Scotland Yard Home Inspections

Gerald was fantastic, yet again. Earlier, we were alerted to numerous items needing correcting on a house we were in escrow on, but were able to back out based on Gerald's inspection. This time, Gerald uncovered some minor items needing correcting; and we were able to get a solid seller's credit, due at closing to help us with some of the updating we'd like to do. Nothing is deemed major, but the credit will surely help our wallets & knowledge of the items needing attention was good to know what we are getting into. No one can uncover 100% of the potential pifalls in buying a house, but Gerald can surely come close. Hopefully, we can grow our family in this home for decades; but should we need to purchase again in the SoCal area - Gerald will be the first home inspector we call. Highly recommend to anyone in the LA area!

Just got my report today and I am very happy. Extremely thorough and pictures included. I am very happy with his service. He made tons of recommendation on what is needed and what would be better for my condo in the long run. I will definitely use his service again. Highly recommended.

Great experience. We had the unusual opportunity and benefit of seeing a previous inspection from a competitor done just a week before for a buyer that backed out, and although the other inspector was thorough, Gerald caught all of his finds and a couple of big ones that the other inspector had missed - and i mean doosies. Great demeanor. Very professional. Non alarmist. Maybe a bit more expensive than we had counted on, but well worth it. Top Angies List rating well worth it in my opinion.

Gerald is just fantastic. He was prompt, thorough, and a real pleasure to work with. He went above, under, inside, and outside, and honed in all of the house's issues. He is easy to talk to and breaks everything down so you can understand. I highly recommend his services.

Gerald was fantastic. He was right on time, and immediately went to work. Gerald went around, through, over & under the house & noticed the good and the bad. He was straight forward with the issues he discovered. Some of which we relatively minor, some were quite drastic & needing to be fixed, right away. Had it not been for Gerald's thoroughness, my family would have continued with our purchase and ultimately would have been stuck with a money pit. Will definitely use Gerald again on our next accepted offer, and would highly recommend him to anyone looking for a trustworthy inspector in the future.

Excellent. Came out with very little notice. Very thorough job. Discussed with us at length what he discovered. Would recommend without hesitancy.

Gerald has done three inspections for us and he was very thorough and good to deal with.

My husband and I are trying to buy a home in LA for our daughter and son-in-law to live in. We are doing this from Portland, Oregon, so we need an excellent home inspector. We found just what we needed on Angie's List in Gerald McMahon from Scotland Yard Home Inspections. We have used his services three times now because we have yet to find what we are looking for. Some of the available homes on the market today have been flipped to look lovely, but have serious, hidden structural problems. One of the houses we made an offer on had a retaining wall that the owners assured us was fine. Gerald told us it was failing. On another house, he called me early in the inspection to ask if I wanted him to continue, because the poor foundation would have been very expensive to make right. That time he saved me most of the inspection cost, as he could have easily completed it and charged me the full price. My daughter refers to Gerald (only slightly tongue -in-cheek) as The Dream Killer. My husband and I know he is The Money Pit Exposer, and we highly recommend him to everyone.

Gerald was fantastic! He was responsive from the moment I contacted him to days after the inspection when I had general questions. As first time home buyers, he had no problem holding our hands through the detailed inspections and offering his advice when we asked. Not only was he extremely knowledgeable and willing to go out of his way to explain issues with the house, the inspection was really interesting and fun! Although his prices may be a bit higher than some of the other inspectors, after using his service you will not regret your choice and also see the difference.

Gerald was prompt, professional, and extremely thorough. I would definitely call him again!

The first home inspection was on a 1920's era 1800sf 4 bed, 2 bath house on a hillside. It was a unique house with lots of property around it and lots of do-it-yourself work. Gerry was on-time, ready to go and jumped right into it - he was glad I was there so he could explain and show everything to me more clearly and in more detail than a quick summary tour at the end of the inspection or the inspection report would. I definitely preferred to inspect the house along with him because I wanted to know what we would be fixing on the house. We spent six hours going over that house! It just took that long, there were so many things to document & discuss. Six hours is an abnormal amount of time for this size of house - it was the house's fault because of all the "character and charm". But Gerry did not get irritable or get impatient through the process; even at the end he kept pointing out things and taking the time to explain what they indicated. It turns out we did not get that house because Gerry identified a hillside issue (as in, the hillside may crash into your house), an expansive dry rot/termite issue, a huge roofing issue, and a foundation issue with a side-effect of creating a chimney issue. There were all pointed out without added "drama" and we were allowed to decide how much of a 'project' we wanted to take on. The decision not to buy was easy to make. The second house was a more normal experience. Another 1920's era, 1300sf, 3 bed, 2 bath home, but this inspection took far less time. The house is old so there were still many things to point out, most of which were things we felt ready to deal with. He did discover the house had "non-standard" roof framing that we should have a roofing inspector come and take a look at - but in this case it turned out ok and we will be closing on the house next week. All in all I was extremely satisfied in Gerry's service, would definitely use him in the future, and would definitely recommend his services. And one more thing - Gerry is not only CREIA certified, but has previously been the President of that standards organization. It's not something to overlook because there are no standards for home inspection other than these voluntary set of guidelines - and anybody can say they are a home inspector, but not everybody can say they are CREIA certified.

