King County housing market hits 5-year high

KING-5 News reports that Seattle is experiencing a stronger real estate performing the best in 5 years.  Small home inventory, increase in home values and excited buyers are contributing to the favorable performance.

Check out the full article and news report video at KING-5 News.

AMS Inspection Services is a home inspection company based out of Leavenworth, WA, with inspectors in Seattle, Wenatchee and throughout Chelan and Douglas counties.  AMS Inspection performs blower door tests for on new construction projects. 

Blower Door Tests for Seattle, Wenatchee & Chelan County

A new Washington State building code requires all new construction homes to pass a blower door test ensuring that the home does not exceed the maximum allowable air leakage rate.  The blower door test verifies that the new home is sealed tightly and will perform efficiently.  If a new home is not properly sealed during construction it will be costly down the road to fix the home’s air leakage problems.  Watch this video from WSU Extension Energy Experts to learn more.

Air Sealing, Chapter 4: Measuring Building Tightness from Energy Experts on Vimeo.

AMS Inspection Services is a home inspection company based out of Leavenworth, WA, with inspectors in Seattle, Wenatchee and throughout Chelan and Douglas counties.  AMS Inspection performs blower door tests for contractors in new construction projects.

Wenatchee Home Inspection Photo: Rats!

Crawl spaces are a popular destination for rodents and pests.  It’s important to keep your crawl space completely sealed to avoid unwanted house guests.

AMS Inspection is a home inspection company based out of Leavenworth with inspectors in Seattle, Wenatchee, Methow Valley, Chelan and surrounding areas.

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.

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.

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

Washington building industry to recover by end of 2012.

Our Wenatchee home inspection company is a member of the North Central Home Builders Association.  In the May/June issue of the Building Industry Association of Washington’s Building Insight Newsletter they included the chart below.  The green states show the best recovery predicted from 18 months from now.  These are promising numbers.  It is careful to note that the building demand may return but the cost of building may also increase.  With many out-of-work skilled laborers finding different jobs and mills shutting down during this construction lull the labor and materials may be in short supply and thus increasing the cost of new homes.  Those that are able to make investments right now are in a fine position to get the best deals.

Source: BIAW Building Insight May/June 2011