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Here we answer questions about getting a home or commercial inspection, give tips on home maintenance, and share our knowledge about common home and commercial property issues. We are here to help you. If you can’t find an answer to your questions here, you can always contact us via our contact page.

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Category: Issues and Concerns

Commercial Inspections
Wesley Upchurch

Retail & Strip Center Inspections: Hidden Risks Behind Storefronts

Retail and strip centers tend to present well. Clean facades, consistent signage, freshly paved lots, and occupied storefronts create a sense of stability that can make a property feel lower-risk than it really is. For buyers—especially those newer to commercial real estate—that visual order can be misleading. A retail center

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Home Inspection Information
Wesley Upchurch

Why Inspectors Care How a House Was Maintained — Not Just How Old It Is

Buyers often focus on a home’s age when trying to gauge risk. “How old is the roof?”“How old is the HVAC?”“How old is the house?” Age matters—but it’s rarely the most important factor. What experienced inspectors really pay attention to is how the house has been maintained, because maintenance history

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Foundation and Crawlspace
Madison Smith

Horizontal Crack in Basement Wall Serious What to Do Next

You're halfway down the basement stairs when you spot it, a horizontal line running across the block wall, maybe with a little dampness, maybe with a slight curve in the wall that you hadn't noticed before. That's the kind of finding that makes people stop and stare, because a horizontal

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Local Spotlight / Service Areas
Wesley Upchurch

Sewer Scopes in Historic Mid-MO: Why Every Home Over 50 Years Old Needs One

When buyers think about expensive home repairs, they usually think about roofs, HVAC systems, foundations, or electrical panels. Those systems are visible, familiar, and easy to imagine. Sewer lines are different. They are underground, easy to ignore, and usually invisible during a normal showing or walkthrough. That is exactly why

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Foundation and Crawlspace
Madison Smith

Water Coming Through Basement Wall After Rain

You've just come downstairs after a hard storm, flashlight in hand, and found a dark streak running down the basement wall. Maybe there's a shallow puddle where the wall meets the floor. Maybe the concrete has a white, crusty residue, or a hairline crack is slowly wetting the surface. Water

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Local Spotlight / Service Areas
Wesley Upchurch

Marshall, MO Property Checks: What We Find in Traditional Agricultural Community Housing

When I review reports from our Centerview, Missouri inspector, homes in Marshall tend to have a different feel than homes in faster-growing suburban markets. These properties often reflect the town’s agricultural roots, long-term ownership patterns, and practical approach to maintenance. Many were not built for rapid turnover or constant resale.

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Issues and Concerns
Madison Smith

How to Stop Water Coming Into Basement After Heavy Rain

The storm is still working its way across the neighborhood when you hear the sump pump start cycling faster. Then you notice the dark stain spreading where the basement wall meets the floor. A shop vacuum can't keep up, cardboard smells damp, and the dog refuses to go near the

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Foundation and Crawlspace
Madison Smith

Stair Step Cracks in Brick House Missouri: What They Mean

You notice it while walking past the side of the house, perhaps after a dry spell or a stretch of heavy rain. The mortar line beside a window no longer looks straight. It rises and drops in a diagonal staircase, and suddenly a routine maintenance question becomes, “Is this a

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