Comments From Clients Of Independent Home Inspectors:
(Bruce Hunter, Hunter & Associates
Inspections Inc. Vancouver, BC)
I guess we did not
realize how political and antagonistic the realtor vs. property
inspector was going to be. It was a real eye opener and something
of an object lesson in complicity as to the depths that realtors
are prepared to plumb to ensure that the outcome is positive for
themselves---never mind in most cases, the unsuspecting homebuyer.
Fortunately we managed to hurdle some of the barriers by having a
frank and open discussion without the involvement of the realtors,
i.e. theirs or ours. Ed, we are grateful for your inspection on the
other property. Thank you for referring Bruce to us in your
absence. His report was thorough, well presented, unbiased and
contained additional supplementary information that will be of
benefit to us in the future.
Joe & Jill Q., Coquitlam
Two years ago I
made the mistake of hiring a home inspector recommend by my
realtor. He was the only home inspector listed on the realtors
web site and that should alerted me to too much of a cozy
relationship. Not being familiar with inspectors’ reporting
methods I did not realize until later that many of the defects of
the house were smoothed over. Then the mold was found. When I
attempted to hire another inspection company to review the
inspector’s report I quickly learned that there are virtually no
inspectors who want to come to the aid of a consumer with this kind
of problem. I now know that many home inspectors get referrals from
realtors and know that if they offend that industry they will not
get any more inspections referred to them. Most home inspectors
don’t want the added pressure from their peers or associations
who may not accept that one of their own should be investigated by
someone outside their association.
Bert Anderson
(Sean Wiens, SENWI House Inspections North Vancouver, BC)
“Thank you very much for everything. You have done an excellent job.
We are truly appreciative of your effort and due-diligence.
Cheers,
Daniel
Sean Wiens is professional in his approach to his work and very knowledgeable about the building industry.
His detailed inspection and report made a very difficult decision much easier for us. He also goes
above and beyond to make sure he covers everything he can during the inspection.
In the home he inspected for us, after carefully going over the rest of the house, he cheerfully
and thoroughly examined a cramped attic crawl space, undeterred by the hot day or the tiny hatch
he had to climb through to get in there.
I would highly recommend Sean's services to anyone in need of a comprehensive home inspection.
SD
(Bruce Thompson, Thompson Property
Inspection, LLC Tyler - Dallas, TX)
Thank you Thompson
Property Inspections for letting your light shine in the darkness.
This was our first house inspection and I cannot tell you how
thankful we are to Bruce and everyone else involved in this co. We
are from CA. and this inspection saved us from making a purchase
that we would have deeply regretted should it had went through. The
service offered us very professional, thoroughly done inspections.
We were treated with top-notch service, high ethical
standards.....and very friendly service aside from everything else
and Bruce claims he is not superman!
Thanks, Gerardo and Virginia
I couldn't attend the inspection but Bruce's report was so clear
and detailed that I didn't have any question left by the time I was
done reading it. Bruce's extensive knowledge made me confident
about my home purchase.
Sincerely, Bertrand
(Hugh Poole , A.C.E. of Space Home
Inspections, Vancouver, BC)
Dear Hugh,
I'm just writing
to express my heart felt appreciation for your good work. Finding a
house in this market was not easy, it seemed like people were
taking the opportunity to put a lot of junk up for sale and early
on in the game we realized that the selling agent, and ours, only
made their commission when the deal went through, so why would it
be in their interest to recommend someone who would give us the
unvarnished truth? Having your expert opinion working for us took
so much of the worry and guess work out of it. With your help we
were able to bypass the heart and bankbook breakers, and then
recognize the diamond in the rough that we were looking for. Again,
many thanks,
Dr. Stanley deVlaming,
St. Pauls Hospital, Vancouver
Potential
Homebuyers,
I have been aware
of the service provided by real estate agents whereby they
recommend or refer potential property purchasers to home
inspectors, presumably at arms length. I reviewed the documentation
used by these home inspectors and was not comfortable with the
simplicity of the inspection commentary or its checklist approach.
The single largest purchase one makes in life requires a more
serious approach and professional expertise in not only the built
environment, but skill in phrasing the commentary in understandable
terms in an inspection report that assists a buyer, rather than
confusing them.
