The inspector your clients will thank you for.
When you refer an inspector, your reputation rides along. These guides help you choose confidently, manage the inspection process, and keep your clients informed. Every article is written by a CMI with a contractor background and 3,000+ inspections across the Portland metro and SW Washington.
Resources to send your clients
Four short guides written for Portland metro and SW Washington buyers and sellers. Forward them, attach them to your buyer packet, or hand them out at closing. Free to use, no opt-in.
Home Maintenance Calendar
A month-by-month maintenance checklist tuned to the Portland metro climate. Share it with buyers and homeowners.
Seller Home Prep Guide
What sellers in Portland and SW Washington can fix, clean, and document to prepare their home for sale.
Questions to Ask Your Home Inspector
The questions buyers should ask before they hire. Builds confidence in the process and your referral.
Prepare Your Home for Inspection
A short, practical prep sheet sellers can work through the day before the inspection.
Why Portland Metro & SW Washington Agents Partner With Us
Findings Explained Calmly
Findings are delivered in context. Russ explains severity accurately so clients know what is serious, what is normal, and what can wait. Panic is not a good outcome for anyone.
Timelines Are Respected
7-day scheduling, prompt communication, and detailed reports, most delivered same day. Contingency windows stay intact. Book online any time.
Clients Come Back Educated
Buyers leave the inspection understanding the home's visible condition. That makes your job easier at closing and produces clients who refer their friends back to you.
Your Reputation Matters
A CMI with a contractor background knows where problems tend to hide. Your clients get a clear picture of the home's visible condition and fewer surprises after closing.
Findings Have Repair Context
Work as a licensed general contractor means Russ knows what repairs typically cost. That keeps a finding in proportion, so a buyer reacts to a realistic cost range instead of the word on the page. Learn about Russ's background.
One Inspector, Both States
Dual licensed in Oregon and Washington. You do not need a different inspector when a client buys in Vancouver or Camas. One referral covers the whole metro.
Portland Metro & SW Washington Issues Agents See in Transactions
Our climate, geology, and older housing stock create inspection findings that agents from other markets have never encountered. These guides explain what shows up here, why it happens, and how to handle it in a transaction.
Underground Oil Tanks in the Portland Metro: A Complete Agent Guide
How common they are, DEQ requirements, financing and title implications, and exactly how to handle them in a transaction.
Sewer Scope Inspections: What Portland Metro Agents Need to Know
Why sewer scopes are near-standard for pre-1970 homes and what Orangeburg pipe means for a transaction.
Radon Testing in the Portland Metro: What Agents Should Tell Clients
Portland-area EPA radon zones, how professional radon testing works, and how to handle elevated findings without losing the deal.
Mold Findings in Portland-Area Homes: What Agents Need to Know
What inspectors can and cannot tell you about mold, what air sampling adds, and what a positive result actually means.
What Agents Should Know About Crawlspace Findings
Vapor barriers, moisture, wood rot, mold, and ventilation. Why local crawlspaces produce more findings than most markets.
How the Portland Climate Affects What Home Inspectors Find
Why moisture management is the central issue here and how to help buyers from drier markets understand what they are seeing.
Water Intrusion in Portland-Area Homes
Where water gets in, what it does over time, and how to help buyers understand water intrusion findings in context.
Drainage and Grading in Portland Home Inspections
How exterior drainage connects to crawlspace and basement moisture findings, and what fixes actually cost in this market.
Hillside Properties and Slope Stability
Retaining walls, upslope drainage, stepped foundations, and mapped landslide hazard areas. What agents need to know before listing or buying.
Lead Paint and Asbestos in Portland Metro Homes
Federal disclosure requirements, what inspectors can and cannot say, and how to handle these findings on pre-1980 homes.
Permits and Unpermitted Work
What inspectors can identify, how to pull permit history through the city or county, and what an unpermitted addition means for a buyer.
