Comprehensive Home Inspections For Washington Realtors, Buyers, And Sellers

For Home Buyer & Home Seller Protection

Comprehensive Home Inspections For Washington Realtors, Buyers And Sellers

For Home Buyer & Home Seller Protection

Andrew Tewson, a certified home inspector and the owner of Slopeside Home Inspections in Vancouver, Washington invites realtors serving all or part of the southwest Washington region to create a mutual service relationship with Slopeside Home Inspections. Andrew Tewson will serve realtors and their clients in Vancouver, WA and the southwest Washington region, providing client-oriented home inspections. Slopeside Home Inspections can evaluate the homes the realtors’ clients are buying, with inspections for safety and soundness to help ensure it is an appropriate fit for their family. Slopeside Home Inspections can also evaluate the homes the realtors’ clients are listing or selling, with inspections for safety and soundness, which can serve to expedite purchase offers from interested buyers.

Andrew Tewson is a Washington licensed home inspector who has uniquely prepared himself to serve Washington realtors.

• Washington Licensed Home Inspector #1894

Andrew Tewson is an Oregon certified home inspector who can serve Oregon realtors.

• Oregon Certified Home Inspector #1998 (CCB #215197)

Andrew is a conscientious professional who attains excellent reviews from his clients. Being available for inspection appointments 6 days a week, Andrew is able to accommodate time-constrained schedules. Andrew’s trained and experienced eye provides tremendous advantage to realtors who utilize his inspection expertise. The home of the realtor’s client, buyer or listing, will receive a comprehensive and exhaustive home inspection that is unmatched in attention to detail. Clients are encouraged to attend their inspection as their presence during the inspection allows an on-site opportunity for Andrew to answer any questions that arise during the inspection.

For those realtors whose buying or selling clients desire the latest in home inspection technology, Andrew can inspect homes with advanced tools for inspections, such as thermal imaging, at no extra cost. Thermal imaging utilizes a specialized thermographic camera to detect infrared heat signatures throughout a home which is the optimal tool for locating areas of energy loss, to determine electrical hot spots, and when coupled with a moisture meter, to reveal moisture intrusion.

The Ideal General Home Inspection Services For Washington Realtors, Buyers And Sellers

Andrew Tewson, at Slopeside Home Inspections, can provide the ideal general home inspection services for Washington realtors, and for their buyer and seller, listing clients. Andrew comprehensively evaluates the visible and readily accessible areas of the residential homes he inspects for the realtor’s buyer or seller, including:

Roof
Attic, Ventilation, & Insulation
Foundation, Basement, & Crawl Space
Exterior (doors, windows, cladding)
Interior (doors, windows, floors, walls, ceilings, stairs)
Decks
Fireplaces & Wood Stoves
Heating & Cooling Systems
Plumbing System
Electrical System
Built-in Kitchen Appliances
Infrared Thermal Imaging (as needed)

New Construction Home Inspections For Washington Realtors, Buyers And Sellers

When the construction of a new home is completed, or when it is approaching the final stages of construction, Slopeside Home Inspections recommends realtors to schedule a professional inspection for their buyer or seller. Getting the condition of a new home evaluated provides an opportunity for material defects, the improper installation of home components, and oversights in construction procedures, to be identified and addressed before the time arrives to close the realty transaction.

The Risks Of Foregoing The Home Inspection Of A New Home

Have you recently purchased a new widget, a new home appliance, or a new car? If you have, chances are you may have had a problem or two with the quality or the function of the item you purchased. The quality of a product, whether a yo-yo or a new home, can be unpredictable due to unseen flaws in the finished product. No one sets out to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on a new home purchase, and move in, only to discover the dream home has a problem or two. Unfortunately, construction flaws and material defects in new homes can lead to costly repairs, or end in suffocating legal expenses to make things right. New homeowners can wisely protect their investment with a thorough home inspection, by a certified home inspection professional, prior to moving in. The home inspection can reveal problems before the purchase is finalized.

Learning from those who have traveled this path before can provide valuable information. Building supply vendors, builders, and subcontractors, they all are doing what they do to the best of their ability. Home construction comes with deadlines. These deadlines, and the array of materials and schedules involved in constructing a home, from employees missing work to late building supply deliveries, can create hectic workflows which can lead to something being missed. What gets missed will be a minor detail or a substantial oversight. Either way, it will be an inconvenience or a costly expense for the new homeowner. How often does something that is overlooked become costly expense to the new homeowner? What percentage of new homes have substantial problems which should have been fixed before the new homeowner moved in? Let’s take a look at some 2022 statistics.

