Understanding the "Product" you sell (This information could save your clients THOUSANDS of dollars) *  Average home in Bay Area hits $104,000 *  Termites are starting to swarm! Last Minute Inspection Discount Offer NBI's Tidbits (Snippets of life from NBI)  *Picture of the Week "Average home in the Bay Area hits $104,000"   A little Humor to brighten your day *High school test answers Time to Read: 5 Minutes or Less Routinely, agents confess how little they know about the physical product they sell…(the house). At times, they are embarrassed that they can’t answer client’s questions regarding the physical aspects of the house. In each publication, you will find helpful comments and pictures to help build your knowledge base. This information is not to make you a home or termite inspector. It’s to increase your core knowledge to make you even more valuable to your client.       Average home in Bay Area hits $104,000     Robert Swickard (one of NBI's top inspectors) found this news article in the attic.  When was it written?  1960's?   1970's?  1980's?    (Check out NBI's Tidbits below for the answer.) (The year this was written, I had purchased a home in Walnut Creek for $158,000 and was wondering how would I ever make the payments on a house this expensive.)       Termites are starting to swarm! !   April and May is the subterranean termite swarming season.  Each day, NBI receives more and more calls regarding "flying critters" found on the windowsills.  YIKES! ! ! !   Are these termites or are they flying ants?  This is the question we are routinely asked when flying "critters" are found.  With just a few basic rules, YOU will be able to answer your client's question regarding termites and ants.  Below, you will find one picture of flying termites and one of flying ants.  Can you tell which is which? Picture #1:     Are these termites or ants?     Picture #2:   What about these?   Ants or termites?  Compare the critters in both pictures.             Now can you tell?   Picture #1 is subterranean termites.   Picture #2 is swarming ants.  By memorizing just three major issues, you will will be able to identify the difference between ants and termites PLUS the type of termite. Termites shy away from the light EXCEPT when they swarm.  If the termites are inside of the house, they will be attracted to the light coming through the windows.  When they hit the glass, their wings will often times fall off.  Seldom will you find live termites; however, you will find the wings.  Termites have 4 "equal sized wings".   Ants have two large wings and two small wings.  Termites have a thick waist vs a pinched waist on an ant.  Subterranean termite "swarmers" are BLACK.  Drywood termites and Dampwood termite swarmers will be "reddish brown" in color.   Below are more great pictures of termites to help build your "mental database".    Subterranean termites are normally white and at times even translucent in color.  They only turn black and grow wings when they are ready to swarm to create new colonies.  Subterranean termites leave "evidence" of their presence; however, they are often very discrete.       Can you see evidence of termites in this picture?   Look closely.  This is in a clean garage.  Imagine how hard it would be to find this evidence when the garage is filled with "stuff".       Subterranean termites will build a "dirt" tube for added protection (center of picture on foundation wall).  The tube is hollow, allowing them to travel from the soil (where they get their water) up to the house where they eat.      This is in the subarea.  The tube hasn't yet reached the house.  Subterranean termites live in the soil and get their moisture from the soil.   They get a drink of water, go up and eat on your house and then return to the soil to get another drink of water.   This cycle typically occurs every 24 hours.        This tube is coming "down" from a framing member.  These termites are trying to take a shortcut to the dirt.  Termite tubes are made of dirt, fecal matter and saliva.        Subterranean termites are incredible engineers.   This tube is over 16" long.     These are "swarming tubes".  The termites build these free standing tubes when they are getting ready to swarm.  When the conditions are just right, they will break open the tip of the tube and thousands of black flying termites will emerge.        Here is a sign of a large colony that is ready to swarm.  At the height of swarming season, these tubes can be built at the rate of "one inch PER HOUR".......Yes....PER HOUR! ! !             Termites LOVE cardboard.  Notice all of the tubes at the top of the box.   (HINT: Don't put cardboard in your subarea.) (Agents LOVE the fact that all of our pictures are "real life"...and not professionally staged.  Thanks to all of NBI's inspectors for these incredible pictures.  )   I need your help.  The inspectors feel that I'm providing you with too much information.  They are fearful that with so much training, you will be giving up your job in exchange for the "fun, glamourous, exciting and prestigious" job of being an inspector.  The next time you see one of NBI's inspectors, please take his hand and assure him that you won't.  (smiling) ____________________________________________ PLEASE, PLEASE, have your listings inspected prior to entering into a purchase contract.  NBI's non-biased inspections will offer your clients the very best value.   We don't have a vested interest in your client's home; therefore if there are repairs to be performed, we can offer you the most practical repair methods... rather than those that are the most profitable for the repair contractor.  