Gerald inspected the attic, roof, plumbing, electrical wiring, circuit breakers, crawlspace, etc, etc with great detail and ook a plethora of pictures throughout the inspection. Most, if not all, of these pictures were included in his detailed report which was delivered to us electronically a little over 24 hours later. In the end, he found a water leak underneath the toilet and commented, ?I am surprised that the toilet hasn?t fallen through the floor yet.? He also found some inappropriate piping work under the house... (e.g. galvanizing cap with copper piping.) and finally additionally recommended that the entire roof needs to be redone. Due to these findings we decided not to move forward with the purchase of this property. As unfortunately as this situation is Gerald helped us to walk away from a property that appeared to be so esthetic on the exterior with some serious hidden issues on the interior. Currently we are still in search for our dream home. Although Gerald is a bit more expensive, his we plan on hiring Gerald again for the next home inspection.

Gerald was prompt and very thorough. Excellent home inspector.

We hired Gerald McMahon to inspect a house we're currently in escrow on. He came recommended by a friend and so we decided to give him and Scotland Yard Home Inspections a shot. He was very friendly and professional on the phone. Scheduling the inspection was no problem. Not only was he on time but he actually arrived early due to a previous job wrapping up quicker than expected. By the time me and my agent arrived he had already completed some of the exterior inspections in the areas he had access to. Observing him inspecting the rest of the property I can say that he is observant, detail oriented and thorough. He looked and crawled into every nook and cranny and found a number of issues that I, as a somewhat DIY experienced amateur, would have never noticed myself. Even though the house is a smallish house from the 50s he did not rush through it and spent several hours investigating everything. Being something of a type A personality who gets OCD-ish about this type of stuff myself I appreciated that he didn't mind me tagging along to see what he found find and how he approached things. He gave me explanations and assessments along the way that were well founded and realistic. He did not push contractor recommendations on me unless I asked for them. Knowing that we were on a tight contingency schedule he managed to turn the report around overnight for us which we really appreciated. He was always available for communication via cell phone or text message throughout the entire process and would respond quickly. The report he generated is incredibly thorough and detailed and comes with lots of annotated pictures. This is incredibly helpful with regards to scheduling and performing subsequent inspections and estimates by specialized contractors. We were 100% satisfied with Gerald's work and attitude and will hire him again without hesitation anytime we'll require home inspection services. Highly recommended!!!

Very well. He did a great job explaining issues and providing feedback on what needs to be done to our new home.

Gerald is just SOOO amazing. The money spent on the inspection was also a tutorial on how homes work and is an eye opener for anyone, especially a first time homebuyer like myself. Within 3 days, I received an 89 page PDF downloadable color inspection report for me to review and use as negotiating points to ask the seller for a reduction in the final sale price. You read right!! 89 pages....Gerald found a roof heater that was a fire hazard and recalled!! This alone is so dangerous, and allowed me to ask for a larger credit back for this issue. Overall, super detailed service. On time, honest, and super informative. I have recommended Gerald's services to several of my friends who have been lucky enough to have gotten a house in this second housing boom! Thanks for a job superbly done!

I have used Gerald's services twice now. The first time was back in 11/12 when I purchased my first home in South Corona. Should have written a review then but procrastinated/forgot. Just used his services again for another purchase. Super friendly on the phone and answers his phone. Responsive to my requests. Punctual. Goes out of his way to accomodate your schedule. I am a remote landlord so I have actually never met Gerald in person and I have never been present when he was inspecting but I have had my agent and other representatives present when he was inspecting and they have all commented on how thorough he was and how he noticed too much. Well that works for me! If you have never bought a home before you are going to have to decide which items that he picks up absolutely need fixing and which are more "nice to do's" but the bottomline for a prospective buyer like me, especially one who is purchasing from across the country, is that I want to know EVERYTHING. Of course there are always items that can be missed with any sort of visual inspection during escrow but Gerald catches more than most. After the inspection he will send you the standard report with numerous photos. His inspection report basically becomes my punchlist for repairs and lays out exactly what i need to do to get the house in tiptop shape. Have never had a problem working with Gerald remotely. He accepts my payments via mail or cash and I will definitely use his services again and again. Thanks Gerald!

