A Thorough Guy Home Inspections

This is the second time I've used this business. The first was approx. 6 years ago when I purchased my first home. Mike was introduced by a friend and he did an excellent job so I of course called him this time around too! He's very meticulous. He goes through every nook and cranny of the home and then sits down immediately after to go through all the findings with you and shows you photo's he has taken. He seems to be extraordinarily patient too. I don't feel as if he is talking down to me as I am not real knowledgeable about house stuff. He answers my questions and breaks it down in a way that I understand completely. -He was quick to return phone calls/text from the beginning with making an appointment, giving a quote, emailing confirmation and sending the Inspection report. -He was early to our appointment and I appreciate that a great deal! That means we started early and could finish a little sooner than anticipated. -He brings a cooler of drinks and treats for his clients just in case -He's so clean and considerate of the home he's in. He wore booties over his shoes as the house was still occupied. He brought all necessary items he needed. So organized and efficient! -He is super nice! Like just a really nice man that clearly knows his job. I'd recommend him in a heartbeat and I have. I also like that he handles his own appointments and such. Its the personal touch that I am much more comfortable with. My realtor recommended someone she used and I called just to check rates.( I always competitor shop for everything so I know going rates) I DID NOT get to speak to the person that would be doing the inspection. Rather I got a call center in Virginia or someplace and had to go through them with info before they'd say they would schedule an appointment. So basically I would not be speaking with the actual inspector until the day he showed up. Overall A++ if that's allowed. Again I would use him in the future and refer him to everyone/anyone!

We hired Mike (A Thorough Guy) to do a home inspection for a house we were purchasing. Mike arrived at the scheduled time and immediately began work. Once my wife arrived he sat down with both of us and explained his process, what his inspection would cover and would would not be covered. He also said the inspection would take 2-3 hours and then we'd sit down with him to go over the results. He also provided us with snacks and refreshments while we waited. Once he was finished with the inspection, Mike went though the findings of his very detailed report with us, clearly explaining to us all of the issues he found, including showing us pictures on an ipad of all the items he inspected. He also provided us with both an inspection folder and e-mailed us a PDF version of the report with pictures. Mike was also available for all follow up questions we had about making suggested repairs to the house. Overall Mike was extremely thorough and provides his findings in a clear and concise manner. We will use him again for all inspections we'll need in the future. I could not recommend him more!

Mike did an excellent job being very thorough. He arrived 30-40 minutes early and got started before I even showed up! It ended up taking about 4 hours for the inspection (the house had a lot of issues and he was careful to document them all) and then an hour for the review. Mike took his time pointing things out and explaining all of the details. He didn't rush me or the seller even though we were taking up a significant portion of his day. I do have some hesitation with the inspection being very thorough, but not necessarily as helpful as it could be. All issues were pointed out and documented, but Mike refused to provide any details on how significant the issue was (compared to others), what types of repairs would be necessary, or even a ballpark estimate of what repairs could run. Mike simply pointed to his CREIA badge saying he's not allowed to provide any of that type of information. I would definitely recommend Mike but may seek other home inspectors in the future depending on my needs.

Like his title, he is a very very thorough guy. He checks for every thing small or big. He reviews door knobs, closing/opening of all closets, if the tile was laid correctly, if piping was done properly, etc. What I also loved was how thorough his reports was. He is extremely thorough and knowledgeable.

Mike is an outstanding inspector - this is our fourth time using his services (we bought 2 of the homes he inspected, passed on the other 2). Every time he has been extremely professional, thorough and patient. We have a great deal of confidence in him.

Mike's expertise and professionalism was exemplary. First, he arrived very prompt (early) to our schedule meeting time so he could take pictures of the outside of the property and inspect. He spent hours inside the property (including the attic!) testing everything. From how the dishwasher worked to how the insulation in the attic wasn't done right. After the inspection he went through every item that needed attention whether it was a safety hazard, minor or major wear and tear, etc. Along with the report it included pictures of how the property has it versus how it should be. The knowledge he has and passion about home safety is incredible! I would highly recommend Mike. So glad we chose him for our inspection!

