Baum Inspection Services

The recall concerns 181k front load washers sold between 12-06 through 2-10

A PDF file of the recall notice can be found on the recall page under appliances

Maytag has recalled 1.7 million dishwashers sold between Feb. 2006 and April 2010. A PDF file of the recall can be found on my recall page.

From the Seattle Times

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2011994634_rentals31m.html

From The Seattle Times

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/homegarden/2011942381_vinyl25.html

From the Seattle Times

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2011948506_homeprices26.html

From A/P via MSNBC

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37208336/ns/business-real_estate/

From the Seattle Times

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/homegarden/2011860205_homefix14.html

From the Seattle Times

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2011826554_apustransunionmortgagedelinquencies.html

From the Seattle Times

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2011786295_homesales06.html

http://atyourservice.seattle.gov/2010/04/22/free-water-saving-toilets/

From the Seattle Times

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/homegarden/2011748971_doglandscape01.html

From the Seattle Times

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/living/2011706844_homefix30.html

From MSNBC

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36799404/ns/business-real_estate/

From ActiveRain.com

http://activerain.com/blogsview/1614910/do-the-new-home-sales-numbers-indicate-a-turnaround-in-housing-

From MSNBC

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36735173/ns/business-real_estate/

From the Seattle Times

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2011669841_apushomesales.html

Dlog vol.3

Jack and Flap’s once a week dog blog

Seen here on Mondays….mostly.

  The intent was to reach the Kelly Butte Fire lookout. Armed with directions from a newspaper article and the topo maps on the Garmin [we don’t have the green trails map for that quadrant], we headed out.

   The first forest service road off of highway 410 was paved and the brush had even been cut. The road wound up and down steep hills with some turns similar to trail switch backs. Jack was up and watching all the way from the farm. Flap, known to sleep while the truck is moving, was on alert once we got off the highway.

   The second turn was well marked but the pavement stopped shortly after. About half way to the next turn, we ran into snow which sat on sheet ice. It looked as if we should be able to drive through but the ice stopped us. We abandoned the truck and headed up the road.

  Jack and Flap are total snow hounds, especially Flap so they took off to explore as soon as they got out of the truck. The thin layer of snow on the ice made for tough walking even for the dogs. Jack came running back from his point position and went into a four paw slide trying to stop.

   Not too far beyond where we left the truck, we came to an intersection of roads but only one was marked. Of course, the road which was marked was not the road we were looking for so the first best guess took place. By now the snow was deeper and the ice problem was gone. The snow was deep enough for snowshoes but we had not brought them. Walking became harder and harder. No one had been this far for awhile so there were no packed paths. Flap, who rarely slows to anything less than a trot, was at greater disadvantage being built the lowest to the ground and she was dragging early.

  The views of Rainier and the hills to its north started to appear. They gave cause to continue higher up the road. Another fork but this time both roads were marked. Somehow, we had ended up on the right road but now we opted to take this new side road.

  Soon we could see clearing beyond the trees to our left. Everyone was tired and an off trail course toward the clearing seemed the thing to do. As we cleared the trees, we could see all the way back to Snoqualmie pass. Everything from Rattlesnake Ridge outside North Bend to the ridge along the west side of Lake Cle Elum stood before us. And on the next hill over, the fire lookout.

   From what I have read, the lookout has not been staffed since the 80s. I’ve seen some close up pictures and it appears to be in pretty poor condition. Still, we will go back once the roads clear. The view from that porch much be amazing.

From the Seattle Times

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2011642329_salvage19m.html

http://makinghomesaffordable.gov/

From The Seattle Times

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2011620631_apuseconomy.html

From the Seattle Times

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2011608818_foreclosures15.html

   The only regulatory authority for home inspectors in Washington State is the state department of licensing. The state issues a license only after the candidate has met the requirements that went into effect last September. Some inspectors who were doing inspections prior to the new law taking effect are allowed to continue to operate without a license until this coming July. Once that deadline has passed, no one can perform a home inspection without a license. The state does nor certify inspectors. The subject of inspector certifications and what can be claimed in advertising came up at the last Home Inspector Advisory Board meeting.

From the minutes of that meeting.....

Use of Designation- "certified home inspector"

A motion was introduced to write a new rule in regards to the term "certified home inspector": Any marketing material used by home inspectors may not be misleading when describing a home inspector's qualifications. Any copy describing a home inspector as certified must be accompanied by language that clarifies what professional organization or francise bestowed certification.  The Washington Home Inspector Advisory Licensing Board is the only recognized home inspection related board in Washington and does not certify home inspectors. Language that leads the public to believe the home inspector is certified or endorsed by the state of Washington or the Home Inspector Advisory Licensing Board shall not be used and the term "board certified" is expressly prohibited.

The motion was approved on March 23, 2010

 Seen here on Mondays...mostly.

   Weather, a string of weekend inspections and other commitments have kept Jack and Flap out of the mountains for a month now. Hopefully, that will be corrected this coming weekend.

  There have still been dog adventures. They explored part of the urban forest in Belltown and visted the Seattle Center. Jack hates metal grates and covers.......which Belltown is full of. Flap, easily distracted anyway, was in sensory overload. The large lawns at the center provided some relief but the restriction of having to stay on the leash was still troubling. Both were at a loss when the little dog was barking at them from a balcony. They could hear it but could not find it.

