Benchmark Home Services

Mark was by far the most thorough and professional home inspector I've ever worked with. He spent over 4 hours going over the complete property- including the garage and septic system. He pointed out and explained everything as he went along. When he found something wrong, he did his best to determine the cause and gave lots of information on how to fix the problem and how to avoid it in the future. He spent time reviewing details of what I could expect in terms of longevity of all major appliances and home structures. He detailed what may be considerable costs in the near future. He was worth every cent and has, for sure saved me a considerable amount of money. He also tells his clients he is available for questions about the property at any time!

Mark is the most professional and knowledgeable home inspector in the Bloomington area. You may pay a little more, but the service you get and detailed report is so well worth it. He provides a users guide to the home you wish to buy, and he takes ample to time to look at every nook, cranny, and feature of the inside and outside of your home. It was our sincere pleasure and I couldn't recommend him more.

Without question the most detailed and complete home inspection that I've had done. Mark took about 3 to 4 hours to throughly go through a 1900 sq ft home located in Bloomington. Not only did he inspect the physical aspects of the home, he also took the time to explain the construction processes and physics associated with home building so we would be more informed in the future if issues arise. Additionally, he went through the construction materials used and gave us a good feel for how long some of those materials could be expected to remain functional before time takes it's toll and replacement would be necessary. After his inspection and our conversations I felt much more comfortable moving forward with the purchase of this home.

Mr Bishton arrived on time, explained what he was going to do. He thouroly inspected the house indeicating existing and potential problems both large and small, what the likely cause was, how to repair and maintain/prevent in the future. He provided a full report with all this information tied to pictures of the problem areas. He recommended additional inspection needs for areas beyond his expertise. He was professional, knowledgeable, and courteous and provided me with the information I was looking for to make the decision to purchase the house and create a prioritized punch list. I would not only recommend his services, but would use him again if the need arose.

I found Mark Bishton through Angie's list and am so happy I did. I may be selling my home within a few years and wanted to know exactly what repairs need to be made to make it ready for sale and to keep it in good shape. I contacted Mark through the Angie's list website and received an email reply that same day. We scheduled the time and date for the inspection. I was very impressed when Mark called me the day of the inspection to tell me he was going to be half an hour late because he had found an abandoned kitten and needed to drop it off at the Animal Shelter; I thought that was very kind of him. When he arrived, he reviewed what his inspection would cover and set to work. I walked around with him, both inside and outside, and he clearly explained his findings and pointed out all of the good and bad things he saw. He spent considerable time in the attic, on the roof, and in the crawl space -- places where I definitely did not go. He found things I would have never known about -- bats in the attic, a severely corroded gas pipe in the crawl space; underfloor wood rot, etc. I had a long list of questions in hand when Mark arrived, and he patiently and completely answered every one. I felt extremely confident that he knew what he was talking about and was grateful to receive a 24 page detailed report with color pictures. Mark had estimated the review would take 3 to 3.5 hours and he was here for 4 hours at no additional charge. I highly recommend Mark if you need your home inspected.

We are very happy with his work. First, we really appreciated him for inspecting only a few days after we contacted him by altering his original schedule to meet a deadline we had. He spent almost 4 hr for his inspection. His report not only described details but also was easy to understand why and when we need to take care of things he found, using color marks. This is our third time to purchase a house, so we knew that inspector?s report can be either hard to follow with many special terms or less detailed (or both) and found that his report was very impressive in comparison to others we saw in past. Moreover, he repeatedly suggested us contact him if we have a question anytime in future, which we also appreciate since we would like to fix things over years. We highly recommend him. Thank you, Mark!

Mike was very professional, thorough and efficient in his work. His report was detailed, with color pictures, helpful comments and recommendations. My father called him with questions and he spent half an hour talking to him. I could not ask for a more qualified home inspector and he is highly recommended by me.

Efficient, thorough, very clear in giving information.

Mark was on time, professional, and met with the biggest construction critic, my dad. He not only impressed my father and husband with his knowledge but helped them sort through what needed to be done to correct the situation. He is the only inspector I will use if I live in the southern part of the state. He was well worth the money and time.

Very efficient, very thorough. Explained every aspect of inspection. Mark let me go over every inch of the house inspection with him. He explained the levels of concern and safety problems. He made recommendations and offered advise, and answered every question I had. He was very professional. The price also included a radon inspection that Mark coordinated for me. Thanks Mark - Great Job!

