Rick's Blog

Home Inspector Mentoring

Rick Bunzel (Pacific Crest Inspections) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 10:45:57 -0500

As most experienced home inspectors know the first 100 or so inspections they did as new inspectors were really on the job learning. Most home inspection companies are single inspector so you are really on your own and frankly learning at the customers expense.Most new Realtor's have a big advantage in this area because the office will usually provide mentoring.

When the Washington Home Inspector's Legislative Advisory Group was crafting the language for Washington Home Inspector law we felt strongly that there should be a mentoring component. Ultimately this turned in a 40 hour component which is a drop in the bucket compared to the 1 year apprentice appraisers are required to do.

Many people who enter the industry feel they can transition from swinging a hammer doing construction to home inspection. That is so far from the truth its laughable. In the old days builders used to do it all and had a broad range of framing, roofing, plumbing, electrical and heating skills. Today all builders use subcontractors who specialize in a given trade so very few are generalists. Home Inspectors are generalists who need to be knowledible in all areas of the home. Take heating for example there are baseboard, force air, radiant and radiators. Possible energy sources are electric, gas, LPG, thermo and solar. We need to know each combination, correct installation and what could possibly go wrong. In most cases there is not enough time in the classroom to teach this stuff and mentoring is one opportunity to give the new inspector some experience on the systems.

Another area that schools don't do a great job at is business practices. This area ranges from taking customer inquiries to handling complaints. The mentor can actually show the student how an inspection job starts in the office to when the inspection report is delivered and the records are stored.

Our Washington Home Inspector Mentoring page

Rick Bunzel, CRI
Pacific Crest Inspections

Washington State License #312
ASHI Certified #249557
NAHI Member of the Year 2008
NPSAR Affiliate of the Year 2006-2007
WWW.PacCrestInspections.com
360-588-6956
Fax 360-588-6965
Toll Free 866-618-7764

Unlicensed Inspector Referrals

Rick Bunzel (Pacific Crest Inspections) — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 13:06:18 -0500

I was speaking with a managing broker this week discussing licensed home inspectors. He pulled out his inspector list and I noticed that he had a name of an unlicensed inspector on his referral. I asked him if he was going to notated who had their license and who didn't. He said that he had spoken to the home inspector in question who had assured him that he carried a number of licenses and certifications. The home inspector implied that with what he already had, he was ok. I did mention the benefits to clients who use licensed home inspectors and said that clients should know who is licensed and who is not on referral lists. I hope this broker does this.

It does bring up the question of why would a practicing inspector (the company above has been around for a number of years) would not get their license? The penalty is that these inspectors have to go back to school for 120 hours or more and then ride along with a licensed inspector for 40 hours. Since September 1st, inspectors who missed the deadline have been popping up like moles. I am sure that the Washington Department of Licensing (DOL) is getting every excuse in the book but because these deadlines were written into the law, the DOL hands are tied. Regardless, if these businesspeople are not aware of what happening in the industry, would you want to hire them? Home Inspectors are generalists and need to be knowledgeable in all areas of the home. I network with local inspectors all the time sharing information. Either this inspector kept to himself or decided that he was going to get out of the business before July 2010. Either way would you want to be referring someone like this?

Rick Bunzel, CRI
Pacific Crest Inspections
WASH. HI #312
ASHI Certified #249557
NAHI Member of the Year 2008
NPSAR Affiliate of the Year 2006-2007
WWW.PacCrestInspections.com
360-588-6956
Fax 360-588-6965
Toll Free 866-618-7764

Should I have a "bank owned" home inspected?

Rick Bunzel (Pacific Crest Inspections) — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 20:16:23 -0600

After all its being sold as is.....

There is a reason why these homes are referred to as "distressed" properties. Many owners that go into foreclosure have been struggling financially, which usually means that the house has not received needed repairs or general maintenance for a while. Some homeowners who lose their property to a lender frequently damage the property. After the owners leave the property frequently we see the homes have been neglected or poorly winterized. Winterization was especially important during the December freeze we had. We have inspected homes that claimed to have been winterized and found freeze damage.

Bank-owned foreclosure homes are usually sold "as is," which means that the 10 to 30% you just saved on the purchase price can easily be eaten up by unforeseen repairs — frequently many of those issuesat not apparent to the buyers when they walk through the home. However "as-is" does not refer to the price the buyer is paying. It is important to understand that he bank's pricing of the home reflects the "assumed condition" of the property.

The savvy buyer will want to gather all the information on the home. Initially that can be the documented history of the home. Tax records and building permits are a good start. A CLUE report will give you the insurance history of the home. Many insurance agents will provide that free of charge. If neighbors are available they are great source of information on the neighborhood and the home. Lastly, a detailed home inspection will complete the picture as to what the home is and issues that will need to be addressed.

So the quick answer is YES. Also we are seeing many lenders require a copy of the home inspection as part of the underwriting process. The inspection report can also be used as a tool to justify the offer price or negotiate concessions.

//Rick

Rick Bunzel, CRI
Pacific Crest Inspections
NAHI Member of the Year 2008
NPSAR Affiliate of the Year 2006-2007
WWW.PacCrestInspections.com
360-588-6956
Fax 360-588-6965
Toll Free 866-618-7764

Are You Still in Business?

Rick Bunzel (Pacific Crest Inspections) — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 11:02:03 -0600

I had a call from a REALTOR that started out that way. I had never done business with this individual just a few folks in her office. It just points out that the "thinning of the herd" is really hitting the real estate industry hard. In some ways thinning the herd is healthy for the marketplace as the weak and underfunded service provider drop by that wayside leaving the strong and profitable companies.Unfortunately when these companies drop by the wayside they leave behind websites and literature to confuse the public.

This also tell me that I need to spend a little more time in the offices and get my next newsletter out letting everyone know that we are alive and thriving!

//Rick

Rick Bunzel, CRI
Pacific Crest Inspections
NAHI Member of the Year 2008
NPSAR Affiliate of the Year 2006-2007
WWW.PacCrestInspections.com
360-588-6956
Fax 360-588-6965
Toll Free 866-618-7764

Will your Washington Home Inspector meet the new licensing requirements?

Rick Bunzel (Pacific Crest Inspections) — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 15:34:04 -0600

Washington Home Inspector Licenses will be issued beginning July 1, 2009. Beginning Septembers 1, 2009, inspectors will be required to have a license to inspect unless they are already a practicing inspector. Practicing inspectors will have until July 2010 to become licensed.

Many Washington Realtors are under the impression that there home inspector is already licensed which is partially true. To be a Washington Home Inspector you are required to be a Structural Pest Inspector (SPI) which really has little to do with Home Inspection and more about identifying wood destroying organisms.

Realtors will need to beware that if they are using an inspector with less than 2 years experience (in business as of June 2006) then that inspector will not meet the licensing requirement in July without going back to school.

