Able Home Inspection Inc

We are looking at buying a two family property. After reading Angie's list, we selected Able Home inspection. Dennis was very helpful and professional in helping us with our home inspection. He was prompt, well-spoken, thoroughly worked through the house and helped to identify a few problem areas (that would have gone unnoticed). I would recommend him to anyone...

Dennis Robitaille is the most thorough home inspector I have ever seen. His price is slightly higher than other inspectors, but it is worth every penny. Dennis found things that would have been easy to miss, and really gave us the "full picture" of what we are buying. We were completely satisfied, and not only would we use him again, but we plan to recommend him to anyone we know that needs a home inspection. The 20+ page report we received, complete with photographs, was impressive.

We used Dennis about 4 times during our lengthy house hunting process. Each time we were incredibly impressed by how thorough and knowledgeable he is. He examined every square inch of the properties. There were a few homes that had major issues, and he did not over, or under exaggerate the problem to us. In one situation, he identified a potential major structural problem, and since he is not a structural engineer he referred us to one so that we could get the most precise and professional advice for that problem. Dennis even called me back to follow up and find out what we'd decided to do about buying that property. (We didn't!) While his home inspection costs a little more than the run-of-the-mill inspection, we think the extra cost is WELL worth the peace of mind that we have knowing that Dennis went over the entire property with a fine-toothed comb!

Dennis did a great job. Unlike some other inspectors who simply provide customers with pass/fail checklists, he takes digital photographs of the areas that he inspects. He used electronic measuring devices to detect water content in the ceiling and took pictures of water damage on the ceiling and walls. We passed this evidence along to our lawyer when we were negotiating our purchase and sale agreement. Using Dennis' water content measurements and photos as "Exhibit A", our lawyer was able to negotiate a price reduction equal to the entire cost of a new roof. Thanks, Dennis!

I was a little skeptical about my previous home inspection when I discovered water leakage (when I specifically asked the previous home inspector about water damage and he said there was none), so I decided to get a second inspection, this time from Dennis. I am so glad to have made this decision. First of all, Dennis covered all the points that the previous inspector covered. He also reassured me that there is nothing wrong with the foundation and that the water leakage is normal and should not be a problem unless I store wood on the basement floor. He also made a roundabout exterior inspection of the foundation. Most importantly, he identified some health hazards that the previous inspector had missed, and even suggested ways to clean it up. Dennis is extremely professional and very detail oriented, and is exactly what you would look for in an inspector.

Read on to learn Dennis saved us from a $400,000 nightmare (first house) and got us $5000 off on negotiations (second house). The first house, which was in a flood zone, which we had agreed on for $340K, turned up to have at least $50k in problems, including a split foundation and a serious structural integrity problem in the crawl space with rusted and rotted support structures. There were also asbestos containing components in the furnace. As it turned out, the inspector who had inspected this house for the sellers was put out of business by Dennis, who was an expert witness for the state against them. Well, I feel bad for the sellers, but thats what can happen with agent-referred inspectors. For the second house, fortunately there were fewer surprises. Dennis uncovered a problem with the roof that the sellers told us was young, and we were able to use that leverage to get a further $5,000 off the already low purchase price. Bottom line, if the state trusts Dennis, you can too. Great inspector, he'll be my first choice for as long as I live in MA.

Dennis was extremely thorough and professional. He took the time not only to inspect each part of the property, but also to explain to us how different home systems work and to show us the things he was finding as he went along. His final report was useful for us and included a number of photographs. There is also a fair amount of "boilerplate" text and warnings. My one criticism is that Dennis is so thorough and exacting in his inspections, that it can be hard to differentiate between a major issue that might require re-negotiation with the seller (or even walking away from the deal) versus a minor issue that doesn't pose any real safety concern and is just a normal part of any transaction. That being said, it was very clear that Dennis takes pride in his work, is thorough and competent, and is absolutely a straight-shooter. We would recommend him.

Absolute A+ work. HIGHLY recommended. Dennis inspected every corner of the house inside and out. He took over three hours at the house and did not charge for travel time. He used a variety of testing devices to discover problems, moisture meter confirmed suspected water leak behind wall, carbon monoxide meter with probe revealed CO leakage from boiler, miscellaneous electronic tools confirmed non-grounded circuits and outlets, etc. We learned more about the various issues in the house than we would have ever discovered (and later paid for) on our own. His fine work enabled us to save more than a dozen times his fee during final price negotiations after the inspection. Dennis is a man of integrity, very knowledgeable, and has a passion for excellence. This is the second house we've had inspected by Dennis. In both cases we were extremely satisfied. He delivered very detailed inspection reports (Acrobat PDF via email), each with about 20 photos, on the evenings of the inspections.

Excellent!! This inspection was done about one year ago prior to purchasing a family home. We saved thousands of dollars on the purchase price by using the information his well explained inspection gave my husband and I. Many things in the home were functional but at the end of their life. There was also asbestos tiles and pipe insulation present that was able to be resolved prior to our purchase. His detailed report with great pictures has been pulled out many times as we bring in contractors to update some of the things brought to our attention during inspection. This is our first home and we thought that the price was high for the inspection, but the money and headaches it has saved us has paid for this ten fold.