Percentage Of 2022 Homeowners Who Maintained, Or Had To Prematurely Repair, An Issue After Moving Into A New Home

Even though no one previously lives in a house when it is a newly built home; still, 90% of new homes require premature maintenance measures. Premature, meaning, maintenance measures were required prior to the new home component’s lifespan was/were expected to expire. These premature maintenance issues are likely to include one or more of the components listed below.

• 37% – Security System
• 36% – Electrical
• 36% – Plumbing
• 34% – Smart Home Technologies
• 34% – Flooring
• 33% – Roofing
• 33% – Drywall
• 32% – Heating/Air Conditioning
• 32% – Foundation
• 26% – Landscaping

Of those homeowners who did have an inspection performed on their new home, 65% of the inspections uncovered issues in the newly constructed home and 24% of the new homes did not even pass the inspection. This might be palatable if the problems are minor, but some of the more common issues which the home inspections of new homes reveal, involve either safety related shortfalls or expensive repairs. Problematic issues, and the percentage of new homes in which home inspections revealed those issues existed, are listed below. 

• 38% – HVAC Systems
• 36% – Safety Related Problems
• 35% – Paint/Other Finishes
• 33% – Drainage Issues
• 32% – Structural Inadequacies
• 32% – Water Damage/Leaks
• 31% – Foundation Problems
• 31% – Window/Door Drafts
• 31% – Roof Issues
• 25% – Electrical Outlets Non-Functional

The above statistics are from two surveys of the homeowners of newly constructed homes. The surveys were carried out by a company who seeks to provide clear real estate information to the real estate industry while increasing transparency for home buyers by publishing expert advice that streamlines the steps in the home buying and selling processes.

Pre-Listing Home Inspections & 4-Point Pre-Listing Home Inspections For Washington Realtors, Buyers And Sellers 

Slopeside Home Inspections offers Pre-Listing home inspections. Before a realtor’s listing client sells their home, it is good practice for the realtor to arrange for the seller to have the property evaluated by a professional home inspector. A Pre-Listing Inspection allows a seller to have a clear understanding of the home’s condition before it goes on the market. This can give the seller the information needed to more accurately estimate the property’s value, and creates an opportunity to preemptively resolve any issues that could reduce a buyer’s offer and/or stall negotiations.

Slopeside Home Inspections also offers to the realtors’ listing clients the option of a discounted, customizable, 4-Point Pre-Listing inspection that focuses on any four major parts of the home. The four major parts of a home can include the roof, crawlspace, attic, mechanicals etc. The 4-Point Pre-Listing inspection is perfect for newer homes and/or for well maintained homes.

How Pre-Listing Inspections Can Benefit Sellers

Experienced realtors know that every house is likely to have problems. They have traversed countless issues in the journey of selling homes when problems and surprises unexpectedly raising their head. Most typically, the event that causes these surprises to raise their head is a when a potential buyer requests an inspection of the home being reviewed. These surprises tend to bog down the anticipated timeline of the sell of a home and they often introduce conditions around which the home buyer will make an offer lower than the listed price.

The normal wear and tear of a home will inevitably cause deficiencies in a home which some potential buyers will take some level of issue with. When a buyer-initiated home inspection reveals such deficiencies, or uncovers outright problems, they often use the dings in the home inspection report as leverage for attempting to negotiate for a lower closing price. Somehow, though, many home sellers, and even real estate agents, are surprised when a home inspection report doesn’t give the house a spotless and sparkling evaluation.

Every problem has a solution. A less than perfect home inspection report, from home inspections late in the sales process or during a sales transaction, can be a problem and it is usually a problem for the seller. There is a solution. Real estate agents with a bevy of experience, and who are well versed in the good strategies of selling a home, know the solution. The solution is the pre-listing inspection of the home by a certified home inspector. A pre-listing home inspection is an inspection of the home prior to the house being listed for sale, before any buyer looks at the home.

A pre-listing home inspection is the optimal solution when selling most any home, because every home is likely to have one or more problems or issues. Scheduling a pre-listing home inspection is a wise move, and a transparent business practice; because everyone knows what is on the table before any negotiating begins. A pre-listing home inspection also side steps the potential for the emotions of the home buyer to enter into the sales transaction, because the buyer can not be caught off guard by a later scheduled home inspection throwing surprises into the equation. When a pre-listing inspection removes the possibility of problems with the home arising as surprises, it can give the buyer the peace of mind which leads to a strong level of comfort and lends to their confidence when considering the purchase decision. A pre-listing home inspection can  also reduce the chance of seller liabilities. When deficiencies with the home are not uncovered before closing, they can sometimes become legal issues for the homeowner or the real estate agent; issues for which one, or both, may be held liable.