As of January 2009, the Washington State Home Inspector Licensing Board is still in the process of determining the final requirements for the Education Curriculum, Testing and other requirements. What is clear is that if a home inspector did not have two years experience prior to June 12th 2008, they will not meet the current licensing requirements.

If you are already conducting home inspection on September 1st, 2009, you will have until July 1st, 2010 to obtain your license
If you start conducting home inspections after September 1st, 2009, you must be licensed before you provide services.

Requirements to obtain license:

If you have less than two (2) years' experience you must have:
Successfully completed 120 hours of classroom instruction
Successfully completed 40 hours of field training with a licensed inspector
Proof of passing score in exam approved by the Board
If you have two (2) years' experience or more, you must have:
Worked as a home inspector for two (2) years prior to June 12th, 2008
Completed 100 home inspections
Proof of passing score in exam approved by the Board

The good news for the consumer is that the working home inspectors will have more experience and education than inspectors in non-licensed states. The licensed Washington Home Inspectors will have a standards of practice that requires to meet a minimal quality standard. For Inspections or Inspectors who are not meeting these standards of practice, the consumer will have a means of filing a complaint with the Department of Licensing. Washington Licensed Home Inspector who are found in non-compliance can be fined, have there license suspended or in serious cases revoked.

A a home inspector who fought for the licensing through the Washington Home Inspector Advisory Group I am happy with the outcome and looking forward to being part of a profession that is consider a crucial part of the real estate process.

Rick Bunzel, CRI
Pacific Crest Inspections
NAHI Inspector of the year 2008
NPSAR Affiliate of the Year 2006-2007
WWW.PacCrestInspections.com
360-588-6956
Fax 360-588-6965
Toll Free 866-618-7764

Take care of your listings

Rick Bunzel (Pacific Crest Inspections) — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 18:50:56 -0600

Yesterdays inspection almost came to an abrupt end. As soon as the buyer's Realtors and myself walked in I sensed that the home was too cold. I carry an infrared thermometer and a quick check of the inside temperature showed it at 29%. Yikes - fortunately the pipes and toilets had not frozen yet. The listing agent was lucky. If the pipes had been frozen I would have called off the inspection and requested a plumber defrost everything. Once we got the Ok from the plumber then we could do the inspection.

With Realtors carrying lots of listings they need to stay on top the vacant properties and make sure that they have heat on and maybe even the walks shoveled so buyers can get inside without wading through the snow

Rick Bunzel, CRI
Pacific Crest Inspections
NPSAR Affiliate of the Year 2006-2007
WWW.PacCrestInspections.com
360-588-6956
Fax 360-588-6965
Toll Free 866-618-7764

Google Street View Comes to Anacortes

Rick Bunzel (Pacific Crest Inspections) — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 11:53:18 -0600

I was recently working with a client looking at a commercial property and was sent a Google Street View link. Last I checked they were only doing major metro areas however this morning I noticed the little yellow figure on the map and gave it a try. Sure enough -

The Googlers had driven through town to the end of main street and out to the ferry. Wow this is just like when we got our first traffic light, McDonald and Walgreens. Only this time we are really on the map. I suspect the Google Streetview car was through in early summer as the Fidalgo Coffee stand was open but the ACS building was not complete.

Google doesn't announce when they are going to map an areas but one needs to stay tuned to changes that can help remote clients get a feel for the area.

Rick Bunzel, CRI
Pacific Crest Inspections

NPSAR Affiliate of the Year 2006-2007
WWW.PacCrestInspections.com
360-588-6956
Fax 360-588-6965
Toll Free 866-618-7764

The home inspector is wrong! What should I do?

Rick Bunzel (Pacific Crest Inspections) — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 13:31:16 -0500

Home inspection is an opinion based profession and yes, it is true if you put 10 inspectors in a room, you will get 10 different views. Is this unique to the inspection profession? No, the same can be said about lawyers, doctors, appraisers, claim adjusters and REALTORS. The reason is that our opinions are shaped by our experiences. Home inspectors are generalists. We have to know about the thousands of different items that go into homes ranging from old coal furnaces to energy management systems.

Unfortunately, there are inspectors who can go way overboard with their opinion. Here are some tactics you can use to put dose of reality into the transaction. So when you get the inspection response from HELL the first thing to do is to step back and be objective. How realistic is the list? Is the buyer’s agent simple using this as an opportunity to get more price concessions? Let’s take the roof for example. The buyers are asking for a new roof. How old is the roof? Most roofs will last 20-25 years. If the seller has not supplied it, ask for the specific wording the inspector used. For example, if the age of the roof is mid-life, then ask what criteria they are basing there request on. Let say the roof has visible repairs, that doesn’t justify replacement; repairs are part of normal maintenance. Your best defense at this point is to get a roofer to inspect the roof. A specialist’s opinion will always trump a generalist home inspector.

Some agents will want to talk to the home inspector directly and negotiate with them. For most inspectors this would violate their association’s Standards of Practice, so they won’t do it nor do they want to negotiate directly with the seller. Secondly, once an inspector creates and delivers an inspection report they won’t be inclined to charge it. Personally I don’t mind getting and giving clarifications when I have the permission of my clients but I do have a problem when the seller’s agent starts to question my opinion.

Although home inspection is opinion based, we must use criteria to base our opinion. Using the roof as an example we are taught to look at granule loss, curling of edges, burn through, and cracking to judge its overall condition. All manufacturers have guidelines for installation and usage. If you think the inspector is being harsh or punitive, examine the criteria they use to form that opinion. If the inspector doesn’t have a solid basis for his/her opinion, ask for a clarification. “Codes” are a four letter word and often misused. Most experienced inspectors stay away from codes due to the inconsistent way they are applied. Every building department adopts the building codes at a time and place of their choosing. If a homeowner wants to remodel a kitchen a building department may want the entire electrical and plumbing systems upgrade while the neighboring city may not. One city may be using the 2007 plumbing codes but 2005 electrical codes while the neighbor is just the reverse. I have even seen in a brand new development where two inspectors from the same building department disagree on how to apply the current building codes. Get the picture? If a home inspector is using building codes to describe a defect, ask them for specifics and their qualifications to cite the building codes. If the home had been remodeled and approved by the city, then it met the codes as they were being applied at that time.

If you are listing an older home (especially if it has gone through a number of remodels) then I highly recommend a pre-listing inspection. Being pro-active is your best defense against an inspection. The owners will get to see their home through the eyes of an inspector. They will get an opportunity to correct issues at a time and place of there choosing. If they don’t want to correct them, then they can disclose them. Either way it lessens the shock and puts the sellers in a better negotiating position.

Rick Bunzel, CRI
Pacific Crest Inspections

WWW.PacCrestInspections.com
360-588-6956
Fax 360-588-6965
Toll Free 866-618-7764

Why don't manufactured homes pass a foundation inspection?

