Walt Fish

In truth, the Keweenaw Peninsula is really an Island. It is surrounded by lake Superior on three sides and requires crossing the Portage Canal on the other side.

This area has so much to offer, I won't be able to do it justice in one article, so will write a short series, this being the first.

Primarily a tourist hot spot, the Keweenaw has some breathtaking mountains, world class biking trails, awesome ATV and Snow Mobile trails, and some of the best Cross County ski trails you'll ever find.

Today, I am going to focus on one small community on the northern tip called Copper Harbor. You can googleinformation on how this community was founded. Though many of the residents are seasonal, it is open in the winter and is a final destination for many Snow Mobilers.

The Harbor is sheltered, as you can see in the above picture.

Tours are given throughout the summer at the old lighthouse. There are a number of world class mountain bike trails including the Staircase to Heaven, which starts in Copper Harbor and runs up Brockway Mountain to the Keweenaw Mountain Lodgefive miles away. It should also be noted that drive along Brockway Mountain is the highest between it and the Rockies.

On a clear day, you can see Isle Royale 48 miles away.

There are several nearby lakes including Fanny Hoe and Manganese. Fanny Hoe has a park with RV hookups. Yes, you can fish in these lakes as well as in the harbor.

Fort Wilkens state park is another interesting destination. It is occupied by actors who show us what life was like in the past.

More secluded, but worth the dirt road drive, is Estivant Pines. This is about 80 acres of land that has been preserved due to some 50 or so old growth White Pines that are over 200 years old.

If you are considering moving to Copper Harbor, my view is that it's a great place in the summer, but quite isolated in the winter. It does have a one room schoolhouse, but the kids are bussed to Calumet most of the school year. It is a wonderful place to vacation and would be well located for a summer home.

Regarding Real Estate, yes, there are a few good deals in Copper Harbor right now as there are thoughout the peninsula.

I am sure many of you have seen inspection reports where step cracks have been found somewhere on the foundation of the home or garage. So, the question is; is that a major concern? Answer, it depends.

If the crack is narrow (hairline) and is not monothithic, it generally means that movement has stopped. Here is an example.

The Crack is visible showing some movement had occured in the past, but the movement has stopped.

In some cases, however, a footing has failed and movement has not stopped. My job is to know the difference. How bad cana failed footing be?

Take a look at this garage. It has been moving for 40 years now.

So, step cracks can be a major problem. It depends upon the cause and the clues a licensed and trained Home Inspector can decipher.

All of us know the importance of timely action in each step of a real estate transaction. For rural properties on private wells, water testing is one of the important steps in this process.

In Michigan's Upper Peninsula, there is only one public lab facility. It's located in Houghton. I personally bring all of my water samples there for a couple reasons. First, the the prices are reasonable, and my customers appreciate that. Second, the samples submitted for bacterial testing, which checks for such things as Coliforms, E-coli, ect...must be less than 30 hours old. If I were to mail the samples, I'd have to do all of my inspections that include water sampling in the morning and then Fed-X them that same day, before pickup at 1:00pm. This would add $20.00 to my fee and make some remote properties untestable.

It is a concern because the proposed budget for the next fiscal year has slated this lab for closure. If it does close, selling homes and vacation properties with private wells may become more difficult. I would expect that buyers would begin to put contingencies in the purchase agreements that would require the seller to provide recent MDCH water tesing lab results attached to the disclosure.

I'd like the thoughts of all Michigan Realtors on this issue.

As many of you know, tags are useful in linking keywords to your blog. In my case, Marquette, Michigan is one of my primary inspection areas. I've been doing SEO for some years now, so will share a small tip. The title of this blog will bring me more customers in Marquette than the tags will.

For those of you viewing this who need a home inspection in the Marquette area, take one minute to check out my website www.UPsBestInspector.comand remember that you can schedule an inspection time to your convenience from my on-line calendar and also pay with a credit card. See you at the inspection

1-800-935-9384

I got a phone call today from a potential customer seeking a home inspection. She did have some very relevent questions and was well informed about some of the aspects a home inspection should include. However, her first question was what do I charge. I gave her my rate and then she told me that 2 other inspectors gave given her quotes for less; one for a hundred dollars less.

Generally, I don't spend much time with those who are just price shopping. She, however, seemed sincere. So, I explained to her why others might be willing to charge $200.00 for an inspection that normally costs $300.00. In Michigan, there are no standards for training or licensing of home inspectors. I first got my license in Wisconsin after considerable training (12 years ago) at the American Home Inspector's Institute, North East Wisconsin Technical College and Waukashaw Tech. Community College. I have kept my license all of these years by full filling the requirement of 20 hours of continuing education each year.

So, back to the lowball rates of a few inspectors. Why would they charge considerably less than their competition? In this state, as I have mentioned, anyone can hang out his/her shingle and call themselves a home inspector. Generally most will have some background in construction. They get into the field thinking they have the skills to be a competent inspector. Many come and many go. They try to get business by offering such low rates...but as the title of this Blog suggests, you do get what you pay for.

A home purchase is a very large and important financial decision. Having a home inspection performed prior to closing is a no brainer. If you want the inspection to uncover all of the issues with the home that will could cost you big money down the road, your best bet is to go with an inspector who is well established, is actually licensed in another state (not simply an association member), and who keeps current on training.

If price is your only criteria for choosing an inspector, I'd suggest asking your neighbor to do it for you and offer him $50.00. Don't be too disheartened though if you later find major structural problems your neighbor missed. Money, perhaps NOT well spent.

See you at the inspection!!