Total Home Inspection

Based on numerous recommendations from coworkers, and based on the stellar previous Angie's List reviews, we hired Total Home Inspection to do a property inspection for a home we had an agreed upon offer to purchase. The inspection was scheduled for 10AM, but when I arrived at 10AM, Bill Hirsch had already been there for some amount of time performing an exterior inspection, demonstrating his professionalism and punctuality. Throughout the inspection Bill was friendly, talking with myself, our buying agent, the homeowner and the selling agent, asking them questions about various things he had observed in order to avoid misunderstandings. With each important system tested, Bill took the time to carefully explain his findings to me, and to demonstrate the basic functions and maintenance required of the setup. Bill's heating system subcontracting inspector, Ed (didn't catch his last name), was just as professional as Bill throughout. As Bill told me at the beginning of the inspection, we was going to treat me like his son throughout, and it absolutely felt that way. Bill's inspection report totaled 30 pages, documenting issues as minor as chipped paint and as major as possible water intrusion in the attic. The report was thorough, not pedantic, explaining the potential importance of each finding carefully. The separate report filed by the heating system subcontractor was also thorough. Bill also performed testing of the well water pre and post filter, the report generated by AquaTek leading to the seller installing new systems to fix the well water's high levels of uranium and colliform bacteria. All in all, the Total Home Inspection cost $1500 and was worth every penny. Bill identified easily $35000 in potential costs, leading to a reduced price for the home and the negotiation of a seller-paid home warranty on some of the concerned components. Thanks for everything Bill.

Bill Hirsch of Total Home Inspection, provided the inspection. When comparing the inspection by Total Home Inspection with that of other companies we've hired in past years, we were extremely impressed. Bill was exceptionally knowledgeable, organized and unusually thorough in his inspection, encouraging and answering all of our many questions in detail. We greatly appreciated his willingness to discuss concerns and questions after the inspection was completed, and to share resources for items we wished to research further. All in all, the inspection report was easy to understand, very thorough, and has in addition, proved helpful for our applications for home insurance and mortgage, as well as our negotiations on the house. In conclusion, we would recommend Total Home Inspection without hesitation.

We have used Total Home Inspection twice in the last few months to assist us with our home buying process. Simply put, we TRUST them and in both occasions I can confidently say they have steered us clear of some potentially nasty events and future expenditure that might have occurred without their advice. Not only have they pointed out some significant defects with the homes we looked to purchase, but they have an ability of explaining things in layman terms and making you feel confident in your understanding, and subsequent decision-making. They even brought their own door mat to wipe their feet - talk about manners! Every now and then, you come across a company that provide an experience which makes your feel like you got true value for money - this is one of those companies.

As a first time homebuyer, I was worried that a home inspection would go over my head. When I arrived, Bill had already completed the outside inspection and explained the results in order to minimize our time onsite. His inspection of the interior of the home was extremely thorough yet efficient. He understood that I was a first time homebuyer and was able to explain things to me in a way that I could understand without getting overwhelmed. I appreciated that he told me information that he would want his daughter to know if she were in my shoes. He was very patient but not condescending and I feel that I have a better understanding of the home, as well as overall issues related to home ownership. He had his report to me the next day, which was comprehensive and well-written. Additionally, Bill had a bug inspector and oil person come to the home. Both of these men were also very helpful and patient when explaining the ins and outs of their respective areas. It was obvious that they had a lot of respect for the quality of work that Bill delivers. I am very happy with my experience with Total Home Inspection and would hire Bill again.

We recently had an antique house inspected by Bill at Total Home Inspection and recommend his services without hesitation. Here's why: 1) Professionalism. The team at Total Home Inspection is thorough, professional, and basically drowning in decades of experience - no stone will be left unturned during the inspection process and they're not afraid to call a spade a spade. As much as we all want our inspections to go smoothly, it's important for an inspector to stay neutral and help you avoid walking into a money pit or potential health hazard. 2) Experience. With a deep network of industry professionals at their disposal, Total Home Inspection is able to guide you to the right people in the event you need additional evaluations done following your inspection. Avoiding having to pick a random name out of the yellow pages can be the difference between a job done right and lighting money on fire. 3) Education. For those of you who aren't handy around the house, think of hiring Total Home Inspection as a two-for-one: you're paying for a top-quality home inspection and getting a half-day crash course in home ownership thrown in for free. Bill never made me feel like he was rushing to get out of the house and I took the opportunity to ask a fair number of questions, all of which Bill answered to the best of his ability. With the amount of time Bill spent fielding questions I felt like as much of a student as a customer. 4) Punctuality. Bill arrived prior to the scheduled appointment time to get a lay of the land and begin inspecting the exterior of the property, making an excellent first impression. 5) Total Home Inspection uses actual English in their reports instead of hastily checking off a bunch of pass/fail boxes, and each section of the report goes into significant detail to help you understand how the inspector came to a particular conclusion. If you're not well-versed in how things like HVAC work this can make a huge difference in being able to actually parse a report! 6) Your relationship with Total Home Inspection doesn't end when the report is delivered (the same day, by midnight) - your inspector stays available for follow-up questions and advice during what can often be a confusing and stressful time. There may be other competent home inspectors in this area, but we'll never know because Bill Hirsch and Total Home Inspection have earned our future business.