Rick Bunzel (Pacific Crest Inspections) — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 20:49:23 -0500

We are seeing a rise in Manufactured Home Sales as people trade down or opportunistic buyers jump on these low cost homes. If they happen to be using FHA they will want to check to see if the foundation are going to need to be upgraded before they make the offer

The most common problems found:

Tie downs - insufficient numbers or inappropriate materials (I saw anchor chain resently!!)
Tie downs - Inappropriate ties downs such anchors are stakes driven into the soil
Skirting - Skirting is no longer allowed - HUD wants a foundation wall
Piers - Stacked block cannot be on soil - they must be on poured concrete footer or plastic spread foot base

Wood Skirting - no allowed by FHA

Block on soil Not allowed by FHA

In most cases it is not difficult to upgrade the foundation to meet FHA/HUD standards but its still an obstacle that take time and funds to overcome

Rick Bunzel, CRI
Pacific Crest Inspections
NPSAR Affiliate of the Year 2006-2007
WWW.PacCrestInspections.com
360-588-6956
Fax 360-588-6965
Toll Free 866-618-7764

http://www.paccrestinspections.com/hud-fha-foundation-inspections.htm

Disaster Preparation

Rick Bunzel (Pacific Crest Inspections) — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 09:50:52 -0500

Disaster Planning - Are you ready?

With the number of hurricanes marching down on the Gulf and Southeast I started thinking it was time to review our Disaster Planning. Since I am a firefighter and had my first home in the middle of earthquake country, this was something we always did. Everyone should give some thought to the type of disaster they have and how to prepare. A little bit of thought and preparate will go a long way to helping you help yourself. Please, please don't depend on fire, police, national guard or FEMA to come rescue you. All these services get inundated with requests that they must prioritize. During a disaster you must decided whether you need to shelter in place or evacuate. This is best decided way before the storm hits.

What Shelter-in-Place Means:
You are going to stay in your home and ride it out. This assumes that your home's construction is solid enough to withstand the event. Your home should also have a "last refuge" which is usually a small, interior room, with no or few windows. If you are going to shelter-in-place then you should also have food, water and medications for at least 5 days.

Evacuate:
The obvious method is by car and its fairly simple to throw everything you need into the SUV but what if the road is out or the traffic is backed up so long that you run out of gas? You need to be prepared to move on foot during an evacuation. Every family member should have there own backpack with their own items including some food and water. In addition you may want a rolling bag with food, water, bedding etc. If you have a pet you also have to think about food for them.

    *   Medical supplies: prescription medications and dentures.
    * Disaster supplies: flashlight, batteries, radio, first aid kit, bottled water
    * Clothing and bedding: a change of clothes and a sleeping bag or bedroll and pillow for each household member
    * Car keys and keys to the place you may be going (friend's or relative's home)

Since you are leaving your home don't forget about important papers:
    * Driver's license or personal identification
    * Social Security card
    * Proof of residence (deed or lease)
    * Insurance policies
    * Birth and marriage certificates
    * Stocks, bonds, and other negotiable certificates
    * Wills, deeds, and copies of recent tax returns

A little thought and preparation goes a long way in a disaster. We all saw the Katrina pictures of the folks who were caught in the middle of it. However the majority of the people who did evacuate early on did it safely and without incident. The news usually doesn't focus on those prepared because its not news.

Here are some links you might find helpful

Pacific Crest Disaster Planning

The Lists you need for Disasters

Rick Bunzel, CRI
Pacific Crest Inspections

NPSAR Affiliate of the Year 2006-2007
WWW.PacCrestInspections.com
360-588-6956
Fax 360-588-6965
Toll Free 866-618-7764

Mold Inspections - Good or Bad for the Industry?

Rick Bunzel (Pacific Crest Inspections) — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 15:01:28 -0500

I was talking to a REALTOR about a home I inspected recently and she explained that the deal was in limbo due to a mold inspection. I recalled that I had discussed mold with the client and did not observed any mold conducive conditions during my inspection. The REALTOR said that the client looked at the mold disclaimer and decided to get the home tested. The client paid a company $350 and the company said that there was evidence of black mold in the home. The REALTOR did not know any more details.

Since I had spent several hours in the home I was curious and wanted to look out for the best interest of the buyer. I spoke to her and ask about the results and where the mold was found. She said that without more tests they could not localize where the mold was. I ask her permission to talk to the company and she readily agreed. At this point she was comtemplating backing our of the deal because of the mold. I was surprised because this was an 8 year old home built by a reputable builder and well maintained.

I spoke to the "Mold Testing Company" and all that they would tell me is that they did a settling plate (petri dish) and that the home tested positive for cladospirium. They could not give me any spore counts. I ask them about what levels were unhealthy and they were very vague. I also asked about whether they did a baseline test and they did not know. A baseline test is done on the exterior of the house to establish the level of mold outside the home. Mold is part of our ecosystem especially here in the Pacific NW. Homeowners who keep there windows open can have high readings without having issues in the home especially when they have a pond or mulch pile nearby.

Now most people don't know that there are over 700 types of mold and cladospirium is commonly found in most bathrooms and is not considered by expert to be toxic. In most cases it is found on the surface of bathroom walls and can be black in some circumstances. This type of mold can also take on the color of the foods it eats.

I called my client back and advised her to ask some hard questions of the testing company:

Why are they calling this black mold? Isn't that a generic term?

What levels of cladospirium do they consider unhealthy?

Why did they not locate the source of readings in the original tests?

Is it possible this is bathroom mold?

Do they do mitigation, what will they do? (isn't this a conflict of interest??)

I hope most REALTORS realize that the mold testing industry is unregulated and there are no health standards that can be used to differentiate between a healthy home and a unhealthy home. Companies can recieve a MOLD Testing Certification in as little as 4 hours. Mold mitigation companies routinely use the term BLACK MOLD to describe common household molds. This scares the homeowner into wholesale remodels or expensive mitigation. I have seen some of my clients spend thousands of dollars on mold cleanups when something similar could have been done with TSP or bleach and water.

I am curious to see what experiences others have had with mold testing????

//Rick

Rick Bunzel, CRI
Pacific Crest Inspections

NPSAR Affiliate of the Year 2006-2007
WWW.PacCrestInspections.com
360-588-6956
Fax 360-588-6965
Toll Free 866-618-7764

Guarantee a Good Home Inspection

Rick Bunzel (Pacific Crest Inspections) — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 16:34:39 -0500

Ok, the titles a tease. One can't really guarantee anything. However with some common sense, correctly set expectations and a good inspector, you should end up with a reasonably accurate inspection. Here are some tips to make that happen.

Education- Clients need to understand the inspection process. That education starts when the REALTOR describes the buying process. First step is picking the inspector. Some sites recommend against using a REALTOR referred inspector. If your clients doesn't trust your recommendation, you got bigger problem and you need to regain their trust. Secondly, you has more contact with home inspectors than anyone else. We already know that your not going to give the client the pickiest inspector of the bunch or the lackey. In between there are a good group of inspectors. Most REALTORs will give the client three picks, encourage the client call them and book with the one they like the best. There are a ton of websites that will give the client good questions to identify the "best" inspector.

