Licensed - Insured - Bonded ~ Nickelsen Home Inspections, LLC

Licensed – Insured – Bonded

LICENSED – Nickelsen Home Inspections is fully licensed and certified by the Washington State Department of Agriculture as Structural Pest Inspectors. All Nickelsen Home Inspections inspectors are also candidates or members of at least one professional home inspection association.

INSURED – Nickelsen Home Inspections carries a claims made Errors and Omissions Insurance policy to protect you and your investments, with limits of liability covering $500,000.

BONDED – Nickelsen Home Inspections is fully bonded, covering $12,500

Protecting Your Greatest Financial Investment

Nickelsen Home Inspections, unlike many other Washington State based home inspection firms, protects their client’s greatest investment—their home!

Poor Home Inspection Standards in Washington State

Few consumers realize that Washington State currently has no laws regulating the standards and practices of home inspectors.* While legislation has been proposed (Senate Bill 6229 www.senatebill6229.blogspot.com) that would change that, the unfortunate fact remains that people who have no business performing home inspections are doing so…

The Facts

Is Your Hairstylist More Certified Than Your Home Inspector?

FACT:

While Washington State has yet to pass legislation that would protect home owners and their greatest investment, they have taken the time to regulate the practices of hair stylists. At this time, Washington State feels that it is more important to protect your hair than your home!

Nickelsen Home Inspections disagrees.

We are in full support of regulations that would set high standards for home inspectors in the State of Washington—standards that protect consumers and aid in the professionalism of the home inspection industry.

Will Your Home Inspector Skip Town If He Misses Something?

FACT:

Home Inspectors in Washington State are NOT required to carry Errors and Omissions Insurance, a standard requirement in virtually every other State that regulates the practices of home inspectors.

Nickelsen Home Inspections carries a claims made Errors and Omissions Insurance policy that protects our clients—a $10,000 a year investment that we make for you. Our policy protects you: up to $500,000!

Make sure that your home inspector is protecting your greatest financial commitment

Is Your Home Inspector Really Qualified?

FACT:

Home Inspectors in Washington State are not required to belong to any nationally recognized home inspection organization, such as the American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI), the National Association of Certified Home Inspectors (NACHI), the National Association of Home Inspectors (NAHI), etc.

All Nickelsen Home Inspections inspectors are licensed with the Washington State Department of Agriculture as Structural Pest Inspectors. All Nickelsen Home Inspections inspectors are required to make great financial and educational investments by voluntarily belonging to the American Society of Home Inspectors and passing the National Home Inspector Examination. Some Nickelsen Home Inspections inspectors also belong to other associations, such as the National Association of Certified Home Inspectors, the Oregon Association of Home Inspectors and the Washington State Pest Control Association (see the credentials of each of our inspectors by clicking here).

Is Your Home Inspector Just Trying to Squeeze More Money From You?

FACT:

Washington State currently has no law which states that a home inspector can not do work on the house that he or she inspects. In other words, a home inspector can perform a home inspection and then bid out the cost of repairing the items.

This is a complete conflict of interest!

Nickelsen Home Inspections is in the business of performing home inspections for the good people of Western Washington State and Northwestern Oregon… we are NOT in the business of giving our clients a false report to gain further work from them.

Is Your Home Inspector Staying on Top of the Field?

FACT:

Washington State does not require home inspectors to prove that they are continuing to educate themselves and stay on top of the field.

The home inspectors at Nickelsen Home Inspectors take their job and your investment seriously. Beyond the continual education that we provide for ourselves on the side, most all of the professional associations that we belong to require that we maintain at least 25 hours of formal education per year. Some inspectors at Nickelsen Home Inspections who belong to multiple associations are required as much as 100 hours of formal education per year. Is your home inspector just after a quick buck or does your home inspector have your financial interests in mind and is he or she continuing to educate themselves for your benefit?

