Travis McKenzie, Sales Director of Aquarius Homes Services joins today's show to talk about Soft Water and the Kinetico Water System.

Aquarius Homes Services, formerly Aquarius Water Conditioning, specializes in heating, cooling, plumbing, electrical, and water treatment. They provide a water treatment and conditioning system and offer free consultation and baseline testing for homeowners and buyers. Travis mentions that they encounter common customer concerns such as iron or hard water, staining, and build-up. These things affect home appliances and fixtures.

Travis talks about water quality and safety as well as various sources of water and the use of chemicals for treatment. He identifies the substances that are present in water and their potential hazards. He discusses the cons of using chlorine such as its byproduct and trihalomethanes, which are known to be cancer-causing. Bill mentions that there is a low water quality in the Minneapolis area and water conditioning is something that homeowners need to consider.

Travis explains how the Kinetico Water System works and how it provides unlimited conditioned water. He discusses degeneration, the use of salt in the water softening, the levels of water treatment to meet the conditioned quality, and how the system cleans with its own water. Also, he talks  about the investment cost and the longevity of the American-built system. He highlights that this machine will prevent damages and clogging of plumbing, fixtures, and appliances.

Learn more about Kinetico Water System and Aquarius Home Services, visit aquariushs.com.

Today we will talk about ways to improve home performance by installing proper insulation.

Tessa shares that there are more ways to insulate a house and discusses how to better insulate and improve home performance. She defines pressure boundaries and thermal boundaries. Bill shares that ''project overcoat'' adds years of life expectancy to a 1.5-story house. He explains that having a perfect thermal barrier on the roof and everything below that is conditioned space which will create a very comfortable environment.

Reuben talks about another way to improve insulation, by installing it from the inside of the house; it will create a hot roof where there is no ventilation between the shingles and everything else. He also shares that the color of roof shingles has more effect on the temperature of the roof than ventilation does. Tessa agrees that this is a good method; however, homeowners will lose headspace due to lower ceilings. She also talks about another method to address the insulation by attacking the areas that are physically accessible. Bill shares that the best method is addressing it from the outside.

They talk about the holistic approach and look at a building as an entire system. Tessa highlights that the building performance depends on the design, the materials that are used, how materials are put together, and occupant behavior. She further mentions that the simpler the design is, the better and easier it is to have a high-performing house.

Learn more about Project Overcoat. Visit this link https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy13osti/56145.pdf.

Today's topic is about the trends in the market and the importance of getting a home inspection for buyers and sellers.

Reuben reads an email from real estate agent Sharlene Hensrud, about a buyer who brought up concerns about a house after closing the deal. This incident was a learning experience for the seller, saying they will never accept another offer without a home inspection.

Tessa brings up how tough it is to buy a house in the current market state. She shares statistics on listings, pending sales, and inventory. Reuben mentions that many homeowners are still getting home inspections, however some are skipping it.

They share a list of strategies and tactics that real estate agents and home buyers are practicing today to buy a house and still get a home inspection. The list includes getting an inspection before submitting an offer, giving a one-day inspection window, or to submit an offer that's contingent upon an inspection and otherwise. Buyers may also avail a 30-minute walk-through consultation.

In celebration of Women's Month, Tessa also shares exciting news about new female inspectors on the Structure Tech team.

Related link: Before you skip the home inspection… (this link will be live on 3/29/22)

Bill talks about Open Access, a new project, and a training program where they learn more about houses. Open Access is a venue where inspectors answer questions from real estate agents. He mentions the session is appropriate for real estate agents with the same climate zone.

Tessa explains the training process design and highlights that they break down a house into different systems and discuss them. She shares that they handle overwhelming details and data points about plumbing, electrical, structure, framing, roofing, windows, water management, heating, and more. Further, they conduct a mock inspection flow and practice the use of inspection report software.

Reuben compares clicking where canned comments are available in their software and clumping where custom comments are written in reports. The latter is more advanced report writing and does not rely on the generic comments in the inspection software. Tessa shares that they provide the inspectors with the tools and shape them to think critically and be curious.

Rueben recollects learning from Patrick Lencioni's book, The Ideal Team Player. Tessa shares about the importance of hiring the right person and the qualities of a new home inspector.

Join Open Access every Tuesday, 1 PM to 2 PM. Call us at 952-915-6466 or send an email at [email protected].

Today, the three-legged stool talks about Reuben's new project and side hustle.

Inspection Services is a one-stop-shop solution to the service needs of home inspectors in the Twin Cities area.

Reuben shares that they can do radon, sewer inspections, level 2 chimney inspections, stucco testing, and mold testing. They also plan to offer pool inspections and engineering services in the near future.

They also talk about the importance of getting inspections aside from home inspections. Reuben also highlights that their inspectors are certified, licensed, and follow various standards and codes. He mentions that that goal is to inform the homeowners what to do next.

To learn more, visit inspectionservicesmn.com.

