J May Home Inspection

Mike surpassed all my expectations. He was extremely responsive, calling back the same night that I requested information, and keeping me informed every step of the way. The price he gave me was much better than the other price I received from another company (and he gave me a discount on a radon test). I live out of state and was limited in when the work could be done. He worked with me to confirm a date that worked for us both. He arrived on time, and did an extremely thorough inspection. He was extremely knowledgeable and very open about the condition of the house and very patient in explaining what he saw, and also providing recommendations. He explained the process and what were the most urgent repairs. I learned a lot about taking care of a house. He also provided a book with info on maintaining house. He actually did more than he charged me for giving advice on an additional small building in very bad shape. Due to his workload, he asked if he could wait a few days on the written report which was not a problem for me. However, he didn't delay in sending me a preliminary report by e-mail. He even called to make sure I got it. The preliminary report and the final report were well written, very thorough and easily understood and the final report included a checklist. There were no surprises since he had explained it all to me the day of the inspection. I couldn't be happier with his work and certainly hire him again. I highly recommend his services.

Mike was prompt, friendly, incredibly knowledgable, and completely thorough in his home inspection. He also has a good sense of humor. I would definitely use him again and would recommend him to my family and friends!

Mike was fantastic. I met him when he spoke at the first time home buyers class in Cambridge. He is professional, knowledgeable and thorough with his inspection. I needed a professional list of items to make sure the house was safe and viable and he provided just that. Highly, highly recommend him.

Mike is THE inspector to use. We are not first time home buyers, even so, we learned so much from him. His inspection was thorough, professional and informative. He predicted a potential problem which was confirmed by the seller did happen before and was fixed. After the inspection, he called to follow up on the results of other inspection he recommended. The report he sent to us could not be more specific. I will definitely go back to him if I ever need a home inspection in the future.

Mike Atwell, J. May Home Inspection answered his own phone when I placed my initial call. We discussed my needs and he scheduled an appointment that accommodated my wife's and my schedule. On the day of the inspection, he arrived early and began an exterior inspection of the property we are planning to purchase. After joining him in this process, he gave me the option of accompanying him throughout the four hour inspection or offered to come and get me after he completed each phase of his inspection. I chose to accompany him for a majority of the inspection and found Mike to be very clear, reasonable and instructional in his approach. His inspection was very thorough, and he took time to explain different issues to my wife and I. He also offered to explain how different home systems worked conceptually to ensure I would understand. Mike was well organized, articulate and intelligent. I also believe he is a registered or certified inspector. At the conclusion of the inspection, he presented us with a free book on how to operate our home and he provided a free radon testing kit with detailed instructions (we decided not to test that day because the property had a radon mitigation system installed and working). Mike also provided a very detailed, well-written report within a few days. I would definitely engage his services again and recommend him highly to others.

I recently had the home built in 2012, and at that time I felt I did not need a Home Inspection, since it was a new home under warranty. It was not until I started having minor to severe issues with the home, that I decided to call Mike. I originally, thought Mike would only find a few issues, but he found more than enough, but every finding had a solution and explanation. The detailed report was very informative, and even after the initial inspection, he was willing to call back. I also received a check, in which Mike, explained to me that he had over charged me.

Mike was very knowledgeable and took time to explain possible solutions.

What can we say that hasn't been said before? Just superb service, not a corner left unexplored. Spent 4 hours on a 1770 sq ft house. Brought up major issues, minor issues, all issues, and prioritized them, even down to listing what to deal with within the first year. Very frank and realistic. Very complete. Worth every penny. We've had other inspections that seemed adequate at the time but in retrospect were grossly inferior to Michael's attentive, detailed, and patiently explained evaluation. His style is to inspect an area of the home, then bring you through, detailing his findings before he moves on to the next area. Makes it easy to absorb and remember all the information you receive. Excellent written report follows. A true educator. Very nice guy too. His schedule was booked (along with many other busy inspectors') when I first called, yet he spent almost a 1/2 hour on the phone giving me advice and referrals, and then offered to squeeze us in on a Sunday afternoon if we couldn't find someone to do it sooner. I called him back to accept his offer when the next busy inspector referred me right back to Michael as the best choice. We eventually had a Structural Engineering inspection based on his concerns, and every one of the SEs I contacted said he is excellent. The SE evaluation went exactly as he surmised, and we are negotiating some easy fixes with the sellers. Couldn't be happier. Wish there was an A++ to give him.