We began our house
search this spring and found what we thought was an ideal home. I
looked for a home inspector that was NOT referred by real estate
personnel. I was looking for truly independent professionals, who
derived their clients because of satisfied clients, not satisfied
agents. The web pointed out IHINA as a potential source. It was
clear that, although the costs were almost double to inspectors
referred by real estate agents, I was willing to pay knowing it was
small insurance relative to the purchase price and I would be
engaging a professional who would be working on my behalf. There is
no question in my mind that engaging an independent home inspector
is a process whereby you receive accredited, professional service
for what I think is a fair price. I would not hesitate to recommend
any member of IHINA.
Ihor Pona
Professor of design, Kwantlen University College
(Dennis Robitaille,
Able Home Inspection,
Inc. Saugus, MA)
Dennis,
" The last time I
bought property was 10 years ago. I used an inspector recommended
by the real estate agent, that won't happen again! Thank you for
your thorough, knowledgeable, and professional inspection. Kate and
I especially liked the way you weren't rushed and asked us "do you
have any questions before we leave this area of the house?". We
were also very impressed with your bag of high tech gadgets. We'll
recommend you very highly!!!"
Elizabeth Sullivan
I was willing to
pay the little bit extra for an extremely thorough inspection, I
was very pleased. It was interesting to witness the real estate
agent get frantic when we chose such a thorough inspector as
opposed to their "suggested" inspector.
Julie & Doug Hogue
"Dennis, thank you
for assisting my wife and me with our housing inspection. Your
professionalism and care for your clients was evident during the
inspection and in your report. My wife and I have read through your
narrative a couple of times. We are pragmatic and realistic
individuals and so while we did expect there to be some issues
(i.e. need to replace heat/cooling systems), we did not expect to
find the excessive evidence of water damage as well as the
structural problems such as the issues with the roof structure. All
I can say is that I am glad that we chose you for the
inspection.
I'm pretty sure that most inspectors would have missed many of
the issues you brought to our attention. When spending the amount
of money this purchase requires, it is imperative to have the best
service providers/advisors you can find. I was wary of using any
home inspector that my broker suggested. The potential
principal/agent conflict of interest is just too great to
ignore. I will be recommending you to my colleagues and friends
as they move through their own house purchase processes. Regards,
Scott
AC & E Home
Inspection (Long Island, NY)
..."thanks for
making it so easy to ask questions (and not feel dumb asking them)"
J. Cotgreave
“The inspector was excellent, thorough, and very professional.
Thank you!"
D. Carmichael
“I would definitely reconmmend / use this company again. From
the time we made the phone call to set up the appointment right
until the end of the inspection the company was professional and
kind. Thank you!"
A. Allsop
(Chad Fabry, Structure Smart Home
Inspections, Inc. Holley, NY)
Chad,
Thanks, your
inspection exceeded my expectations. Your focus on customer
service, attention to detail, timely turnaround of the report, and
totally professional approach to the process speaks volumes of your
skilled and expert commitment to the business of property
inspections. I also very much appreciated you accommodating my
somewhat hectic schedule and time line for this purchase. I did
come to an agreement with the seller on a 3% price adjustment,
largely based on the information you provided. Now the work to
complete the sale lies ahead. I certainly appreciate your opinion
and philosophy on conflicts of interest between the business of
inspections and doing repairs or referrals for repairs. I hope to
do business with you again soon and consider you in my group of
business contacts /friends /advisors. If you ever need a reference
(which I doubt you should) feel free to count me as one of your
very satisfied customers.
Zig Kurpiewski
Hey Chad,
Thanks so much for
the thorough inspection. It was extremely informative and I learned
a great deal about different things to look for in the future. The
sellers of the townhouse did not want to fix anything I requested
so I walked away from the deal with no penalties. Again thank you
for opening my eyes and educating me. I am still in the market for
a home and will definitely call you when I need the inspection
done!
Hope all is well with you too, Michele
(Ted Gilmour, T.H.E Home Inspection Services
Ltd.Vancouver, BC)
Dear Ted:
I am writing to
say thanks for your help in the recent purchase of our new (used)
home. We very much appreciated the thoroughness of your inspection
and the timeliness and detail of the report. The many useful
features of the report (photographs, suggested repairs, priority
ranking of repairs, estimated cost of repairs etc.) were very
useful both as a decision-making and negotiating tool, and as a
reference once we had bought our house.
Of particular
importance to us was your independence from the real estate sales
community. Being free from any vested interest in the outcome of
the sale negotiations, we feel that you were able to provide us
with a completely impartial inspection service. In closing, I would
(and already have) highly recommended you to friends and colleagues
considering a home purchase. Thank you again for a job well
done.
