THE BUILDING INSPECTOR OF AMERICA

(NOTE: Date of service is approximate, as I don't have my calendar in front of me).

I hestitated to write a review for Mr. Kapoor until I had a chance to get done some of the work that he suggested we needed done in order to improve the musty smell from our house. I wanted to see if his recommendations would eliminate the musty smell, and decrease the indoor humidity. I'm still in the process of getting quotes for some of the work, so I can't speak on whether some of his recommendations were spot-on for remedying our problem or not.

I'll explain what I liked and disliked about this moisture inspection:

LIKES

1. Mr. Kapoor arrived on time and didn't seem rushed, despite me asking numerous questions and possibly making him late for his next appointment.

2. He pointed out things that SHOULD have been pointed out by my original home inspector 8 months prior when we bought the house, but apparently some of these things were missed during that original inspection.

3. He sent the report earlier than promised (about 3 days versus one week, which he previously mentioned).

4. He allowed me to call him after the inspection, when I was getting quotes, to bounce back some of the contractors' comments and thoughts, so that I could get further clarification, to make sure I am on the right track.

5. He actually called me a couple weeks AFTER the inspection, out of the blue, to see how things were going with getting the issues addressed. At this time, I was able to provide to him some additional feedback after getting more quotes, and could, again, bounce things off of him.

DISLIKES:

1. I still walked away from the report unclear about what the next steps should be if we do all the repairs and there is no change in the musty smell. And I am unclear of the extent of the current possible MOLD problem in our house. It wasn't his recommendation to do mold testing at that time; the most important was to do the inspection and see what we're working with. But Mr. Kapoor's comment about him "knowing there would be high mold counts" if he were to test left me feeling awful about exposing my 2 children to a potentially unsafe home. I guess the only way to know that is through mold testing, which I'm sure he would be happy to do for me if requested. I guess I just still feel like I don't know the extend of the mold problem in our house and just how well these repair recommendations will affect the air quality.

2. IMr. Kapoor didn't use any moisture inspection tools. It was only after the inspection that I kept researching "moisture inspections" and found that some inspections use techology such as infra-red thermal techonology to detect moisture or leaks in wall and ceiling cavities, but there weren't any inspection tools used. It leaves me wondering if the inspection could have been more thorough, or if something was missed and could be contributing to the musty smell in our house.

3. Mr. Kapoor said the grading around my house was very poor, but several contractors/landscapers I called in for quotes said that, overall, our grading is FINE (with the exception of a couple areas that could use improvement). I asked Mr. Kapoor to rate the grading around the house, out of "10" and he gave it an overall, "1" which signified that it was pretty awful. But I even had a landscaper leave without giving me a quote, telling me that it wouldn't be right of him to charge me for grading that he sees no problem with. This was a common response from other regrading quotes, as well, which makes me wonder why there is such contrast between Mr. Kapoor's assessment and the professional landscapers' assessments. It leaves me with more QUESTIONS than ANSWERS, and I am even more perplexed about the value of certain repairs to alleviate the musty smell in our house.

OVERALL, I would use Mr. Kapoor again for a home inspection in the future if we were to buy another house. His customer service is excellent, and he's very friendly and appears knowledgeable. But again, it left me with more questions about other possible sources of water intrusion that may he may not have been able to see, and I wonder how valuable moisture inspection tools could have been. I didn't even know to ask. And I also don't know why there was such a disparity between his opinions about my grading versus the opinions of the professional graders. And also, the caveat is that I haven't yet gotten any of his recommendations done yet, so I can't say whether those things will ultimately make a difference in the musty, high humidity values in our house. I would be more than happy to report back once these repairs are performed.

We arrived on time, but Inspector Paul Wehrli was there even before us - climbing on roof and getting a feel for things. So even as we arrived he had a fair amount of information to share with us.

He seemed to have a keen eye, and was quite thorough - caught a number of electrical issues, and had appropriate equipment (drill to access sump pump crawl space, ladder to access difficult attic space) on hand to do what needed to be done.

Felt price was fair, if average. Had to re-schedule a few times due to issues with seller, and Bldg Inspectors of America folks were great - totally on the ball and responsive.

Paul did an excellent job! He was thorough and professional. He took his time throughout the inspection going over every detail with me. I would recommend his service to anyone.