Set Expectations - The client needs to understand what the inspection is and isn't. It is a visual inspection - its not exhaustive. Visual means we are looking at things - no X-Ray vision. If the issue is concealed we can't report it. Not exhaustive means that we don't tear apart everything as if we were experts. The except is removing the electrical panel cover and furnace cover, we don't tear things apart. Accessibility means we need to be able to safely access an area. Wet or steeply pitched roofs are not accessible, Insulated attics with no walk-boards are not accessible. Safety is important. Some inspectors will walk attic trusses, some of those same inspectors will miss the beam and fall through the attic. I tell my customers my goal is to identify BIG issues. A big issue is something that will cost them $1,000 or more to repair. If a see something smaller I will usually also report it but I focus on BIG items.

What We are - Home Inspectors are generalists. The best analogy is comparing a family practitioner doctor and a orthopedics doctor. A family doctor knows about broken bones, can identify them but refers the repairs out to an expert, the orthopedics guy. A home inspector knows all about different aspects of a home and can identify the issues but ultimately refers the final diagnosis and repair out to the experts.

Make sure the house is ready for the inspections - Short sale or foreclosure properties frequently don't have all the utilities on. An inspector can't do a complete job is the electric, gas or water are not turned on. Please make sure everything is on. I had a REALTOR tell the client that of course I would come back to finish the inspection when the gas was turned on. When I informed her that there would be a charge to come back she appeared surprised. I quietly informed her that I was here to do a complete inspection and that it was through no fault of mine that the gas was off. To come back (it was 30 miles from my office) I would be driving 1 hour round trip and most likely 1 hour at the property. 2 hours time plus vehicle costs (I drive an SUV!)

Attend the inspection - I prefer that clients attend my inspections and appreciate when the REALTOR attends. Clients get to see the home through my eyes, interactively ask questions and get a sense of what the home is and isn't. When the REALTOR is present they can answer questions that are outside my domain such as easements, shared well agreements, inspection contingency, what to ask the seller to fix etc. Some clients will start to panic as I point things out. Remember we are paid to identify issues with the house. Although I can help keep things in perspective, I don't have the same relationship with the client that the REALTOR has. Some REALTORs don't think its a good use of their time to attend the inspection. I disagree, if the deal goes south because the client panics at the inspection and decides to walk, was it worth the two hours you gained to do something else?

Uninformed clients will ask whether the home passed the inspection. From my perspective houses don't pass or fail. It's all in the eyes of the buyer. What is a diamond in the rough to one client, is a money pit to another. Another question is "would you buy this house?" I look at functionality and condition. I don't look at rooms sizes, decor, flow and location. I always have to delicately answer this question.

Review the entire report - Read the whole report. As a courtesy I provide a summary but no all inspector do and not all the detail goes into the summary. Its just highlights, the report has the details. When you spending this much to purchase a home you really want to look at all the details. Something may jump out at you that wasn't that important from the inspectors perspective.

Ask questions - My service doesn't end when I've delivered the report. If you have a questions, call or email your inspector. Find something at final walk-through or on move-in day. Call the inspector. This helps identify and eliminate issues before they become big problems.

Rick Bunzel, CRI
Pacific Crest Inspections

NPSAR Affiliate of the Year 2006-2007
WWW.PacCrestInspections.com
360-588-6956
Fax 360-588-6965
Toll Free 866-618-7764

HUD FHA Manufactured Home Foundation Inspections

Rick Bunzel (Pacific Crest Inspections) — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 17:17:10 -0500

Start around 2000, the mortgage banking industry began to require that a licensed local engineer certify that a manufactured home is sitting on a permanent foundation in order to approve a loan This started only with loans required to meet HUD (Housing and Urban Development) guidelines which includes FHA and Rural Housing loans In late 2005, it became federally mandated that all government guaranteed loans on manufactured housing have these engineering certificates.

Now that many first time buyer are finding that HUD FHA backed loans are the best product for them we are seeing a resurgence in these inspections. Beware that most home inspectors are not qualified to provide these inspections as they cannot provide the engineering certificate the HUD /FHA requires.

The reason for this requirement is to establish a national standard of consistency amidst inconsistent state installation standards. While manufactured homes have standardized preemptive structural, plumbing, and electrical standards that need to be met before leaving the factory, installation standards vary from county to county, state to state. Additionally, manufactured homes are unique in that they can either be titled either as personal property (chattel) or real property. In some states the distinction between personal and real property is determined by the type of foundation and underpinnings that support the home. In other states, the classification of "personal" or "real" property is determined by how the property is taxed. Since the individual jurisdictional requirements vary signficantly, the Engineer Certification Letter helps to provide a standard for excellence. This is generally an underwriting requirement for all FHA insured loans, which also include Reverse Mortgages.

If an existing home is already on a foundation, Pacific Crest Inspections can provide a certification attesting to the fact that the home meets the guidelines. If it does not meet the HUD guidelines, there are a variety of proprietary or approved engineered foundation systems that can be retrofitted in combination with the existing structural components. Pacific Crest can assist in the engineering certification process.

For more about Manufactured Home see our webpage

For more about HUD FHA Foundation Inspections see our webpage

Rick Bunzel, CRI
Pacific Crest Inspections

NPSAR Affiliate of the Year 2006-2007
WWW.PacCrestInspections.com
360-588-6956
Fax 360-588-6965
Toll Free 866-618-7764

Washington State Condo Law 6215

Rick Bunzel (Pacific Crest Inspections) — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 21:17:36 -0500

Over the past 5 years I have always consoled my clients to inspect their HOA's.

Most buyers, particuliarly first time buyers have no idea of what a HOA is , let alone the power that the HOA holds over the individual owner. Fortunately most of the abuses in California, Az. and Florida have already been exposed and dealt with. Still mismanagement can be costly and potential case an owner to lose their home.

In March the Governor sign a new law regarding reserve studies for condominiums. The law falls short of what many industry professionals sought, including mandatory reserve funding and studies, but is a step in the right direction. The new law also is silent on maintenance plans, as required in neighboring Oregon and California.

The law, which becomes effective June 12, 2008:

    * Requires a residential condominium association, unless doing so, would impose an unreasonable hardship, to (1) prepare an initial reserve study based upon a visual site inspection conducted by a reserve study professional; (2) update the study annually; and (3) arrange for a visual site inspection every three years by a reserve study professional.

    * Reserve studies must include detailed information on projected expenditures and current reserve account information and must be conducted by a reserve study professional.

    * Encourages, but does not require, a residential condominium association to establish a reserve account, supplemental to the association’s annual operating budget, to fund major maintenance, repair, and replacement of common elements.

    * Requires a condominium Public Offering Statement or Resale Certificate to include a copy of the current reserve study; or (2) a disclosure to the potential buyer stating that the association does not have a reserve study.

Ultimately this forces the owners association to plan for maintenance issues and set aside reserves which should help prevent unnecessary financial surprises. Companies like Pacific Crest Inspections can help associations with the creations of the reserve study.