Phil Whiteford, the owner of Omega Force Appliance Repairs, attends the show to talk about the proper use of appliances and their company's warranty program.

They go over the common issues with refrigerators, front-load washing machines, dishwashers, microwaves, clothes dryers, and dryer exhausts. They also discuss how to test and inspect appliances. Reuben talks about the confusion he experienced from reading manufacturer recommendations, installation instructions, and manuals when it comes to flexible dryer transition ducts..

Phil discusses their products, offerings, and service guidelines. Omega offers free video diagnostic calls and an appliance protection plan that covers eight appliances for $30 a month.

To know more about their product offerings, visit omegaforceappliancerepair.com or call them at 763-390-6267.

A senior realtor in the Minneapolis market, Rhonda Wilson, joins the show to talk about real estate in 2022 and strategies for clients to win negotiations.

Rhonda explains that it's difficult for buyers to get units; clients need to be prepared and have a good downpayment. She also shares some statistics from the Minneapolis Area Association of Realtors (MAAR) and National Association of Realtors (NAR). She discusses how real estate agents get more inventory in the market as well as supply and demand issues. They also talk about seller tactics that are drawing interest from buyers.

Reuben mentions that many homeowners skipped home inspections in the past year. While Rhonda needed to convince sellers and buyers to get an inspection and not to buy a house that is not inspected, she highlights that it's more time and cost effective. Further, she explains why getting a home inspection is a win for both buyers and sellers. Rhonda proceeds to discuss the things she does and recommendations she gives for sellers in getting the best appraisal and buyers to win the bid.

Contact Rhonda Wilson at 612-860-0189 or visit Coldwell Banker Realty at cbrealty.com.

The principal author of Code Check and Electrical Inspection of Existing Dwellings, Douglas Hansen joins the show to talk about building codes and home inspections.

Douglas started in the industry as a carpenter in the 1960s, and he was also a teacher and a home inspector. He was tapped by Code Check founder Redwood Kardon to co-author the book. He describes the book as cliff notes and like a comic book for building codes. According to Douglas, codes are the language and vocabulary in the construction standards. Reuben mentions that they use the Code Check illustrations, which are available for sale online, in their home inspection reports.

Douglas discusses the various ranks of inspectors: code enforcement officers who have police functions and write citations, municipal building inspectors who pass or fail something then write a correction notice, and home inspectors who recommend and refer areas for investigation by specialists. He highlights that while these inspectors have different jurisdictions, they have to work together.

Reuben promotes Code Check as required reading and a tool for Home Inspectors. It has different sections: building,  plumbing, mechanical, and electrical. He shares that it's a consolidated booklet that gives you all the most important information that you need to know. They also talk about how useful ''Electrical Inspection of Existing Dwellings'' is for home inspectors. Douglas mentions that the electric code is different from all other codes because it has the largest participation of people and code-making panels.

Join Douglas Hansen's 2-hour training seminar on February 21, 2022: https://heartland.chapteroffice.com/calendar/. Members of the ASHI Heartland Chapter may attend for free, and others may attend for a $25 fee, which will go towards Feed My Starving Children.

In today's show, Jeremiah Broz of Energy Advantage Roof and Solar joins to talk about solar roof panels.

Jeremiah starts by talking about the incentives and rebates that solar power owners can get from the federal level, state level, energy companies, and manufacturers. They talk about the size and number of solar panels, as well as the wattage required to power a household. According to Jeremiah, there is high production in the western and eastern states, especially during the summer. He highlights that their products last for 25 years.

They further talk about the cost savings vs the periodic household maintenance such as in the roof and shingles. Also, they discussed the installation process, ventilation, and roofing requirements. Tessa asks about the average cost for a household to purchase and install a solar panel system, the damage heavy storms may cause, and the roof and attic structure for the panel weight. Jeremiah also shares about the energy reduction system.

Visit Energy Advantage Roofing and Solar: Home (yourenergyadvantage.com) for more information.

Today, Leonard Segal joins the show to talk about tactics, questions, do's, and don'ts in hiring employees.

Leonard starts by discussing the three federal vaccine mandates: employer vaccine mandate, contract or sub-contractor mandate, and healthcare worker mandate. He mentions that only the latter is in effect. He further discusses private companies having their own vaccination policies and other Covid-10 regulations.

Reuben asks about the differences between the Covid-19 guidelines of the Minnesota Health Department and the CDC. Bill asks if employees can file legal actions for improper termination and labor malpractice in relation to the Covid-19 guidelines. Tessa asks about a return-to-work policy for sick employees.

They also talk about meaningful but legal ways to ask questions during the hiring process. Leonard mentions that Minnesota is a pro-employee state and has many anti-discrimination laws. He highlights that being consistent in the line of questioning across applicants is very important. They also talk about the use of social media in background checking.

Visit schindelsegal.com or reach Leonard Segal (952) 358-7408 or [email protected].