Benchmark Home Services

Excellent work.

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Mark was a pleasure to work with, from start to finish. He spent over four hours at the property, and took his time to answer all the questions I had. His final written report was very thorough. The house he inspected (a 2000-sq. ft. home built in 1921) had quite a few issues. Mark's report describes the problems, as well as what needs to be done to correct them, in detail. The report was so professionally done that I felt entirely comfortable attaching it to a letter to the sellers requesting them to lower the price substantially. One great thing about Mark is that he will tell you when something needs further evaluation by an expert. For example, our house had two gigantic trees that appeared to be mostly dead. Mark recommended that we seek the advice of an arborist to determine whether the trees needed to be removed. I think most inspectors would have just guessed about the trees (and about a lot of other things), which could have resulted in some serious costs and potential safety hazards. The bottom line is that I felt very comfortable that all the information I received from Mark was complete and accurate. Mark may cost more than some of the other inspectors in the area. In this case, you get what you pay for.

Mark was an absolute pleasure to work with! My realtor recommended three different inspectors when I was beginning the process of buying my first home in Bloomington. Given my OCD nature, she mentioned that Mark is the most precise, critical, and detail-oriented inspector she's ever worked with--but also the most costly. She wasn't the leaat bit surprised when I didn't even blink before calling Mark. Mark exceeded my expectations from the beginning. MY expectations. He explained his way of doing an inspection in depth, both by phone and e-mail. He always ensured that I fully understood what he was saying and encouraged me to ask questions about anything and everything. He was prompt, professional, and very friendly. Most importantly, he was informative. He was full of inexpensive tips that will save my butt in the future and slowly walked me through every inch of the house. We observed and analyzed every single outlet, switch, hinge, knob, window, locks.. And that was only the beginning. I'm not one to write reviews, and when I do, I keep them short. I made an exception for Mark. He prides himself on his thoroughness and asks that I use him as a source for any questions in the future, as well. As if his work didn't already justify his price, he also considers himself "a reference book" that I can refer to forever--or at least while I own this house. Mark is well worth more than his price. I'm happy to say that the house passed his inspection with flying colors and after about 4 weeks since my inspection with Mark, I closed on the house. That was TODAY!!!! I'm officially a first-time homeowner!!!!!!! AND I can walk into my home with confidence, knowing that I picked ther perfect home with Mark Bishton's seal of approval and a great resource for any problems I may encounter in the future. You will NOT regret your decision if you work with Mark.

Excellent inspection , very thorough and detailed report. . Explained in detail what he was doing, and why.Very thorough and detailed inspection of outside of property , roof and grounds. Gave me tips on landscaping remediation to address potential drainage issues. Very detailed room by room inspection including basement and attic space. Also gave lots of preventative maintenance tips to upkeep property. Mr Bishton was a delight to work with, very personable. I would not hesitate to recommend him for a home inspection or for any questions re home building or home maintenance maintenance.

Overall, we had a wonderful experience using Mark's services. This was our first home inspection and we really didn't know what to expect. We were nervous about getting someone who wasn't thorough. This was not the case! Mark definitely knows his stuff, and makes sure to point out anything that is a problem or could be a problem. I warned him ahead of time that my spouse asks a lot of questions, and Mark was more than happy to provide thoughtful answers. I would definitely go to him again for his help.

I would recommend Mark and his work as extremely professional, reliable, and worth every penny.

Mark Biston of Benchmark Home Services is incredibly responsive, detail-oriented, friendly and seems to know his stuff (which I say only because I am not knowledgeable in home inspection, termite and radon testing). I consider myself a discerning consumer and need and want to feel as if the vendor is transparent, honest, skilled, fairly priced and responsive to being punctual as well as in their follow through and follow up. All of my interactions with Mark Bishton have made me feel not only confident in the accurateness of his home inspection but also in the fact that if I were to call him any time in the future, he would be available and helpful to me. I would recommend him without hesitation.