The Simple Fact

Nickelsen Home Inspections is a locally owned and operated inspection firm that goes above and beyond for their clients. Vastly exceeding the monetary and educational requirements currently in place in the State of Washington, Nickelsen Home Inspections, covering all of Western Washington and Northwestern Oregon, is proud to offer you solid Errors and Omissions Insurance coverage, legitimate bonds and fully licensed home inspection professionals.
Performing home inspections in over 15 counties, including Clark, Cowlitz, Skamania, Lewis, Pierce, Pacific, Multnomah and Clackamas, Nickelsen Home Inspections completes over 1,500 inspections per year for a reason: our clients and the real estate professionals that refer us to them take their financial investments and jobs seriously and will settle for nothing less than Nickelsen Home Inspections!

Check out my Active Rain, Real Estate Network Account -

http://activerain.com/jnickelsen

Justin Nickelsen
www.NickelsenHomeInspections.com

Vancouver, Washington

Where Does Nickelsen Home Inspections Offer Their Services?

A: Nickelsen Home Inspections, LLC does performs residential home inspections, commercial inspections and other inspection services in all of Western Washington State, including Clark County and Vancouver Washington, Longview, Kelso, Skamania County, Wenatchee, Olympia, Seattle, Long Beach and the Coast and just about everywhere else that you could think of!

If you need an inspection, please contact us at any time!

Justin Nickelsen
www.NickelsenHomeInspections.com

Questions that Consumers and Real Estate Professionals Should Ask a Home Inspector BEFORE Commiting to Them

Your home is probably your most valuable asset and it is essential that you choose a qualified home inspector. The following questions are the ones that you should ask any home inspector that would potentially inspect your home.

Are Home Inspectors In Your State Regulated?

Before proceeding, it is important to know whether home inspections in your state are regulated by the State government. For a list of states that regulate home inspectors, follow this URL: http://www.ashi.org/customers/state.asp

If you are a resident of Washington or Oregon, continue reading from here. If you are not, skip the next two sections and proceed to the questions.

[Inspectors Not Regulated in Washington State

Before getting to those questions, it is important for you to know that, at the present time, your hair dresser may be more "qualified" than your home inspector. Sound silly? Perhaps. But this is not a laughing matter.

Home Inspectors In Washington State are Not Regulated.

The only part of a home inspection that the State minimally gets involved with concerning the inspection of real estate are issues pertaining to "wood destroying organisms" or "pest and dry rot", as it is commonly called. Wood decay, termites, carpenter ants, etc. and the things that are "conducive to" the formation of such problems are some what regulated by the State of Washington.

If an inspector comments on any of these items in a report, they must be licensed with the Washington State Department of Agriculture. The cost of this is $45 and to "pass the test", you are required to get a C-. To put it simply: these are not very high standards.

The rest of your home, from foundation to roof, including your plumbing, electrical, furnace, air conditioner, and more are not regulated at all.

Further, home inspectors are not required to hold a claims made Errors and Omissions Insurance policy-a standard in all other States which presently regulate the practices of home inspectors.

Hence, it is extremely important that you interview your potential home inspector to assure that they have taken it upon themselves to vastly exceed the "standards" currently in place in the State of Washington.

Oregon Residents

Oregon laws which regulate home inspectors are desirable. The State of Oregon mandates that all companies performing home inspections in the State of Oregon must be licensed with the Oregon Construction Contractors Board, which requires testing and financial involvement by the inspection firm. Further, you must also pass a test, and pay associated fee, that is for home inspections in particular. Further, the State of Oregon requires an acceptable amount of continuing education by their home inspectors per year, and all must have a Bond and Errors and Omissions Insurance.]

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Questions to Ask Your Home Inspector Before Committing to Them

1. How Long Have you Been Performing Inspections, How Many Inspections Have you Performed?

Typically, nothing replaces experience. There are many good home inspectors out there that haven't done many home inspections, and there are experienced home inspectors that are not very good at what they do. Nonetheless, experience and exposure to experience are important items.

2. Do You Have a Bond AND Errors and Omissions Insurance?

No matter what they tell you about why they don't need EandO Insurance, do not hire them if they do not have it because you are not protected. A Bond is good to have, but it only covers a few thousand dollars. What if your home inspector misses something that costs $50,000? If you go after them, they will probably file for bankruptcy and will be protected by the Law. All you need to know is that you will be in a very difficult and unfortunate position.