How Home Age Affects What to Expect From an Inspection
An era-by-era breakdown of what is normal for Portland-area homes from pre-1940s through the 2000s. Set the right expectations before inspection day.
Smoke and CO Detectors in Oregon and Washington Homes
Oregon and Washington point-of-sale requirements, who is responsible, and why this is a legal obligation rather than an optional item.
Systems Deep Dives: What Every Portland Metro & SW WA Agent Should Know
One guide for every major system inspectors evaluate. Bookmark these for when a specific finding shows up and you need to explain it accurately to your client without overstating or minimizing it.
Electrical Systems in Portland-Area Homes
Federal Pacific panels, knob-and-tube, aluminum wiring, GFCI requirements, and how to triage electrical findings for buyers and lenders.
Plumbing in Portland-Area Homes
Galvanized, CPVC, polybutylene, cast iron, Orangeburg, and water heater findings. What each material means for a buyer, and what correcting it typically involves.
Roof Findings in Portland-Area Home Inspections
Material types and lifespans, moss damage, flashing failures, and how to read the approximate age and condition of a roof.
HVAC Systems in Portland-Area Homes
Gas furnaces, heat pumps, oil heating, electric baseboard, and ductwork findings. Lifespans, common failures, and what replacement costs in this market.
Foundation Types in Portland-Area Homes
Poured concrete, block, brick, crawlspace, and slab foundations. When cracks are cosmetic, when they are serious, and when to bring in a structural engineer.
Water Heaters in Portland-Area Homes
Lifespans, seismic strapping, T&P valves, venting, tankless units, and how much an age-related finding actually matters.
Attic Inspections in Portland-Area Homes
Ventilation, insulation, bath fan terminations, roof structure, and why attic staining is not always mold even when it looks like it might be.
Attic Findings in Portland-Area Home Inspections
What inspectors evaluate, what common attic findings actually mean, and how to explain attic results to buyers accurately and without panic.
Windows and Doors in Portland-Area Home Inspections
Failed seals, egress compliance, wood rot, single-pane originals, and garage fire door requirements. What gets flagged and what it costs.
Chimney Inspections in Portland-Area Homes
What the home inspector evaluates versus what a Level 2 chimney specialist covers, and when to recommend a specialist to protect your client.
Decks and Exterior Structures
Ledger boards, post bases, railing compliance, deck permits, and telling a structural problem from a maintenance one.
Garage and Outbuilding Inspections
Fire separation, GFCI protection, auto-reverse openers, and unpermitted ADU conversions that can surprise buyers and lenders at closing.
For Specific Client Types & Property Types
Investors, condo buyers, VA loan buyers, buyers of older homes, and clients buying new construction all have different inspection priorities. These guides match the client or property type you are working with right now, whether they are buying in Oregon City, Portland, Lake Oswego, Vancouver, or Camas.
Inspecting Investment Properties in the Portland Metro
How investors evaluate inspections differently, flip versus buy-and-hold priorities, and framing findings as a capital plan instead of a deal problem.
Condo and Townhome Inspections
What a unit inspection covers, what the HOA is responsible for, and why condo buyers should still inspect even when they think they do not need to.
Inspecting Older Craftsman and Historic Portland Homes
How inspections differ on pre-1940 homes and how to prepare buyers of older character properties for what they are going to see in the report.
Veterans, VA Loans, and Home Inspections
VA Minimum Property Requirements, how appraisal and inspection differ, and what agents working with military buyers need to know.
New Construction Inspections: What Agents Need to Know
Why new builds still need an independent new construction inspection, what builders are not required to disclose, and how to protect buyer clients.
11-Month Warranty Inspections: What Agents Should Tell Buyers
New construction comes with a builder warranty. An 11-month inspection documents visible defects before the warranty period ends. Mention this to buyers at closing.
Schedule a client. Or just call.
Certified Master Inspector. Free thermal imaging on every inspection. Detailed, accurate reports, most delivered same day. Available 7 days a week across the Portland metro and SW Washington. One inspector, both states.