A Thorough Guy Home Inspections

Mike got to the house early and started the inspection. After he was done with the inspection, he provided us a 3 ring binder with his findings which included color pictures. We did not have to wait a day or two to receive our report. We received it right then and there. He was very thorough and answered all our questions. He was very professional and I would use him again.

FANTASTIC!!! Mike was so professional and thorough -- I wanted an evaluation of the house before starting home improvement projects such as a kitchen remodel. When I asked contractors for an assessment of the electrical and plumbing before starting the kitchen remodel, they all seemed to think it would be better to wait until that stage of the improvement. Good thing I hired Mike to inspect my home, because I live in a 1918 home with knob and tube wiring which has become a fire hazard. Can you imagine having the kitchen torn up and discovering I had to redo all the electrical? Before redoing all the electrical I also needed to remove all the attic blown in insulation. What an expensive fiasco that would have been. THANK YOU MIKE!

I e-mailed A Thorough Guy one night last week, and Mike e-mailed me within minutes. My inspection was at 8:30 till approx. 11:30 a.m. on 5-8-13, estimate $425 (Mike later reduced it to $400 as he said he got done sooner than he thought). Mike arrived a few minutes early, waited in his car, I flagged him in and we got started. While I pretty much knew what the inspection would entail (and recall from other members I would be receiving an extensive report presented in a binder with photographs), I wanted to review with him that while I knew I had issues and would be addressing them soon, I really wanted him to give me his opinion on my recent replumb, electrical work and mostly let me know what was going on with my foundation (my ceiling had developed a very large crack this year in the living room). Mike did not disappoint - well, I let me rephrase that - I was disappointed - in the people I had hired in the past. Of course I cut my father some slack - he does great work and is not a licensed contractor, and free - of course), I was really surprised at some of the errors my "experts" made. I read the contract while having coffee and was very impressed with it (I'm a legal secretary and have "years" of experience editing and reviewing work product.) The report Mike gave me (printed in his "office" - his truck in a matter of 30 minutes!) was amazing. We went over the entire report and each photo, Mike showed me photos of what the repairs should look like. It took us about 30 minutes to go over everything, and Mike did such a great job, I swear I could ace a test if given one on what he showed/told me. While of course I'm not super excited about spending a bunch of money on home repairs, corrections and upgrades, I am super excited about using Angie's list to hire my new providers. And the best part is when I have companies give me estimates, I am prepared and ready with my report and my photographs. As a matter-of-fact, I think many will be blown away with how much knowledge I now have about my home. This was the best $400 I spent in a long time, and I know, because of Angie's List and how incredibly good Mike is, there will be little rest for him until the day he retires :o). Oh yes, and Mike asked me to be sure and call e-mail him with any upcoming questions I may have during my upcoming work. Other inspectors are lucky there is only one Mike A Thorough Guy - as if there were more like him, their business would surely suffer. wy

I can not say enough good things about A Thorough Guy, Inc. He just did an extremely thorough job looking through the house. He pointed out the most minor issues with the house an he explained each one of the faults and how large of an issue each one of them could be. Even after the inspection, it took him an hour to go through his list and make sure we understood the significance of each one of the issues. He was punctual and he really did a great job. His price is a little high but the quality of his work was excellent.

I contacted Mike (aka A Thorough Guy) based on previous reviews. He was able to schedule me a couple days out. In past home purchases I have gone with recommendations from my realtor. Not to say the home inspectors weren't good, but they were no where near Mike's caliber. Not to mention, when the person that is making money off the sale of your house, who works on commission, is recommending you home inspectors, make sure you do your research. A lot of realtors get kick backs for referrals. My point is that their incentives aren't necessarily aligned with your best interests. Bottom line, just go with A Thorough Guy. Mike has to be one of the best home inspectors in the country and he has his business down. You get tons of information, pictures, print outs, comparison to new construciton standards, etc. He educates you on stuff you've never even considered. Even if you are a handyman or you've built a house before (for example, me), Mike will educate you on current code standards and nuances inside the bones of the house. Not only that, but his price is competitive, especially if you use the Angies List coupon. Thanks Mike!

Excellent, he crawled into every nook and cranny.

