Upon Closer Inspection

May These Irish Proverbs Make You a More Well-Informed Homeowner

By Brenda Masse / March 14, 2026 /

With St. Patrick’s Day just around the corner, we can do a lot better than just wishing you luck with your next home purchase. “Luck” isn’t really good enough when it comes to what could be the biggest, most important purchase you make. Luckily, Irish culture has ever so much more to offer in wise,…

It’s All in the Details: Common Home Inspection Problems

By Brenda Masse / March 7, 2026 /

When you have spent as much time poking around in other people’s homes as we have, you become familiar with all the common problems that emerge. In this column, where we get to share knowledge from the rarified world of home inspection, sometimes we like to show you the weird and the wacky, sometimes the…

Weird AC Situations That Will Have You Scratching Your Head

By Brenda Masse / February 28, 2026 /

“Dependable … reliable … cool …” These are the words you want to associate with your HVAC unit, definitely not “strange” or “weird.” Yet that is what we have for you today: odd HVAC situations our inspectors encountered in the field that were definitely out of the ordinary. Take a look and see what you…

Texas Winter Temperature Highs and Lows Are Hard on Your HVAC — Here Are Some Tips To Get You Through Them

By Brenda Masse / February 21, 2026 /

When it’s in the 80s during the day and the 30s at night, you know you’re going through a Texas winter. It’s around this time of year that, after relying on their heaters for a couple of months, people start needing to switch back and forth from heat to AC, which is harder on the…

Kickstart Your Heart With These Valentine’s Day Electrical Problems

By Brenda Masse / February 14, 2026 /

Electricity is so ubiquitous at this point in the 21st century that it’s a relationship we take for granted, and there’s no greater heartbreak than when the power goes out. That’s why electrical problems can be such a big deal, even downright scary. And when the power is out, like a sudden breakup, you can’t…