Check out the recent Redfin article we were featured in:

When embarking on the exciting journey of buying a new home in Washington, there’s a crucial step that should never be overlooked: the home inspection. A home inspection is a complete assessment of a house’s condition. Whether you’re buying a house in Tacoma or hunting for homes in Spokane, a thorough inspection can mean the difference between a smooth transition into your dream home and unexpected post-purchase challenges. That’s why we reached out to Washington home inspectors to get their best insights. Here’s what they had to say.

Navigating Washington Home Inspections: A Guide for Homebuyers | Redfin

Are you weighing the benefit of having a sewer scope inspection? Every home whether new or old has the potential for having problems with the building sewer pipe. It is difficult to know if there is a problem with the sewer pipe without a sewer scope inspection. Because the main sewer pipe is out of sight, it is often not upgraded or inspected when the home is upgraded. The older the home the greater the potential for problems with an aging sewer pipe.

• New or newly remodeled homes can have construction debris in the pipe that can cause a blockage or the pipe can be improperly installed.
• Homes built before 1980 can have aging outdated sewer pipe materials that are near or at the end of their life and deteriorating. Materials such as clay, concrete, cast iron, asbestos cement (aka Transite), or bituminous fiber pipe (aka Orangeburg).
• Older homes can be nicely remodeled and look great, but the building sewer pipe has not been updated or inspected.
• Trees growing between the home and the sewer/septic connection can lead to root intrusion into the pipe.
• If you are an existing home owner and have never had a sewer scope performed. This can help identify any potential problems before they become a major concern.

At Spear Home Inspection, when you have the sewer scope performed at the same time with the home inspection, there is a savings on the fee. The fee for a sewer scope is small compared to the repair costs you might encounter with a problematic sewer pipe. When you combine your home inspection with a sewer scope you are will have a more accurate understanding of what your home may require in the future. Give us a call today at 425-888-4470 to schedule your inspection. Happy home hunting!

The closet ceiling to the normal eye

The hidden leak caught with my infrared camera

What is the advantage of having an infrared certified home inspector who uses a thermal imaging camera as part of their service? During a typical home inspection, there are several different problems that an infrared scan can expose that could otherwise go unseen. Today we will look at one of the more common problems that are found in a home inspection, water intrusion.

Above you see photos from a home inspection in Issaquah. The closet ceiling had been repaired and painted. The photo on the left shows the closet ceiling as seen on a typical walk through.  Because of the newly painted ceiling patch I took a photo. There was no visible signs of water damage at this time and there was no access to the attic space at this location. The photo on the right with the thermal image overlay shows that the roof leak above the closet had not been successfully repaired and was still leaking. I confirmed the presence of moisture with my moisture meter. Sometimes small leaks can go unnoticed on the surface for years until the damage to the structure finally begins to show on the surface.

You should always research the home inspector you are thinking about using to be sure that they are adequately qualified with the proper licensing, training, and background in residential construction or architecture. If your home inspector uses a thermal imaging camera, also be sure that they are certified by a reputable certification company to properly use the camera. Until next time, happy home hunting!