This is the second time we have had Mark inspect a home we were planning to buy, and he is worth every penny. Plan on at least 3 hours, and the time will fly by. I learned more about homes and sound building practices than I ever expected to know, and he gives great advice as he goes through the house about things to watch out for, ways to maintain or improve certain areas, and other tidbits that never would have occurred to me to ask. His reports are thorough and in narrative form, not just check boxes. His advice is thoughtful and he gives direct answers and honest opinions when asked any question. I wouldn't consider going with anyone else for future home inspections and I will keep his report on hand to help me plan maintenance, repairs, and improvement. Worth. Every. Penny.

Mark arrived 30 minutes early for our appointment. He was willing to wait for our scheduled time, but I adjusted my plans and we started the walk-through. His inspection seemed very thorough to me. I took a few notes but mostly expected his report to cover everything. The final report was color coded to indicate which comments represented major defects, minor defects, evaluate further, visually monitor, or upgrade recommendations. He included 72 photos, in color, that he had taken during the inspection, showing exactly the areas of concern, with comments. These were an addendum to the report itself which included thorough comments regarding: exterior surfaces & systems; roof & attic components & systems; HVAC systems; AC electrical system; plumbing, piping, and fixtures; building interior; foundation & floor structures & components; and garage. He recommended a separate inspection and assessment of the chimney/fireplace by a certified chimney sweep. I had hoped for a list in priority order of what I should do to properly maintain the house, or perhaps an action plan and suggested completion dates. Like many, I have a limited budget and need to spread some expenses out over the coming years. The report is not organized that way, but I can derive a lot of that information by looking through each section for the comments colored as major defects.

Mark Bishton is extremely professional and worth his fee and then some. I used to work in real estate. During my tenure, I cared about representing my clients well. I attended every home inspection. Consequently, I saw a lot of inspections and inspectors. Mark outshines them all in ability, knowledge, communication, reports and common sense. Mark has completed two inspections for me. He rearranged his whole schedule to accommodate my latest inspection in part because full daylight was needed to do an outstanding job on this particular home. That is a quality that is hard to find in the world today. It is my pleasure to recommend him to anyone in need of home inspection services.

So let me begin my saying that if we ever have to have another home inspection on a new house, I would definitely hire this company/individual again. Mark communicated the knowledge very well and he pointed out examples from neighboring houses to illustrate his point. Our inspection was well worth the money. This is not the first home inspection that I've experienced. In the past I've had some inspections done by other companies that lasted only an hour. Mark used the full amount of time he initially projected and made sure that we had all the info we needed. He also addressed each and every question with a full background of examples. We are really glad that he was available to do our home. Thank you, Mark.

Mark was fantastic. He was very easy to work with, responded quickly to voicemails and emails, and did an extremely thorough inspection. We were not able to be present for our inspection because we are relocating from out of state; however,my father was present for the inspection. Mark's inspection took several hours and his report was very thorough. He took the time not only to discuss everything with my father at the inspection but he also called me and went through his report in detail, answering any questions that I had. There were some issues that Mark identified at the house that we felt were necessary to get more information on from an expert and have necessary repairs done. Mark kept in touch with us through that entire process and even volunteered to be our representative when the subject matter expert was at the house. Some people say that Mark's prices are on the high side, but in my opinion, you get what you pay for. The time Mark spent at our house and the report we recieved don't make Mark's prices high, they make his prices fair. We will use Mark again if we have the opportunity.

Overall, we were very pleased with Mr. Bishton and Benchmark.

Mark spent three hours walking through our home and the whole process was really a dialogue. He took time to discuss each problem area and really educated us on what fixes we could do on our own. He is knowledgeable and professional and I would highly recommend him.

Went good. Mark spent 4 1/2 hours on the inspection. He was thorough and covered all the bases plus some more. The report was timely. Only bad part was that the purchase fell through based on solid safety and structural deficiencies documented in Mark's report in addition to other evaluations. However, he saved us from making a questionable purchase on what would have likely turned into a time and money pit.

See above comments Overall I am extremely satisfied with Mark's service and professionalism.