Bill did a top-to-bottom review of the home. There were no details that were too small. After completing his inspection, he spent almost an hour reviewing all of the key findings - making sure to decipher between what was truly important and what was not. The time he spent with me made it much easier to review the final report and understand its contents. Throughout my time with Bill, I found his advice and guidance invaluable. Along these lines, I greatly value my ability to keep Bill as my "trusted adviser" going forward. All-in-all - top notch and highly recommend!

Total home was punctual, professional, considerate, neat and wonderful. I would not hesitate to use them again. I had the report within 1 day with photos. Report was easy to read and understand.

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Bill did a great job evaluating the property in great details, including providing very useful remediation advise. Will certainly consider hiring again in the future should we need his services.

He had found out multiple water leakages, sump pump hided under the carpet, cracked fireplace wall, and possible rodent problems in this house. He took time to call and explain to us about the report. He is honest and professional. We had use quite a few home inspectors before, he will the first we would consider to hire again in the future.c

Everything was ok. I felt they were precise. Bill gave us a detailed inspection report with pictures. However, he mentioned a lot of things the day of the inspection that he did not include in the report. They also performed an oil tank test. The man they used for the oil inspection was not as precise and said a few things that put us in doubt. He couldn't confirm or deny if there was an underground tank and that caused everything to be put on hold for a while.

My experience began when i arrived at the property 5 minutes early and found Mr. Hirsch on the roof (having already completed the exterior inspection/walk-around). Within 5 minutes he entered the home and brought me up to speed on his progress. I found Bill knowledgeable, competent and thorough. He moved meticulously through the home checking EVERYTHING. I was satisfied with his work and that of his collaborators (termite inspector and oil/heating inspector) although Bill had a habit of co-opting their verbal reports/explanations. Bill spent nearly 2.5 hours probing every possible thing in this 1900 sq foot home. By 7pm that night i had an astonishing 20 page report in my email. The report included many little items that we did not discuss during the inspection. All-in-all I was very satisfied with his performance. I criticise Bill for beginning his work before I arrived. I could forgive that happening if i were late. I understand inspections are lengthy process but as the CUSTOMER WHO IS PAYING FOR THE SERVICE I feel entitled to be there for the entire inspection. To some degree it seemed like a bit of a power-play, establishing himself as the one in charge regardless of the provider/client relationship.

I had an absolutely awful experience working with Bill Hirsch. First, I would like to disclose that the house sale fell through. We, as buyers, found too many problems with the house. The fact that there were so many deficiencies with the house is not Bill's fault at all - totally out of his control. My complaint was with the lack of professionalism that he displayed during the inspection and afterwards during phone conversations. 1. He was condescending throughout the entire inpsection towards my wife and I. 2. He showed up 20 minutes earlier than our agreed time. When I arrived exactly on time, he greeted us and told us that he had great news. He had inspected the exterior and everything looks fine. I regret that I did not tell him to go home at that point. I insisted that he re-inspect the exterior with me and walk me through any issues.. I noticed many problems which he glossed over: i. lots of rotting siding, trim and fascia ii. carpenter ants walking up foundation to wet soft siding iii. roof at end of service life iv. chimney flashing failing and pullling away 3. He told us asbestos tile wasn't a big deal, just don't disturb it. I noticed several cracked pieces in a friable condition. After the inspection, I asked for his calibration certificate on his sun nuclear radon equipment. He was evasive with me and told me that he's not sure if he could track it down because he didn't know what meter was in what house. I wrote to him and asked, how could you certify the test if you don't even know what machine was in the house? He lost his temper when I was on the phone with him asking him for the calibration certificates. I would NOT recommend his inspection services to anybody.

I arrived and Bill was already at work. We went into the house together and he sent me to the basement first to meet with his oil inspector. He walked me through the problems with the oil tank, and what to expect from the water heater, furnace. Bill joined us, and took me through the basement and the rest of the house. He was very thorough and poked through most everything. He called himself the "dealbreaker," saying agents never like to refer him because he is brutally honest about anything he sees. And he was honest! He told the truth about the roof condition, the electrical system and an oil tank in dire need of replacement. He also brought in a bug inspector to clear the house of any obvious termite damage (there was none.) All in all Bill was very up front... and he furnished me a detailed report later that night (spanning roughly a dozen pages.) If this home does not work out, I will be bringing Bill back to inspect another, no question.