Rick Bunzel, CRI
Pacific Crest Inspections

NPSAR Affiliate of the Year 2006-2007
WWW.PacCrestInspections.com
360-588-6956
Fax 360-588-6965
Toll Free 866-618-7764

Which Smoke Detector should I buy?

Rick Bunzel (Pacific Crest Inspections) — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 11:57:46 -0500

As a home inspector I am frequently identifying old smoke detectors (10+ years) and recommending new ones be installed. Many clients want to know which ones which ones they should buy. Something is better nothing...

As a firefighter I have been to numerous calls in the past 10 years where a working smoke detector could have prevented a tragedy. After the smoke clears one of the tasks is to see if there was a smoke detector present. Sometime we find it with no battery, in a drawer or sitting on a shelf or one time still in its box. Most adults have recieved some education about the value of smoke detectors but we continue to see preventable fire deaths from a lack of working smoke detectors.

Recently a old controversy has come back up which type of smoke detector is better: Ion (Ionization) or Photo (Photoelectric)? Both Ion (Ionization) and Photo (Photoelectric) smoke alarms respond to combustion particles given off by developing fires. Both have to pass the SAME fire tests by Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (UL). Both are designed to give adequate warning in case of fire, whether a fire starts slowly and smolders, or bursts into flames quickly and spreads rapidly.

The Ion detector reacts faster and is more responsive to smoldering fires that put out small combustible particles of nearly invisible smoke. The Photo Electric detector is reacts slower than the ion and is more responsive to flaming fires which put out larger visual particles of black smoke. Ion and Photo sensing chambers use different methods to detect smoke. The differences between them are pretty technical, so let's start with a simple analogy: Think of wrist watches. Some are digital, some have dials with hands. Both tell time, but they use different methods. Same idea with ion and photo smoke alarms:

Ionization: Ion smoke alarms react to changes in ionized particles, and are somewhat better at detecting flaming fires. Flaming fires spread quickly, "consuming" or burning materials in their path rapidly. Examples include paper burning in a wastebasket or stove-top grease fires. According to a recent study released by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, 94% of reported home fires were categorized as flaming fires.

Photoelectric: Photo smoke alarms react to how smoke affects light, are somewhat better at detecting smoldering fires. These fires can smolder for hours before bursting into flames. Examples include cigarettes burning in couches or bedding.

Is one better? It's impossible to say one sensor -- photo or ion -- is universally better at detecting all types of fires. Why? Because both sensors are designed to respond to combustion particles produced by smoldering or flaming fires, and because fires themselves are different. The combustion particles produced will vary depending on what starts the fire (matches, electrical fire, etc.) and what burns (paper, fabric, wood). If a lit cigarette drops directly onto a couch, it is more likely to start a smoldering fire. If that same cigarette drops onto a newspaper on the couch, the resulting fire may be more characterized by flames than smoldering smoke.

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recommends installing both ionization and photoelectric type smoke alarms throughout the home for the best warning of a fire. This recommendation is also supported by the United States Fire Administration, the National Fire Protection Association, Underwriters Laboratories, and by research conducted by the National Institute for Standards and Technology. There are also dual sensor smoke alarms that have both ionization and photoelectric sensors in one unit.

Personally I will add photoelectric sensors to each level of my home to enhance the safety of the 6 detectors already in place. I will also use lithium 9volt batteries that will last 10 years so I won't have to worry about season changes.

Rick Bunzel, CRI
Pacific Crest Inspections

NPSAR Affiliate of the Year 2006-2007
WWW.PacCrestInspections.com
360-588-6956
Fax 360-588-6965
Toll Free 866-618-7764

Mold Experts

Rick Bunzel (Pacific Crest Inspections) — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 12:34:00 -0500

I follow an Indoor Air Quality group on Yahoo. This post came in recently:

On 4/1/08 12:00 PM, "midsouthbuilders" <no_reply@yahoogroup s.com> wrote:

I am a builder and as such, no stranger to mold contamination. We just
finished a large custom home and within three weeks of occupancy, the
new homeowner was complaining about musty odors. Recognizing that we
could be dealing with mold, I suggested they find a mold inspector and
we would pick up the bill.

I show up about the same time the mold "expert" is completing a few air
samples. He states "these will tell us if there is a problem". I state,
I can already tell you there is a problem because I can smell it.

The "expert" scurries back to truck promising results in three days. I
walk back in to the house and simply follow my nose to the laundry room
where I find a leaking washer water hose. Turn off water, pull washer
away from wall, and presto - mold.

Two days later, mold is removed. Same day a call from the "expert" says
the test show nothing significant going on so it must be the HVAC
system. I thanked him for his time and hung up.

I guess my question is - is there such a thing as a mold "expert"?
Cause I think I could be one...

Will

The only real experts are called Industrial Hygienists. Everyone else should be suspect. The lack of regulation in the Mold Industry can be a real headache for all of us. Normally I would say Buyer Beware but without some education buyers may make the choice based on the biggest yellow page ad, telephone salesperson or web hit. I keep names of several companies I feel are reputable if I need to take the investigation further but the reality is that in most cases if you find the water leak, you have now found the source of the contamination. Fix the leak Who cares what kind of mold it is, get rid of any materials that are heavily contaminated and clean the rest. This will deal with 85% of the issues I have seen over thousands of inspections. If you have a client who is considering a Mold Inspection have them look at our web page on it.

http://www.paccrestinspections.com/mold_inspections.htm

Rick Bunzel, CRI
Pacific Crest Inspections

NPSAR Affiliate of the Year 2006-2007
WWW.PacCrestInspections.com
360-588-6956
Fax 360-588-6965
Toll Free 866-618-7764

5 Steps to Maximizing your marketing in 2008

Rick Bunzel (Pacific Crest Inspections) — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 22:11:46 -0500

by Rick Bunzel

In a slower market we all have less money to spend but in the Home Inspection Industry those that don’t market dry up and move on. If you’re marketing budget is too small your going to lose business. If you don’t know how much you should be spending 7-12% of your gross sales is a good guideline. The worst mistake is to drop out entirely. Instead, if you must, cut back, but never stop marketing. A terrible thing happens when you stop marketing, potential business goes to other inspectors.

One of the reasons many companies stop or slow their marketing efforts is that cannot determine its effectiveness. Do you ask your clients how they found out about you? Do you ask new realtor clients how they heard about you? Asking is the only way you will know what’s working.

1. Alternate your media

I believe in marketing to Realtors. They are where the customers are and frankly it’s more effective to advertise to these folks. Hopefully you already have some written business plan for 2008. If not just pull out a calendar and figure out a marketing/ advertising strategy. We do newsletters, postcards, flyers, notepads and giveaway trinkets. NAHI has made this easier for you. Simply go to the Marketing Toolbox and you will find successful examples that you can customize for you business.

