cover and/or security cover, blowing out any water lines, removing drain plugs to drain water from any pumps and filters, etc. Fees are determined based on the location of the house and the types of pool/hot tub systems to winterize/de-winterize. Verification of the winterization/de-winterization service completed is provided along with photos.

In-ground Sprinkler Systems

A specialist conducts the winterization/de-winterization service of a sprinkler system to protect the system’s pipes and valves. Services often include: shutting off the water, turning off any timers, draining the water (can use an air compressor for blow-out draining), and insulating any above-ground components if necessary. Fees are determined based on the location of the house and the types of sprinkler systems to winterize/de-winterize. Verification of the winterization/de-winterization service completed is provided along with photos.

Minor repairs

The plumber and/or specialist may notice occasional problems or minor repairs needed (damaged seals, drain plugs, etc.) that he or she can repair on-site. We recommend a pre-authorization limit of $250.00 for any materials and/or time to repair minor issues. If any charges exceed this amount, it will require pre-approval and authorization.

Winter Watchman

This is a device that detects temperature drops inside the home and alerts neighbors and/or passersby by flashing a light that can be seen from the exterior of the home. The freeze warn light is placed in a window in the interior of a home. This device is ordered and shipped directly to a specialist to activate and place in the home. This service requires an individual to periodically drive by the property to look for a blinking light. ReloOlogy can arrange for an individual to conduct the periodic site visits or a local neighbor, agent, and/or property contact can conduct these visits.