Yours
sincerely,
Sheldon J.B. Duff, Ph.D.
Professor
NSERC/COFI Industrial Research Chair in Forest Products Waste
Management
Hi Ted,
I just wanted to
drop off a note to you regarding the property you inspected for me.
I can't begin to thank you enough for all the help and information
you provided for me. You have saved me a great deal of money and
you have shown me areas I need to look at and repair before I move
in. The furnace alone was a life saver. (They are replacing it.)
This being my first home ever, I was really in the dark about a lot
of things. You not only provided the inspection, but the
maintenance schedule is a real help. Thank you for the job you did
and thank you for making my new home a safer place to live in. The
service you provide is essential to people buying a home. It's a
good thing I listened to you and not the real estate agent. I feel
the fact that you are realtor independent made a big difference! I
know of cases where the buyer went with an inspector referred by a
realtor with less than satisfactory results. I was given that
option as well, but felt the inspector would put the realtor's well
being before mine, even though I'm paying the bill, so I decided to
go with someone with affiliations to the Independent Home Inspector
or Independent Home Inspectors of North America. I hope you had a
wonderful Christmas and I wish you all the best in all your
endeavors in 2002.
Yours,
Dani Kasburg
(John Martino,
Look Smart Home Inspections Rockaway, NJ)
John,
"I researched dozens of home inspectors. I contacted LookSmart and John
answered all of the questions I had concerning the services that he provides.
I could not have made a better choice, he saved me thousands and helped me to
re-negotiate the contract with the problems that he uncovered."
A. Armstrong
(Robert Ross, Ross Residential Services,
Deshler, OH)
I am new to the
rental business and purchased my first duplex this past January. A
good friend recommended Bob Ross to do the whole house inspection
and I was pleasantly surprised with Bob’s service. Bob was on
time and ready to work. He knew exactly what he was looking for and
was very thorough with his inspection. His price was very
affordable and fair and what I like most is that I can continue to
call him for advice without being charged for it. Bob was very easy
to get along with and made me feel very comfortable and open to ask
any simple question. He took his time with me and gave me much
advice throughout the inspection. After the inspection, Bob
immediately followed up with a written report detailing all his
findings along with suggestions and concerns about the property. I
have referred to this report numerous times when making repairs and
upkeep to my duplex. It is very handy and informative. Because he
was working for me and not a realtor, I felt he was very honest and
up front with his report. In my opinion, Bob is a “truly
professional home inspector”.
Mary B., Findlay,
OH.
Lake Home Inspection ---Larry Lake--- Ponca City, OK)
I can honestly
recommend Larry Lake of Lake Home Inspection when buying a home in
the northern Oklahoma area. He was recommended to me by others and
I found him to be absolutely committed to my (buyer's) interests.
When issues arose, Larry retested, recommended specialists and
reinspected until the concerns were satisfied. His report was
professionally produced and included text, pictures and summaries
that were consise and easy to understand.
I strongly believe
that an independently selected home inspector is a buyer's only
real protection and is worth the money and time to accomplish. I
also suggest that the "standard" real estate inspection time period
of 7 to 10 days be extended to 15-20 days to accomodate full
understanding of unexpected issues and to avoid time pressures on
an important purchase decision.
Richard Parker
(Buyer's Edge Home Inspection
Services --- Mike Lancop --- Calgary)
To whom it may
concern,
I have used
Michael Lancop's services 3 times in the past . In all three
instances I have saved myself thousands of dollars. The first house
I looked at I hired Mr. Lancop to do an inspection and to my
surprise he discovered that the house had no water pressure. I
didn't want the expense of digging a new well, so I walked away and
didn't put an offer on that house.
I knew the second
house I had Mr Lancop inspect would need to be spruced up but I
wanted to make sure this would only be superficial repairs.
(cosmetic). I had made my offer conditional on the home inspection.
It turned out there were so many problems with the home from
electrical to plumbing that it would have turned into a money pit.
I was able to walk away based on the inspection.
The third house I
had inspected by Mr Lancop is the one I am currently living in.
There have been no surprises and because I knew what repairs were
needed, I was able to deduct the cost from the price I offered.
Saving at least $3000 on this house alone not to mention the money
I would have spent on the other houses. The cost of having an
impartial home inspection by someone not tied to trying to sell me
the house was the best thing I ever did. He more than paid for the
cost of the inspection.
