As a realtor in Washington State, I sometimes find it challenging to keep track of all the terms that are used by home inspectors in their reports. Some inspectors throw in construction jargon that is unfamiliar language and my clients do not understand the terms. Probably the most confusing language is when inspectors start talking about WDO’s, WDI’s and conducive conditions. All the inspectors know their own industry language, so it flows off their tongues easily, but clients almost always end up confused, scratching their heads and standing there with puzzled looks on their faces.
Here is an example: An inspector pulls up in his truck and says, “ I will do a complete WDO inspection at your house and I will report conducive conditions as well. And, as you know, I will also point out WDI’s if I see any of the little devils tromping around.” So what does all of that mean?
In inspector speak, WDO is an acronym for wood destroying organism. That includes insects and fungus: termites, wood-boring beetles, wood chewing ants, rot, etc. Now, if the inspector talks about WDI’s, then that stands for wood destroying insect and includes all of the things on the previous list, except the rot, which is a fungus.
If the inspector cites conducive conditions, well that can mean any number of things. Officially, it means circumstances or conditions that could lead to a WDO or WDI problem in the future. That list is quite flexible in that some condition nobody ever saw before might be present at a given home and, if that condition clearly is a problem, then that could be called a conducive condition. There are a few conducive conditions that are clear cut and easy to remember: no vapor barrier, or a torn one, in the crawl space; a plumbing leak; failed caulking; wood to earth contact; downspouts routed to drain near the foundation; vegetation touching the siding and that sort of thing.
As an experienced realtor, I had to learn all of this jargon over the years and I thought it might be helpful if I passed it along to you. I hope it is useful to you and that you find it enlightening.
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