2. Use the Internet to generate local leads.

Since the arrival of the Internet as an advertising tool, three fascinating facts have emerged:

Fish where the fish are. Surveys have shown that 72% of real estate buyers do research on the internet prior to making a purchase. How large of an Internet presence do you have? Search for your company name on the big three of the search engines: Google, Yahoo and AOL. Where do you show up? Now search as a prospective client would, use just your “town, state” and “home inspector”. Where do you rank? If you’re not on the first page, you have some work to do because most prospects usually don’t go beyond that. If you don’t know what SEO stands for, then you need some education. NAHI has information on SEO on its website.

Most sellers search the Internet first as buyers. Most web leads come from prospects that live in the local area and want to move within the local area. This makes sense, because most sellers what to see what's out there to buy, before they get serious about selling. If you haven’t localized your Internet presence and website, you need to do that immediately.

Three out of four information-gathering Internet prospects have not yet contacted the competition. Most Internet prospects research online and make contact via e-mail or phone. Be ready to respond quickly when they contact you. They may want a home inspector ready to go when they make an offer on a home. Quickly establish yourself as your prospects' one-stop source of clear and current information with prompt responses to their online inquiries.

3. Mix your media and tumble your timing.

Since I target realtors I vary my messages and delivery vehicles according to the seasons. I know I will get more mind share in the slower months, so I may do an informational newsletter in November and January then vary between postcards and flyers in the busier times. For buyers I also use pay for click placement on Google and Yahoo. I don’t bid over $1.00 per click and cap my expenditure at $25 per site per month. Since I have come up in the top 5 organic search placements in my target market, my thinking is that if they see my name multiple times they will click on one of them. Either way I win.

4. Manage costs

Printing: Internet oriented print companies such as GoPrint will offer specials from time to time. Take advantage of those to get the best rates of post cards, brochures and flyers.

Direct mail: This is a misnomer for me because I rarely use the Post Office for marketing pieces. I hand deliver all my pieces and use the time to drop in on realtors.

Newspaper/ magazine: I have stayed away from this, as I don’t know of any inspector who says the return has justified the expense.

Yellow Pages: Some inspectors say a small ad is worth it and some say its not. This is a personal choice in your market.

Pay per click: Low per-click bidders can get great click-through late in the month after high per-click advertisers use up their budget and drop out. Paying top bid rates per click isn't necessary. If the words are that expensive concentrate on getting higher in the organic searches.

TV and radio: Frankly this is too costly for my business so I don’t even consider it.

5. Build a client database.

Cost-effective marketing is a numbers game - the one with the biggest numbers wins. That's why the value of your business increases exponentially with the size of your database. Develop a "customer care campaign" designed to convert past clients and sphere relationships into your core "advocates" who send you referrals and repeat business constantly. Try to make your money and your relationships work equally. Being overly dependent on either advertising or referrals for more than half your business is ultimately unhealthy.

children and smoke detectors

Rick Bunzel (Pacific Crest Inspections) — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 13:36:11 -0500

Kids and Smoke Detectors

Don't be so sure that your smoke detectors will wake your sleeping children if there is a fire. Recently there are been several reports that show that sleeping children do not respond to smoke detector alerts. Based on these reports the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has launched a two-year study to investigate smoke-alarm waking effectiveness among children and the elderly. The study is currently in progress.

In Australia, Dorothy Bruck, a psychologist at Victoria University in Australia, was the first to identify the problem. In her 1999 study published in the Fire Safety Journal, Bruck tested 20 children in Australia between the ages of 6 and 17 to determine their response to a 60-decibel alarm sounding at pillow level. She conducted her test twice and found 17 of the children slept through one or both tests. Two of the three who woke were 16 and 17 years old, among the older children in the sample. Indeed, for the children 15 and under, the reliable waking rate was only 5.6 percent. In contrast, Bruck found all of the parents woke when the alarms sounded.

The Columbus Children's Research Institute did a study to compare the ability of different types of smoke alarms to awaken children while monitoring sleep stage. The personalized parent voice smoke alarm at 100 dB successfully awakened 96% of children 6- to 12-years-old from a deep sleep with 83% successfully performing a simulated self-rescue escape procedure, significantly outperforming the 100-dB conventional residential tone smoke alarm. These findings suggest a clear direction for future research, as well as important fundamental changes in smoke alarm design, that address the unique developmental needs of children. The development of a more effective smoke alarm for use in homes and other locations where children sleep provides an opportunity to reduce fire-related morbidity and mortality among children.

The net result is that if you have young children you should consider adding a smoke detector with voice commands. SignalONE's KidSmart Vocal Smoke Alarm features the newest technology and actually records your voice so kids respond quickly. You can also record personalized escape instructions to calm and guide your child to safety. Kidde makes a combination smoke / carbon monoxide detector that use generic voice alerts.

Pacific Crest Inspections reminds homeowners that smoke detectors are tools that are supposed to save your life, but you also need to have a plan that works for your family. Parents need to clearly understand their supporting roles in the escape plan. After going over the plan with your family, you should conduct a walkthrough of the plan. When you feel comfortable with your plan, hold a fire drill at night with the lights out and the children in bed so that you and they can determine the appropriate response to a smoke alarm.

Rick Bunzel, CRI
Pacific Crest Inspections

NPSAR Affiliate of the Year 2006-2007
WWW.PacCrestInspections.com
360-588-6956
Fax 360-588-6965
Toll Free 866-618-7764

A new year, a new goal

Rick Bunzel (Pacific Crest Inspections) — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 13:03:29 -0600

A new year, a new goal.

Every January we get to take stock and make a new begining. Some of us are more successful and accomplishing our goals then others. I want to make this year simpler, so I decided to work on one goal. To get there I thought of 7 essential tips for accomplishing this goal

1. One goal. This will sound crazy to many of you who have so many goals you’d like to accomplish. And trust me, I know how that feels. I started out 2007 with a whole bunch of goals, but I only accomplished about half of them. I didn’t realize how things would change for me during the year, and anyway, 9 goals is too many.

I’ve said this before, but it’s so important I’m going to repeat it: you’re at your most powerful if you focus on one thing at a time. If you have 10 goals, you’ll spread your focus thinly. But if you have one goal, you’ll be able to focus you energy and attention completely on that one goal. And that’s one of the secrets of success.

Put your goal on your wall, on you computer desktop. Make it your mantra. Keep it your focus for 2008, and you’ll not only achieve it, but you’ll feel great for doing so.

2. Create a new habit. I want to work out more often. With my job and activities it tough to workout in the afternoon, so I need to get back in the habit of morning workouts

3. Take action now. It’s all good and well to set goals or resolutions, but the best plans are worthless if you don’t act on them. Action is everything. Take action today to make your goal come true. Tomorrow, take another action. In fact, take one action toward your One Goal every day, first thing in the day, and make it the most important thing you do every day. If you do that, there’s almost no way that you won’t achieve that goal.