3. What is Your Education and Are you a Member of a Nationally Recognized Home Inspection Association, such as The American Society of Home Inspectors or the National Association of Certified Home Inspectors?

While having background experience as a contractor is nice, "construction" and "home forensics" are two different fields of work and they should not be confused. Since the State of Washington does not force home inspectors to learn much about the homes they are inspecting, it is important that your home inspector belong to a nationally recognized home inspection association which does require their members to maintain continuing education throughout the year.

The three standard inspection associations are (in order): ASHI - The American Society of Home Inspectors; NAHI - The National Association of Home Inspectors; and NACHI - The National Association of Certified Home Inspectors.

4. Do You Perform Construction/Carpentry Work on Homes that You Inspect?

THIS IS A CONFLICT OF INTEREST!

They should be "inspecting" your house honestly, not looking for extra work that may lead them to "find problems" that may not actually exist.

5. Do You Pay Realtors and Real Estate Professionals for Referrals?

Believe it or not, but some home inspectors pay for the referrals of the Realtors and other Real Estate Professionals that you are putting your trust in.

THIS IS A CONFLICT OF INTEREST!

If you find out that your home inspector or your Realtor are paid for referrals, you should find another home inspector and Realtor soon.

Good real estate professionals that are serving your best interests will point you in the direction of a few solid home inspectors that will help you make an educated decision about your investment, and these real estate professionals know that a good home inspector will reflect well upon them if you are pleased with the inspector's services.

6. Do You Provide a Computer Generated Report That is Delivered On Site With Digital Pictures?

Some home inspectors may subtly (or not-so-subtly) boast of doing things the "old fashioned way" with hand written reports, or with reports that may be computer generated but are delivered 24-72 hours after the inspection.

You want your inspection report at the end of the inspection... while you are still at the house, so you are able to have it fresh in your mind, ask the inspector questions, and, perhaps, have the inspector show you what he or she is talking about.

7. Are You Licensed to Perform Structural Pest Inspections?

One advantage that Washington State has over all other States (including Oregon) is that they have some training for their inspectors with regard to Structural Pests and Wood Destroying Organisms.

While home inspectors in most other States will reduce insect damage to "termites", your home inspector should be able to tell you what kind of termite it is, or if it isn't termite damage and, rather, damage caused by other structural wood destroying insects, such as carpenter ants, moisture ants, or powderpost beetles, to give but a few examples.

8. How Long to Your Home Inspections Take?

You will find home inspectors who boast of taking 4 hours to complete a home inspection and then 4 more hours preparing the inspection report. They boast of "taking more time" and giving you a "better product".

What they are really telling you is this: I AM INEXPERIENCED AND SLOW-I DON'T DO THAT MANY INSPECTIONS.

Like many other things in life, the more you do something, the better AND faster you become at it. Would somebody question whether a secretary was less attentive to her typing skills if she typed two times as fast as another applicant? Of course not.

Likewise, would you hire somebody to build your home if they told you it was going to take two years when it would take another contractor, with a lot of experience building homes, three months (the typical time it takes to build a home)? No.

9. What are Your Prices?

This question is saved for last for a reason: people are often more willing to dump a few hundred, or a few thousand dollars into diagnostics and repairs for their car-a care that may have cost only thousands of dollars. However, when it comes to their house they often want the "cheapest inspection"-an inspection on a home that could cost anywhere from $150,000 to $500,000 or more.

What is more important than prices is what you are paying for. If you are hiring a cheap inspector, somebody that is cheaper than everyone else, there are a few things at play:

They do so little work that they are desperate for inspections. Hence, they are not very experienced.

They do not have the overhead costs of Errors and Omissions Insurance or Bonds, hence they can charge less.

They do not belong to any nationally recognized home inspection association and they do not have the time and financial commitments of belonging to one, hence they can charge less for inspections.

