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Grant County, WA Real Estate News

By Ben Kinney, We do real estate:Tech, Training, Sales, Brokerage
(Ben Kinney Team)
301 Central Ave S, Quincy 98848Excellent building. Excellent location. Good parking. Lots of traffic goes past this building every day. 5,244 square feet. Large, open retail space or the potential of several separate office spaces. Building includes several storage rooms plus a kitchen. Electric car power station in the parking lot. Lots of options! Good buildings in downtown Quincy are hard to come by - Call today!Gail Smith(360) 561-0852The Ben Kinney teamKeller Williams Tacoma 
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By Ben Kinney, We do real estate:Tech, Training, Sales, Brokerage
(Ben Kinney Team)
23 SW Basin St Ephrata, WA 98823 Great rental investment property. Nine Total Units: 3 store fronts on main level. And 6 units upstairs...3 Studio's + 3 0ne Bedroom Apartments. Four of the apartments have had recent remodels and are in great condition. The 5th apartment is in good condition and the 6th unit will likely need some remodeling when the tenant moves on. Commercial units are in good shape with solid rental history. New roof and several upgrades. Motivated Seller is a lic. broker in the State of Oregon. John Angier(360) 527-6606The Ben Kinney TeamKeller Williams Western Realty
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By Ben Kinney, We do real estate:Tech, Training, Sales, Brokerage
(Ben Kinney Team)
 Clover Dr, Moses Lake 98837Remarkable Commercial Property Close to the I-90 and Hwy 17 Crossroads. Conveniently located between Lowe's Home Improvement and Moses Lake High School. Water, sewer and power are available in the street ready for commercial/retail development. Property is platted and Binding Site plan is ready to go. Up to 30 adjoining acres also available. John Angier(360) 527 - 6606Keller Williams Western Realty 
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By Donald Hester, NCW Home Inspections, LLC
(NCW Home Inspections, LLC)
It is a snap. Snap connectors in Manufactured Homes and Stick Framed Homes.   From a recent Home Inspector forum someone asked about snap connectors which is fairly common in manufactured homes. When I am doing a home inspection on manufactured home I often see these connectors at the marriage line to connect a circuit from one side of the to the other.                                                                    (from a recent Chelan Home Inspection)   So I did a little more research on these connectors and found out that there could be other permitted uses for them. One that I would not be very comfortable with but it would be okay by the electrical code.   These snap connectors are officially referred to as  “Nonmetallic Sheathed Cable Interconnection Devices” .      Here is wh...
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By Donald Hester, NCW Home Inspections, LLC
(NCW Home Inspections, LLC)
Dam Cracks- Grant County Power. It not what it has been cracked up to be- Issues with the Wanapum Dam   Well during a recent home inspection I got to see the result of a pretty serious and interesting situation in Grant County. The Wanapum Dam in Grant County was discovered to have a 65 foot long 2 inch crack in it. It was discovered when a county worker noticed a bow on a railing section on top of the dam.   This is a dam I have driven by many times and did not really put much thought to it. I drive past 4 major dams on the Columbia River fairly frequently.  But what I see now is the shoreline has been lowered to reduce the backpressure in the dam.The reservoir level has been reduced to 26 feet below normal and may stay that way for quite some time.                                  (Lo...
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By Donald Hester, NCW Home Inspections, LLC
(NCW Home Inspections, LLC)
The edge of despair- Rake Flashings Chelan and Quincy Home Inspections   I come to notice an issue with metal roof installations.  Actually more exactly exposed fastener metal roof installations.   There are two basic metal roof, exposed fastener and standing seam. The later being the higher grade and more expensive roof.     With an exposed fastener roof it is what it states, all the fasteners are visible.   With standing seam you should only see fasteners at edges and few other areas. There are various styles of standing seam metal roof systems but they all have a common mechanism.     The raised seam is typically fastened down to the roof deck with hidden clips or fasteners and the next panel seam will clip over the previous panel. So you will not see fasteners in the field.   But wi...
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By Donald Hester, NCW Home Inspections, LLC
(NCW Home Inspections, LLC)
The unintended consequences of not knowing what you do not know. Chelan and Quincy Home Inspections.   What you do not know can have some unintended consequences.  It is a fact you do not know what you do not know.   As home inspectors we are hired to know. Someone is putting their trust in us to have that knowledge to help them with one of the largest and more emotional decisions in their life.   Home inspectors are humans, we are not infallible and as such we also do not know that we do not know. This is why we are constantly learning to limit those voids of knowledge… at least I hope we are.   So case in point, I have done several home inspections in the last year where we had a modification that changes the dynamics and level of safety in a home. This is taking a carport and turning...
