Vince Meurlott is a professional engineer and certified building inspector (life/safety and structural), electrical, mechanical and plumbing  with the International Code Council.  With over forty years of experience in construction, code compliance review and inspection, he will administer a thorough assessment of the property.  Vince has lived in Fairbanks for thirty seven years, building several homes and apartments while designing and inspecting buildings for other clients as well. Vince served as an inspector and plans examiner for the City of Fairbanks for twenty years.  He has completed Arctic Engineering courses and worked in North Slope villages. Vince has taught union carpenters code compliance and basic engineering classes. He currently serves as a plans examiner and inspector for the City of North Pole for residential and commercial construction.
 
If you have more questions you can call or text  907-987-9266.
 
Buying a home or other real estate:
Buyers should get an independent, qualified and objective evaluation prior to completing a building purchase to reduce the possibility of incurring costly repairs. An engineer’s inspection provides valuable insights for possible improvements and a list of recommended corrections and maintenance concerns to use for negotiation. As a buyer you should study any disclosures (AS 3470 form), prior inspection reports, and all available information about the property prior to the inspection.  It is best if you are present during the inspection to learn about the construction of the home and the maintenance procedures. Use this time to ask questions and discuss possible future modifications. The seller may be present at this inspection and usually has pertinent information to share.  Some realtors prefer that the seller not be present so they do not interfere.  In that case, seller input can be gathered by follow up phone calls or email.
Common potentially expensive issues addressed during an inspection:
  • Roof Covering
  • Attic Framing
  • Foundation Design and Construction
  • Heating System Efficiency and Performance
  • Plumbing and Electrical Systems
  • Energy Efficiency
 
Buying with a Realtor:
Your realtor should contact us for a time to conduct the inspection and attend the inspection with you to give valuable input about time constraints, costs and negotiations.  Most contracts require the buyer to submit a repair addendum to the seller within fifteen days. A repair addendum is a list detailing items the buyer wants to seller to address.

Buying from a FSBO (For Sale By Owner):
When buying a FSBO home, the buyer works with the seller to set up the inspection appointment.  Not paying a realtor to negotiate for you may seem like a good way to save money, but without knowledgeable representation you may make some costly mistakes in the purchase process.
 
Sellers: Pre-listing inspection report advantages:
  • A Pre-listing inspection can make the selling process easier by reducing surprises during the negotiation process, and stress from having to make quick decisions about repairs. 
  • A seller can find out what items should be addressed prior to listing.  Given proper lead time, some corrections can be made by the seller, friends, or relatives at a reduced cost instead of hiring a contractor to do it all in a compressed time frame during a stressful move.
  • Contractors can provide a better price when they have more lead time.
  • The discovery period sparks a mad frenzy of activity: to schedule an engineer inspection, review and discuss the report by the realtors/buyers/sellers, determine which items to negotiate and then finally address all the issues found in the engineer’s report. 
  • Often a woodstove and chimney cleaning takes longer to schedule than anticipated.
  • A pre-listing inspection can help a seller determine what changes should be made in a comfortable time frame.
  • Sellers benefit by having an engineer show them how to correct known problems so that buyers are not scared away.
 
Builders & Contractors: 
Vince assists contractors and home builders with structural design and code compliance inspections for: life safety, electrical, structural and mechanical provisions.  He evaluates plans and work during construction for compliance with the International Residential Code (IRC) and the Uniform Plumbing Code to International Code Council (ICC) standards as mandated by Alaska Housing Finance Corporation (AHFC).  Approval of the work is often summarized in the PUR 102 form required by some financial institutions.
 
Financial Institutions & Insurance Companies:
Contact Vince for evaluations of buildings to suit your needs.  This is a service he often performs.