I work as a Bellingham home inspector, serving all of Whatcom county and frequently Skagit county and Island county. On the job, I see a number of old homes. When a home is older, and the foundation is post and block (pier), it is very common that some settling will have taken place over the yea
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08/30/2009
I own a few rental properties so I understand the trials and tribulations of being a landlord. I mention that I own rentals in my web advertising. As a result of that, fairly often, I am hired by those who are looking to buy a potential rental property. They think that, by being a landlord mysel
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08/29/2009
Home inspectors know that, often, vermiculite attic insulation contains at least some asbestos fibers. Vermiculite and asbestos are different but, due to the proximity of the mines in Libby, Montana, some asbestos got into vermiculite back in those days when vermiculite was so popular. The gener
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08/29/2009
In Washington state, at least up until recently, most of us home inspectors are also licensed structural pest inspectors. I have seen plenty of carpenter ant activity and damage over the years. I teach the course in wood destroying organisms for Bellingham Technical College. I have seen more an
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08/28/2009
As a home inspector, it takes something out of the ordinary to provide a "wow" moment. I guess that, from my perspective, those moments often come when I first look in an attic and find that it has had a major fire at some point over the years. This might surprise people, who have not been there
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08/28/2009
It goes in streaks. I will do a number of new houses then, suddenly, I inspect a string of older homes. In the last couple weeks I have seen three houses with knob and tube wiring. Of course, the seller insists that the house has been re-wired. That usually means somebody put a new service panel
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08/27/2009
Those of us who live in Whatcom County live right on the border with Canada. By doing inspections in various northern parts of the county -- Lynden and Sumas -- I am often very close to the border. The other day, while inspecting in Point Roberts, I had an interesting inside view of border livin
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08/27/2009
This is another post in a series on home inspection training as is provided by Bellingham Technical College. Bellingham Technical College is now one of the leading technical colleges in the state. Therefore, many students who are in class for various programs -- nursing to commercial truck drivi
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08/26/2009
Regardless of which program students are taking, from commercial truck driving to nursing to home inspection, it is helpful if they know how to find their way around the campus. BTC is one of the largest of the state technical colleges in the state, therefore, the campus consists of many nooks,
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08/24/2009
As a home inspector, I want to see a cover on an electric panel. While I might not get excited if I find a cover held in place with five screws, when there should be six, I have a concern when a large panel cover is hanging loose with only one or two screws in place. When an inspector finds a co
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08/23/2009