Oregon and Washington Home Inspector
Russ Motyko is a certified home inspector in the State of Oregon (OCHI # 1898) and in the State of Washington (WAHI # 1856). He brings with him close to 10 years of commercial and residential construction experience. He has been a part of every stage of building a house from laying tile, to installing trim and flooring, to putting up siding and roofing. In his last three years in the construction trades, Russ was a framing contractor (CCB# 201971) specializing in custom, high-end homes, commercial buildings, and remodels with extensive and difficult structural upgrades.
Russ is the son of immigrants who speaks Russian fluently and has strong ties in the Slavic community. Having witnessed the incredible challenges faced by his parents when they first came to this country, Russ wanted to be part of a company that would stand up for the immigrant community and help those who are less fortunate. Nonprofit Home Inspections’ focus on helping to make sure that everyone in our shared community has access to safe housing was a big factor in Russ’ decision to join NHI’s mission based organization.
Russ earned his associate of arts degree from Clackamas community college. He is veteran who was deployed overseas as part of operation Iraqi freedom and is a current member of the US Army reserve.
Russ’ years in the construction industry is what drove him to become a home inspector. Too many times he saw homeowners that were taken advantage of by unscrupulous contractors and builders. Russ wanted to be in a place where he could stand up for the homeowner and help them demand that the builder or contractor do things right. He wanted to have opportunity to educate the homeowner and give them the information they often times so desperately need.
Most importantly, all of the remodels that he did showed Russ how much damage a small roof leak, a misplaced bathroom vent, or a missing piece of flashing can do to a home. Often times all that it takes to prevent disaster is a person who knows where to look to spot the little details that aren’t quite right. Finding and exposing the defects that will lead to financial ruin is what Russ is most passionate about and why he’s excited to work for Nonprofit Home Inspections.
Portland, OR Home Inspector
Vancouver, WA Home Inspector
Russ Motyko has earned the coveted designation as a Certified Master Inspector ®. This designation is only given to professional home inspectors who have been in the trade for at least 3 years, who have completed over 1,000 home inspections and / or hours of training, and who abide by a strict set of ethics. In addition to conducting his own outstanding home inspections, Russ uses his Certified Master Inspector status to help train other home inspectors to be outstanding home inspectors in their own right.
Russ Motyko is an Oregon Certified Home Inspector (OCHI # 1898). Russ has a long history in the construction industry both building and remodeling high end custom homes. Russ’ experience as a licensed general contractor gives him additional insight into best building practices that lead to healthy homes over the long term. Conducting remodels on older homes also instilled the importance of small details such as flashing that can lead to structural problems over time if not corrected.
Russ Motyko is a Licensed Washington Home Inspector (WAHI # 1856) and conducts home inspections in Vancouver, Washington, Camas, Washington, and surrounding communities. In order to become a licensed home inspector in Vancouver, Russ completed Washington state’s intensive Fundamentals of Home Inspection course and completed an apprenticeship with an experienced home inspector. These experiences, combined with Russ’ previous experience as an Oregon Certified Home Inspector and experience as a Licensed General Contractor give him tremendous insight into best building practices and allow him to write very detailed, helpful home inspection reports.
Prior to becoming a licensed home inspector for Nonprofit Home Inspections, Russ Motyko worked as a licensed general contractor building and renovating homes in the Portland metropolitan area. Because a background in construction is so critical for a home inspector, all of Nonprofit Home Inspections’ inspectors have a significant background in construction and building science. This hands on experience allows our inspectors to give reasoned, experience-based home inspection reports that allow our clients to make informed housing decisions.
Russ Motyko has earned the coveted designation as a Certified Professional Inspector®. This designation is awarded to outstanding home inspectors who have complete prescribed coursework, InterNACHI’s home inspector examination, a Code of Ethics course, a Standards of Practice course and ongoing continuing education. Hiring a Certified Professional Inspector® through Nonprofit Home Inspections gives you additional peace of mind knowing that you are hiring a competent, experienced home inspector that is looking out for your best interests.
Russ Motyko is a Licensed Structural Pest Inspector (WASPI # 93853) and is able to sign off on pest and dry rot forms required by some banks and government loan programs. Hiring a home inspector who is also a Licensed Structural Pest Inspector is critical when purchasing a new home. If your bank or government loan requires a “Pest and Dry Rot” inspection and your home inspector is not properly licensed for this additional service, you may have to hire a properly licensed inspector to conduct a second inspection. All of Nonprofit Home Inspections’ home inspectors are licensed to conduct “Pest and Dry Rot” and Structural Pest Inspections in both Oregon and Washington state. Don’t risk hiring a home inspector that isn’t licensed nor qualified to provide proper pest and dry rot inspections.
All of Nonprofit Home Inspections licensed home inspectors have completed OSHA training. While this goes above and beyond what is required for home inspectors in Oregon and Washington, we believe that home inspections should be conducted as safely as possible in order to protect the home inspector, the clients and the home owners. Some of these protections include wearing hazmat suits for inspecting attics and crawlspaces, using hepa filter face masks, not disturbing attics with vermiculite (asbestos) insulation, etc.
This focus on safety is an important distinction between our nonprofit and other home inspection companies. Specifically, if other companies don’t take steps to insure that their own inspectors are safely inspecting homes, how serious do you think they will be about your family’s safety? Being a home inspector in Washington and Oregon is a dangerous business. If home inspectors do not exercise caution, they can expose themselves, their clients and the homeowners to significant hazards including exposure to asbestos, lead, falling hazards, electrical hazards, etc. Because all of our inspectors are OSHA trained, we work to mitigate potentially hazardous conditions until they can be safely addressed by licensed specialists.
Russ Motyko is a member in good standing of the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors (InterNACHI), the largest and most prestigious home inspection associations in the world. As a member of InterNACHI, Russ is able to take some of the best continuing education classes available for home inspectors. This continuing education allows Russ to stay on top of new developments in the home inspection industry and to fulfill his educational requirements as a home inspector in Washington and as a home inspector in Oregon.
Russ Motyko is certified by the International Association of Certified Indoor Air Consultants (IAC2) to conduct both mold sampling and radon testing for real estate transactions in Oregon and Washington. Radon is the number 1 cause of lung cancer for non-smokers and causes over 20,000 deaths a year. Mold is a similarly difficult problem in our wet climate, so it’s critical to select a home inspector that is qualified to detect mold. Both mold and radon can be relatively easy to mitigate if you know you have a problem, so make sure to get your home tested before closing any real estate transaction.