Mike did a "proactive" home inspection for us in 2010 on our Westborough home as we prepared it for sale. So we had a very positive prior experience. When we found a condo in Marblehead that we were planning to purchase we of course asked him to do the inspection. As expected, he was very thorough, very professional, very detailed in his commentary on site and in his report. It was a good "reality test" for us as we decided whether or not to proceed with the purchase. He raised several concerns that made us hesitate, but also gave us leverage in negotiating with the sellers. Turns out we did not purchase the condo, more due to a wacky appraisal than his feedback/report, but the flags he raised were sufficient enough that we are quite glad we did not proceed. We would recommend Mike very highly.

I called Mike at J May to preform a home inspection on a 2 family house in West Roxbury. Mike was very responsive to calls and emails before the inspection to coordinate day/time availability. Mike arrived early for the inspection and did a preliminary walk around the house. Mike spent time discussing what he saw to both me, my wife, our realtor and contractor. He was very thorough and very professional. Mike spent around 4 hours on site and I am 100% confident he evaluated every part of the house that was practical and assessable. The contractor and realtor were both also impressed by Mike's attention to detail and level of communication. Mike was interested in educating my wife & I on various topics of home maintenance (he even gave us a book!). He did not just go down a checklist and send a report. However, he sent a "highlights/major items" report via email the next day and the full report arrived via USPS a couple of days later. The report was detailed and very well written. We decided that the repairs needed to the house we had inspected were too extensive (potential structural leaning and floor slanting). It was nice that Mike was able refer structural engineers to call to take a look and provide a deeper assessment on the the causes and solutions (we ended up not calling them though). So this means we will call Mike for another inspection once we find another property. After spending a few hours with Mike, we now know what to look for during our next evaluation of a property.

Mike was very knowledgeable. He provided an excellent written report after the inspection. I highly recommend his services.

Mike got back to me quickly after contact and we made an appointment for a Saturday morning. Mike was prompt, seemed to be very thorough and sent his report to me within 24 hours. I had a list of questions to be sure in my mind that nothing was forgotten during the inspection. He is very good at his job and i appreciate his willingness to answer my general house questions in addition to the house specific questions. Some of the problems he uncovered as well as some that were not part of his inspection process lead me to not purchase the property. I felt that I had a pretty good overview of the property. He is quite professional and I hope he will be available for any inspection of any home that I plan to buy.

Excellent job from start to finish!!!!

Mike was absolutely spectacular. He was extremely responsive via phone and email before the job got done (which itself is rare in this business). The homes had received a prior inspection which scared off another buyer so I wanted very good work done to identify any sources of problems. On the site, Mike was extremely thorough. He took several hours to go through each property, and according to the listing agent, found many more things than the previous inspector. He identified both small and large items in a rational and calm way. He helped me prioritize what was important and what was not in terms of anticipating future costs. Some of the things he found truly required a detailed eye, so I'm very grateful for his excellent work. I also appreciated his demeanor and professionalism. After the work was done, he emailed me the report and called me to make sure I got it -- great service! I've used two prior inspectors before, and Mike Atwell was hands down much better than anyone else I've used. He will be first and only call any time I get an inspection done again in the area.

