Professional-

Mike Nelson of

Applied Research Inspection  

Professional Building inspections.

   What does it take to be a good home inspector?  The answer is that it takes a lot of training, experience, and certifications.  Mike Nelson of Applied Research Inspection of Tracy has all of those qualifications.

   I was surprised to learn that there are no laws or legislation regulating home inspection services and that many inspectors have only a couple of weeks of training before putting out their shingle as a home inspector. 

   Mike is the exception as he spent many years in the building trades, earned a college degree in building inspection, and worked as a municipal building inspector in the bay area before starting his home inspection business.

   Mike started his education at Ohlone College in Fremont, but left early to train as a commercial diver, which is an occupation he pursued for a few years.  He didn’t know his background in commercial diving would provide more capability to him as an inspector, but it has.

   Mike gave up commercial diving and tried several business opportunities before going into construction work, which he did for about fifteen years.  He worked his way up from the trenches of construction work to become a foreman and supervisor. 

   He decided that walking around with a clipboard as an inspector was more attractive than swinging a hammer so he returned to Chabot College to study Construction Inspection.  He completed his Associate of Arts degree and contracted his services to a city building inspection department in the San Francisco Bay Area.

   Mike became disenchanted with municipal construction inspection in 1995 and returned to construction as a supervisor while building his home inspection business on a part-time basis.  He managed to build the business, but was limited by the number of hours that were available to inspect buildings.

   I've heard many reasons for pursuing business opportunities as a writer for the Tracy Business Journal, but Mike gave me one that was new.  He told me about a cold January morning as he was beginning work on a job site.  He didn’t feel very well and he was aching from the cold when he made a decision to give up his construction job and do whatever it takes to successful as a building inspector.

   He went home and told his wife about his decision, and she was very supportive.  In fact, she helped him run the business for seven years.

   Mike is a I.C.B.O. Certified Building Inspector, I.R.C. Certified Building Inspector, I.B.C. Certified Building Inspector, C.R.E.I.A. Certified Home Inspector, F.I.R.E. Certified Fireplace Inspector, F.R.E.A. Certified Commercial Real Estate Inspector, I.T.A. Educationally Certified Home Inspector, I.T.A. Educationally Certiied Mobile  Home Inspector, I.T.A. Educationally Certified POOL & SPA Inspector, and a Certified Competent Toastmaster.

   Why are certifications important even if not required by law?  These certifications document that he knows how buildings are supposed to be built and that makes him better at finding and reporting problems in buildings.  He feels this takes many years to learn and cannot be taught in an inspection school in a couple of weeks. 

   Mike is so skilled at inspection work that he obtained a large construction project inspection job in the City of Turlock and the city allowed him to sign off the construction work as being done correctly.  This provided higher quality standards for the project than might have been achieved with the minimal inspection requirements of a typical city inspection department. 

   Mike’s extensive list of certifications may make him the most qualified and experienced construction and building inspector in the state of California.  His diving experience even allows him to inspect underwater construction found around bridges and marinas.  He feels there is no project that is too large for him.  If he cannot handle the project alone, he will bring in whatever professional talent needed to do a good, complete, and professional job.

   Mike is proud to be part of the real estate process by protecting buyers from home problems.  The home is usually the most expensive investment a person is likely to make and his inspections have allowed buyers to purchase a home with confidence that there are few problems. 

   Mike's motto is that he never turns down an inspection job because people need peace of mind in buying a home.  So what are the biggest problems he finds when inspecting a home?  He reports that the homeowner who tackles large projects can create many problems by their lack of experience and knowledge.  He often identifies problems and code violations in homes that have been remodeled by the homeowner. 

   Mike also serves as an expert witness, does mold surveys and sampling, can be an expert witness in construction litigation, and does specific item inspection.  Specific item inspection includes the investigation of circumstances to determine the cause of a building problem.  At the conclusion of the inspection, he is able to provide the written report from his vehicle so the client is usually given the official report the day of the inspection.

   Mike is not just about home inspections.  He is very active in his church and in Marriage Builders.  While having problems in his own marriage, he helped start a Marriage Builders group of the Tracy Calvary Church.  He now oversees three groups and his marriage has improved. Mike and his wife have four children and one grand child that he finds has changed his outlook on life. 

   Mike is also very active in the Tracy Sunrise Rotary.  We spoke at length about his Rotary work in Belize.  He explained that Diabetes is a serious problem in Belize and that the Rotary group is going to Belize to set up blood screening and to educate the people on this serious disease.  The Tracy club will work with about twenty thousand people in a country of about a quarter of a million.  Five Rotary clubs working together conceivably test and educate the entire country.

   Mike operates his inspection business out of the Remax offices 2311 A Tracy Boulevard and can be reached at 836-2272.  You may access his web site at: www.homeinspection.com/ari

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