Mike arrived early and could not enter the home but started inspecting the exterior immediately. By the time we had arrived, he had taken several photos and already noted several things. When we entered the home, he explained to us, in a language we could understand, without talking down to us, what he was going to do and in what order. He was definitely very thorough. He also offered cold water out of his very organized cooler and tool bag. After a round of questions we let him continue his work. We needed to feed our 17 month old so went to lunch, leaving behind my real estate agent and the listing agent. Mike called us 30 minutes or so before he was done with his inspection, which was perfect timing as we had just finished eating and was headed back to the home. Upon return, Mike told us that he would be making the finishing touches on the report. We didn't realize this meant actually typing up, inserting photos, and printing the full report before leaving. What we had expected was an executive summary report with the full report to be available a day or two later but what we got was a complete report in color with photos. He then sat down with us, again offering water, to go over the report, page by page, explaining photos and what he discovered. He also stopped to answer questions and did not make us feel dumb, even though this was our first time purchasing a home. There were no dumb questions. He was also very thorough in the answers he gave. Consummate professional through the entire process. As expected with any home built in the 70s, there was work to be done but by having this report, it became more a matter of following the report as a checklist rather than waiting for something to happen. We subsequently called several professionals regarding the work listed and several contractors commented that they had seen Mike's reports in the past and that the report was thorough enough for them to create a quote without a site visit. This helped us out as the previous owners were renting back from us for a month and we lived 30 miles away. This is my first review on the first business we've used on Angie's list and the value and quality of service alone makes our subscription worth it. Thank you Angie's list and thank you Mike for such a wonderful experience!

The overall process was beyond expectations from the execution to the presentation very detailed and professional.

Came out on time, had actually already started the inspection when we got there at the appointed time. He's certainly worthy of the name thorough guy :) He did a great job with the inspection, giving us a very detailed report of every small and large item that needed attention. He also spent quite some time with us going through the report, explaining the issues he noted. Only slightly negative would be that he does not check equipment outside of the house, like pool, barbecue, etc, but we knew that when we hired him. Overall highly recommended.

This company is amazing. Mike is a true professional in his attitude and his ability to discover issues and explain what he finds. The Thorough Guy also provides a book and PDF with images of any issues that is found which is completed immediately after inspection. If you want to go into a home purchase with "eyes wide open" definitely use The Thorough Guy, he can bring to light many issues that you may not of thought of; or a budget inspector may not catch, He is worth every penny. When your spending $$$$ for a home don't scrimp on the inspection, they are your biggest advocate since you want accurate information before closing the deal. Remember the real estate agents/brokers only get paid when the sale is completed. The real estate agents are not necessarily acting in your best interest, they want to "CLOSE THE DEAL". Knowledge is power, hire the best "The Thorough Guy" and make your own decisions. House he inspected for us was suppose to be "Turn Key". Mike found HVAC issues, Plumbing, Electrical, Roofing. Amateur installed flooring .

Mike performed true to his name. He IS "A Thorough Guy." I was impressed with his attention to detail, technical knowledge, and professional presentation. At the completion of the inspection he provided a personalized book that contained all the recommended repairs with actual digital photos from the inspection he had just completed. If you need a home inspection-- trust in Mike!

We were aiming to use this company but could not because we had a tight schedule. Because he had such a high rating we were going to go ahead and use him even though he was more expensive; he seemed qualified and we had a bunch of good reviews.

Mike arrived on time and got to work immediately after speaking to me briefly about what he was going to do. He had already sent some literature describing his inspection activities and inquired as to my questions , if any, I did point out to him several areas of concern and asked him to let me know the direction of the joists (though that info is usually not part of the inspection), He inspected the whole house and garage and created a report which he then took the trouble to go over and comment and answer any questions. The report was extensive and thorough. He added a booklet on home maintenance to the report. The inspection pleased me in that I knew the worst about the house and felt the problems were manageable. A bonus was that Mike brought a cooler full of snacks and drinks which came in handy for a 4 hour inspection.

