Zagata Associates Inc

When we found this property, I called the top home inspectors from Angie's List, and left messages for them all. Then my wife remembered working with Jake Zagata 20 years ago when we bought our current home. He answered the phone himself, and within 30 seconds I knew I wanted to hire him. As I explained above, he immediately sent a "Disclosure Request" document, and also made several suggestions of ways to start doing our own due diligence beyond what is covered in a home inspection, by checking municipal records. He suggested we call the Building Department regarding permits and any other building-related incidents on record; the Board of Health regarding any health issues on record; the Water and Sewer Department regarding any sewer backups or other issues; and in the case of this house, the Natural Resources Department, as the house is adjacent to water; and the fire Department regarding any hazardous waste spills, fires and buried fuel oil tanks. Records are public. Copies of information as applicable will certainly be of benefit. As we gathered information we found almost everything was fine, but there was a problem with the deck. When I called Jake several times to discuss the problem and try to understand the scope of the issue, who we should talk to, what questions we should ask, etc., he was incredibly helpful, patiently talking everything through, asking clear questions, then giving us clear suggestions. Finally, today, he helped us make the difficult decision not to purchase the property. As for canceling the inspection less than 48 hours ahead of time, he wouldn't even consider letting me pay him anything! As he put it, the whole reason he sends the Disclosure Request is to help people save time and money, the same reasons for a house inspection. You find a property that you like, or love, and schedule an inspection -- but if the inspection turns up something you could have found out just by asking some questions up front, what was the point of wasting your time and money? He's glad to help his clients with basic due diligence before the inspection, and save the money if an inspection doesn't make sense, even though of course he would like the job. All he asked is that I tell people about him. So let me tell you -- Jake is incredibly experienced, knowledgeable, thorough, helpful, honest, and forthright. We will be calling him the moment we find the next house we're interested in buying!

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Jake was a pleasure to work with. He showed up on time and was ready to work from the moment we got to the property. Jake shared has knowledge in way someone without a lot of homeowner experience could understand. He was completely neutral during entire process and really saved us from buying a home that would have required a lot of work. I was used Zagata again and again Matthew

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The inspection went well. It went so well that we decided and quot;notand quot; to purchase the property. Items pointed out included inadequate roof edge membrane (poorly done), water intrusion into the foundation, bathroom vented into the attic, cracked roof rafters, incorrectly sloped patio, decaying driveway pavement, rodent droppings in crawl spaces, raised basement floor with 2x6's (not sure if the water flowed beneath), non sheet metal protected garage entry door, improperly installed garage ceiling insulation (not covered by sheetrock), etc. The list goes on. Jake took photos of all the faults and included them along with a well structured report. When it was all said and done the property seller was not a happy camper and eventually sold the property to others for a reduced price. We just did not want to take on all the repairs required. So bottom line is if you want a great home inspector, Jake Zagata is your man. He is honest and straight forward. My wife and I highly recommend Jake and his excellent service. Plan to use him again once we find another property.

Home inspection. Jake was thorough and highly professional. His report was excellent.

He was just plain excellent: professional, knowledgeable, punctual and VERY thorough. Realtors must hate him. He started by sending the seller a questionnaire/disclosure form as soon as the appointment was scheduled. He showed up with a camera, computer, photo printer and went through everything in excruciating detail. He pointed out all sorts of stuff that would need maintenance (need-to-have and nice-to-have). He then helped us understand what needed to be worried about now vs. down the road. He finished by printing out and annotating photos, put them in a nice binder and included a burned DVD with the same - all right on the spot. He's going to follow up with a written report. It took 4 hours, was well worth the time. I hope this guy doesn't ever inspect I home I want to sell, just one I want to buy :)

A friend recommended that I use Jake Zagata for my inspection when I was purchasing my home. My real estate agent was initially skeptical of Jake, because she hadn't heard of him, and because he definitely seems a little "old school" (he doesn't really use email and has a strange voicemail system). By the end of the inspection, she was no longer skeptical. Jake was a great investment: he performed an incredibly thorough inspection and saved me a lot of money in my home purchase. He crawled through every little space he could find. He pulled up the walkway and explained the house's sump pump system to me. He left me with a 20-page report that I continue to consult when I want recommendations on what work I should do on my house and who I should call to have it done. He may not be the cheapest option among inspectors, but he is PASSIONATE about his work and does a fantastic job. I highly recommend him.