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By Donald Hester, NCW Home Inspections, LLC
(NCW Home Inspections, LLC)
Water heater wiring- It is so special. Wenatchee and Quincy Home Inspection   Well as a home inspector in the land of electricity almost every water heater I see is an electric water heater.  I actually feel pretty lucky about that. I don’t have to worry about draft hoods, B-vents, combustion air, drip legs, carbon monoxide and all the other fun that goes with gas heaters.   But it has not gone unnoticed that the simple act of getting the electrical power to the water heater seems to be a bit of a challenge to perform correctly.   I see many a water heater that has been improperly wired. So here is a few that may make you wonder.         They really are not that hard to do and do right, but often people are in the “just make it work” modality.       So in the rush to get the hot shower ...
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By Donald Hester, NCW Home Inspections, LLC
(NCW Home Inspections, LLC)
Lights out- Three way switches. Wenatchee and Quincy WA Home Inspection services.One thing I try to do during a home inspection is to test that the 3 (and 4 or 5) way light switches have been wired correctly, or should I say working correctly (I actually do not see the wiring).It is not all that uncommon to find that someone has not performed this correctly, mainly in older homes.                                      This seems to be one of those items that can confuse many DIY’ers. It really is pretty simple but you must understand how the "3 way" circuit works. Hold on Mr. Home Inspector, why are they called "3-way circuits" when I have only 2 switches?Well friends this has a bit of history to it. This goes back to the days of yore, to the days of Mr. Edison when this new trade of ele...
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By Donald Hester, NCW Home Inspections, LLC
(NCW Home Inspections, LLC)
Screwed- Weekend warriors and decks!                        Quincy Home Inspection ServicesI have a saying if a see a deck done completely right I will jump up and down and make sure that whole world knows it. As a home inspector I just never see them done completely right. Decks seems to be one of those components of the home that just do not receive the attention to detail they deserve.In many cases this lack of detail may have very minor consequences but as the deck ages or if the deck goes up in height these details can rear their ugly head.Here is one detail that needs to be always evaluated… the joist hanger fasteners.Joist hangers are pretty common on most decks and are a great at what they are designed for, if installed correctly.                                           These ...
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By Donald Hester, NCW Home Inspections, LLC
(NCW Home Inspections, LLC)
Smoking Gun on Smoke Detectors There is a current debate on smoke detectors. I think there should be no debate. The number one issue for occupants in a structural fire is smoke.  So having a smoke alarm that is best at sensing smoke should be the homeowner’s first choice.The two types of smoke detectors are Photoelectric and Ionization. Photoelectric is more sensitive to the smoke. So this should be your choice for your home.  Another reason is that many fire safety websites inform us that photoelectric smoke alarms are less prone to nuisance alarms in the kitchen area than ionization smoke alarms.Here is a investigational video on smoke detectors. Please watch this video and I feel it will help you with your decision.   Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about th...
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By Donald Hester, NCW Home Inspections, LLC
(NCW Home Inspections, LLC)
Missing knock out plug, no big deal… maybe?    Wenatchee and Quincy Home Inspection ServicesAh another tale from the traveling home inspector.One of the things we do is to provide safety information. Many times people think it may be not that important or relevant. And for them it may not be. We all live with risk on a daily basis.On this particular home inspection I was letting my client know that the electrical panel was missing some knock-outs in the panel and that they should have proper plugs installed.                                  The reason for this is twofold. One we want to prevent entry by insects, rodents and debris into the panel and two if a fire starts in the panel we want to contain it in the service panel.Here is a perfect example of why this may come into play. A ho...
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By Donald Hester, NCW Home Inspections, LLC
(NCW Home Inspections, LLC)
DIY- Know your limits East Wenatchee and Quincy Home InspectionWith the abundance of “how to” and “DIY” shows many people take on project in the home varying degrees of success.I am for people learning and better understanding their homes. You cannot learn sitting on the sidelines. Heck I have made many mistakes of my own and have learned. But you should know your limits.The issue is that when you sell the home those mistakes may be inherited by the new owners and as a home inspector I am there to point out such items.On this home the sellers were proud of their remodeling skills. I understand, from afar it actually looked okay. But upon closer look it was very apparent that the skills sets were not up to the task at hand.                                      Here we have a shower tile ...
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By Donald Hester, NCW Home Inspections, LLC
(NCW Home Inspections, LLC)
You must mend the bend- Service entrance conductors   When entrance wires come into a panel there are requirements for the installation. One of the issues with older panels is that the gutter systems (the space in the panel) are smaller than what is required by today’s standards. During the home inspection I will examine the installation of the wiring in these older systems for potential issues.Older wiring systems always should be scrutinized more carefully.Wiring actually has bend radius requirements. Over bent wiring may cause excessive heat at the bend of the wires and can cause stress on a connection.                                       NEC section 338.24 states that the bending radius on service entry cables should be as follows:  Bends in Types USE and SE cable shall be so made...
