Though home inspectors in the state have until July 1 to obtain newly required licenses from the state, the requirements already are changing the way business is done in the local housing industry.

A new law, which went into effect Sept. 1, ushers in a set of standards for home inspectors that many in the industry feel have been lacking, especially in more rural counties.

The call for regulation came from the housing industry, not government, said Christine Anthony, spokeswoman for the Department of Licensing, which now governs the home inspector license.

“There was a desire from people in the industry to have standards so they were all inspecting the same things,” she said.

But home inspector Kim Morgan of Sedro-Woolley said his support for the new law is based on a desire to even the playing field for inspectors.

Before the license, Morgan said some home inspectors would make deals with real estate agents to downplay the deficiencies of a home and push through quick sales.

“Those who did thorough jobs were often labeled as deal killers,” he said.

With an estimated 80 percent of referrals for home inspections coming from real estate agents, Morgan said those inspectors who did the job well were often passed over for those who did it the way the agent requested.

Another law that took effect this year tries to prevent part of that cycle by requiring real estate offices to establish policies for referrals and disclose any relationships they share with recommended inspectors.

Meg Harrison, an agent who works in six counties for Windermere Cascades Group, said she sees the need for regulation in the industry more in Skagit and Whatcom counties than in the larger King and Pierce counties.

“I see it a lot more in Skagit than anywhere else — where you’ll have agents ask inspectors to remove pages (from their reports) because they don’t want the buyer to know, and they want to close a sale,” Harrison said.

She said Windermere requires that agents recommend a list of three inspectors from which the buyer can choose. And she says those lists now include only licensed inspectors.

Who’s licensed?

For home inspectors who had worked in the industry for at least two years and performed 100 inspections as of Sept. 1, getting a license meant taking a test and paying $1,000 in fees.

For those who didn’t make the deadline or are new to the industry, they have until July to log 120 hours in the classroom and 40 hours shadowing a licensed inspector to get a license.

Rick Bunzel, owner of Pacific Crest Inspections in Anacortes, was a founding member of the Washington Home Inspectors Legislative Advisory Group, which worked with senators to request and guide the new regulations.

Although inspectors without licenses could legally be performing inspections until July, Bunzel said he expects they’ll drop out of the business after that deadline.

“My opinion is there are many inspectors that do not intend to get their license,” he said. “They have up to July to get licensed or shut down.”

A couple dozen home inspecting businesses were listed in the 2007 phone book as operating in Skagit County, although they might be located elsewhere.

Currently, five home inspectors have obtained their licenses in Skagit County, and one is approved to take the test, according to the Licensing Department.

Bunzel said apathy about the license is most common among inspectors who do the job part time, with many dipping in and out of the industry, depending on the market.

“There may be fewer home inspectors, but it’s also a healthy purge,” Bunzel said. Before the law, “a person could be swinging a hammer Monday and call themselves a home inspector on Tuesday.”

Until the law takes full effect, Bunzel said he has been making the rounds to area real estate offices, encouraging them to recommend only licensed inspectors.

Whatcom County lists 19 licensed home inspectors and 10 live in Island County, but licensed inspectors can operate anywhere in the state.

The old way

Before Sept. 1, a structural pest inspection license from the Department of Agriculture was the only required step to inspecting homes.

Dan Suomi, who oversees pest inspection licensing, said passing the regulatory baton to Licensing has allowed his department to focus on education and has decreased the number of complaints against home inspectors in recent years.

Though structural pests, such as rot or termites, are among the most costly issues found in homes, Suomi said the new license emphasizes the broader picture of inspections.

The license requires inspectors to report conditions that could be conducive to wood decay and any damages, but does not require them to complete a comprehensive pest inspection.

In fact, inspectors who also have their pest inspection licenses — about 90 percent of them — can only include both types of inspections in their reports if requested by the client, Licensing’s Anthony said.

Though that might increase the cost of an inspection — which usually ranges from $300 to $500, depending on the area — Suomi said it’s worth it.

“I see all too often that the question people ask (of inspectors) is not ‘What do you know?’ but ‘How much do you charge?’” he said.

Morgan, a licensed inspector, said in the case of hurried purchases — such as those involving foreclosures or subject to deadlines for receiving government tax credits — buyers still should make the sale contingent on a home inspection.

Harrison said home inspections, which she recommends to every client, often cost less than closing costs and can lead to negotiations with the owner to pay for needed repairs.

“I hear other agents telling me people can’t afford (inspections),” she said. “They can’t afford not to do it.”

How to choose a home inspector

Use the Business and Professional License Search on the Department of Licensing Web site to find licensed inspectors in your county or to find out whether an inspector is licensed: http://www.dol.wa.gov/.

Prospective buyers can also search for complaints or disciplinary actions taken against licensed inspectors at: http://www.dol.wa.gov/about/disciplinary.html. There are no complaints listed for inspectors yet because the program is relatively new, but this is where any complaints will appear in the future.

There is also a search for home inspectors on the American Society of Home Inspectors Web site, but inclusion on this site does not necessarily mean the inspector is licensed.

Whitney Pipkin can be reached at 360-416-2112 or at wpipkin@skagit publishing.com.