Call our office at (800) Go-NBI-NOW (800) 466-2466.  Place your inspection order NOW! ! Place your inspection orders on-line, 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.  To the Top       (Snippets of life from NBI) Picture of the Week:   “ Average home in Bay Area hits $104,000 "     The year was 1980.     You know you are old if you can remember when all of the agents in the office would stand up and cheer an agent that became a "Million Dollar Producer".   (YES....I do remember it well.   ahhh....it seems like just yesterday.)      To the Top We need your help! ! Our records are showing that thousands of our emails are being swept out to Sea by overzealous spam filters that filter on graphic text and pictures.  If you feel that NBI's newsletters are informative and helpful, we would really appreciate you jumping up and down, waving your arms during your next sales meeting asking all of the other agents in your office to put us in their email address book.  They are missing out on very worthwhile information. Thank You FREE Termite Inspection ! ! ! NBI has only two things to sell, unequalled construction knowledge and “TIME”. We understand that we will never be able to sell “TOMORROW” again. NBI would rather give your client a GIANT discount for acting fast, than not filling an open time slot. By ordering a “Last Minute Home Inspection”, we will include NBI's famous "Non-Biased Termite Inspection for FREE! ! Our normal rates are: (Based upon homes under 2000 sq. ft.) (Prices may vary between market areas.) (San Francisco and Fresno County prices are slightly different.  Please call our office for exact fees.) Home Inspection: $395.00 Termite Inspection: $240.00 Total:.. $635.00 If you order a home inspection and fill a vacant time slot for the following day; your client will receive a FREE termite inspection! (Example: If you call NBI on Monday and you are able to fill an open time slot we have on Tuesday, you will receive a FREE termite inspection.) (Note: Our condominium home inspection price is $265.00 .) LIVE UPDATE! ! NBI has created a "Last Minute Inspection" web page so you can instantly check to see if we have any "next day" time slots in your area.  Open this web page and drag the Icon onto your desktop.  Each time you need an inspection...simply click on our web page.  It doesn't get any easier than that. Call our office at (800) Go-NBI-NOW (800) 466-2466 for complete details. For additional information about our company, please visit us at www.goNBI.com. NBI produces the highest quality inspection reports in the industry.   EXPERIENCE THE DIFFERENCE! ! We provide pictures in our Home "AND" our Termite reports.  These pictures add a tremendous amount of clarity to our findings.  Click here for a Sample Home Report.   Click here for a Sample Termite report.  Place your inspection orders on-line, 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.  Have you missed previous Straight Fax Newsletters?  Click HERE.  We have many posted for your review.  They contain a lot of great information. To the Top *A little humor to brighten your day*  These are actual test answers from various high schools in the Huntsville, AL, metropolitan area.  Q: Name the four seasons. A: Salt, pepper, mustard, and vinegar.   Q: Explain one of the processes by which water can be made safe to drink. A: Flirtation makes water safe to drink because it removes large pollutants like grit, sand, dead sheep, and canoeists.   Q: How is dew formed? A: The sun shines down on the leaves and makes them perspire.   Q: What is a planet? A: A body of earth surrounded by sky.   Q: What causes the tides in the oceans? A: The tides are a fight between the Earth and the Moon. All water tends to flow towards the moon, because here is no water on the moon, AND nature abhors a vacuum.  I forget where the sun joins in this fight.   SOCIOLOGY Q: What guarantees may a mortgage company insist on? A: If you are buying a house, they will insist you are well endowed.   Q: What are steroids? A: Things for keeping carpets still on the stairs.   BIOLOGY Q: What happens to your body as you age? A: When you get old, so do your bowels and you get intercontinental.   Q: What happens to a boy when he reaches puberty? A: He says good-bye to his boyhood and looks forward to his adultery.   Q; Name a major disease associated with cigarettes. A: Premature death.   Q: How can you delay milk turning sour? A: Keep it in the cow.     To the Top Like NBI's Straight FAX Newsletter?   Nearly 500 new agents per month are asking to receive our newsletter.  Encourage everyone in your office to register for this worthwhile information. Send to, Answerman@goNBI.com. What issues would you like us to discuss in future Straight Fax Newsletters?  Electrical, Plumbing….Roofs???   Proper interpretation of pest control reports???   Let us know. HAVE QUESTIONS or concerns regarding a potential home problem, ask NBI's AnswerMan at Answerman@goNBI.com  Editor Notes:  Dale J. Luger founded National Building Inspectors in 1986.  Mr. Luger has purchased; rehabilitated and sold over 1000 residential units in his career.  His credentials as a General Contractor, Roofing Contractor (1976), CA Real Estate Broker (1982), Pest Control Operator (1987) make him uniquely qualified and knowledgeable of all aspects of real estate transactions.    We never want to send unwanted mail. Your name is here because a fellow agent suggested you'd like to receive e-mail from us. To remove your name from our e-mail list, simply reply with the word REMOVE in the subject line.