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By Donald Hester, NCW Home Inspections, LLC
(NCW Home Inspections, LLC)
The Mark of Spark- Wire markings Chelan and Quincy Home InspectionsWire shmire, yeah… yeah… yeah. It all can carry the juice (electricity) right?Well it can but there are many different types of wires and they are marked to designate what and where the wires can be used.Here we have some wires that are being sent to a detached building (like the conduit and conduit termination, that’s another issue ; ).                                          Most homeowners choose to run the electrical feed underground to detached buildings. The two most popular methods are direct burial cable or PVC (plastic) conduit. Direct burial cable is designated as UF (Underground Feeder) or for larger sizes, USE (Underground Service Entrance).I think it is much better if you run the electrical cable in a condu...
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By Donald Hester, NCW Home Inspections, LLC
(NCW Home Inspections, LLC)
Lord of the Flies Wenatchee and  Quincy Home InspectionAs a home inspector and structural pest inspector I field funny calls at times.Many people know or read that I am a structural pest inspector and with that think that I am an authority on all pests. Well unfortunately that is not true… I am not an authority on all pests. I cannot give you very good guidance on your little brother or a nosey neighbor or a host of other pests.Structural pest are a select group of insects and organisms that will destroy the integrity of wood structural components. The main pests I am concerned with are termites, carpenter ants, moisture ants and Anobiid beetles. The other major concern is wood decay rot fungi. There are other wood destroying insects but are not very common in my area.                  ...
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By Donald Hester, NCW Home Inspections, LLC
(NCW Home Inspections, LLC)
Grounding to Water Pipes- Electrical Inspections- Wenatchee and Quincy Home InspectionsWhen performing a home inspection and evaluating the electrical system I am always trying to confirm if a grounding system is proper. The Washington State Home Inspector Standards of Practice states (WAC 308-408C-110 Electrical system.)-A home Inspector must:(b) Report (i) The existence of a connected service-grounding conductor and service-grounding electrode when same can be determined.  (ii) When no connection to a service grounding electrode can be confirmed.The purpose of the grounding electrode is to be connected to earth and to the electrical equipment so it establishes a zero difference of potential between the earth and the electrical equipment. This zero difference of potential helps stabili...
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By Donald Hester, NCW Home Inspections, LLC
(NCW Home Inspections, LLC)
Proper Landings-Are your stairs safe? Wenatchee and Quincy Home InspectionsOne of the most common defects on home is stairs. Stairs often are not properly constructed to meet the requirements for safety. This can include width requirements, rail strength, proper handrails, or variation in height from one tread to another.                                           Another very important part is that the stairs land on a proper landing. If the ground is not flat and fairly smooth for 3 feet at the bottom of the stairs a proper landing is required.The width of a stair landing must not be less than the width of the stairway served. Each landing needs to have a minimum of 36 inches measured in the direction of travel that is fairly flat and smooth. Landings should not be pitched, sloped, or ...
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By Donald Hester, NCW Home Inspections, LLC
(NCW Home Inspections, LLC)
Just a wing nut, a stripper and skirts- Shocking truths. Chelan and Quincy Home Inspection services.Electrical safety is one of my biggest concerns when performing a home inspection. I am always amazed how some wire connections and installations do not catch fire or shock someone.                                          This is a testament to how we have redundancies in codes and practices that keep us safe from the awesome power of electricity. But if these practices are not adhered to danger is around the corner.Let’s take a simple wiring practice… splices.                                                                          When properly splicing a wire connection the wing nut skirt should cover all wires. If you have too much exposed wire there is a potential for short circuit ...
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By Donald Hester, NCW Home Inspections, LLC
(NCW Home Inspections, LLC)
Oops- I missed something. Electrical Inspections-Wenatchee and Quincy Real Estate Inspections  One important item when a home is being wired is to properly space receptacles in a room. The reasoning for this is we do not want to see extension cord being used other than on a temporary basis.Extension cords are inherently more prone to failure that can cause fires or shock. This is especially true of the extension cords that look like speaker wire.                                         The standards state that receptacles need to be installed in a manner that no point measured horizontally along the floor line in any wall space is more than 6 ft from a receptacle outlet. (History of receptacle placement-Convience Recepticale Chronical)                         Receptacles need to be inst...
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Grant County, WA Real Estate Professionals