If you have any questions concerning this, please ask!

Justin Nickelsen, http://www.nickelsenhomeinspections.com/, Vancouver Washington

Carpenter Ants - Home Inspection in Kelso Washington

On a recent home inspection in Kelso, Washington (Cowlitz County) I found Carpenter Ants in the crawl space in foam insulation. This type of insulation, pictured left, has a face that is made of aluminum, which is stuck to about 1 inch of foam insulation. This is stuck in-between the floor joists in the crawl space.

I caught on to the ants due to a fine, foam dust on the vapor barrier. Typically, you will find find wood dust--but none of these carpenter ants were infesting the wood... only the insulation.

Very strange.

Justin Nickelsen
www.NickelsenHomeInspections.com
Vancouver, Washington

Increased Population and
Housing Prices in Portland, Oregon

Due to an expanding economy supported by high technology industries, Portland, Oregon, has experienced a real estate boom and high urban growth. According to the 2000 U.S. census, from 1990 to 2000, Oregon experienced a 20.4% population growth with an 8.9% growth in Portland. This population growth was attributed to new residents attracted by the affordable housing prices and lower cost of living than in neighboring states, such as California.

However, this increase in population has fueled the demand for housing in Portland and resulted in the increase of housing prices. According to Henry Springs for the International Real Estate Digest, "a migration that began in the mid ‘90s has seen land prices rise 300% from 1992 to 1997. Seven or eight years later, Portland is still experiencing a healthy growth rate. Housing prices have increased 44.3 percent between 1991-1999 and have continued to rise since, a median home in 1991 priced at $107,212 has since increased to $154,718 in 1999. The current median price of a single family home is $226,000, up 16 percent from last year. Housing developments show no signs of slowing down in Oregon's largest city." According to Jan McDuffee, a Broker and Relocation Specialist reporting for the Reality Times, "the Portland market continues to be brisk," as it "has seen an increase in average home price and a decrease in homes listed for sale." Even though less homes are available on the market, the Portland area is still experiencing an overall increase in home sales.

But what does this mean for potential and existing homeowners? With a high demand and increase in home prices, many potential homeowners will find themselves outbid for the home of their choice, even if they qualify for a mortgage. The result of this demand is that those who cannot afford to purchase homes that have doubled in price in the last few years, will purchase less expensive homes and thus buy out potential homeowners with smaller budgets, increasing overall home prices. Existing homeowners have the luxury of enjoying increased equity as their homes continue to appreciate in value. With this increased equity, homeowners have more flexibility with their finances and can easily compensate for expenses such as home remodeling or unexpected medical expenses.

An increase in population, home values, and an increase in overall home sales are clear indicators that the Portland housing market is not slowing down. The booming housing market is obviously beneficial for current homeowners. It can also be lucrative for prospective homeowners, who hope to purchase a home and benefit from an increase in home valuations, in a hot real-estate market.

Read more by clicking here.

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Justin Nickelsen
Nickelsen Home Inspections
Home Inspector
Structural Pest Inspector

Visit my website: www.nickelsenhomeinspections.com

Crawlspaces - Home Inspection

A crawlspace is a shallow and uninhabitable area, usually between the soil and the first floor of the home. Crawlspaces usually provide access to the electrical, plumbing and heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems located below the first floor. The following general guidelines are required in new homes:

--Minimum access opening is 18 inches by 24 inches.

--Minimum access opening if mechanical equipment (i.e. if an HVAC system is located in the crawlspace) is 30 inches by 30 inches.

--Minimum clearance between the soil and joists is 18 inches and 12 inches between the soil and beams.

--Minimum ventilation, every 150 square feet of floor space, requires a one square foot ventilation opening.

Water control and management in the crawlspace is essential for maintaining a house. The most common problem associated with wet crawlspaces is that moist conditions can lead to wood destroying fungus that deteriorates exposed framing. In addition, excessive moisture is a conducive condition that can lead to infestation of wood destroying insects, such as termites. In exceptional cases, water penetration into a crawlspace can lead to the undermining of the foundation.

