Salem, Oregon Home Inspection Blog

The United States have has seen a definete movement toward energy efficiency and "going greeN.  As part of my business model I try to stay on top of and educate myself on the very latest in information that is out there in regards to home inspections, building science, home maintenance, applianc...

Carpenter ants. They are just one of the three big players in the wood destroying insect world around Salem, Oregon. Or the pest part of a "Pest and Dry rot" Inspection. Overall carpenter ants are relatively easy to control but this control does require some environmental adjustment and future vi...

With in the last 10 years the siding products that are available have gotten significantly better.  With the popularity of the cementatious boards siding deterioration issues have become less and less.  There are still plenty of homes that have the wood chip composite boards out there.  Here is ...

Part 1 and Part 2 were to be about the terms: “pest and dry rot.” I detailed what the inspection was about and what the term “pest” might mean. Now I will try to describe the term “dry rot.” Wood destroying Fungus on a Salem Oregon Home Inspection In the real estate world any rot or deterioratio...

What is “pest and dry rot?” Good question right? Seriously I am a home inspector, shouldn’t I know to what these terms are referring? The words, “pest and dry rot,” are really confusing to this poor home inspector. What exactly is a pest? I know a family here in Salem, Oregon that has the south ...

Pest and Dry Rot.  These are items that seem to be pretty straight forward, but if you look at the actual definition of these terms even I start to get confused! Pest and Dry Rot is an unbelievably ambiguous term that gets thrown around a lot during the course of a real estate transaction.  To l...

One of the major events in my life that drove me into the home inspection industry was learning of thermal imaging/infrared and the benefits of this technology for home inspections. I was doing a home inspection the other day on a very nice, and newer home here in south Salem today.  The home had...

This whole on-line world can be a little overwhelming, especially to someone that has just discovered blogging and the power that it can wield. What is the world is this all about and how does it work are great questions and will help to improve your understanding of on-line marketing and Search ...

Google Docs people!!    The computer programs that I have been working with lately have opened my eyes to the world beyond MS.  As I struggle to make MS products work correctly I have been realizing that my thriving, thorny garden of irritation for MS can be hacked at by all sorts of free and fan...

Every inspector is different but I like to get everyone on the same page at the very start of the inspection.   I am not a building inspector.  Despite the similar sound of our job titles I do not inspect for code compliance. (although most codes address safety issues that I will educate my clien...