My initial email correspondence with Dennis seemed a little abrupt, but I knew I wanted to work with him because of his experience and the thorough nature of his reports. Over the phone he was quite nice and in person he was very helpful. They say you learn to ''operate'' your house during your home inspection and Dennis had the patience to go over every detail with my husband and me. I will say that I think the Realtors found him a little intimidating, but I figure this is a good thing! He proactively pointed out some potential asbestos concerns that we were able to deal with before closing. His reports are 30+ pages (plus pictures) and emailed within the day.

Very expensive (about 3 times what others quoted us), but I was warned about this and went with Dennis based on good recommendations from others. He was reasonably thorough; found some termite and other damage for us. Does seem to work from a script and hands out a very nice printed report at the end. Did miss some roof leakage/rot that probably should have been caught because the roof had become concave under the weight of a solar panel. Also pointed out some stuff that we ignored his advice on (e.g a newly done ceiling may be done to conceal a problem) that he ended up being right about. Overall, a mixed bag.

I have used many home inspectors in the past but Dennis Robitaille of Able Home Inspection is truly unique and exceptional. Unlike other home inspectors, he only performs one inspection per day. He then sends a full report and narrative complete with digital photos. Other inspectors just give you a checklist at the end of their work. More importantly, he doesn't take referrals from real estate agents. I've always been worried about this conflict between home inspectors and real estate agents. Dennis avoids this and makes it clear he is working for you. As far as the work goes, he is incredibly thorough, finding things which you wouldn't expect and comes armed with a full set of tools and techniques. While he may be more expensive then others, when you think of the cost as a percentage of a home purchase it is not a meaningful expense. Especially, if he finds issues which keep you from buying a problematic home or would allow you to get price reductions from a seller.

VERY THOROUGH WITH THE HOME INSPECTION. HE UNCOVERED MANY ISSUES IN A RELATIVELY NEW HOME THAT WERE IMPORTANT FOR US TO KNOW ABOUT PRIOR TO PURCHASE. HE WAS VERY PROMPT WITH HIS APPOINTMENTS AND IN PROVIDING US WITH A WRITTEN REPORT. HE IS PRICEY, BUT FOR WHAT HE UNCOVERED IT WAS WORTH IT TO US.

THEY WERE VERY HELPFUL WITH MY QUESTION. HE WENT ABOVE AND BEYOND.

DENNIS IS AN OUTSTANDING HOME INSPECTOR. HE IS POLITE, PROMPT, PROFESSIONAL AND EXTREMELY THOROUGH. THE FIRST PROPERTY THAT HE INSPECTED FOR ME TURNED UP NUMEROUS LEAKS, BUILDING CODE VIOLATIONS AND CARPENTER ANTS. FINDING ALL OF THOSE ISSUES BEFORE PURCHASING THE HOUSE SAVED ME AT LEAST $10,000 IN REPAIRS. SINCE THE OWNER OF THAT HOUSE WAS UNWILLING TO NEGOTIATE THE SALE PRICE TO ACCOMMODATE THE REPAIRS THAT WERE NEEDED I WITHDREW MY OFFER AND HAVE SUBSEQUENTLY FOUND A HOUSE I LIKE EVEN MORE. DENNIS PERFORMED THE INSPECTION ON THIS HOUSE AS WELL AND FOUND ISSUES TO BE ADDRESSED, AGAIN SAVING ME THOUSANDS IN REPAIR BILLS. HIS FEE MAY BE ON THE HIGH END FOR A HOME INSPECTION BUT IT'S WORTH EVERY PENNY.

THIS IS A CASE OF YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR. DENNIS WAS EXTREMELY PROFESSIONAL AND ASSURED US THAT WE KNEW ALL THE SECRETS OF THE HOUSE WE WERE CONSIDERING. WE HAVE USED HIM TWICE AND ARE PLANNING TO USE HIM AGAIN. WE ARE ONLY CONSIDERING OLD HOMES, SO HIS REPORTS HELPED US AVOID A POTENTIAL MONEY PIT TWICE. I RECOMMEND HIM TO ANY HOMEBUYER WHO REALLY WANTS TO KNOW WHAT HE OR SHE IS GETTING INTO. HE PROVIDES EXCELLENT WORK AND IS HIGHLY ETHICAL.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. ALTHOUGH PRICE QUOTE WAS ON THE HIGH SIDE, IT WAS WELL WORTH THE EXTRA MONEY. DENNIS RESPONDED TO WEB REQUEST ALMOST IMMEDIATELY. SENT OUT PRE-INSPECTION AGREEMENT BY E-MAIL. ON TIME, COURTEOUS, AND VERY THOROUGH AND KNOWLEDGEABLE. WEBSITE IS A GREAT REFERENCE AND HAS FASCINATING PHOTOS OF HOME INSPECTION HORRORS. DENNIS CAME OUTFITTED WITH A FULL SET OF TOOLS, DIAGNOSTIC DEVICES, AND A LADDER. HE SHARED HIS FINDINGS WITH ME AS HE DISCOVERED THEM AND ASKED SEVERAL TIMES IF I HAD QUESTIONS. HE POINTED OUT DISTINCTIVE FEATURES OF THE BUILDING THAT ARE UNIQUE TO STRUCTURES IN BOSTON BUILT AROUND 1900. DELIVERED A COMPREHENSIVE, CLEAR, INFORMATIVE WRITTEN REPORT BY E-MAIL BEFORE 8 PM THE SAME EVENING (INSPECTION WAS AT 3 PM)! ALLOWED ME TO GENERATE A PRE-CLOSING PUNCH LIST THAT WILL SAVE ME LOTS OF HASSLE IN THE LONG TERM. I WISH EVERYONE ELSE INVOLVED IN THIS TRANSACTION COULD BE THIS EFFICIENT AND COMPETENT.

