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Free Reports for Houston Home Buyers Tips For a Faster, Easier and More Thorough Inspection Should you retain a Texas Licensed Houston Home Inspector or a Texas Professional Engineer? What You Should Know About C.L.U.E. Reports Who is R Michael Gray, PE? Over 25 years experience as a Houston Home Inspector/Texas Professional Engineer Texas Professional Structural Engineer, #72949. SBCCI Registered One and Two Family (code) Inspector, #4700 Author of the book, Buyer's Guide to Slab-on-Ground Foundations. Has inspected over 13,000 homes as a Houston home inspector and Texas Professional Structural Engineer Author of two professional papers regarding evaluation of slab-on-ground foundations. Coauthor of Guidelines for the Evaluation of Foundation Movement for Residential and Other Low-Rise Buildings published by the Foundation Performance Association What They Say About R Michael Gray, PE "We have bought 9 homes during our adult life. We have never seen an inspection this thorough." "We started a foundation watering program and installed root barriers for three trees a year ago. The root barriers solved the problem. Your advice saved us at least $15,000." "I did not like you at all when you inspected the house I was selling. Now that I am the buyer - I want you on my side." Companies My Clients Worked For Exxon-Mobil, Shell Oil, Conoco-Phillips, Chevron, Houston Port Authority, Brown and Root, Kellogg Brown and Root, Halliburton, Delta Engineering, Forensic Engineers, Inc., Friendswood Development, Village Builders, Newmark Builders, Shaw Group, DPIS Engineering, Fluor, Wells Fargo, City of Houston, MD Anderson, Momentum Energy, Memorial Hermann, Occidental, Bayer Chemical, Arco, The Offshore Company, Administaff, Holloman Engineering, Klad Manufacturing, Rice University, Bechtel, Kitchens and More, Texas Childrens Hospital, Cintas Corporation, IBM, Continental Airlines, University of Houston, St. Thomas University Texas Engineering Firm Registration Number |
WHAT IS A CLUE REPORT AND WHY SHOULD YOU CARE?The term CLUE Report is short for Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange Report. It is a report based on a claims history database maintained by a data aggregation company named ChoicePoint. The claims history on the house you are considering buying may provide a valuable perspective on what is for most buyers the largest purchase they have ever made. What a cLUE report includesCLUE reports include claims information submitted by insurance companies such as the date of any loss, the type of claim, and the amount paid. No loss history older than 5-years is retained in the data base. can a clue report benefit a homebuyer?The short answer is yes. Potential home buyers can find out about any claims filed within the last 5-years. The claims could involve water damage, mold or other conditions that could make it hard or expensive to obtain insurance on the house. The insurance agent could sell you a policy but it could be rescinded by the insurance company due to a previous claim. If there is a mortgage on the house, the mortgage company can force you to obtain insurance even if it is outrageously expensive. If you refuse to obtain insurance or cannot obtain the required insurance on the house, the mortgage company can foreclose on the property. In some cases, this situation can result in a lawsuit; of course, this usually benefits no one but the attorneys. The way to avoid this situation is for the house seller to order a CLUE Report so the buyer can review it. Unfortunately, a buyer cannot order a CLUE Report for a home they do not own. CLUE Reports can be ordered only by a current owner, or an insurer or lender for the house. HOW CLUE REPORTS RELATE TO HOME INSPECTION REPORTSA home inspector inspects the house to find major defects that are visually apparent during the inspection. He or she is looking for safety items and things that do not work. Buyers are certainly concerned with the items that an inspector is looking for, but they are also, understandably, concerned with previously repaired defects that could present future problems with the house such as insurability at a reasonable cost. When we find evidence of a previous repair that looks like it may have involved an insurance claim, we advise the buyer in our inspection report that they request that the seller provide them with a CLUE report on the house. Because the Greater Houston Area is subject to hurricane force winds, flooding and other conditions that could result in an insurance claim, it is prudent to always ask for a CLUE report on any house you buy in and around Houston, Texas. Your seller can order a CLUE Report on his house by calling toll-free 1-866-312-8076. | |