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in Share The class schedule for the year 2012 is being formulated at Bellingham Technical College. The next home inspector training course will begin on February 6, 2012. The Bellingham Technical College course was the first course to be state approved after home inspector licensing became the law of the land in the state. The course also provides instruction in identifying wood destroying organisms. Students receive 40 hours of field training and 120 hours of fundamentals training. For addit... Read Full Post

When homeowners build their "dream" deck, that deck is likely to, instead, be a "nightmare" deck. Most homeowners, planning a quick weekend project, will buy lumber and supplies at the home store and then go home and hammer something out. More often than not, they end up with a mess. They do not know the first thing about properly flashing a deck at the exterior wall (rot to follow); anchoring a deck to the exterior wall (possible pull-away and collapse); properly installing rails (falling ha... Read Full Post

This is the second article I have written on the marketing strategy of expanding the service area of a business to fill the needs of clients or customers at a number of different communities that are located in a geographic region. In a tough real estate market, this is one way to maintain a strong business base. The USA consists of many towns, cities and counties. In Whatcom County WA, the largest city, the hub, is Bellingham. But there are, nearby, other important cities -- Ferndale, Lynden... Read Full Post

The United States is made up of many different municipalities -- towns, counties, small cities, medium-sized cities and large cities. In Whatcom County WA, the largest city is Bellingham. Many other cities makeup the county -- Ferndale, Lynden, Blaine, and Everson would be the largest after Bellingham. Let's not leave out Sumas, Nooksack, Glacier, Maple Falls, Deming, Acme, Welcome, Wickersham and, probably, a few more that are escaping my memory so they will go unmentioned here. Many of us, ... Read Full Post

Part of being a home inspector includes seeing, and inspecting, the work of general contractors at new construction or when repairs or renovations have been performed. The subject of this article is Mark Palmer, a licensed general contractor based in Bellingham, WA. I have, here at Real Estate Webmasters, posted information, and a video, that detailed the spectacular outdoor kitchens that are a specialty item for Mark Palmer. These are most popular at high-end and lake front homes in the regi... Read Full Post

It is always good to see a new business come to town. John and Karin Koons (I used to work with Karin when she was a realtor) have opened Johnny's Donuts at 2201 Cornwall Avenue in Bellingham. That is the very neighborhood in which I lived when I was a kid. The cute little red building that houses Johnny's Donuts is just down the street from Bellingham High School and the Assumption Church. Both of those historic buildings are landmarks in this town. John Koons is a professional when it comes... Read Full Post

There are many people in the state of Washington who wish to obtain state approved home inspector education. One of the longest running classes in the state, for more than 15 years, is offered by Bellingham Technical College. The state approved class offers 120 hours of fundamentals training and 40 hours of field training. The student who successfully completes the course is prepared to sit for the state licensing exam. To obtain additional information, call 360-676-6908 or 360-752-8796. For ... Read Full Post

As a busy home inspector in the wet Pacific Northwest, I often have prospective buyers ask me what they can do to keep the house in good shape. They want to, as much so as they can, reduce the risks of having the house rot or become infested with carpenter ants, anobiid beetles, termites, moisture ants and the various other wood destroying insects that can be found in the northwest. After some thought, I decided that the best way to describe some of the conditions that lead to such problems w... Read Full Post

Bellingham Technical College, which has the longest operating home inspection training course in the Pacific Northwest, will begin the next course on July 11, 2011. This state approved residential home inspection training course includes 120 hours of fundamentals of home inspection training and, also, the mandatory 40 hours of field training. The student, who completes the course successfully, is fully prepared to take the state licensing exam. All courses are taught on campus at Bellingham T... Read Full Post

I was hoping that, by this time of the year in the Pacific Northwest, I could report that the weather had made a big turn for the better. Maybe it has, slightly so, but we are still having a wet spring. Back in winter, I wrote an article (second link below) on Mark Palmer a Bellingham-based general contractor. I first met Mark, years ago, when I was on-site conducting a home inspection. My clients had worked with Mark before and they had asked him for a bid on a future remodel at the house th... Read Full Post