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
(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
(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
(Ron Burns, A-1 Home Inspection Services, Melbourne, FL)
"It's the best money I've ever spent!"
Very satisfied client,
Melbourne, FL
Tell Ron I said
thanks for the really great report. The actual home inspection was quite enlightening
- Ron did an excellent job. The summary report was very clear and to the point and
there was no confusion like I have had in reports from other companies I have used in
the past. We will be discussing the many problems that came to light with the real
estate company. The report undoubtedly saved us thousands of dollars in repair bills
that we would have discovered after we had purchased the house without your help.
The roof was a major concern before
the inspection, however, we had no idea how many other important things needed
attention and they will definitely be repaired before we finalize any purchase. Again,
I am sure this report saved us many thousands of dollars and I would certainly recommend your company to anyone.
Thanks again,
C. Sparks
(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
(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