I WILL USE HIM IN THE FUTURE AND STRONGLY RECOMMEND HIM FOR ANYONE NEEDING AN INSPECTION.

DENNIS IS SIMPLY THE BEST. BASE PRICE FOR INSPECTION WAS $595, AND I WOULD PAY IT AGAIN; THE REST WAS FOR WATER TESTING AND TRAVEL. I WILL USE HIM IN THE FUTURE.

HE WAS ABLE TO SCHEDULE THE INSPECTION WITHIN A FEW DAYS OF CALLING HIM. HE DID AN OUTSTANDING JOB AND UNCOVERED SEVERAL SIGNIFICANT PROBLEMS, ULTIMATELY ALLOWING ME TO NEGOTIATE THE SALE PRICE DOWN BY $8,000. HE SUMMARIZED HIS FINDINGS IN A DETAILED REPORT INCLUDING PHOTOS, WHICH HE EMAILED TO ME THE SAME DAY. UNLIKE OTHER INSPECTORS, HE DOES NOT TAKE REFERRALS FROM REAL ESTATE AGENTS, SO HE CAN OFFER A TRULY UNBIASED AND EXPERT EVALUATION. HIS WORK WAS WORTH EVERY PENNY.

THIS WAS WORTH EVERY PENNY! I'VE PURCHASED OTHER HOUSES AND THOUGHT THIS ONE WAS IN RELATIVELY FINE SHAPE. THE INSPECTOR UNCOVERED OTHER THINGS THAT WERE VERY SERIOUS BUT NOT OBVIOUS, AND I'M RENEGOTIATING THE PRICE WITH THE SELLER. DENNIS R. WAS VERY PROFESSIONAL, NOT AN ALARMIST AT ALL BUT PRESENTED A BALANCED VIEW. HE WAS THOROUGH AND EFFICIENT, AND COURTEOUS. I'D DEFINITELY HIRE HIM AGAIN.

MOST OF THE OTHER REPORTS HERE SAY ''MORE EXPENSIVE BUT WORTH EVERY PENNY,'' AND I WHOLEHEARTEDLY AGREE. DENNIS DID A VERY THOROUGH INSPECTION OF THE HOUSE WE ARE PLANNING TO BUY, DELIVERED A GREAT REPORT WITHIN HOURS OF THE INSPECTION THAT INDUCED THE SELLERS TO MAKE SEVERAL REPAIRS AT THEIR EXPENSE, AND WAS VERY EASY TO COMMUNICATE WITH BEFORE AND AFTER THE INSPECTION BY E-MAIL. HE ALSO HAS A GREAT WEB SITE: WWW.HOUSEINSPECTOR.ORG. I RECOMMEND HIM WITHOUT RESERVATION.

DENNIS (THE OWNER) IS A MODEL INSPECTOR. I CANNOT IMAGINE A BETTER ONE. HIS POWERS OF OBSERVATION COUPLED WITH HIS PROFESSIONALISM ARE EXCELLENT. HE IS NOT AN ALARMIST, AS ARE SOME INSPECTORS. BY OFFERING ADD-ON SERVICES WHEREBY HE MANAGES LEAD, WATER, RADON, AND OTHER TESTS, DENNIS MAKES THE INSPECTION PROCESS MUCH MORE TRACTABLE. WE WILL USE HIM AGAIN WITHOUT HESITATION IF THE NEED ARISES. DENNIS''S WEB SITE IS EXTREMELY INFORMATIVE, AND HE DESERVES PRAISE FOR THAT ON ITS OWN.

SOMEWHAT EXPENSIVE, BUT VERY RESPONSIVE, PROFESSIONAL, AND FRIENDLY; WILLING TO FOLLOW-UP ON QUESTIONS EVEN AFTER THE INSPECTION REPORT WAS SUBMITTED TO US.

I HAVE USED A LOT OF HOME INSPECTION SERVICES. THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST.