HOLMES INSPECTION CO

Was told inspection would be $220 then an hr before he showed up he wanted another$700. very rude and yelled at my wife

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They were experienced and knowledgeable. They took the time to go over their findings with me and explained it in a way that anyone would understand. They even took me around and showed me the areas we had discussed. That meant the world to me! They really took their time and didn't rush me through the process. I would highly recommend them to anyone! They were just wonderful.

Stacie performed the inspection because Dan was out of town. He arrived early for the appointment and had already started on the exterior when we arrived. The house was only 2 years old and no major issues were found. Some minor issues were found such as the automatic reversal on the garage door needing adjustment. When finished, Stacie went over everything he had found and made some much appreciated suggestions such as adding carbon monoxide detectors outside each bedroom and ways to improve the foundation drainage. A complete report with photos and a new homeowner's guide was provided. With the report in hand, we asked the seller to take care of items that we felt had the highest priority. For the peace of mind this service provided, I think this price was a bargain. I'd recommend them to anyone.

They did a really great job and we were really impressed. We would definitely use them again if needed.

Overall the inspection went great. Dan was great. He was polite and punctual. He was very professional, accurate, knowledgeable in his inspection. He was a pleasure to do business with, and he was very detailed in his work. He explained every step to me along the way. I received the inspection report the next day by 8:00am and it was very thorough. I would recommend him to anyone needing a home inspection.

It went really well. There were 2 inspectors (Dan & Stacey). Dan got there about 20 minutes early and was on the roof when I arrived. The owner showed up at about the same time I did. After introduction we all went inside and Dan got the water running at all the plumbing fixtures. The house was on a crawlspace and when Stacey got there a little later and went into the crawlspace, that allows them to see if there are visible leaks or blockages in the plumbing. Once Dan got the plumbing on and running, he went over with me and the seller what they were going to do and NOT DO as part of the inspection process. One of the 1st things he did was tell me and the seller that the inspection is not a passing or failing process, BUT just an educational process of whats going on with the house. That was great, because I had a lot of pre-conceived ideas and he got us off on the same field. After Dan did that he took me outside and went around the house explaining his findings up to that point to me. When we got done there we went back inside. While he was entering info into the computer, Stacey caught me up on the crawlspace and foundation issues. That's how the entire process went. With 2 guys it went really smoothly and one could be inspecting or on the computer while the other was talking to me. After they left the seller said he wasn't happy at some of the conditions they found but said he wished he'd had them doing the inspection when he bought - because he said a lot of the things they found were like that when he bought the place 2 years ago, and were obviously overlooked by his inspector. The house came back positive for elevated mold, so we're still negotiating. I was really pleased with the whole inspection thing. They were professional, knowledgeable and thorough.

We originally hired them to do a home and radon inspection, but while at the house they discovered termite tubes in 2 places, and signs of mold in some out of the way hard to see places. The seller had supposedly had the house treated for termites 4 months ago, and to start with we were told by our agent we'd be wasting our money if we did a termite inspection. The agent changed their tune when the inspectors found the tubes. They found visible signs of mold in a very hard to see location. I have a lot of allergy issues and asked if they knew anyone that could do this type of testing. Turns out that one of their inspectors (Stacey) has a degree in biological science and both Dan and Stacey are Certified Mold Inspectors. Worked out great. They did the sampling and it came back with nothing toxic but very high counts of a mold type I'm allergic to. The seller had recently painted the outside of the house and Dan and Stacey found a lot of hidden rot. Overall I negotiated for about $7,650 of repairs based off their report for defects that were not visible to me - and I'd looked at the house 5 times before my offer. The inspectors got to the house 20 minutes early, they were neat, professional and very knowledgeable. They were able to answer just about every question I had and the ones they couldn't answer they referred me to several other specialists that helped me. The inspection paid for itself many times over. Besides a great experience, on top of that I'd been real nervous to start. They gave me peace of mind.

