Blower Door, Duct Blaster & HVAC Testing Services in Wenatchee

Wenatchee HVAC Testing:  AMS Inspection Services is now offering duct blaster and blower door testing services in response to the requirements for  Washington State Energy Code. New construction homes must be tested by third-party technicians to ensure the HVAC and envelop sealing performs up to the new standards. We have two Energy Star Performance Technicians on staff and ready to help with your projects.  Ask us about a multiple home discount!

• Learn more about the HVAC & Sealing Energy Code.
• More info about Wenatchee Home Inspections and blower door testing available on our blog.

Reposted from:  Introducing Blower Door, Duct Blaster & HVAC Testing Services in Wenatchee.

Leavenworth Home Inspection Photo: Stick a cork in it!

I never know what I’m going to come across.  Check out this photo from a recent Leavenworth home inspection.  It’s an interesting way to fill a hole.  Now you know what to do with all those corks you get from wine tasting in Leavenworth!

Lake Chelan Home Inspection Photo

Here is an opportunity to learn from someone else’s mistake.  Check out the photo below taken at a recent Chelan home inspection.  You should never cut a main support beam so that plumbing pipes have an easier route.  Pipes have curved elbows and connections for a reason!  Don’t compromise the overall integrity of your structure.  Use proper plumbing installation practices.

Realtor’s Charity Putt-Putt Tournament: Having fun and supporting the community!

On Thursday our home inspection company sponsored the North Central Washington Association of Realtor’s “Golf for the Good” Putt-Putt Tournament at Desert Canyon near Lake Chelan.  The community fundraiser benefitted the YMCA Scholarship Program for Kids, Respite Care and the Wenatchee Valley Humane Society. 

The day was a lot of fun and we raised quite a bit of money for local charities.  A huge thanks goes out to all the sponsors:  Wenatchee World, AMS Inspection, Pioneer Title, Mortgage Advisory Group, Pacific Appraisal, Laura Mounter Real Estate, Anita & Larry Day, People Bank, Banner Bank, Numerica Credit Union, US Bank Home Mortgage, Karie Rolen & John L Scott, Cashmere Valley Bank Mortgage, Sangster Motors, Jackie Blanchfield, Jeffers- Danielson- Sonn- Aylward, Ogden- Murphy- Wallace, Johnson- Gaukroger- Smith- Merchant, LocalTel Communications, Eagle Home Mortgage, Carole Keane, NCHBA and Wells Fargo Home Mortgage.

2011 Tour of Homes : Wenatchee, Chelan, Malaga & Peshastin

credit: http://www.nchba.cc

The North Central Home Builders Association’s annual Tour Of Homes is coming up on Sept. 22-25th.  Most homes are in the Wenatchee area but you’ll find one in Lake Chelan, Malaga and Peshastin.  For complete details about the tour, directions, coupons and more visit their website.  As members of NCHBA we are proud to be a part of this great event!  In Leavenworth pick up coupons at Marson & Marson Lumber or Dan’s Food Market.

Leavenworth’s 16th Annual Home & Garden Tour

Photo credit: http://www.cascademedicalcenter.org

Don’t miss Leavenworth’s 16th Annual Home & Garden Tour on Sunday, Sept. 11th.  You can begin at any of the homes starting at noon and it ends at 5:00 p.m.  The cost is $20 per person and the proceeds benefit the Cascade Medical Center Foundation and their purchase of a new Automated Medication Dispensing System. 

TOUR HOMES INCLUDE: 

9343 Lone Pine Orchard

Road  10741 Titus Road

11630 Alpenview Estates

11650 Alpenview Estates

12661 Shore Street

12659 Shore Street

506 Orchard Street

Tickets are available beginning September 1 at Cascade Medical Center’s Admitting Office at 817 Commercial Street.  Tickets will also be on sale at the individual homes on September 11th.  For more information call (509) 860-1963 or email imbikin@gmail.com or visit http://www.cascademedicalcenter.org.

Winthrop Home Inspection Photo: Rattlesnakes!

Check out this recent photo from a home inspection in Methow Valley.  I came across a dead rattlesnake in the crawl space.  This deadly guy may have entered through the ventilation while chasing dinner.  Make sure your crawl spaces are adequately sealed!

Winthrop home inspection in Methow Valley

Improper aluminum wiring ‘sparks’ interest in a hot water heater repair.

How hot is too hot?  We recently observed this hot water heater on a Leavenworth home inspection in the upper Wenatchee Valley.  Aluminum branch circuit wiring was used to supply the hot water heater’s energy.  Improper installation caused a potential dangerous situation.  The unions between the aluminum and copper wire created galvanic corrosion which can weaken the terminal at the switch, receptacle or union.  As the branch circuit is energized the aluminum and copper wires expand and contract at different rates causing the terminal termination at the switch, receptacle or union to loosen.  The loose connections can allow arcing and pitting, creating a hazard for shock or fire, and eventually causing the circuit to fail.  To learn more information about aluminum wiring read my earlier blog entry.

And the hot water heater was still being used, but not anymore!  Based on our inspection they hired a professional electrician to fix the improper installation.  Do you want to know how your home is performing?  An AMS Home Inspection can indentify potentially dangerous conditions.  Call today for more information on home inspections in Leavenworth, Chelan, Seattle, Wenatchee and surrounding areas.

Washington State building permits increase: A positive sign.

Now that our Seattle and Wenatchee home inspection company offers HVAC testing (duct blaster) for new construction homes we like to keep an eye on the new construction permits.  The 2009 Energy Code for HVAC Sealing requires a third-party verifier to make sure the HVAC system complies with the minimum performance requirement, therefore, we are hired to conduct the HVAC duct testing.

In the May/June issue of the BIAW’s Building Insight Newsletter the chart below displayed a positive sign of recovery in the building industry since 2010.  Spokane, Pierce, King, Franklin and Benton Counties helped to push the May 2011 building permits over the May 2010 totals.  The overall improvement for 2011 shows a 38% increase in building permits year-to-date in May.  Chelan, Mason, Kittatas, Cowlitz, Island and Jefferson Counties didn’t have much change from May 2010 to May 2011.  Let’s hope the trend keeps improving for Washington’s building and real estate industries.

Source: BIAW Building Insight, Residential Building Permits Issued May 2011

Pre-listing home inspections are worth every dollar and more!

Pre-listing home inspections from Seattle to Wenatchee, Leavenworth and Lake Chelan.

Ready to sell your house?  Give yourself an edge in this tough market with a pre-listing inspection. 

Sell your home faster! Put your best foot forward from the beginning and let buyers know that you have nothing to hide.

Receive better offers when you have disclosed the true condition of the property with a pre-listing inspection report. Avoid “low ball offers.”

Eliminate price negotiations based on the buyer’s inspection. If you’ve priced the home based on the pre-listing inspection’s findings then you’ve decreased the reasons for price negotiations after mutual acceptance.

Avoid walk-away buyers by removing surprises. Frustrated buyers will often walk away from a deal when the inspection report exposes concealed repairs.

The price is right! Resolve all issues before the house goes on the market and price it accordingly. Don’t want to fix it? Reflect the current condition in the listing price.

Increase profits when you have completed the repairs yourself. Even minor findings in the buyer’s inspection can result in profit losses. The buyer will frequently provide the higher contractor bid while you would have chosen the best value bid.

HERE’S A COUPON FOR YOUR PRE-LISTING INSPECTION!

pre-listing home inspection coupon