After reading the positive Angie's List reviews for A Thorough Guy, I called to schedule an appointment. From the beginning Mike promptly returned all communication, whether by email or phone. We were in the process of buying a bank owned property, that was "as is" so it was crucial that the problems were revealed before our purchase went through. Because the bank we were purchasing the property from gave us only 10 days to handle all inspections, Mike agreed to do the job on his only available day during that time period, The 4th of July! The house in question is fairly large, and had received no maintenance for the past 5 years before it was foreclosed on, so Mike didn't realize how complex (time consuming) the job would be. However, he was a good sport about it - even as we watched a 4th of July parade pass by late in the afternoon. Because Mike wasn't available until the end of our inspection period, I actually hired another home inspector who came a week before he did. I think this puts me in a unique position to compare and contrast. The difference was night and day. The other inspector was rushed at the end of his visit because he had to make another appointment so he pretty much told us, "looks good," and handed us his paperwork. In contrast, Mike, printed out his report with photos at the end of his visit and went over everything with us, encouraging us to take additional notes. One thing the other inspector missed was a vent pipe hidden under an overgrown bush that was not to code and posed a carbon monoxide threat. This is just one example of a serious problem that "the other guy" missed but "The Thorough Guy" caught. We have now had our home for several months and we still refer back to Mike's report as we make repairs to our home. I think the other Angie's list reviews already cover other basics of how Mike goes above and beyond, such as bringing snacks for himself and his clients.

As others have pointed out Mike was very knoewledgeable, genial, and professional. After a brief phone conversation, he e-mailed an agreement which detailed the parameters of his work. The morning of the inspection, he arrived on time and did a thorough visual inspection inside and out except on the roof (because walking on steel tile roofs requires special caution); however, he took photos of the roof from the roofline. In fact, he took extensive photos of the house inside and out. Upon completion of the inspection, he immediately prepared materials in his vehicle. Then he presented me with a looseleaf notebook which included a written summary of his report with photos illustrating the important issues needing attention, a complete written report, and an accompanying CD. He reviewed the summary with me and answered my many questions. The whole inspection process and consultation took nearly four hours. He assured me that he would be available to answer further quesions and I have already e-mailed him and received a prompt reply. It was a pleasure working with Mike, and I would not hesitate to recommend him to anyone needing a home inspection.

We hired Mike to perform our pre-purchase home inspection based on his reviews on Angie's List, as well as his open and professional manner on the telephone. He arrived to our appointment on time, provided drinks and snacks for us, and allowed us use of his tools during the inspection. As his company's name suggests, Mike was very thorough, identifying all existing and/or potential issues. The inspection took about 2 hours, after which he spent an additional hour going through his findings. He was very professional during the inspection, explaining the issues in layman's terms, and took us around to look at where each issue was located. Our agent was also present during the inspection, and was a little combative (arguing with Mike with respect to the severity of the issue). Nonetheless, Mike was very patient in responding to his comments, and was very patient with us with regards to answering our questions. After the inspection was finished, Mike prepared a thorough report of all his findings, which he included in a binder with an electronic copy of the report and pictures, as well as additional information for prospective homeonwers. Because the report was so thorough, it was a little intimidating, but Mike made himself available by telephone and e-mail to answer our follow up questions and discuss some of our concerns, including recommending additional inspections (and what specifically to look for). Overall, we were very happy we chose Mike, and would definitely recommend him and use him again.

Hired Mike to conduct our home inspection based on the other reviews here and I was not disappointed. I left him a message to set up the appointment and received a call back a few hours later. After we scheduled a time to meet, he confirmed via email and included a file on what to expect. On the day of, he arrived early and had already been examining the exterior by the time we arrived. He had water for us and also offered use of his iPad as we waited. The inspection was completed in 2-3 hours and he took a half hour to prepare the report. He walked us through each item and photograph in the report and answered all of the questions I had. We received the three-ring binder with the report, a CD, and our agent was emailed the report immediately. We had originally agreed on $400 for the inspection, but because he finished quickly, he said the fee would just be $375, which was yet another pleasant surprise. Highly recommended.