Any home purchase is a large financial commitment. We all want to spend wisely. The price of the house has to be adjusted depending on whether or not repairs may be necessary. I want someone who is looking out for my, the buyers, interests. I would describe Mike as a "forensics" guy. He is all about the science, seeking out the physical clues and what they tell about the condition of the property. He is as "thorough" an inspector as you can hope to find. He takes great pride in his work and delivers the most detailed reports I have seen in twenty years of home buying. Reading this review you might say "this guy has to be his buddy". Not the case, I met Mike when I called him to inspect a purchase for me and have used him confidently three times now. He is committed to quality and it shows.

a Thorough Guy is exactly as he says, very thorough. This is what I want from a home inspection! Not only is he detail oriented and seems to really try hard to fully inspect, he's a nice guy too! He brought snacks for us, and drinks, and even entertainment for the kids. You can tell that he takes pride in what he does and also tries very hard to do a good job. He was able to point out not only things that were important to the structure of the house, but also smaller things that were helpful for general home improvement. He takes phone calls later, and makes an effort to inform you to the best of his knowledge. He also took the time to explain to us the limitations of a home inspection and what further steps we could take to be more thorough ourselves. The report he provides is impressive with photos and details and a useful tool for our future home care. Also, he is prompt to respond. Very honest and upfront with his pricing as well. It is a bit higher than other home inspectors were, but I felt it he was worth it!

He arrived before appointment time and began inspection right away. Inspector did his work, I just tried to stay out of his way. He kept me informed throughout the inspection. At the end of the inspecton he explained everything thoroughly using pictures and examples of repairs needed and recommendations. He answered all my questions and concerns. After the inspection was completed I waited about 2 hours and then received final written report with pictures included. From the beginning to end experience was easy.

The name "A Thorough Guy Home Inspections" really means it. We had Mike to have our home inspected; we received an appointment confirmation from Mike very promptly. Mike did an excellent and thorough inspection leaving no stone unturned. To top it off, after completing the inspection, he compiled everything in 70 pages word file, printed it right away and provided us a thorough report (with pictures) within 30 min and walked us thorough the report with lot of patience. This is very rare from other home inspectors as we have heard from our friends. My wife and I were extremely satisfied with Mike's home inspection service and it is worth the cost of service. We had very pleasant experience working with Mike and will definitely hire Mike in future for home inspection and strongly recommend him to anyone for the same.

Inspection started before I even arrived. I have used several inspectors and I usually like to follow them around so I learn about the house but in this instance it's best to leave him alone to walk the perimeter don't worry he will catch every little screw that is unturned once he's finished he provides you a complete picture of the house with pictures and an explanation it's best to record these things so you can listen back later. I did after that he prepared a very thorough report which was sent very quickly. After Mike is finished inspecting your house you will have a complete and very thorough understanding of the house and all of its problems I highly recommend him.

tMike is A Thorough Guy for a reason. This being my 2nd house that I hired him to inspect, I was confident that he would deliver a very detailed and fair report about everything that I may not have paid attention to myself while walking through. And just as he did before, he came up clutch. After inspecting what he was physically able to get to (roof, all exterior areas of the house, interior of garage, kitchen, family rooms and other rooms), he sat down with my wife and I to give a detailed breakdown of everything he saw. And I literally mean everything. Picture after picture of issues that I thought could be problematic... from how the plants that were growing near the wall of the front yard were potentially TOO close to the house and could be causing damage from excess moisture, to faulty installation of many pieces on the roof. Heck, the installation of the roof itself, he pointed out, could really be a major problem. Come to find out, an estimate from a separate roofing specialist came out to $14K! Mike then detailed every issue, minor or major, in every single area and room of the house. And even better, he prioritized (only in his professional opinion, but still helpful for us!) the most troubling areas to check out first with specialized pros before closing on this house. And then that night, he emailed us a 128-page PDF report detailing everything we had discussed earlier. After Mike's review, my wife was blown away by how many things she had not noticed (and how much Mike knew about homes in general). And we are grateful that major expenses have been revealed to us (the roof, for one!), before closing. Long story short- Mike really knows his stuff about nearly everything related to a home. He's professional, courteous, very THOROUGH, and gives you the good and bad in an unbiased way. That's all you can ask for when it comes to a home inspection. You want all the cards layed out on the table. No doubt, I will be using Mike whenever he is available on all future home inspections.