4. Simplify. As you might have figured out by now, simplicity is king. So this will sound redundant. But if you take the time to simplify your life, in some way, this month, your year will be much better. When we have too much going on in our lives, it overwhelms us. It spreads us thin. It makes us ineffective. Simplifying things helps keep us sane, and makes us more powerful. Take some time to identify the 4-5 things that are most important in your life, then simplify your commitments (and goals and to-do list) so that they fall in line with those 4-5 priorities. More.

5. Focus on happiness. It sounds corny, but if you make your happiness become your focus, you’ll be happier. It’s really that simple (or at least, it has been for me). What makes you happy? That should be the focus of your life. This year, make happiness be your priority. Then do the things necessary to make it a reality. Some tips.

6. Schedule time for you, and your loved ones. If these two things are in your top 4-5 important things (see above), you might consider revising the list. At least one thing on your short list of 4-5 things should be something you love to do. At least one other should be spending time in some way with people you love to spend time with. For me, its family, running a successful business, our friends and supporting the organizations I volunteer with. Everything else is superfluous.

7. Learn to focus. This goes back to what was said above about One Goal and simplifying, but it’s important not only on those macro levels, but on a day-to-day basis as well. It’s easy to get caught up in things that come our way, in the daily crises that derail our plans, in distractions and email and phone calls and Twitter. Very easy. If you allow yourself to lose focus, you’ll have a very difficult time accomplishing your goals.

Rick Bunzel
Pacific Crest Inspections
Affiliate of the Year 2006-2007
WWW.PacCrestInspections.com
360-588-6956
Fax 360-588-6965
Toll Free 866-618-7764

Getting to the top of Google Searches

Rick Bunzel (Pacific Crest Inspections) — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 11:35:25 -0600

On another post I saw an new inspector set of goal of dominating the web with his site. Thats a great goal but you need to figure out how you want to be found. For example, if I say I want to dominate all searches for "Anacortes Home Inspection" then my goal is to have my website come up in the first 5 organic listings - such as this
http://www.google.com/search?q=anacortes+home+inspection&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

For some mysterious reason Google actually gave me two listings and my pay per click ad showed up on the right side.

To get here you need to figure out the words that people would use to search for a home inspector or real estate in your area and optimize your site to show up on the top page of the search engines. A good primer is here
http://www.seomoz.org/article/beginners-guide-to-search-engine-optimization . This is not something that happens overnight. Google will scan your site slowly in the beginning and then more frequently if it see regular changes. For example mine was just scanned 5 days ago and will probably be scanned a week from now. Active Rain probably gets scanned daily.

By budgeting an hour or two a week you can get to where people will find you. In some markets such as large cities you will have to be very selective about which words you select as the more competitive the words are the tougher it will be to get to the top. Research your words carefully and start with easy words. Another tip is each page can have its own words. For example I have a town to the south of me called Oak Harbor. So I created a page focusing on those words http://www.google.com/search?q=oak+harbor+home+inspection&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

The fact that Oak Harbor is also in many of my other pages does help. I also recently saw a post where a Realtor paid a reduced fee to be ranked on Yahoo. Although this is good, 63% of surfers use Google. Will a higher ranking on Yahoo help you on Google? Yes, but their are no assurances. If your going to pay someone concentrate on Google and the result will also show on other search engines. For example :

http://www.ask.com/web?q=oak+harbor+home+inspection&search=search&qsrc=0&o=0&l=dir

http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=oak+harbor+home+inspection&fr=yfp-t-501&toggle=1&cop=mss&ei=UTF-8

Whats notable is the Microsoft's Live engine doesn't have us until page 3, why I don't know but since MSN Live only represents 11% of all searches i won't lose sleep over it!

Rick Bunzel
Pacific Crest Inspections
Affiliate of the Year 2006-2007
WWW.PacCrestInspections.com
360-588-6956
Fax 360-588-6965
Toll Free 866-618-7764

//Rick

Don't let Carbon Monoxide Get You

Rick Bunzel (Pacific Crest Inspections) — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 17:28:05 -0600

You can't see it, smell it, or taste it. Yet there's at least a chance it's in your home if you have a furnace, a fireplace, a water heater, a generator or anything else that burns fossil fuels.

After the December 2006 windstorm raged across the region, more than 300 people were sickened, and eight were killed by carbon monoxide as families without electricity turned to alternate sources of heat and power. During the recent floods, 20 adults and a 9-year-old boy became ill after inhaling carbon monoxide in an Ocean Shores grocery store powered by a generator. Less than two weeks earlier, three children died in a rural home in Grant County where a gasoline generator was running. Gov. Christine Gregoire has called the Ocean Shores incident “a reminder of the consequences of carbon monoxide” and urged families using gasoline-powered generators to also get sensors that detect carbon monoxide, which is colorless and odorless, but lethal.

At low levels carbon monoxide’s symptoms are minor but can quickly sneak on victims and be deadly. Carbon Monoxide Levels and the impact on a person:

200 PPM Slight headache within 2 - 3 hours

400 PPM Frontal headache within 1 - 2 hours

800 PPM Dizziness, nausea and convulsions within 45 minutes. Insensible within 2 hours

1600 PPM Headache, dizziness and nausea within 20 minutes. Death within 30 minutes

3200 PPM Headache, dizziness and nausea within 5 - 10 minutes. Death within 30 minutes

6400 PPM Headache, dizziness and nausea within 1 - 2 minutes. Death within 15 minutes

12800 PPM Death in less than 3 minutes

Carbon monoxide poisoning can occur several ways: when flues or chimneys become blocked; when a furnace has a cracked or rusted heat exchanger; when fuel-burning space heaters, ovens, ranges or grills are operated in the home without adequate ventilation; when generators are run near a door or window, when car exhaust from an attached garage enters the home and when there's a negative pressure balance between the inside and outside of the home, preventing adequate venting of combustion gases.

Your best defense against this killer is to install one or more carbon monoxide detectors. The latest CO alarms can detect this deadly gas before it reaches the danger level. "According to UL Standard 2034, home carbon monoxide detectors must sound a warning before carbon monoxide levels reach 100 parts per million over 90 minutes, 200 parts per million over 35 minutes or 400 parts per million over 15 minutes. The standard requires the alarm must sound before an average; healthy adult begins to experience symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning. The warning provides time to evacuate the premises." CO detectors come in many styles and range in price from under $20 to over $75. Generally the cheaper models only sound the alarm while the more expensive models will sound an alarm and display the CO level.

But what do you do and who to you call when your carbon monoxide detector goes into alarm? If the alarm goes off, turn off appliances, or other sources of combustion at once. Immediately get fresh air into the premises by opening doors and windows. Call 911, most fire department carry sensitive detection equipment that can help identify the source. If anyone is a experiencing symptom of carbon monoxide poisoning: headaches, dizziness, vomiting, call for medical assistance and immediately move the victim to a location that has fresh air.

Rick Bunzel is a member of the North Puget Sound Board of REALTORS. He has 25 years experience as a firefighter in New Jersey, California, Colorado and Washington. He owns Pacific Crest Inspections, a home inspection company in Anacortes, Washington. He can be reached at 360-588-6956 or Rick@paccrestinspections.com. More home safety information can be found at www.paccrestinspections.com

Furnace and Water Heaters don't last forever!!