Gerald has a great personality and put me at ease immediately. I have sometimes found men who work in areas like contracting and building to be gruff and/or easily put off by too many questions and/or to have a smug attitude. Gerald is not like this. He actually explained many things to me without my having to ask and he wanted me to accompany him as he did his inspection. He took photos every step of the way and always told me what he was doing and what he thought about it. I didn't have to wait for his report to come to know what the condition of the house was. He also would give his personal opinion about something if i asked for it, on top of his professional one. For instance, the vines that are growing all over the sides of our house. He kept saying, well, see, this provides an easy ladder for rodents and other animals to get into your house. At one point i said, but, you know, they are so appealing growing like this. And he said, oh, yeah, they are! I have them like this at my house because I love the way they look. That made me feel relieved and I liked him all the more for admitting that he didn't live in some inspection-perfect paradise.' I've only had one other home inspection to compare Gerald's to, but even though i didn't feel that one was particularly lacking, I think Gerald did a more comprehensive job. Inside the house he turned on all the water everywhere and ran the dishwasher and talked to me about how long it took to get hot water. Outside the house he tested every exterior outlet. At the end of the inspection, Gerald didn't seem eager to rush. He was happy to answer questions and give me contractor recommendations. He recommended we get a sewer inspection with a video so that we would know about possible root/rooter issues and also strongly recommended a separate, comprehensive HVAC inspection. Before he left he encouraged me to call him with any questions at all about anything, and I really believed him. The report came promptly--online, which I especially like--and was detailed and had all the photos and things were just as he had described them the day of the inspection. I think he did a great job and I really liked him.

Gerald did an excellent job. It was straight-forward to book an appointment with him and he was professional, personable and responsive. He arrived early (with permission) and began the exterior inspection. His official report was so detailed that my real estate agent said she had not seen one so comprehensive before. There was no little detail that he overlooked. I am incredibly nit-picky, so though I noticed certain small things, I didn't bother to mention them. Gerald noticed all of them. He found some issues from the recent remodeling that could cause long term damage if left uncorrected. He stayed longer to be incredibly thorough, give me a summary, answer my many questions, and point out certain issues in person. He delivered the official report in less than 24 hours. I highly recommend Gerald McMahon and Scotland Yard Home Inspections.

He was prompt for the appointment. He was professional, efficient and methodical in his home analysis. I would recommend him to anyone.

Gerald provided a great home inspection and report. He arrived on time, had a great attitude throughout the inspection, and answered all our questions. BTW If the home you're inspecting is on a raised foundation, I highly recommend taking in the full experience by checking out the crawlspace with Gerald... As long as you're up to it, it's kind of tight (be sure to wear clothes you don't mind getting dirty). I definitely feel better off knowing the issues listed in the report firsthand.

Gerald arrived to the house on time. He did a very thorough inspection of all features of the house. I actually walked the house, got up on the roof, and crawled under the house with him to see exactly what the condition of the house was. I am a civil engineer by trade and often do inspections on multi-family residential and commercial building enclosures and structures. Gerald was great. He caught absolutely everything. It was great talking to him and discussing the issues. Luckily for us, the crawl space was a whole 8" tall at some points, so he was nice enough to drag himself around the entire space, while I just waited in the middle for him to be done. At the end, we had packed up ready to go when he found a screw which he had found in the electrical panel, and he made sure to run back to install the screw to make sure that he left the house in the same condition as when we found it. I would recommend him to anybody in an instant.

Mr. McMahon arrived early and actually began the inspection on his way to my door (he was to inspect my home). He was both professional and personable. After introducing himself, he asked me to clarify exactly what I wanted from the inspection and he tailored his approach accordingly. His inspection was very focused and thorough. He asked me if I wanted to join him for the inspection and he answered all my questions as we moved around the house. He provided both good feedback and suggestions that were very useful, which combined with the photographs he provided ultimately surpassed my expectations. I will likely utilize Scotlandyard Home Inspections services in the future, and would recommend him to others.

Gerald did an outstanding job with the inspection. He welcomed us to join him as he performed the external inspection. While he was inspecting, he gave thorough explanations of everything he saw. He was happy to make sure we fully understood what he was seeing. He arrived several minutes before the appointment time and actually was preparing to inspect before we arrived. He even found possible structural issues with the roof. After the inspection, he generated the inspection report in a couple days, even working over the weekend. He understood that we were under the gun with escrow and totally delivered. He was very professional, personable, and punctual. I would use his services again.

If I could give Gerald an A+ I would. He answered his phone immediately and was available for a home inspection on very short notice: four hours. He arrived before our agreed-upon time and was courteous, professional, and personable. He knew his stuff, too: I walked through the entire three-hour inspection with him, even going up to the attic and crawling under the house (which is very old, built in 1910) and he was thorough and meticulous in pointing out all possible issues with the house, even commenting on possible foundation problems. This was my first time using someone based on the reviews on Angie's List and I was not disappointed. Gerald charged me $200 for his time, and gave me the option of having him write up the inspection report for another $200. It was great that he gave me the option to save my money, since I walked through the inspection right along with him. I would highly recommend Gerald.