Overall everything went well. Scheduling wasn't a problem, arrived on time, and was at the house for over five hours. I shadowed him so the total time spent at the hosue was probably longer than necessary due to the constant communication. Mark was very good with explaining items of concerned. He also put into context the relative severity of the problems identified. He produces a very thorough report, and had to me by Monday morning (inspection was done on a Friday).

first of all i was positively overwhelmed by the explanation that detailed what mark would be doing during the inspection. not only did he provide very specific details as to what he would be inspecting but he also defined terms so that his written report would not only be understandable but also would be comparative in the sense that we would be able to understand how say, our siding, might compare favorably or unfavorably with the standard that should be met. these definition of terms really helped because it could help us prioritize what might be critical to attend to replace vs something that might require preventive maintenance. furthermore mark has made it clear that should any questions arise as to the content of his home inspection report or questions regarding what might need to be attended to, he is available free of charge by phone to answer questions. i cannot recommend him highly enough. gilbert marsh bloomington IN

We contacted Mark when we decided to put an offer on the house, and he scheduled his inspection with the realtor/sellers in a very reasonable and timely manner. He spent most of a day inspecting the house that turned out to be larger and more complicated that either of us realized. Since we were unable to be present, a friend went along and was very impressed with how thorough he was, checking everything in the house, and catching problems both big and small throughout. I thought I had seen most of the major aspects of the house, but it turned out that I had missed several major design attributes and a couple of problems that needed repair. We are very glad we hired Mark for this inspection, the major concerns are now fixed, and we are proceeding with the purchase. I would recommend Benchmark Home Services to anyone purchasing a home in the area.

Prior to a final "walk through" with the builder, I requested Benchmark (Mark Bishton) to perform a home inspection on the whole home. Mark literally did an inspection from bottom to top to include the crawlspace area to an inspection of the roof. Mark did identify several areas that required immediate attention (electrical, vapor barrier, etc.) and correction to those that while not a problem at present, over a period of time they would cause problems and me additonal money to correct. Upon receipt of the report I provided a copy to the builder who immediately started to make corrections.

I knew of Mr. Bishton by reputation only. This is my first house purchase outside of family or friends, so I was nervous about the process. He described what he would do. He showed up on time, took nearly an hour more than he estimated to look over every facet of a large, custom home with several complicated systems; as I accompanied him, he explained what he was seeing good or bad every step of the way; and he delivered a comprehensive, detailed and timely report with easily understood and excellent recommendations, notation and photography.

The entire home inspection process with Mark was an A+ experience from start to finish. He arrived early, was expertly prepared, encouraged questions, and explained every aspect of the inspection. His report was delivered in a timely fashion & was extraordinarily thorough, allowing us to make a well-informed decision. If we ever need another home inspection, we will definitely use Mark's services at Benchmark Home Services, Inc.

I met with Mark in the morning for him to inspect the home. Cold snowy morning, but he was there early and already to work when I arrived. He was very knowledgeable in his field. The reason for my less than stellar rating is due to his not finding termite damage in an area under the home, that was harder to access. He took pictures of the area in question, but upon review of the pictures it seems clear he did not enter the area, but rather held his camera in the opening of the area and took the pictures. Thus not showing the damaged area that was approximately ten feet from the opening. The damage is above the camera's line of sight, and thus would not be seen unless entry to the area was attained. The damage was very visible. It includes damage to a main floor joist and damage to the treated wood plate that sits on the block foundation. This required termite treatment that was in excess of $800.00 to eradicate the infestation. The work will include jacking up the house and replacing the damaged wood. It will also require the repair/replacement of the possible damage to the studs in the wall (this is suspected due to the tubes and pathways viewed that appear to go through the sub-flooring). I do not have an estimate for this repair. I do have someone lined up to review the work and give me an estimate. This is very frustrating. I understand it is difficult to see all things, but this one was obvious and found by a laborer paid to do unrelated work on the house, post purchase. The laborer is of the same build as Mark.

