GERALD HARGROVE INSPECTION SERVICES

They were easy to schedule with, showed up when promised, and provided detailed reports.

Great. They identified many issues I had overlooked.

Disappointed with the quality of the home inspection. Inspector missed numerous items that we found after moving into the house. Just a handful of examples missed by the inspector included: 8 of 9 smoke detectors were out of date (beyond 10 year life), two were not connected to the AC power and 3 had batteries removed (in other words most would not have alarmed in a fire). He missed that one of the two garage door springs was broken ($200 fix). The inspector missed that the handle to the water isolation valve for the house was broken and would not turn ($150 fix). The inspector missed that the master bathroom shower floor was not sloped properly (tile floor) and water stands 1 to 2" deep during a shower ($1200 repair to fix). On the positive side, the inspector thought something was wrong with the upstairs heat pump system (zoning flow control dampers had been removed from service by Owners) but could not figure it out - so could only recommending the system be inspected and serviced by a heating and air company. Inspection by heating and air company figured out the problem ($1800-$2400 repair). But again would have expected Inspector to be able to figure out the issue. The inspector was on time and inspection reports were produced and sent to me the next day for both inspections (initial inspection and follow-up inspection). In the end, cannot recommend them and will not use them in the future.

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Mr. Hargrove went under our home and ran some moisture and mold tests. While he was down there he pointed out areas where we were not getting proper ventilation and also gave us the results of the tests. He also told us what he thinks may be the culprit of our main problem. He showed me where and why he thought these things so I could actually see for myself the issues. He suggested we make a few minor changes and then to call him this spring and he would come back put for FREE to do a followup with us and then we can start our repairs. Mr. Hargrove has been in business many years and I know why. He came in my home dressed nicely to do some grungy looking around, very professional and even cracked a joke at some point near the end. I was pleased that he included me in his findings versus just being told about a problem and never really understanding it. By the time he got ready to leave I felt like I'd been doing business with a friend and was very comfortable dealing with him. His price was reasonable and I have zero complaints. (I also didn't remember the exact dollar amount up there but it's close and again I remember being pleased.) I look forward to doing more business with him in the future, and will continue to refer my friends. Just hope next time it's not moisture issues! ;)

The weather forecast said snow for the Tuesday night before our 9am Thursday morning inspection. When the temperatures did not get above freezing on Wednesday I emailed them to ask if we needed to reschedule so the inspector would be able to see the roof properly. I was told that due to the roof pitch he would no go on the roof and that they were not concerned about snow coverage, but they did want to delay the inspection to 10:30 in case of icy roads. My husband and I arrive at the house at 10:15 Thursday morning and Mark was already there inspecting the outside of the structure (as best as possible as there was a lot of snow still) (A+ for punctuality). Once our realtor let us all in and then excused herself, Mark went through every available bit of the inside of the house, including all the little attic access doors (it's a 1.5 story house with dormers). He tested all appliances and all sinks, toilets, and showers. He did a very through job on the interior of the house. He also inspected the crawl space, that was the one part of the inspection we did not follow him for. He took pictures of everything he saw that was potentially problematic (but they were rather bad pictures, I think he needs a new camera). Once all of that was finished the air had warmed up, it was 1pm, and much of the snow was gone. He looked at the roof from the ground and said that he thought the roof looked and quot;okand quot; but that because there were a few damaged shingles on the edges (from ladders probably) we should get a roof inspector. The next day he sent the inspection report, which was very similar to what we saw when we went through the house with him, except that it said he inspected the roof with binoculars. We never saw him do that (it's possible he did it before we arrived but then the roof was still covered in snow). Also, the inspection report ended up in my spam bin, I had to contact them and have a new copy sent, but all the spam-y coupon emails Hargrove has subsequently sent have arrived in my inbox :/ I debated between giving a B or C for quality based on the roof inspection because I subsequently had the roof inspected by a roof contractor and was told that the roof was not ok at all. First story shingles were damaged by second story shingles that didn't have gutters, and the shingles were brittle and degranulated. I think Mark would have seen this if he had gotten up onto the roof (which might have required rescheduling to a safer time).The and quot;minorand quot; shingle damage on the edges and a few lifted nails would be completely un-repairable due to the brittleness of the surrounding shingles. It is possible that the roofer was exaggerating, but I do not believe he was as he (unlike Mark) got up on the roof, and also he did not hesitate to help me up to the roof so I could see the problems he was seeing. So D for roof inspection, and A for interior inspection. And my advice... always go with your inspector. That way you know that everything was looked at as carefully as you want it looked at (and if you feel it wasn't, you can get additional inspections).

This company has performed numerous inspections for buyers through our office. We have found him to be very thorough.

Not well at all.

Inspection was prompt amd thorough.

I called one day and I had an appointment with him at my home the next day. They were very prompt. He was very pleasant and nice. He was here for about 4 hours. He did seem to very thorough. He climbed in the crawl space under my home and got up as far as he could in my attic to look there, all inside the home, and outside my home. I was afraid that I was going to fix something that was cosmetic that made me have a problem under my home. I called to have a report of things that needed to be fixed and he was very nice about verbally telling me things that needed to be fixed right away. He told me right away what needed to be done. He provided the top 2-3 things that needed to be fixed right away. He gave me his card so I could call him directly if I had any questions which I thought was really nice. The report he provided is very thorough. He included photographs he took of the problem areas which is great when I show others to fix the work. It was also broken down into segments so it is very easy to read; as well as and lsquo;needs repair' and and lsquo;needs further investigation.' I did not feel his price was unreasonable with the amount of time he spent at my home and with how thorough the report is he provided. I appreciate the fact that he was very thorough that he included everything he saw, from the items I could fix myself to the things I should definitely hire someone to fix. It was nice to have a professional point out everything as some things I would not have considered checking. I had the written report in 24 hours by email and I could have it at any time.

The gentleman who came out to inspect the house was very professional and courteous, however he missed and/or misrepresented some very costly repairs that had to be completed on the house in less than a year after purchasing the house. Overall, we have spent approximately $10,000 on repairs. The most expensive alteration was the installation of a french drain system to repair our severe moisture problem in the crawlspace of the house. The inspection report mentioned a minor drainage problem but was represented to us as something that would be fairly inexpensive to fix and certainly not the $7000 of changes that it actually ended up being. Had I known how severe this drainage problem was, I may not have purchased the house or at least would have negotiated with the previous owners for some concessions on the price. When we contacted Hargrove about this drainage issue, they looked at the report and said that they were not at fault and would not help us despite the misrepresentation by their agent. Other missed problems included damages to the roof, pool and pool hardware (pumps, etc). The roof damage has caused a leak that will require repair on portions of the ceiling. The roof repair so far has cost us $500, we do not have an estimate on the ceiling yet but we fear it will be similar in price. I strongly urge others to be cautious in using Hargrove for home inspections. Personally, I will not be using their services again.

We used this company a week earlier for an inspection on a home that we ended up not being able to purchase. The quality of the work was so high, we used them again the following week...even requesting the same inspector. This was our 3rd house to buy and by far, the BEST inspection. It was detailed and professional. The inspector was very explanatory on things and took time with us. He really went above and beyond. We have been recommending this company to everyone who might be in need of a home inspector.

We used this company after finding their name online. We had no referrals to go by as we were new to the area. The inspector was professional and friendly. He was knowledgeable and intelligent. I followed him around a bit during his inspection and he took the time to explain everything he was doing without seeming bothered by my presence. About a week later, we were in a local store and a man approached us to say hello. It turned out to be our inspector. He had recognized us even after only meeting us one time. I would use this company again.

I had a good experience with the inspector. He did a thorough job, and went right down the list. Any concerns or issues he had, he wrote them down. After the inspection was complete, he sat down with us and explained everything to us. Later that night he emailed me a copy of the inspection report. He was very friendly the whole time.

Hargrove Inspection missed several significant damages in my house but refused to help pay for the repair or even refund the cost of the inspection. They claimed the crawl space was too tight even though I saw one of their inspectors reach the area easily within minutes. They also missed visual damage to the floor, doors, and walls but just claimed it was all "cosmetic". They advertise that they will help when they make mistakes and they have errors and omission insurance, but these promises are all bogus. They are just in it to make money.