Clark County Washington's "Utility Problem"--Utilities Off, Presenting Problems With Inspection Process

Boy... things have changed, haven't they! While realtors, appraisers, mortgage brokers and home inspectors may feel the affect of this change differently, there is still the common denominator: we all work in real estate, and this is a different market than many of us were once used to. This leaves us all with a couple options: we can reject the change and refuse to deal with it, or we can meet the change and the challenges which come with it head on. Nickelsen Home Inspections, LLC is choosing the latter...

Of the many changes that we have experienced on our side of the real estate industry, there is one that is affecting us daily which appears to be overlooked by most people: over 90% of all vacant homes we are getting calls to inspect have one or more of the utilities off! This creates an enormous challenge because if we come to the home and the gas, water or electricity (or all of them!) are off, we can't complete a normal inspection and end up having to come back to the home again (sometimes more than once!). This, in turn, unduly drags out the transaction: people are having to get extensions on their inspection period and many are getting frustrated-who can blame them!?

To help expedite the process, Nickelsen Home Inspections, LLC have taken the time to produce this document which will help you and your clients when it comes time to schedule a home inspection-or, perhaps, before you even get to that point.

Step 1-Assume They are Off: Assume that all of the utilities are off if the house is vacant. It helps ease the "frustration factor" if you simply assume that the utilities are off...

Step 2-Check for Yourself: Check to make sure that all are on. We have had many bad experiences when the buyer's agent calls the listing agent and asks if they are on, only to find out when we get to the house that the utilities are actually off. You are going to need to call each of the applicable utility companies and check for yourself. While this may seem cumbersome, trust me: it will save you and your clients a lot of head ache later on. Also note, this isn't necessarily a sure sign: you may need to actually go to the house and make sure that gas, water and electricity are on to the house.

Step 3-Get the Ball Rolling: Start the process of getting all of the utilities on. Each situation appears to be different. Many of the homes are bank owned and we have seen listing agents, buyer's agents and buyers themselves have to temporarily put the utility in their name and pay to get it on. Note: because of the unusual demand at this time, NW Natural Gas is usually 3-4 days out! You need to find out if the utility is off and get the ball rolling as soon as possible!

Step 4-Schedule Inspection After Utilities are On: Once the utilities are on, please call us to schedule the inspection. There is going to be the temptation to call and schedule the home inspection before the utilities are all on. Please resist. There is no guarantee that the utility will actually be turned on because they may have a problem when they get to the house and not turn it on, or they may not be able to get to the house at the hour or even the day that you were told. We even run into situations where we are told that the utilities will be on for the inspection, only to find out the night before that the seller didn't pay the bill and the utility company (usually water) won't turn on the utility until the bill is paid. We are a multi-inspector firm... you are not going to have a problem getting the inspection done in time: please schedule the inspection only after you have confirmation that the utilities are on.

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· NW Natural (Gas): 1-800-422-4012

· Clark Public Utilities (Electricity): 360-992-3000

· City of Vancouver (Water): 360-487-7999

· City of Camas (Water): 360-834-2462

· City of Washougal (Water): 360.835.8501

· City of LaCenter (Water): Clark Public Utilities

· City of Ridgefield (Water): 360.887.3557

· City of Woodland (Water): 360-225-8281

· City of Battleground (Water): 360.342.5002 or 5022

· Note: for rural areas and areas outside city limits, you may need to contact Clark Public Utilities

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Justin Nickelsen, Nickelsen Home Inspections, LLC

Vancouver, WA Home Inspector - 360.907.9648