Trampolines may be fun and health-promoting, but they are also very dangerous. The American Academy of Pediatrics specifically states that they should not safe for home use and home insurance policies rarely cover trampoline-related injuries. But people are going to use them anyway, so it’s best they use them safely. To find out safe behavior and installation tips, check out our new article on trampoline safety and inspection.

Ceramic and natural stone tiles are excellent choices for flooring material, but they each have their own maintenance and inspection requirements. To find out about moisture damage, crazing and more, check out our new article on ceramic and stone tile inspection.

In spite of the rapid expanse in home sizes over the last half-century, the past few years have seen a reduction in the size of the average American house. Perhaps spurred on by recession-era belt tightening, a trend has developed called the small house movement, which eschews the unnecessary lavishness of large homes and the endless debt they accrue. Many homeowners have downsized to homes smaller than 1,000 square feet and in some cases, smaller than 100. Energy bills plummet, as do mortgages and maintenance, it’s a totally different lifestyle, and you can find out more by reading our new article on the small house movement.

Believe it or not, but people are now building their homes out of Styrofoam. In Hawaii, a company has built a handful of these homes, which are easier to heat and cool than conventional homes and they actually cost less to construct. Japan takes it to the extreme, especially in one village where 480 Styrofoam dome homes serve as lodging, recreational facilities and retail shops. These homes, which look they were built for smurfs or hobbits, can be constructed in just a few hours and they’re earthquake, fire and typhoon resistant! To see more, check out our new article on Styrofoam homes.

Steel has long been used in commercial building construction, but recently it’s seeing use in residences. It’s a great building material because it’s strong, economical, fire proof and recyclable. To see more about steel and why it’s being used in residences, check out our new article on steel homes.

Not only are McMansions unnecessarily large and out of place in their neighborhoods, they’re also inefficient consumers of energy and resources. Vaulted ceilings, walk-in closets and giant garages are hard to heat and cool, and massive amounts of timber and cements are needed during their construction. But some municipalities are fighting back by forcing owners of excessively large homes to install renewable energy systems or buy renewable power. To find out more, check out our new article on McMansions and Energy Inefficiency.

“While I’m here, I’m going to inspect this for you at no extra charge.”

Should an inspector regularly exceed InterNACHI’s Standards of Practices?

Find out by reading  To Exceed or Not to Exceed: That is the Question.

Watch the traffic in live time as it is funneled to our member’s inspection websites.

Alexa.com ranks InterNACHI’s inspection-related websites as some of the most heavily visited sites on the internet.

Ah, the age-old question, “Do I buy or rent?” continues unanswered today. Many news programs and analysts push homeownership, and the American Dream pulls us towards that goal, but it’s often in the renter’s best interest to remain renting. Prospective homeowners should consider their finances, how long they plan to stay, their credit history, and so much more before leaving their rental. To see a detailed explanation, read our new article on buying vs. renting.

Foreclosures can earn a fat profit for investors or simply chip off part of the price tag for a first home. But buying a foreclosure isn’t so simple, as there are many ways to go about it, before and after the public auction. There’s no low-risk, high-reward method, but you should know about each of them before you buy. To find out more, check out our new article on buying a foreclosure.

The real estate market is littered with foreclosures – they accounted for 31% of home sales in the first quarter of 2010 – but many are unaware of how they foreclosures happen and the ways that their previous owners fought and lost. To find out more about the basics of foreclosure, read our new introduction to foreclosures.

If you want to buy a house you’re probably going to need a loan, and to get a loan the lender will need to know that you’re credit worthy. Lenders make this judgment based on your credit report, from which they can assess your payment history and the likelihood that you’ll repay the loan. Every homeowner should know what is contained in these reports and how they can adjust their paying habits to improve their chances of getting a future loan. To find out more, check out our new article on credit reports.

Get grandfathered for a Florida home inspector license.  Read www.nachi.org/floridainternachi.org to find out how to get a Florida home inspector license.

Now you can insulate your house with soy! Yes, as a new green building strategy, insulation made partly from soybean oil can be sprayed into houses to reduce energy bills. And it has a high R-value, too, but it’s more expensive. Read through our new article on soy-based insulation to learn more.

When a home is sold, there are variety of miscellaneous fees that must be paid, usually by both the buyer and the seller. It’s easy to underestimate just how many of these fees there are, from title insurance and inspection to prepaid interest and recording fees. There isn’t too much you can do about them, but we offer a few tips, as well as an in-depth explanation of standard fees in our new article on closing costs.

As is required by law, fire retardants are added to a vast array of consumer goods, from electronics to wiring and furniture. Yet one of these chemicals, called brominated fire retardant (BFR), has fell under scrutiny as a potential health and environmental hazard. Released from household products, BFR has been found everywhere from household air to the blubber of sperm whales and many places in between. Studies have found that the chemical can stunt development and impair learning and memory. To find out more, check out our new article on brominated fire retardant.

Reverse mortgages are not as well-known as home equity loans, but they’re increasing in popularity among the elderly. And unlike home equity loans, reverse mortgages are easier to get and safer; there are no income or credit requirements and the lender cannot force you out of your home, since there are no required monthly payments. There is some inherent risk, however, as there is with all financial products, and you can find more about this in our new article on reverse mortgages.

Have you ever considered selling your home without the assistance of a real estate agent? Many homeowners use this strategy, choosing to market their property and negotiate the price themselves, in order to pocket the hefty commission normally taken by the real estate agent. But there’s a reason why you pay these people, and cutting them out of the deal has its drawbacks. To find out more, check out our new article on the pros and pitfalls of “for sale by owner”

Home equity loans and lines of credit are a good way to supplement your income, but they should be approached responsibly. Do not treat them like a low-interest credit card that you can use to pay for leisure pursuits, as unlike a credit card, these bank loans are secured against your house! To find out more about the differences between these two financial products and how they can be useful or disastrous, check out our new article on home equity loans and lines of credit.

Angie’s List article about Florida home inspector licensing includes quotes from InterNACHI’s Founder, Nick Gromicko.  Read the Angie’s List article here.