Mike is one of the nicest people that you can ever meet. He is extremely thorough, responsive, professional and experienced. The first home inspection he did for us saved us from buying the house, which would have been a huge mistake. There were all kinds of problems with the house's foundation, garage, electricity. In addition to all of that, he discovered what looked like an underground oil tank that was no longer in use underneath the deck that wasn't easily visible. That alone, saved us from a huge burden. Hence, we called Mike for the second home in May 2012, which we ended up buying. For both inspections, Mike always arrived before the scheduled time and he was up on the roof before we even got there. He answered all of our questions and, again, was extremely thorough! He can really simplify the most complex systems in explaining to a home buyer what needs to be done. I basically shadowed him the entire 5-6 hours and he was extremely patient. I can't say enough good things about Mike and his reliable professionalism. I would recommend him without a second thought and I am even planning on having him reinspect the house we live in after some minimal work has been completed.

I had an excellent experience with Mike Atwell's home inspection services. Mike was at the inspection site before I arrived and had already begun the inspection. He was focused and methodical while examining the outside and inside of the house. He was unperturbed by my presence and questions. Importantly, he carefully explained the relevance of his observations, which helped me understand problems I should discuss with the seller as well as future maintenance requirements. Due to his care he identified a latent defect. After the inspection, Mike did additional research about the problem in an effort to better understand its cause and propose possible remedies. I received a report within a day of the inspection that clearly explained the issues identified and recommended solutions. I was impressed with Mike?s knowledge and professionalism and would not hesitate to use him again.

Mike was excellent, especially as he understands the style of old housed and pointed out contractors who could address specific issues.

Mike was "spot on time" and I am super impressed when he look out his binoculars to spot imperfections in the facade. I've always known how crucial an inspector is in the process of buying a home, but now I know Mike save me over a hundred thousand dollars in structural or repainting costs!. Best $600.00 I've spent, maybe ever!.

He gave me lots of good information. He spent a lot of time with me. He found parts of my heating system that were code violations that other people had installed. He gave me important information about how to repair stuff so I can make sure repairs were done correctly. I am replacing my roof and received some poor information. He corrected that, and saved me an enormous amount of headaches. He verified good pieces of information. He gave me great tips about how to maintain my house, like keeping how to keep the basement from being damp. He pointed out other areas that needed repair and how to go about that. He was very helpful. It was very much worth the time and money.

He was exceptional. I have never done home inspection before but he was very good. He was very thorough. He was very professional, very punctual and he did not miss anything. I highly recommend him. Before I hired him I checked Angies List to see what kind of experience other people and reviews. He was highly recommended and everyone liked him and it was so true. He was wonderful and really great. I liked him and I will use him again.

He is great. He was very professional, arrived on time, and was very curteous. I will definitely use his services again.

I found them on Angie's List. They gave me a discount because I was an Angie's List member. I thought they were very through, and they even arrived early. He explained a lot, and did a complete, through job. I thought the pricing was fine, but I don't have anything to compare it to. I was happy with their service, and would absolutely use them again. Update: I actually worked with Mike Atwell at J May Home Inspections twice during my home search. He inspected a condo for me and thoroughly explained his concerns and advised the questions I should ask of the association regarding repairs and maintenance. I chose not to move forward with that unit and resumed searching. I called Mike again when I found another prospective home and he performed another thorough inspection. He again noted his concerns (far fewer with this property) and advised of a few follow up questions. I would definitely recommend Mike and J May Home Inspections to friends and family.

Had an excellent experience and the inspector pointed out some crucial problems.

He was very prompt and thorough. He seemed to be very knowledgeable, and gave a very thorough inspection.

I contacted Mike because of the reviews on Angie's List (and this was my first time using this site). We assumed he would be decent enough but I am pleased to report that he exceeded our expectations. Mike spent over four hous thoroughly going over every part of the home we were interested in purchasing. He was knowledgeable, answered our questions, and gave us peace of mind. He is sincere and I felt he was acting as our advocate. My husband and I (as well as our broker) were extremely impressed with the entire service provided, including the detailed report that followed. I can't imagine anyone who could be more diligent. Also, he used to be a general contractor and gave us invaluable feedback on renovation and structural issues as well as plumbing, electrical, and HVAC advice. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend him.