Crazy Sh*t In Real Estate with Leigh Brown - Episode #50 with Joe Battisto

In this episode, Leigh interviews Joe Battisto, an NYS licensed
property inspector from Syracuse who works for Haven
Environmental. Joe founded Haven Environmental in 2015, and
they’re trying to raise the bar for home inspection. Listen to
Joe’s advice as an expert in the field and hear how he rescued a
couple from buying a problematic house that was a far cry from
what was shown in photos.


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Joe Battisto
President
Haven Environmental
www.havenenvironmental.com


Up here in Central New York I did one last week I had to post on
the company Facebook page.   The homeowner started
using cardboard boxes as HVAC duct work after his metal ducts
starting rotting away.  Then he used old bed rails as
structural support posts to hold up the floor from falling
into the basement.   He was asking low 6 figures
for the hot mess.  The prospective buyers were making an
offer based on the online photos from the real estate
advertisement without ever actually seeing the property in
person.  Bad idea, at least they called a home inspector to
put eyes on it before sealing the deal!

If you check our site, you will see we are trying to raise the
bar for home inspection by adding capabilities most one man
operators don't have:


We are a licensed firm in NYS to provide mold assessments.

We have a highly experienced Certified Industrial Hygienist
on staff.

Our principal IAQ inspector Is certified by the IICRC, NORMI,
OSHA, and NACHI.

We are certified for thermal imaging analysis.

We are licensed in NYS to provide buyer/bank property
inspection for real estate transactions on properties up to 4
units.

We are FAA commercial certified to fly camera drones for high
resolution roof inspections.

We are experienced and formally trained to provide contractor
estimates for mold and water damage restoration.

We are trained and experienced in providing property
insurance underwriting inspections.

We can provide asbestos, radon, and lead testing.

In addition to general liability and an attestation of
worker’s compensation exemption filed with NYS, we carry
professional liability and errors and omissions insurance on all
our projects.

We oversee an extensive network of reliable mold and water
damage sub - contractors across upstate NY.

We use 2 of the most highly respected microbial laboratory
firms in the country for our lab work.



Realtors tell me 50% of the homes they list have mold
issues, so we try to guide buyers, sellers, and agents all
the way through that mess and keep the closing on track.
Time Stamped Show Notes:

00:21 – Introduction for today’s episode

00:49 – Leigh introduces Joe Battisto

00:58 – Joe is from Syracuse, NY

01:06 – Joe is from Haven Environmental and they provide
buyers’ inspection services for real estate transactions



01:21 – In real estate, the inspection process is sometimes
the most uncomfortable part of the transaction

01:55 – The moral of the story is never ever buy a property
that you haven’t physically walked through yourself

02:07 – A few weeks ago, Joe received a call from a couple
who wanted to buy a house

02:15 – It is a 2-storey house and Joe was asked to do
the inspection

02:33 – When Joe was inspecting the property, things
began to cramp up

02:44 – Joe describes the structure of the house

03:06 – Joe went to the basement and saw that the metal
brackets that held up the first floor were cracking and
slipping

03:15 – Old bed rails was used as structural support
posts to hold up the floor from falling into the
basement

04:06 – The homeowner repurposed cardboard boxes as HVAC
duct work after his metal ducts started rotting away

04:48 – On Joe’s way out of the basement, he saw another
major problem with plumbing

05:30 – Joe sent the report to the buyer and he learned
that the couple haven’t even been in the house

06:02 – The couple only saw the listing online and were
buying it from Europe

06:40 – Joe became the buying agent

07:10 – The listing agent put up photos of the house
which looked really good

07:26 – Joe had a serious talk with the buyer and the
buyer thought that they wouldn’t need to put much money into
the house



08:02 – The couple found Joe online

09:30 – When having a talk with your home inspector, match
your needs to your home inspector’s qualifications and be
comfortable with what he is going to do

09:55 – Ask for a copy of the report done by your home
inspector to get an idea of how he does the inspection

10:52 – Joe sees himself more as a partner than a vendor

11:00 – Regarding how realtors should select their home
inspector partner, Joe advises…

11:17 – Realtors control 80% of the home inspector’s work

11:32 – “Realtors should be qualifying those home
inspectors as well”



11:52 – The past week, Haven Environmental was approved by
the New York State to provide continuing education instruction
for realtors in their area of Syracuse, NY

12:20 – Find Joe on their website which links to their
Facebook

13:01 – Tweet Leigh Brown for your very own crazy story in
real estate

3 Key Points In real estate, the inspection process may be the
most uncomfortable part of the transaction, but is also necessary.
. Never buy a property that you haven’t physically walked through
yourself. Try to match your needs to your home inspector’s
qualifications, so you can be aligned and comfortable with how they
choose to do their job. Credits

Audio Production by Chris Mottram

Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives

Cover Design by Two Minds Design

Original Music by Rimsky Music