I know my house has Tegenaria domestica, maybe Hobo, as well.

One morning I woke up to a nasty discovery. 70% of my entire left leg bottom was black and blue and a red dot at the centre of the bruse was clearly visable. That red dot is still there even today, over a year later.
No, I didnt feel sick or anything, just surprised.

It has been brought to my attention, Tegenaria domestica, probably didnt do this damage, it was probably a Hobo.

Apparently, it is difficult to tell the difference between domestica and Hobo other than closer observation or getting bit.

Comments welcome

Sorry, accidently had an incomplete reference in the link...
Corrected link here.

Don't forget the Giant house spider, Tegenaria gigantea.
I grew up in Victoria, BC and had many of these all around the house. I was never bitten, and was not unduly disturbed by their presence. They make great pets.

I wish I had gotten better pictures of it. I have been doing some research on the hobo, and it seems that I am in the right locale and season for them, if this is the case. What concerns me is that I am immuno-suppressed and probably could not handle a wet bite (as opposed to a dry one). I've sent the photos to Oregon Health Sciences University's Entomology department to see if they can help identify as well. I have to admit, I'm a little concerned. Thank you for your help, I appreciate it very much. The most convincing picture I've seen thus far, is here http://bugguide.net/node/view/26721Comparing the farthest picture that I took to that picture...it is very close. Although, I haven't seen picutures of the other ones that you mentioned yet. I am about to look those up now.

Edit:

Reading on the Tegenaria gigantea has given me some comfort. The picture looks remarkably like that one as well, but there is a difference that I didn't think of. The spider I found wasn't at ground level, it was about 4 1/2 - 5 feet off of the ground, on a wall. (the wall is textured as you can see on the photos) According to http://www.srv.net/~dkv/hobospider/european.html that is a difference between the two. Is there any way to tell for sure from the photos I took which is which?

To be honest, I'm not sure there would be a way to positively ID the species from photos (although I am far, far from being an expert).

As noted, the markings on all three species are very close (unless you want to find it, flip it over, and closely look at the sternum... (grin) I wouldn't either!), all three tend to be in your area, and they are all "fairly" close in size (on avg, within ~4-6mm of each other if full-grown).

The fact it was up higher is a good indication for a non-hobo species, but unfortunately, not a 100% indication (as found by experience).

If the Oregon Health Sciences University's Entomology department does come up with a positive ID or more info, please post it. I would love to know if it is or isn't T. agrestis.

I have also submitted the photos to the local extension service. I will let you know if I hear anything back. My poor husband won't even come in the house now. (as I'm sure you can tell, I am usually the one to scoop them up and set them on a plant outside while he screams in horror)

I was just reading an article that said hobo spiders are the only of the three that does not have stripes on it's legs. This spider did not have stripes. Does anyone know if this information is true?

I honestly would seek the advice of an expert. (I truly apologize for not stating this in the beginning.)

Identifying a hobo requires specific knowledge about their reproductive structures, and you need the spider itself. ID'ing a hobo spider from a photo is NOT reliable.

If it does have leg rings, it is not a hobo, but the converse is not true.

Thank you for your help. I'm looking for the spider to see if I can catch it. I guess I was hoping that I could ease my husband's fears without catching it. Thank you again for your help.

If it is any consolation, typically in WA and OR, the odds of it being a house spider are greater than being a hobo spider, and hobo spiders are considered non-aggressive unless they feel threatened.

That is a pretty good photo you sent, and I can say with relatively high confidence that it depicts a male hobo spider. However, I would have to see the specimen to be 100% certain.

Hobo spiders are common in our area, fortunately being bitten by one is not common.