In the 1st hour in the house the head inspector (Dan Bowers), found a hole in the furnace heat exchanger; a cracked fireplace flue; and he found that the tile roof had a few broken tiles. He also noted old water stains on several areas of the ceiling. He checked them with an electronic meter and they were dry. However, he said that the felt under the tiles often wore out a long time before the tile did, and recommended that when the roofer came out to do the tile repair, I have him pull 6 or 7 tiles off at various locations on the roof and spot check the felt. None of these issues came up on the pre-existing inspection reports. We got several bids on replacing the furnace and relining the chimney flue - average cost $5,650. The agents and relo company thought my inspector was nuts on the tile stuff and refused to do anything but pay for a few broken tiles. After further consultation with Dan, I took his advice and paid a roofer out of my own pocket to pull a handful of tiles to check the felt underlayment. Wow!!! It looked like a cooking strainer. It was perforated everywhere. Cost - $13,700 to pull off the existing tiles; replace the felt and put back the existing tiles (and replace 8 broken tiles). Home Inspection Cost - $905/Renegotiated Major Repairs - $19,350 There were other minor defects, Dan's team found the others didn't, but this stuff was big-time. The inspectors at Holmes were great. They were neat and easy to work with. The follow-up was super. They took their time to explain things to me and make sure I understood what their comments meant, and like on the tile roof issue - what the potential for not following their recommendations could be. These guys are Pro's.

These guys were awesome. The seller had the house preinspected by an engineer. The sales people kept telling us we were wasting money by getting another home inspection. They also tried to tell us we could save by $300 or so by getting do-it-yourself mold and radon tests (what do we know about self testing or environmental hazards - thank you, but no thank you - I want a pro doing the testing). The sales people were way off base. These guys found hidden termite damage in the support beams AND structural movements in the foundation that the engineer hadn't found. Further evaluations by 2 foundation contractors and another engineer agreed with the Holmes Company inspectors. We ran away from that house. They saved us probably $12,000 to $15,000, or more in unseen and undisclosed defects. By the way they found high mold counts also. They're polite, neat and great at what they do.

Not recommended. Inspectors spent way too much time on insignificant items and totally missed major problems, including plumbing, electrical and foundation issues. Radon and mold testing was far too expensive. Buy test kits online and do them yourself.

The process started out very well. The call center at Holmes was very helpful and polite. They were even accommodating in our request to start the inspection 30 minutes earlier on a Saturday than normal. The inspection was completely thorough (sometimes frighteningly so) and we had a good grasp on what the major areas that needed attention were. Two employees came out for the inspection, so it went relatively fast. There were two opportunities for improvement that we noted: 1. After contacting the call center and scheduling an appt 30 minutes earlier than a normal start time, both inspectors were a little late. Knowing that it was going to be earlier, I made sure to call and confirm the start time and the call center confirmed it. The lateness didn't affect the inspection, but there seemed to be some aggravation for the early start time. 2. The inspection was done on a Saturday and as we were wrapping up, we were told that we would receive the inspection by Monday afternoon. We received the inspection on a Tuesday. Again, this wasn't a big deal, but we would have preferred better communication about when we would receive the report. If you're going to be late, that's perfectly fine, just please let your customers know beforehand (we had to call to find out when we would receive it). I see those two opportunities as very minor and would highly recommend their services to anyone needing a home inspection.

I am an out of state buyer and arranged the inspection via internet and telephone. 20 page report was delivered by internet and I was able to print it out for my review. Inspection was arranged, real estate agent and renter gave access. The inspection report was so complete one of my real estate advisers said it was the most complete they had ever seen and wished they had used this company. The builder has said they will repair/correct all the items found and I will have Holmes out again to confirm the work was done/done correctly. Because the inspector was so detailed and competent, the builder is calling out an independent engineer to check on some of the issues the inspector found.

When I arrived home Wednesday night, I opened the following, rather pointed e-mail from the inspector: "We had an inspection scheduled for Thursday 3/20 at 9:30 a.m. I will only hold a time slot for 1 day to await a returned and signed inspection agreement, and then I open my appointments up to be available for others. We don't go out on a stucco job without having a signed agreement in our hands. I'm not sure where the mis-understanding is, and yes I got an email from someone named (deleted by me) (?????) saying it was ok with you - but thats not my policy and my schedulers know it. I've instructed my scheduling service to open my Thursday morning time slot back up. If for some reason one of my schedulers failed to tell you about my requirements for a signed service agreement before putting a temporary hold on this job - please email me and tell me who you dealt with at my service so I can address them." Oh well...

Dan and a team member worked very quickly. Some like quick, but in buying a home I want to hear everything. Dan seems to get annoyed very easily by questions. Teams are great for the Realtor and Dan bad for buyer, you can't hear and see what is going on in two places at once. The report was very vague.

The inspector arrived 20 minutes early. Looked around my house. Found some mold on our linen closet wall, behind towels where we hadn't seen it. Took some samples. Discovered it was just an "allergen mold" and told us how to get rid of it. Fantastic job.

They did a great job. They found problems with the property that we couldn't see. Everything we were looking for. They were reasonable on cost, were prompt, and courteous. They were very helpful. They were there at the house at the scheduled time and as long as they said it was going to be three to four hours.

