Bellingham Home Inspectors

As a leading real estate professional in Whatcom County, I want to explain my views on the necessity of hiring a qualified home inspector in Bellingham when you buy a home. A home inspection, by a qualified home inspector, greatly reduces the chances that the home you are buying will have serious problems. In the wet climate here in the Pacific Northwest, a perfect breeding ground for rot and wood destroying insects, the inspection for wood destroying organisms is absolutely essential. In fact, in this state, any inspector hired as part of a real estate transaction must be licensed and is mandated to perform an inspection for wood destroying organisms. The law allows a buyer to choose to waive having a home inspection, but if an inspector is hired, the inspector must be state licensed to inspect for wood destroying organisms and such an inspection must take place.

Advice on Bellingham home inspection

My professional advice to a buyer is to make sure that the inspector selected to do the job is state licensed and qualified to do such an inspection. The state has strict requirements for the manner in which the wood destroying organism inspection and report must be conducted. Be sure to ask, when booking an inspection, if the inspector is licensed to inspect for wood destroying organisms. If not, then find another inspector because that individual is not detail oriented and is ignoring state law -- unless he or she plans to hire another state licensed inspector to ride along and help out. Serious or hidden issues with roofs and crawl spaces are the most common reasons for buyers to walk away from deals. And those issues are, almost always, found during the inspection for wood destroying organisms. A good home inspection, in the long run, could save you thousands of dollars.

Selecting a home inspector in Bellingham WA

Selecting a home inspector, based on price alone, is not usually the best approach. While almost all home inspectors have competitive pricing, choosing a less qualified inspector in order to save $25.00 to $50.00 is not a wise investment. Think about it: If you live in a house for only three years, the thorough and high quality inspection – that might save you thousands of dollars or a real heartache – will amortize out to about 4 cents per day. If you live in the house longer, it is even less than that! Ask questions when you are hiring an inspector. Trained and qualified Bellingham home inspectors have a broad base of knowledge and a proper home inspection will include the exterior, the roof, the attic, plumbing, electrical, heating and air conditioning systems, chimneys and the all so critical foundation and crawl space – where the most serious problems are usually found.

Preferred Bellingham Wa Home Inspector

We have worked with Steven Smith, of King of the House. Steve is a state licensed structural pest inspector and is, also, the program coordinator for Bellingham Technical College. Bellingham Technical College offers, in major cities around Washington state, a month long college level class that trains professional home inspectors to meet state and industry standards.

For a number of years, Steve has been teaching other inspectors how to identify, and inspect for, wood destroying organisms. Of course, Steve also provides the complete home inspection my clients demand including the crawl space, structure, attic, roof, electrical, plumbing, heating, etc. Steve is easy to work with, knowledgeable, provides excellent customer service and retains an excellent scope of knowledge about home inspection issues. When selecting a qualified home inspector in Bellingham, or even if you need an inspection anywhere else in Whatcom County or the Pacific Northwest, we highly recommend King of the House, Inc

Office: 360-676-6908
Toll free: 866-676-6908
Cell: (360)-319-0038