Read More by clicking here

Justin Nickelsen - Nickelsen Home Inspections

Visit my website: www.nickelsenhomeinspections.com

Termites in the Northwest -
Nickelsen Home Inspections

It is critical to identify the species of destructive termites to formulate an appropriate control program. There are four main species of destructive termites in Washington.

Learn about these destructive species of termite - tips on identify the timber damage caused - find out when they swarm in your local area - identify the swarmers, workers and soldiers - learn of their fascinating biology, life-cycle and behavioural aspects - and receive professional tips on how best protect your home from this destructive timber pest.

Read more by clicking here

Justin Nickelsen
Home Inspector
Structural Pest Inspector
Nickelsen Home Inspections

Visit my website: www.NickelsenHomeInspections.com

Nickelsen Home Inspections - RADON

Health Risks

Exposure to Radon Causes Lung Cancer In Non-smokers and Smokers Alike

Lung cancer kills thousands of Americans every year. The untimely deaths of Peter Jennings and Dana Reeve have raised public awareness about lung cancer, especially among people who have never smoked. Smoking, radon, and secondhand smoke are the leading causes of lung cancer. Although lung cancer can be treated, the survival rate is one of the lowest for those with cancer. From the time of diagnosis, between 11 and 15 percent of those afflicted will live beyond five years, depending upon demographic factors. In many cases lung cancer can be prevented; this is especially true for radon.

Smoking is the leading cause of lung cancer. Smoking causes an estimated 160,000* deaths in the U.S. every year (American Cancer Society, 2004). And the rate among women is rising. On January 11, 1964, Dr. Luther L. Terry, then U.S. Surgeon General, issued the first warning on the link between smoking and lung cancer. Lung cancer now surpasses breast cancer as the number one cause of death among women. A smoker who is also exposed to radon has a much higher risk of lung cancer.

Radon is the number one cause of lung cancer among non-smokers, according to EPA estimates. Overall, radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer. Radon is responsible for about 21,000 lung cancer deaths every year. About 2,900 of these deaths occur among people who have never smoked. On January 13, 2005, Dr. Richard H. Carmona, the U.S. Surgeon General, issued a national health advisory on radon. Visit www.cheec.uiowa.edu/misc/radon.html for more on a study by Dr. William Field on radon-related lung cancer in women.

Secondhand smoke is the third leading cause of lung cancer and responsible for an estimated 3,000 lung cancer deaths every year. About 1,000 of these are people that never smoked, and about 2,000 are former smokers. Smoking affects non-smokers by exposing them to secondhand smoke. Exposure to secondhand smoke can have serious consequences for children’s health, including asthma attacks, affecting the respiratory tract (bronchitis, pneumonia), and may cause ear infections.

Read more by clicking here

Justin Nickelsen
Nickelsen Home Inspections

Visit my website: www.NickelsenHomeInspections.com

Meet Justin Nickelsen - Vancouver Washington Home Inspector, Nickelsen Home Inspections

Justin Nickelsen

Home Inspector
Structural Pest Inspector
Vancouver Washington

About Nickelsen Home Inspections - Vancouver Washington Home Inspectors

Nickelsen Home Inspections, LLC., while relatively new as an individual inspection firm, is the climax of converging Northwest experience in the real estate professions. For the last couple years we have been the fastest growing home inspection company in SW Washington.

Serving over seven counties, and able to satisfy your inspection needs seven days a week, our home inspection professionals bring almost two decades of home inspection, fire safety and playground inspection experience, over two decades of contracting and construction expertise and the constant education it takes to stay on top of this field into each and every home we examine.

Licensed, insured and bonded, Nickelsen Home Inspections, LLC understands the decisions which go into purchasing or selling real estate first hand and offers to join in helping make your experience a positive one.

We believe that our client’s real estate decisions are very personal and we wish to accent that sentiment with the personal touch of our locally owned and operated business.

As long established residents of SW Washington, and proud home owners ourselves, we offer the personal touch of understanding the emotional and financial decisions that go into purchasing a home. We, along with the real estate professionals you are working with, will be there even after our initial service is over to answer any questions or concerns you may have.

