Home inspection in Whitten.

Fire. Whitten was platted in 1880 by C.C. Whitten of the Northwestern Railway and incorporated in 1882, but several early-twentieth-century fires destroyed much of the town and it rebuilt very little afterward — which is why a town founded in 1880 now holds fewer than 100 residents. For a buyer that means the housing that survived is either pre-fire stock that came through, or replacement construction from whatever decade the owner could afford. Dating the house matters more than usual here, and we do it from the framing, the foundation and the services rather than from the town's founding year.

Plan on two to three hours for an average home; larger, older or multi-unit properties run longer because there is simply more to document.