• Seattle Home Inspection
• Tacoma Home Inspection
• Olympia Home Inspection
• Puyallup Home Inspection
• Real Estate Inspection

Who makes the determination to request a home inspection?

There are several different sources for this request.  You as a buyer or seller of a home can request a home inspection.  The bank or mortgage broker and/or the loan underwriter can, and often do make the request for a home inspection.   Finally, your real estate agent will often request a home inspection.

What is a structural home inspection?  How does it differ from a pest inspection?

This is an objective, third party, evaluation of the building materials, construction practices and methods used to construct the home.   Having had several years of experience gives me a very strong confidence to accurately determine several factors pertaining to how your home was constructed.  A pest inspection is different from a structural inspection, in that it deals with living organisms, such as termites and carpenter ants, and wood rot.  When only pest inspection is conducted, usually it requires that seller make the corrections before the buyer can purchase the home.  This is often the case with Manufactured Homes, where the lender is making the pest inspection a requirement for purchasing the home.  Lenders rarely get involved in conventional built homes and usually do not care about the home inspection, since they are relying on the value given by the appraisor.

Who should get a Structural Home Inspection?

If you are buying a home you should definitely get the home inspected, even if it is a new one. If you are selling your home, it is a real good idea to have it inspected before you put it on the market. This way, if there are any problems with the home they can be corrected before the purchaser discovers them. You could lose the sale if the problems are to numerous or time consuming.  Remember: A good home inspection will almost always pay for itself several times over, in the amount of repairs needed, or the reduction in selling price to compensate the problems discovered during the inspection.

What is involved in a Typical Home Inspection?

The typical home inspection takes somewhere around 1-1/2 to 2-1/2 hours of time at the premises, plus another 2 to 3 hours in my office writing the report. We start the process with signing a pre-inspection agreement for insurance purposes. I prefer that the buyer or seller be present at the time of the inspection.  This is a visual inspection.  Areas that cannot be accessed are not inspected.  I start with outside of the home and roof area.   I prefer to walk on the roof, weather and roof pitch permitting, as I can tell whether or not there are problems in the roof sheeting.  Then the inside of the home, checking for the functionality of the kitchen, plumbing system, electrical systems, heating and cooling systems, venting systems, windows, egress areas, etc. I then inspect the attic spaces looking for proper insulation levels, disconnected vent pipes, proper roof venting, roof leaks, mold, electrical problems, etc. I then do an inspection of the roof.   I then do an outside audit of exterior conditions and approaches. Finally, if there is a crawl space under the house, I go down inside the crawl space and inspect under the house. During this whole time I am making personal audio notes on my digital recorder and taking digital photos of observed problem areas.  Payment for the inspection is made at this time, either by check, credit card (Visa, MasterCard, Discover Card), or cash.  After, the visual inspection of the home I return to my office. During this time I check my personal resources for items that might be recalled by the manufacture, such as garage door openers, tank-less hot water heaters, garbage disposals, and any other item that is recalled by the manufacturer. I then compile the written report with photos included. I usually fax, mail, or email the written report.  If you would like a CD-ROM of the final report, that can be done also, but it is an extra cost.

How much will this cost me?

Please see our pricing and location page for this information.  I do offer discounts also.  Remember: Good work is never cheap, and cheap work is never good.

How soon can I expect to receive the report?

The typical turn around time is one business day. For an extra $60 charge I can arrange to have the report complete and returned on the same day.

Is this report a scientific document?

No. The written report is my professional opinion of the home in question. No destructive testing methods are employed in the process. You are hiring me to give you my professional and objective evaluation of the home you wish to buy or sell, just as you would take a car that you are interested in buying to a mechanic for his evaluation of the vehicle. You must make the final determination of buying or selling based on the information provided to you.

Does the State of Washington require licensing for Home Inspectors?

No.  This state does not require licensing for structural home inspectors, but it does require pest inspectors to be licensed.

If licensing is not required by the state, how can I determine who is qualified to be an inspector?

Go with one who has the most experience and is certified by an outside agency, and preferably one who has several years in construction.  I have seen many real estate web sights suggesting that someone with an engineering degree should be preferred,  but I have one of those degrees and I have worked with several engineers in construction who have degrees, and I am not that impressed with their credentials.  Experience is better than education.

What areas are served by Trek Inspection Services?

• Seattle Home Inspection
• Tacoma Home Inspection
• Renton Home Inspection
• Auburn Home Inspection
• Kent Home Inspection
• Olympia Home Inspection
• Puyallup Home Inspection
• Gig Harbor Inspection
• Bonney Lake Home Inspection
• Lacey Home Inspection
• Sumner Home Inspection
• Dupont Home Inspection
• Yelm Home Inspection