From the Seattle Times

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2011585964_apartments12m.html

From MSNBC

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36181875/ns/business-businessweekcom/

From the Arizona Daily Star

http://azstarnet.com/news/local/northwest/article_9ed7bfe8-01eb-52ed-ab51-819c79186635.html

From the KB Home website

http://www.kbhome.com/pdf/press/2580/ElectricVehicle-prewire-option_100309.pdf

As of now, the majority of this problem drywall has been found in the southeast but there are some reports from Washington State

http://www.cpsc.gov/info/drywall/index.html

From the Seattle Times

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/realestate/2011493819_realshortage04.html

From the Seattle Times

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/homegarden/2011510652_homefix03.html

From Ed the Plumber writing in the Seattle Times

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/homegarden/2011453570_plumber27.html

From the Seattle Times

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2011446292_apusmortgageaid.html

A PDF of the recall can be found on my recall page under building materials

From the Wall Street Journal

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703312504575141763259183050.html?mod=WSJ_business_whatsNews

The recall information can be found on the recall page in the building material section

From the PI

http://blog.seattlepi.com/realestate/archives/198806.asp

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/realestate/2011299889_realmodular14.html

A recall has been issued for Dimplex plug-in remote controls. A pdf file of the actual recall can be found in the Building Materials section of my recall page

http://www.bauminspections.com/recalls.html

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/realestate/2011293148_fixerupper14.html

Jack and Flap’s once a week dog blog aka: Dlog

Seen here on Mondays…mostly

The thread trail

   Jack, Flap and I entered the forest along the middle fork of the Snoqualmie River east of North Bend on Sunday. The road to the middle fork trails is long, narrow and slow due to the almost constant need to avoid pot holes. The dogs know what driving on dirt roads means and they were growing impatient to get at the adventure going by them. The decision was made that we had reached our objective and Flap was in mud before everyone else was out of the truck. We were looking for a rail trail built by the Civil Conservation Corps back in the 30s but speculation is that is not where we ended up.

    The trail was an abandoned logging road which had been deliberately blocked to prevent any further vehicle use. Right away we noticed a white thread strung along the trail. Just a single white thread which appeared and disappeared as we went. Flap scouted for water deep enough to swim in. Jack usually stays pretty close to the trail and is more concerned with knowing where everyone is. The area had been logged long ago and many of the mature trees where growing on the stumps of what must have been a magnificent old growth forest.

   The trail grew rocky as we neared the scar left by flooding on the creek. We have had some heavy flooding caused by sudden snow melts over the past few years and the central cascades are filled the after effects. Small creeks swollen to many times their normal size carried huge rocks and 50 foot sections of trees down the mountains leaving wide swaths of rock in their wake.

   The rock was wet making walking something which required more than the normal amount of concentration. Even Flap had to slow her pace a bit. And still, the white thread was there. Bunched up in places and seemingly run back and forth in others, it remained visible most of the time.

   There are several impressive peaks surrounding the valley we were slowly climbing out of. The recent lowered snow levels left them prime for pictures but we could not find a clearing where there were not trees between us and the peaks. In an attempt to find such a clearing, we scrambled up [more climbed up actually] off the trail to a high spot with promise. Flap’s vet certified “not fat” 69 pounds needed an assist and Jack needed some encouragement but the climb was successful, with the exception of not producing a clear view of the peaks.

   It would be very interesting to know why anyone would string a single thread that far up a trail. Last time I checked, we were at the 1 ½ mile mark and the thread was still there. 1 ½ miles of thread. Was it a single spool? Was there a function for the thread?

   We left the thread largely as we found it. Jack got it caught on his harness and pulled twenty or so feet back down the trail but if anyone was supposed to follow the thread back down to the river they would have made it.

     Inspections are almost always seen as something the potential buyer has done prior to completing a real estate transaction, but on occasion I am asked to do an inspection for the seller before the property is listed. More than once I have had a pre-listing inspection cancelled because the seller decided a “hear no evil, see no evil” position was in their best interests. After all, why help the buyer find problems that will send them away or justify a reduction in the asking price? The seller believed unknowns were best left as unknowns.

   I can see the logic here but it’s short sighted. Knowing about problems that may be discovered during a buyer’s inspection has several advantages:

1) Discovering problems and defects prior to a buyer making an offer allows more time to deal with the issue and can dramatically reduce the costs of corrections.

2) Even though knowing about a problem or defect requires disclosure on the Form 17, such disclosure gives the buyer more confidence in the property. People feel more capable of dealing with issues they know about. It’s the potential for problems that are not known which makes a buyer nervous.

3) Being able to disclose a problem, even if it has not been addressed, can be accounted for in the asking price and lessen the potential for the buyer to ask for a price reduction.

4) Pre-offer inspections can discover appliance and equipment recalls that can often be addressed at no cost to the seller.

5) Pre-listing inspections are often done at a fee which is less than a Home Inspection done for a buyer.

Here is a web site that will allow you to locate a side sewer for properties in Seattle. All you need is the address.

http://web1.seattle.gov/dpd/sidesewercardsv2/

Time to move your clocks an hour ahead this Sunday the 14th. Check your smoke alarms or better yet, just install new batteries. Remember, there should be a smoke alarm in every sleeping room, in any hallway outside of any sleeping room and at least one on every floor. Smoke alarms should be kept five feet from heat or air conditioning registers and air returns. Do not install smoke alarms close to the intersection of walls and ceilings as smoke curls and will not get into corners.