Rick Bunzel (Pacific Crest Inspections) — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 13:33:52 -0600

Why do inspector's say my client's furnace or water heater needs to be replaced when they are working just fine?

Answer:

Most inspector's (like Realtor's) are trying to protect their client from having to deal with expensive component replacement . When we estimate the particular component is at or past its expected life expectancy, then we advise or client of this. The chances of the furnace, for example, failing increase dramatically when its past its life expectancy. The National Association of Home Builders publishes this information and we refer to it when evaluating a component of the home. We also take into account the maintenance or "lack of maintenance."

When a furnace isn't working, the client will get cold but with water heaters there is the possibility of floods. Many homes have their water heaters installed in the living area of the home. This can be a real issue when the water heater is approaching the end of its life, which is 12-15 years. For many homeowners, as long as water heater is doing its job, why replace it? The problem is that if it starts to fail, you need to be alerted to the problem before a little leak turns into a big leak. Visualize someone taking a garden hose, turning it on full blast and dropping it by your water heater. It won't be a pretty sight for your client and guess who the first they will call?

With all gas appliances there is always the possibility that they will produce carbon monoxide if they are not working properly. Every year we hear about carbon monoxide poisonings and they are easily prevented with regular maintenance and having a carbon monoxide detector. If a client's property doesn't have one, Pacific Crest always will recommend one.

Rick Bunzel
Pacific Crest Inspections
Affiliate of the Year 2006-2007
WWW.PacCrestInspections.com
360-588-6956
Fax 360-588-6965
Toll Free 866-618-7764

Certified - what does it really mean?

Rick Bunzel (Pacific Crest Inspections) — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 12:06:35 -0500

There has been a lot of discussion lately over the terms we use in the home inspection industry to express an individual’s competency. Certified, Master or in some states, Licensed are terms commonly used. The first two can freely be used to describe anyone while the later is regulated and awarded by city or state government.

Unfortunately anyone can use the term certified to describe someone who has taken a test or complete a course. There is no government standard, which defines the level of competency, experience or rigor necessary to pass a course or test. So in essence the term “certification” is like ChapStick or Kleenex, a generic term which is the crux of the problem we are facing. In a search of the Internet, I identified twelve organizations other than National Association of Home Inspectors that offer certifications. With the shear number of certifications and huge variation in qualifications, our challenge is to differentiate credible certification such as NAHI's from the other organizations. The simplest way is identifying the Internet based organizations. These organizations deliver their training and testing online. If I use these criteria it eliminates all other organizations with the exception of NAHI and ASHI.

Both ASHI and NAHI have spent years developing and implementing tests that are legally defensible. In other words, we can show how we created a profile of competent home inspector and developed a test that could only be passed by this type of an individual. We can also show that we only deliver this test in a supervised environment and individuals do not have any outside assistance during the exam.

I belong to the National Association of Home Inspectors. To become a Certified Real Estate Inspector a member must have 250 verifiable inspections and pass a proctored exam to achieve CRI status. In comparison, most “Internet Certifications” do not:

* Require a verifiable 250 inspections.

* Test in a proctored environment – recently a TV reporter took and passed the NACHI exam. He had no inspection experience but was able to research the answers while taking the test.

* Identity verification - With Internet exams, no effort is made to verify the test taker’s identity. One individual could take the test for everyone within a company.

* Require and track continuing education requirements - organizations only require a member to log continuing education but have no means to audit and verify compliance

Internet Certifications and the organizations behind them are bad for the industry. They allow inexperienced inspectors to use credentials such as certified and master inspector that imply far great experience and training. This can erode consumer confidence and potentially can expose all involved in the transaction to liability issues. The short-term answer is to educate the real estate community about the phony Internet certification versus genuie certifications such as NAHI’s Certified Real Estate Inspector or ASHI's NHIE exam.

Rick Bunzel
Pacific Crest Inspections
Affiliate of the Year 2006-2007
WWW.PacCrestInspections.com
360-588-6956
Fax 360-588-6965
Toll Free 866-618-7764

Inspecting for Building Codes?

Rick Bunzel (Pacific Crest Inspections) — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 11:58:49 -0500

In today's Wall Street Journal - Real Estate Journal site June Fletcher talks about disclosure and how the home inspector should be calling out code violations. Home inspectors do not inspect for code violations. Building Codes are ever changing, no two city codes are the same and variances are granted on a regular basis. Home inspectors cannot be expected to know if the particular remodel meets code or not and most disclaim it in our agreements.

However on a more general basis we will recognize or call out that a remodel that was unprofessionally done and ask if it was permitted. In most cases it they are not the sellers will need to get an "after the fact" permit. Most homeowners do not realize that by waiting to get the permit there may be extra costs to bring the affected area up to the current code. One seller was using a downstairs room as a bedroom and when the building inspector saw how the room was being used, made them install a conforming window and window well. The cost of cutting the window into foundation was substantial as well as adding the window well. When the room was originally completed the codes was less stringent.

I have had more than one Realtor raise an eyebrow when I inform my buyer to inquire about permits as this in many cases complicates the deal. My feeling is that less surprises and more disclosure are a good thing. Its not my clients (or mine) that the seller didn't get permits.

Rick Bunzel
Pacific Crest Inspections
Affiliate of the Year 2006-2007
WWW.PacCrestInspections.com
360-588-6956
Fax 360-588-6965
Toll Free 866-618-7764

Inspecting the Neighbors

Rick Bunzel (Pacific Crest Inspections) — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 17:18:59 -0500

Your Neighbors

Frequently I am surprised that buyers have not checked out the area where they are buying. We have all heard stories about how one bad apple can ruin a neighborhood. What about if that family is right next store? The sellers don't have an obligation to disclosure the real reason they are moving, do they?

Buyers should inspect the neighborhood to make sure it is compatible with their lifestyle and needs. To find out more about the neighborhood inhabitants and whether their lifestyles are compatible with your own the best thing to do is to visit the area and talk to different owners. Is the neighborhood noisy? Are there troublesome residents? What makes them troublesome? Are there children in the neighborhood? How old? How noisy? Are the common areas clean and well-maintained?

Visit the neighborhood during different periods of the day to get a sense of the noise level and comings and goings of the residents. Also, walk around the neighborhood. Noisy? Party-givers? Assess the traffic, both vehicular and pedestrian, on the street. Are there a lot of sirens? Noisy trucks? speeding cars? I used to live on a street that didn't have too much car traffic, but was the main route for young people walking home late at night from the bars at the bottom of the hill. Needless to say it could get very noisy around one or two in the morning.

Rick Bunzel
Pacific Crest Inspections
Affiliate of the Year 2006-2007
WWW.PacCrestInspections.com
360-588-6956
Fax 360-588-6965
Toll Free 866-618-7764