The personal touch of computer generated reports delivered on site in an understandable format, which we will go over with you, face to face, will better acquaint you with your home—we will inspect your house as if we were purchasing the home ourselves!

Nickelsen Home Inspections, LLC has found success in SW Washington on the firm ground of our personal touch and a history of trust—trust which we want to earn from you!

We would like to thank you for choosing Nickelsen Home Inspections, LLC when you make that next real estate move.

And to the thousands of people we have worked with in the last many years: thank you for the greatest compliment that we have received—a referral of our services to your family, friends and clients. We are grateful for your trust!

From all of us at Nickelsen Home Inspections, LLC

Justin Nickelsen
Home Inspector
Structural Pest Inspector
Nickelsen Home Inspections
Vancouver Washington
Portland Oregon

Home Sellers

With over 80% of homes being sold with contractual contingencies requiring a home inspection, it is incumbent upon the seller to involve the professional help of a Nickelsen Home Inspections professional.

The popularity of pre-listing inspections has grown in the last many years, and for good reason.
Consider the article that appeared on January 13, 2006 in the USA Today, titled “Seller Paying for Home Inspection”.

“Now that the lift is starting to dissipate from the real estate bubble, home sellers are turning to new strategies to sell quickly and at the right price. Thus the boomlet in homeowners hiring inspectors before they put their homes on the market,” the article said.

Why the sudden surge?

“The major motivation is to head off demands for costly price reductions from buyers. It’s cheaper to fix it than to negotiate the price down…”

Does it help the homes sell?

Liz Moore, a broker in Newport News, Virginia says that “It’s fair to say that [pre-listing home inspections are] the reason our listings sell 30% faster than the market average,” and that inspected houses “consistently sell for a few thousand dollars more” {1}.

What you can’t see, or don’t understand… can hurt you…

When you decide to sell your home you need to know what things may be brought to the table when a home inspection is inevitably done for the buyer.

Besides the obvious fact that most home owners don’t venture into crawl spaces or attics, and probably wouldn’t know what to look for if they did, serious problems may be present in your home that you are unaware of… Problems that may take your time and your money when a potential buyer comes along and their home inspector finds them.

Find and solve the problems before hand!

Save your time, save your money and do what you can to make sure that the sale of your home goes through smoothly!

Have a Nickelsen Home Inspection done before you list your house!

Justin Nickelsen
Vancouver Washington / Portland Oregon
Nickelsen Home Inspections

Home Buyers

One of the most important moments in your life is the purchase of a home. It is a decision that demands your emotions, demands your time and demands your financial involvement.

Nickelsen Home Inspections, LLC would like the opportunity to ease your concerns and make sure that your time is for leisure and your finances are secure.

How?

What you can’t see, or don’t understand… can hurt you…

Buyers that forego the services of a professionally trained, certified and insured home inspector can be asking for problems down the road… even tomorrow.

Instead of solving serious problems, like a possible termite infestation in the crawl space, prior to the purchase of a home, there are still some buyers that that forego the home inspection process only to be left with the possibility of hundreds, if not thousands of dollars worth of repairs and wasted time that could be solved at the time of the transaction.

“But, my house was built just last year,” someone says. “Why a home inspection?”

It may surprise you, but homes that were built “just last year” can have as many problems—sometimes more—than houses built two or three decades ago. Whether it be pools of water flowing into the crawl space from plumbing that was accidentally not hooked up, electrical panels that pose a fire hazard, or conditions that are conducive to wood destroying organisms (like carpenter ants, or mold), we have seen it all.

The professionals at Nickelsen Home Inspections, LLC are here to serve as a “conduit for educated real estate purchases”. Whether your house a year old, or a hundred years old, call us and we will offer you buying power, save you time and money, and offer you the peace of mind that only a Nickelsen Home Inspection can offer.

Justin Nickelsen
Nickelsen Home Inspections
Vancouver Washington
Serving Oregon and Washington, From the Mountains to the Coast!

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