Everything went great. Because there were three men working on the house, it was done in about an hours time. They were able to explain all findings in detail, so that I (non engineer) could understand. It seemed like a thorough and efficient visit.

The appointment was made quickly on Sept 11th, samples were taken and I was notified on Sept 14th of results by phone. In addition, two days later, two copies of the written reports (complete with photos) were returned. The report was very professional and complete. Dealing with both the receptionist and the head of the company was a pleasant and helpful experience.

DAN AND HIS PARTNER WERE ON TIME, COURTEOUS AND TOOK THE TIME TO EXPLAIN THE PROCESS. THEY WENT THROUGH THE HOUSE AND EXTERIOR THOROUGHLY AND COMMENTED ON THE MINOR THINGS THAT WOULD BE BENEFICIAL FOR US TO DO. AS FAR AS THE MAJOR THINGS, THEY WERE AS PRECISE AS THEY COULD BE IN DETERMINING THE COST TO REPAIR OR REPLACE AND THE SAFETY CONCERNS. THEIR FEE IS A BIT HIGHER THAN SOME OTHERS BUT 2 OF THEM SPENT AS MUCH TIME AS 1 PERSON USUALLY SPENDS INSPECTING. THEY ARE VERY KNOWLEDGEABLE AND PROFESSIONAL.

WE ORIGINALLY HIRED THEM TO DO A HOME INSPECTION AND PAID $375 FOR THAT. DURING THEIR INSPECTION, THEIR INSPECTOR NOTED UNDISCLOSED PROBLEMS WITH THE STUCCO AND POINTED OUT THAT SOME RECENT STRUCTURAL REPAIRS WERE NOT DONE ADEQUATELY TO PREVENT FUTURE PROBLEMS. THE SELLER AGREED TO FURTHER STRUCTURAL REPAIRS AND WE CHOSE TO HAVE THEM DO A MOISTURE ANALYSIS ON THE STUCCO PRIOR TO GOING FORWARD. THE MOISTURE TESTING REVEALED HIDDEN MOISTURE DAMAGE THAT COST ABOUT $6,300 TO CORRECT. THEIR TEAM APPROACH (2 INSPECTORS) WAS FANTASTIC. WE'VE MOVED 6 TIMES IN 11 YEARS AND THEY WERE THE BEST BUNCH OF INSPECTORS WE'VE EVER HAD. THEY WERE PROMPT AND VERY PROFESSIONAL THROUGH THE WHOLE PROCESS. THEIR INSPECTION REPORT ALSO INCLUDED A 90 DAY WARRANTY AND A 3-RING BINDER WITH GRAPHICS AND SECTIONS ON MAINTENANCE, REPAIR COSTS, ETC TO MAKE THE REPORT VERY EASY TO UNDERSTAND. THE SELLERS REAL ESTATE AGENT TRIED VERY HARD TO GET US TO USE A COMPANY THAT WAS $75 CHEAPER. I'M SURE GLAD WE DIDN'T. THE

THEIR SENIOR INSPECTOR PERFORMED THE STRUCTURAL INSPECTION HIMSELF AND SUPERVISED THE OTHER INSPECTIONS. THEY COST ABOUT $50-$75 MORE THAN OTHER COMPANIES WE INTERVIEWED, BUT WERE WELL WORTH IT. THIS WAS AN OLDER HOUSE THAT HAD 2 PREVIOUS INSPECTIONS IN THE PAST 60 DAYS THAT LISTED NO MAJOR PROBLEMS, BUT THE DEALS FELL APART ANYWAY. BOTH INSPECTIONS WERE DONE BY LICENSED ENGINEERS. MR. BOWERS DISCOVERED SEVERAL SIGNIFICANT DEFECTS (LIKE A HOLE IN THE FURNACE HEAT EXCHANGER & FOUNDATION MOVEMENT) THAT WERE NOT DETECTED BY THE PREVIOUS INSPECTIONS. WE GOT SEVERAL COST ESTIMATES THAT PUT THE REPAIRS ON JUST THESE 2 ISSUES AT $7,400 - $8,600. THE SELLER WOULDN'T NEGOTIATE AND WE BAILED. WE FEEL THE INSPECTION FEE WAS MONEY WELL SPENT. WE'VE BOUGHT OTHER HOMES IN THE PAST AND HAD THE INSPECTORS JUST BLOW THROUGH LIKE THEY WERE IN A RACE. THESE GUYS TOOK THEIR TIME AND DID A THOROUGH JOB. WE WILL RECOMMEND HOLMES INSPECTION CO. TO ALL OUR FRIENDS.