We put down bid on a house in Pasadena that was accepted, and in order to make sure that we really wanted to go through with the purchace we decided to hire a home inspector. Based on Angie's List reviews we called a few inspectors, and decided to go with Mike. I called him to check availability, and we set up a time in the morning to have the inspection performed. Mike arrived right on time (actually about 15 minutes early), and begun his inspection promptly. He spent a little over three hours going over the entire house (1100 sq. ft. plus attic and crawlspace), garage and surroundings. Mike then went out to his truck and organinzed a binder that contained our report. The report was quite a document. Mike spent approximately 20 minutes going over the report with us, suggesting that we have the electrical and plumbing both inspected. I asked Mike if he were buying the house what he would be most concerned with. He honestly told me he wouldn't move in without the electrical being gutted and replaced entirely, and showed me pictures that gave visual example of his concerns. Needless to say, we contacted an electrician and learned that the wiring was a hot mess! There was wiring from the 1930s and 1940s that had been spliced with new wiring. The entire house was a time bomb waiting to burn. We ended up buying the home, and we are in the process of having the electrical replaced before we actually move in. Without Mike's comprehensive work and candor, we may be moving into a fire hazzard. Definetly, money well spent!

Mike spent about 4 hours on site, which included the inspection and generation of reports with lots of photos. This guy will not rip you off. He said that he has to turn away jobs sometimes. It was sad to hear that he does not perform re-inspections. I wanted my contractor to finish everything, and then have Mike come out again to see if the issues were corrected. But, it was not going to happen. Overall, this was a very good deal. It was probably the best $400.00 that I ever spent. For DO's, I would say to stick close by and ask questions if you don't understand something. Mike will gladly explain it to you. For DON'T 's, I would say don't schedule too early or too late with respect to the construction time frame, if you have one. Once you give your contractor the final check, it is hard for him or her to come back and fix things.

On time. Very Professional. Extremely informative. Found defects we did not even know to look for. Took a lot of time to explain all that he found. Photographed and narrated his findings in a written report. My husband called it the best $400 he ever spent because he may have saved us from buying a money pit. Even brought cool drinks for us.

Mike is a true professional. He returned my phone calls immediately and communicated well. He is prompt, courteous, and above all very knowledgeable. He certainly lives up to his name, as his inspection and report were very thorough. He explained his findings clearly and comprehensively. I felt we received a great value for the cost of his services. My real estate agent was so impressed with Mike's work that he intends to use him in the future.

Mike was fantastic. He is extremely professional - from the initial interaction, confirming our inspection date/time, providing us with information in advance so we knew what to expect, and explaining everything in detail when we first arrived for the inspection. He was early for the inspection, already taking pictures when we arrived. He was fully prepared with his equipment, including two different methods to take credit card payments (new school and old school!), and printers in his car so that he could type up his report and print it out on site. The name of his company is apropos as he was incredibly thorough with his inspection. He walked us through it step by step, and gave us an incredible 3-ring binder with general information, the line item issues he found, and pictures of each instance. He also made it very clear that he was always available to answer future questions, provide PDF copies of the report, etc. we highly recommend Mike!

After reading the reviews on Angie's list, I felt assured that he would do an excellent job. Mike was an excellent communicator and was very punctual. He used email, phone calls and text messages to stay in constant contact. We had some complications in getting our sale signed off and he was more than flexible to work with us. We will use him again for our next home inspection without question. This if our first time using Angie's list and this was spot on.

Mike is a really nice guy. When I contacted him, he responded very quickly. We communicated using phone, text message and email. In any case he always respond very quickly. At inspection time, he comes 30 minutes early and bring drinks with him. he inspected interior thoroughly and noted all the problems. Since this is a condo/th, he did not check exterior such as roof and exterior wall. But he did notice the stains from inside that indicates a possible roof leak. After inspection he sat down and went through every point with us. He is very patient and answers all my questions even some of the questions are silly.

Mike did an excellent job! He arrived early despite a 7 AM start time for the inspection. He was very pleasant to deal with and provided excellent documentation of the inspection results. He spent a total of about 3 hours doing the inspection, 1/2 hour preparing the report, and 1/2 hour reviewing the very detailed results of the report with me. His documentation included a total of 60 color photos of issues/problems he observed with the home. Based on his thorough report, we decided not to proceed with the purchase - which really makes the money spent very worthwhile. As others have mentioned he was the consummate professional, was well-dressed, and even had cold drinks and snacks for his clients. He made sure to take the time to answer all my questions, and told me to get back to him if I had any further questions. I have overseen the building of 5 houses in the last 20 years, but still learned a thing or two from Mike. Highly recommended!