I have and
continue to recommend Mr. Lancop's services.
A very satisfied
customer,
Lise Rainville-Sommerfeld
(Lake Cities Inspection
Service --- Korey Robertson, Denton, TX)
Korey:
I can not express
the appreciation I have for the thorough home inspection I received
on Sunday. This being my first home purchase for my family and I,
at times has been extremely nerve racking. However after the advise
and guidance provided by you has given us the knowledge we need to
start a home. At no time did we feel as if you were in a hurry and
just doing a job. It is obvious that you care about your clients
and the quality of your work by taking the time to explain what you
saw and making sure we understood exactly what you were talking
about. After the full inspection the time you invested informing us
what you felt should be attended to quickly and things that have
time to be corrected was above and beyond the small fee you
requested.
Thank you once again for your assistance and rest assured when we
have anyone update our home we will have you confirm the quality of
their service.
R. McDonald and Family
(Accurate Inspections,
Inc. --- Michael Del Greco, W Paterson, NJ)
"The purchase of a
new home is a very exciting and stressful time. It is very easy at
this time to over look some of the important details associated
with the condition of the new home being purchased. Accurate
Inspections, Inc. proved to be a very important asset at this time.
After a very thorough inspection of the property and a detailed
report, we were given the opportunity to weigh all the pros and
cons and make our decision based on the true condition. Thank you,
Accurate, for supplying us with the information need to make a
decision we can live with."
William & Doris W.
River Vale, NJ
(American Home Inspection
--- John McKenna, Bryan, TX)
"Thank you so much
for your thorough inspection! I would still like to purchase this
property, but with a more realistic value placed on the home.
Without your help, I would be unable to re-negotiate based upon the
problems we saw. Thanks again,"
Linda Davis
Georgetown, Texas
(William J. Finlay,
A-1 Inspection
Services Guardian Home Inspectors)
The best decision
we ever made was to hire William J. Finley of A-1 Inspection
Services.
We were in love
with a home. We loved the home, area, layout and neighbors. We had
enrolled the children in the neighborhood school established
carpools and we were on our way to taking ownership. We were
certainly not expecting the home inspection to produce anything but
a few minor repair issues. Bill arrived on time and immediately
went to work doing a thorough inspection. He quickly identified a
$20,000 black mold and other issues requiring immediate attention.
Bill was very polite and helped us understand the issues he
identified. He quickly followed up with a written report and was
available to answer questions at no charge. We will use Bill’s
services whenever we purchase a home. His knowledge and
thoroughness exceeded our expectations.
Bill stands very
high on our list of those to whom we owe a great big thank you.
Thank
you!
Ron & Jody DeLand
(Steve Czubinski,
Dream Home Inspections, Inc., Buffalo, NY)
I recently had my
home inspected by Dream Home Inspections. I was impressed with
Steve's professionalism and thoroughness. Far from rushing through
the inspection process, Steve methodically covered every aspect of
my home's condition from roof to basement, inside and out. In the
process, he identified several areas requiring attention and
clearly spelled out recommended actions for resolving these. I am
very happy to have asked Steve to perform an inspection of my home.
I would certainly recommend him to anyone who wants to get to know
the condition of the property "up close and personal" before they
buy."
R.B.
Grand Island, NY
(Andy Shaw, Halton Home Inspection
Service, Ontario, Canada)
I have had Home
Inspections in the past. Your inspection was the most thorough
inspection we have had. You were very informative and helpful. We
would be happy to refer you to our friends about your service.
Sabrina S.
Our older home was inspected by a different company. They did a
lousy job and did not point out problems and potential problems. We
have a small child and were concerned about her safety. We
contacted Andy at Halton Home Inspection Service for another
inspection. Andy was extremely thorough and professional in the
inspection and helped us make important decisions. I now recommend
his service to anyone buying a home.
Eva E.
(Mike Porter, Arc Home Inspection
Services, Kent, WA)
Dear Mr. Porter,
I wish to thank you for the superb job you did inspecting my new
home. You were very through and pointed out a number of problems
areas as well as some of the home’s positive features. I
appreciated how quickly you responded to my request for an
inspection. You performed the inspection on the very next workday
after our phone conversation.
I was also extremely impressed with your offer to do a
subsequent pest inspection. You did this on your weekend and at
reasonable expense to me. Once again you were very through and your
advice convinced me to go ahead with the purchase of the
property.