As a realtor, if you encourage your home listing clients to get a pre-listing home inspection, you allow yourself and the homeowner time to make decisions in what to do about any home deficiencies the home inspection may reveal. This puts you, the realtor, and the home seller, in the driver’s seat. No surprises are nice. The possibility of being caught off guard is minimalized. In arranging for a pre-listing home inspection, you will also have done what is necessary to reduce buyer fear. Buyer fear can be a determining factor in a home sales negotiation going south. Speed up the sales of your home listing clients and the satisfaction of all involved in the home selling process. Encourage your home listing clients to schedule a pre-listing home inspection. 

Mold Inspections In Home Inspections For Washington Realtors, Buyers And Sellers

Mold in a home can cause numerous health problems for homeowners and their families. Removing the mold can introduce risks to one’s health and require costly structural and cosmetic repairs. The presence of mold isn’t always readily visible, and the moisture that facilitates it can go undetected. Slopeside Home Inspections is certified to test the homes of realtor represented buyers and sellers for mold to help ensure that their health and investment are protected.

Mold can wreak substantial property damage and present various health hazards. Mold can spread on walls and ceilings, or on and under floors, in a widespread and visible fashion; or, it can go undetected when it crops up inside of walls, attics, closets and cabinets. It can be a progressive problem, spreading slowly, or sometimes spreading surprisingly quickly. Realtors, who are looking for a home inspector for their clients, will want to acquire the expertise of a home inspection service which is capable of inspecting for the presence of, and damage by, mold.

Potential mold trouble spots in a home can include crawl spaces, basements, and attics, when insufficient ventilation and high humidity create the optimal environments for mold to grow. Other possible mold locations are the interior and exterior edges of windows and along window trim where condensation accumulates, as well as behind exterior wall siding where cracks allow water to enter the home, slowly, over time. Rooms with water sources, such as kitchens, bathrooms, pantries, utility rooms, or garages, are hot spots for mold if plumbing, faucets, pipes, or appliances leak and contribute to an environment that allows mold growth to become established.

If homeowners, who are selling or buying a home through a realtor, are aware of some of the signs of the presence of mold in a home, they can sometimes detect it themselves and thereby understand the importance of a home inspection documenting its presence. Mold can be detected by sight, by smell, or by our body defense mechanisms reacting in given, predictive manners.

If a the home buyer sees water stains or strange coloring in areas of a home, they can bring this to the attention of the realtor in reference to the importance of a home inspection to accurately assess what it is. If water stains are visible on walls, ceilings or carpeting, it is possible there is mold beneath, above, or behind those surfaces. If a stain is visible and there is no visible water leak, that could mean the leak had been repaired some time ago. Furthermore, if mold is present, it may have been growing for an extensive, unknown, period of time. It is possible that the mold has a wide footprint in hidden recesses. If strange textures are visible on these same surfaces, it may be mold, even if it is not the color one would typically associate with mold. Mold can present itself in most any color. If stains or odd textures have a strange color, it may be mold.

If a home buyer smells a musty smell, there is a chance it is due to mold growing in the area. Sometimes mold will smell like rotting wood. If the nose is indicating something is foul, the home buyer or home seller will want to be sure to bring this to the attention of the realtor so they can get a home inspector to inspect the home.

If a home buyer notices allergy symptoms upon viewing a home, the symptoms may be due to mold in the home. These symptoms can range from nose, throat, and lung irritations to itchy skin or eyes. If hay fever symptoms exhibit themselves, outside of the hay fever season, but upon walking through the home, that can be a sign that mold is present.

Whether you are a realtor, the home buyer, or the home seller represented by the realtor, including a mold inspection with a home inspection can be helpful. Mold that spreads can make a home dangerous to live in. If mold is present, it can be costly to remove the mold and to repair the affected structures. Removal and remediation can involve costly professional services which employ special, environmentally safe techniques with specialty equipment. Detecting mold before selling or buying a home can save both the buyer and the seller from experiencing an unsatisfactory property transaction.

Radon Testing In Home Inspections For Washington Realtors, Buyers And Sellers

Radon is an odorless, tasteless, potentially deadly radioactive gas that is a known contributing cause of lung cancer. Radon gas originates from the decomposition of rock and soil deep underground. When radon escapes the surface, it’s possible for the gas to concentrate inside a home. Andrew Tewson, with Slopeside Home Inspections, is trained to properly inspect homes for radon with the tools which accurately detect its presence in a home.

Re-Inspections Of Homes For Realtor Represented Buyers And Sellers

If Slopeside Home Inspections conducted a home inspection for the home of a buyer or seller who was represented by a realtor, and if that inspection turned up any issues that have since been repaired, Andrew will gladly offer a Re-Inspection to ensure that the work done to repair the issue was performed correctly. Whether it was defective drywall, an electrical system issue, or other; Andrew will carefully examine any repairs or improvements that have been made to make sure that everything is safe and operational.