Mark responded quickly to my initial contact and was up front about his fees and services. He made all the arrangements with the seller so we just had to show up and take notes. A few days before the inspection, he set up the Radon equipment to run for 72 hours. He had the report done by the time the inspection started. During the inspection, he examined the roof and exterior of the house and garage as well as all the decks. He commented in detail on the condition of the wood siding, the foundation, the roof, gutters, landscape, slope of the land, etc. One thing we really appreciated was his running commentary on what the state was, how long he thought it would last, how to maintain it, what to do to prolong the life, and other general maintenance issues. He made sure we knew the difference between a major flaw that needed attention and something that was normal given the age of whatever we were looking at. His suggestions were practical and ran from how to clean algae off the roof, to how we might change the landscape to improve drainage. Inside, he ran every system to check the electrical, plumbing, hvac, etc. He pointed out what was normal in a house and what would need specific attention or repairs. Overall, the inspection took about 5 hours and covered everything in detail. It was well worth the cost. Mark answered every question we had and put it in terms we could understand This is the first house we've owned, so we appreciated his detailed and down-to-earth way of helping us understand each issue. He also said he was available for future reference if we had a question. I would absolutely recommend Mark Bishton of Benchmark Home Services for a home inspection. We'll also plan to use him again ourselves as a reference and as an inspector.

I appreciated the attention to detail in the report. I also appreciated the education about the various systems in the house. He was familiar with re-circulating water heaters, anti-microbial linings on heating ducts, types of roofing shingles, various types of solid surface countertops, etc. The report was expensive though.

Excellent, Thorough, & Accommodating. We live in Noblesville and because of work committments could not arrive at the condo until after ~5 pm. Mark arranged his schedule so we could be present at the inspection. He spent 3 hours meticulously examining this older condo, adjacent buildings and grounds. He had many suggestions and answered all our questions with a great fund. of knowledge and experience. His color-coded inspection report is the best and clearest that I have encountered. He found two potential, major electrical anomalies which were corrected by the owner prior to our closing date. He also answered several of our follow up questions, after the inspection, by e-mail. He assured us he will be available in the future for any inspection/construction/contractor related questions.

He is very thorough, but is quite expensive. I would not recommend him for a newer house that is not likely to have many problems.

Did an excellent job. Had the report back 2 days later. Very helpful and informing.

Mark Bishton seems to know just about everything about houses and he's not afraid to tell you all about it. He is a gushing fountain of good information. He costs a bit more than other inspectors in our area, but he spends much more time and is more thorough than anyone else I've used. He will crawl into spaces where no-one else will. Where he really outperforms the others are in his report. He points out all the issues he finds, but he isn't afraid to tell you which ones to be concerned about and which ones are no big deal. He more often than not will tell you solutions to the problems he finds and you really have enough information when he's done to make good decisions about what to do next. I've seen the reports of too many other inspectors where they make blanket statements about everything they see, but don't give you enough real information to decide what needs to be fixed before the sale, soon, or sometime down the road. Mark is also very generous with his time even after he has finished his report. At the end of the job he says to you, "Use me as a resource for anything about your house." I can't recommend him highly enough.

He was very professional and very thorough ... Did a great job ... Love the report , it was all color coded for simple reading , telling you what needed immediate attention , what was cosmetic , what was just not up to best performance and so on . Very Friendly and explained everything to us . Would definelty HIRE AGAIn or RECOMMEND TO FRIENDS !!

He did a fantastic job. He gave us a lot of information about maintaining the home. He did a total inspection, he did it very patiently without hurrying. He has a lot of experience from over 700 homes. I was very satisfied with his services and would recommend him to anyone.

Extremely well. Mark Bishton was extremely responsive and diligent and went well beyond what we had expected or even hoped for. He took the time needed to explain things to us carefully, even covering many questions that we had no idea to ask. His reports were comprehensive and well-document. Because of his work and credibility, our builder did not take exception with anything he reported but rather agreed to address everything he brought up in short order. We will be sure to call him when we are coming upon the end of the first year so he can help us document any needed repairs. We highly recommend his services.