Mark Bishton with Benchmark Home Services INC inspected our home in April of 2012. He took the time to answer all of my questions and to recommend several ways to maintain and improve the home's condition. As a person who knew little to nothing about home construction & inspection, I was very appreciative of all the information he had to offer and his willingness to thoroughly answer my questions. In fact, he provided so much information that I started taking notes while he was speaking...He assured me that I didn't need to that because he would write up everything we spoke of during the inspection. Sure enough, when I received the inspection report, it provided VERY elaborate details of ALL of the areas/topics we covered during our inspection. To top it off, the report had every component labeled as "Major Defect, Minor Defect, Evaluate Further...etc". This REALLY helped me determine which areas needed to addressed first. I would highly recommend this company!

I waited a few months after the inspection to write the review, just in case problems that were not found during the inspection came out. There has been none so far. Mark inspected our first house. I think he did a terrific job and is very responsible and professional. 1. The report is very clear and more like a useful handbook for first-home buyers like me and my husband. It was particularly useful for us because we were not present for the inspection. 2. I feel that Mark really cares about his customers. Because of our absence during inspection, Mark spent almost an hour to go over all details in his report with me over the phone and answered all my naive questions. Even after we moved in, I called Mark about a water stain on the ceiling. He came in with all tools, did the measurement, and assured us that it was nothing to worry about. Overall, I would choose Mark again for my future house inspections. His price is higher than average home inspections, but I think you get what you pay for.

As first time homebuyers we were nervous about our home inspection. Right away we could tell that Mark was not only highly qualified, but his attention to detail put our minds at ease. We were impressed with the way he explained how things worked and how they should be properly maintained, such as the furnace. It was kind of like we were attending a personalized "homebuyers 101" course! He has a vast knowledge of home construction and has high standards for quality and safety. The report he sent was the following day was extremely thorough with many photos and comments. The information we received from Mark gave us a sense of security about moving forward with the property. Thank you!

Mark performed a home inspection for a house we are buying. He took his time to look at every detail of the house and explained as he went along what he was seeing and what it meant. At the end, he talked over the items he felt we should address with the seller and what would need done to fix it right. He was very professional and his knowledge of construction is unbelievable. We would highly recommend Mark to anyone who is looking at buying a home for a very detailed inspection. We now have peace of mind that the property we are buying will be great for years to come.

Mark was easy to work with and very professional. There was no hint of being condescending to women, etc. He was prompt and took time to explain what he was looking for, exactly what he found, what might be considered a small problem or a significant problem and how we might go ahead to deal with them. It was very educational! Mark documented his findings with photos and emailed us the extensive report very promptly. It was a great experience working with Mark and we wouldn't hesitate to recommend him very highly.

The thing about Mark Bishton is that he was a contractor, a new home builder. He is somebody with very high standards. When he goes around and inspects the house, he is not some guy who took a one week course on how to be a home inspector who used to be an accountant. He is a guy who actually built houses from the ground up for years and years. When he got to an age when he stopped building houses, he went into doing home inspections, but he brings that knowledge base of being a contractor to the home inspection. He is very thorough. He understands what the issues are. He can look at a house, know how it should have been built, and then tell you whether it has been built properly. The issue with a lot of houses is the builders know how they should do it, but they try to cut corners to keep the costs down. It settles funny because the footings are not purported to carry all the load transfers from the structure and all that sort of things. He knows all that sort of things. He does all the things that a lot of other home inspectors do not do like trying most of the outlets in the house, trying the lights, running the faucets and the drains, inspects the drains under the cabinets for leaks and that they are properly plumbed. He actually does go through all those sort of things. He takes the cover off the furnace, runs the furnace, runs the AC, makes sure that they run properly, and he can tell if they had been serviced regularly, and if they were cleaned regularly. He runs all the appliances, the stove, the oven, and the dishwasher. He actually cycles all the machinery in the house. He also knows what he is looking for. He knows what is really going to be an issue and what is minor. He never leave a stone unturned. It takes him several hours to finish a home inspection. He is probably more expensive than other people are, but the guy knows what he is doing, and you are going to pay for that. The report was very detailed. There were tons of pictures. He actually did go through and described everything. He was here on time; he was ready to work. He had all the tools that he needed to go around and do everything. He sat down with us and walked us through what he found and when he found it. I have recommended him a number of times to other people, and they were very happy.