Mike did an awesome job, again... We used him about 5 months ago on a house we opened escrow in. Due to the very thorough report he created we opted to walk away from the house and it's nightmare repairs. Mike did a great job and our realtor was very impressed by him. He looks at all details, his report is easy to ready, he is super easy to work with, and is very responsive. I highly recommend using him. He does charge more than the typical home inspection guys but he is totally worth it.

The money spent on Mike's inspections is a great investment and will save a lot of money. In the beginning, the selling agent forgot the keys to the unit. We would have had to wait another hour or more to get access; However, with the agent's permission, we were able to get the lock opened with Mike's locksmith skills. That saved me a lot of time away from work. The flaws discovered by Mike provided me with the leverage to ask for credits from the seller. I would never have known that the air conditioner was not serviced for 15 years was on its last leg. He found many things that I overlooked such as a leak in the shower knobs, a cabinet board that was missing. I would highly recommend using Mike's services in the future. It will be well worth your money.

It was an absolute pleasure to work with Mike. His company is named very appropriately, because my home inspection was definitely thorough. He arrived early, gave us the run down on what to expect from him and the inspection, invited us to ask questions at any point of the process, and gave us a full recap at the end with a full picture slide show and explanation of findings. He even brought snacks and beverages, knowing that the process can be quiet lengthy, especially if you have children with you. Any home inspection can be long, so be pepared for the several hours it may take to perform it, but I was happy to see that Mike was well prepared, took lots of photos, and didn't rush the process, so you can definitely feel secure that nothing will be overlooked. If he is unable to inspect something, he will let you know. I was very pleased with his level of professionalism, ability to communicate his findings, and the quickness we received a full report after the inspection was completed. Five stars, A+, you can't go wrong here.

Mike's "thoroughness" definitely was appropriate (as his name implies). He was prompt, courteous, and went way beyond what we ever could have expected. We've had two prior inspection reports with other companies and he was by far the best. This was our first time buying a home (we've owned town homes in the past) so we wanted to make sure this house didn't have any surprises. He went right to work before we even knew it? there were snacks and writing materials by the door in case we needed it (very nice touch since the inspection would take the entire morning). He already was inspecting the exterior of the house when we arrived and let us know that if we had any questions, don't hesitate to ask. The report itself was very detailed and outlined everything that needed fixing, replacing, or was a general safety hazard. It had recommendations AND photos which definitely helped us visualize the problem. He even went over the report itself by showing us photos on a digital tablet of key areas we needed to address (very nice since we would be receiving the full hard copy report later that evening). All in all, we were quite impressed and felt a lot better that the home (we ended up buying it!) was structurally sound and needed only minor repairs. Thanks to Mike's expertise, we feel very confident that this home was the right one for us. We highly recommend his work without hesitation. Thanks again Mike!

Mike is a true professional! He showed up on time and did a very thorough inspection of the home. He is very knowledgable and explained every issue he found including what should be done about it. He produced a nice report with clear pictures and explanations. He also included an additional guide regarding home care and repairs. We would certainly use Mike for any future needs.