Your service was impeccable. As a first time homebuyer, I felt
as if I was treated with the utmost care and concern. Again, thank
you for a job well done.
Sincerely yours,
Kevin L. Seebeck
(Eric Van De Ven, Magnum Inspections,
Inc. South FL)
I am writing at my own initiative to provide a testimonial on
behalf of Eric Van De Ven of Magnum Inspections in Florida. I
learned about Magnum Inspections through an Internet search of
qualified inspectors in the West Palm Beach, FL area. I was
impressed by Magnum Inspection's website initially, as it provided
helpful, straightforward information. Eric Van De Ven was also the
most responsive of the firm representatives that I talked with
initially, so I decided to hire him to inspect a house I was
interested in purchasing -- a historic home built in 1950 in
downtown West Palm Beach.
Eric spent several hours on site performing the inspection and
provided a very thorough, objective inspection report with
extensive photo back up in a very short time frame. When asked for
additional advice and opinions, Eric was forthcoming with
information, and never once cut me short. He remained highly
professional and objective at all times, with the wisdom and
level-headedness that comes with experience.
A few weeks after I assumed our last business interaction was
over, Eric called to check to see if my home purchase was
progressing smoothly and if I needed any further assistance. He
then gave me substantial helpful advice on how to interpret the
inspection report for the home I was selling in my home state -
with nothing expected in return. I offered to provide him with
referrals, and a testimonial - he did not request this.
I would recommend Eric Van De Ven and Magnum Inspections, with
no hesitation, to anyone seeking an experienced and highly ethical,
yet reasonable inspector in South Florida.
Sincerely,
Betsy Dorn
Cary, NC
Eric
I can't thank you enough for the outstanding job that you did with the inspection. In the end, we opted
not to purchase the house, as the sellers were unwilling to make a sufficient number of repairs for us
to feel comfortable proceeding with the purchase.
Consequently, we have run out of time (we have to
be out of our current home prior to the 9/30 closing), and have found ourselves needing to rent rather
than purchase for the time being. I do apologize for the awkward position you found yourself in with
them - they were far more defensive and emotional over the inspection experience than the situation
called for. (I kept wondering why they were so reluctant to move the vet - it's only a plastic car and a little
rain would not have hurt it....was there something on that wall between the house and garage that
they didn't want us to see???).
Thank you again for doing such a thorough job on our inspection. When we are ready to purchase
another home, we will definitely be in touch.
Regards,
Linda Stewart
(Richard
Zwierzynski, Real Estate
Inspector's Group Inc Chicago, IL)
I needed a home inspection from a company I could trust. Having
purchased several properties in the past, I was looking for an
independent. I came to know Real Estate Inspectors Group through a
web search, finding the company on the IHINA website. My inspector
(Richard) exceeded our expectations. It's refreshing when a
business meets my expectations, let alone exceeds them as in this
case. Richard under-sells his service on the phone and
over-delivers at the inspection. He worked tirelessly for more than
four hours reporting on every detail leaving nothing out. He used
hi-tech equipment and provided a detailed report the following
morning. The contract did not proceed. I will certainly ask Rich to
inspect the next house I consider. I would recommend Real Estate
Inspectors Group for home buyers who desire a thorough, honest and
unbiased inspection.
John Chambers,
Chicago, IL
(Erol Kartal, Pro Inspect Schaumburg,
IL)
Erol is very enthusiastic about his inspections and helping his
clients understand the many details of their home. He explains
technical details in words you can easily understand. His follow-up
is also great. You will feel safe and comfortable working with him.
A real professional. Two thumbs up.
M. Sato,
Arlington Heights, IL
(Bruce King, B.A. King Home
Inspections, LLC, Charlotte, NC)
Hi Mr King
My husband and I just wanted to thank you so much for the wonderful
inspection report on our new home in Creeks Edge. We were so
pleased that we recommended you to our new neighbors, Thomas and
Lydia (unfortunately I did not catch their last name). The
supervisor at Creeks Edge said that we got our money's worth and
more for the job you did. He said it was the most detailed report
he had seen, ever. We just wanted you to know how please we were
and that if we ever need an inspection again we will be sure to
call you (and so will everyone else we know!)
Thanks again,
Dave and Erica Fish
2083 Covered Bridge Court
Rock Hill, SC 29732
IHINA
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