Most people who hire a home inspector are considering the purchase of a home. We, on the other hand, already own our home. We were getting ready to do some upgrades on it and wanted to be able to address the most important issues before spending our budget on cosmetic items. We found A Thorough Guy Home Inspections on Angie's List and knew from the rave reviews that he was the one we wanted to do our inspection. I called Mike on a Friday and we scheduled an appointment for the following Wednesday. We set it up for 2:30 p.m. but Mike called the day before and asked if he could come at 1 p.m. instead. That worked for our schedule. Mike showed up on time and ready to work. He introduced himself and said he would start with the exterior of the home and the roof and that he'd be outside for about an hour. After completing the exterior, he came inside and began working his way around the home, including going up into the attic. Then for the finale, he donned coveralls and headed down into the crawlspace beneath our home. After 3+ hours of making his inspections, Mike was ready to sit down with us and go over all of the photos he took....he took a lot! He put them on a tablet so my husband and I could easily view them and sat with us explaining any issues he found. He had a handy set of reference photos with him so that he could show us differences between our 1965 home and current building codes. After going over all the photos with us, Mike explained that he would complete a detailed report, including the photos he'd shown us, and would get that to us by email THAT EVENING. We told him there was no rush, but Mike is used to working with Realtors on tight deadlines so he insisted that he would have it to us that night. Mike is an extremely meticulous guy, as evidenced by his detailed report and his prompt delivery of it. The report highlights any items that could be considered a safety issue in red, so that you can zero in on those first. In the end, Mike confirmed what we had suspected, that we have some outside drainage issues at the perimeter of the home that we will now definitely address first BEFORE repainting, etc. Mike is extremley professional and we can recommend him without hesitation. If we ever decide to sell our home and buy another, you can bet we will be calling on Mike again to check out a potential purchase.

Needed to have a potential new home inspected. Found Mike through reviews on Angie's list. Not much more to say that hasn't already been said. He is definitely thorough. Answered all of my questions before, during and after the inspection. Being a 1960's house, I knew there would be issues, but Mike found a lot more than I had thought. True that you probably don't want to see everything because we are scared to purchase the house now. But better to know now than a year later. Tagging along on the inspection was great in that he explained things as we went along. If we end up not purchasing this home, I now know much more of what to look for in potential homes myself. Our realtor commented that she has never seen such a thorough inspection before and was very impressed with him and his services.

Mike - A Thorough Guy provided home inspection services for a home we were in the process of buying. The home inspection was extremely thorough as he spent about 3 hours inspecting all the elements included in his inspection contract. At the conclusion of the inspection he very carefully reviewed his findings. His findings were explained in such a way that we could understand the issues. He did not offered any recommendations as his inspection was to provide the facts. Providing the facts he did and did well. In the process of explaning his findings there was an educational component to his review. Educating us on the inspection results was very helpful. He was very professional and great manners and enjoyable to work with. I would highly recommend him.

Mike is exceptionally thorough in his reports. He provides detailed pictures of all items and as a result, his reports are quite lengthy and can be a bit overwhelming for the inexperienced homeowner. I have used him over 4 times to inspect various properties, some we purchased and some we did not. My recommendation is to take his reports with a grain of salt as not everything he points out are major life and safety issues that need to be corrected immediately.

My electrician said this was "by far" the best home inspec tion report he had ever seen in his long career. Mike Okamura found undisclosed problems with the house--including electrical, structural and chimney issues--that enabled us to negotiate for a $3500 credit from the sellers. So Mike's services were essentially free!! He worked hard for 3 hours inspecting inside, outside, underneath and on the roof. Then he sat down with my Realtor and me and spent another hour-and-a-half going over the details, so I would understand everything. His long report included pictures and great explanations in writing.

Very well done. Great explanation of his work and up front expectations of the inspection were made very clear. Mike was on time, well prepared, and very professional. All comments and pictures were documented and organized in an easy to read report given just a few hours after the inspection was done. We reviewed all the pictures in person after the inspection to summarize all the key points. I would use him again and highly recommend him.

This is the second time I used Mike and would highly recommend his service. He is the most professional and detailed inspector I have ever used for properties I have purchased. When he gives you his report, not only do you know every single little minute thing wrong with the property, you have pictures as well. Fortunately, what he found in my inspections were not deal breakers but gave me a detailed fix-it list. I know upon the completion of the list, my property will be in perfect shape. Thanks Mike!

Mike from A Thorough Guy provided us with, as his name states, a very thorough home inspection after our first home inspector missed several faults that were expensive to fix. Using the second home inspection as evidence we were able to receive payment for the fixes without having to go to court. The home inspection report was very professional. Hard bound and printed with color photographs it documented every inch of our house with comments on which repairs were minor and which should (should have in our case) be fixed by the sellers. We don't plan on moving for quite some time but if we do I wouldn't hesitate to use Mike's services again.