He was prompt, thorough, and prepared the written report quickly. 

From my first contact with Mr. Kapoor I had the feeling that he loves keeping homes in their proper condition. We are having problems with water and moisture in the basement area and called to have that area inspected. He was willing to do that but he suggested that we could possibly get a better picture of our problems if we had a whole house inspection. He encouraged us to follow him as he did his inspection and he narrated his discoveries. Before we showed him the problem areas in the basement on the inside, he was able to ascertain that the condition of our brick and mortar joints, our flashing and caulking by our siding and our exposed cinder block wall in the rear of the house needed to be waterproofed. Once he was inside he saw that the exact areas he had pointed out on the outside were related to our problems on the inside. He also pointed out that cracks in our walls on the second floor were probably caused by the fact that we were using the attic for storage and the flooring for the attice was not designed to handle the weight. He also suggested that we remove the plywood and replace the insulation. In our master bedroom he saw that we had a ceiling fan that could had been on a recall list a number of years ago and told us to call the company and see if it was on the list and get the needed part to keep it from falling down. He spent almost 4 hours inspecting our home. He listened carefully to all of our questions and gave us thoughtful answers. Within two days he sent us his report with pictures and suggested ways to handle the problems. He called us to make sure we received the report and said that we may contact him with questions at any time. After we had someone come out for an estimate for the work we needed done, I called Mr. Kapoor and discussed it with him. It was a pleasure to work with him. I would not hesitate to hire him again.

Mr Paul Wehrli, who works for Building Inspectors of America , did a wonderful job insepcting the home I bought. I have used Building Inspectors of America in the past as well , and they have done a great job even then. However Mr Wehrli has been truly phenomenal. He goes above and beyond what is required , is kind and courteous and answered my numerous million questions patiently. He made a very complex process easy to understand and we actually enjoyed the home inspection and learned a ton from it.

Our inspector was Paul Wehlri. He was fantastic! We arrived a half-hour before the appointment and he was already there inspecting the home. He was EXTREMELY thorough, spending nearly 3 1/2 hours going through the house with us and explaining everything in understandable terms. The report was delivered in under 24 hours with digital photos. Highly recommended!

I would not want others to go with this company, as we were not happy. They initially charged me a lot. They said they would perform an energy audit. They actually performed a house inspection, and even less than that. They did no blower test or infrared camera testing. They would only refund part of my money once I said I was turning them into the Better Business Bureau. They told me they would give me the refund and to not report them to anyone.I thought for the price I would get a detailed inspection and energy audit. He came and spent a lot of time and talked, and talked and talked. He did not spend a lot of time looking for visible holes and eye balling for issues. He did not perform a blower test or infrared test, and those 2 things are what make up an energy audit. I could have done myself what he did. He told me we had gaps we needed to fill in and once that was done to call him and he would come back to perform the test. We did just that and called him and hes said because it took us 6 months to complete that he said it was going to be really expensive to come back and it had been too long. And there has to be a 20 degree difference in temperature. We believed him but after asking around we did not believe him. I called him back and he kept making excuses. Once I told him I was going to turn him in to BBB he then said he would come out for a quick inspection so I would not report him. I got frustrated. I told him he did a botch home inspection and did not do an energy audit. I was only refunded $200.

Mr. Kapoor was recommended to us by trusted friend who is a real estate agent. He does seminars for agents at this large real estate firm. Mr. Kapoor was extremely thorough and professional. He showed up on time, looked all over the house inside and out and delivered his reports, with observations and specific action steps, when he said he would have them. He also referred a company to do the mold remediation in our crawl space. We were very happy with them. He has continued to be accessible to answer questions long after his report was issued. I highly recommend him.

He was puctual and quite thorough in his inspection. He was honest in exactly what he would and would not cover in his inspection. He went from the roof to the basement to the outside surrounding area. His report covered many problem areas and included color photos and recommendations.

I am very pleased with the service provided by Mr. Kapoor. He showed up early to the morning inspection and was detailed in every aspect of the inspection. As he moved from area to area in the house, he explained to me what he was looking for and when things looked good or not so good and why. Furthermore, when there were issues about the repairs that came as a result of the report, he was responsive in a reasonable amount of time to answer my questions about the work. I would recommend him without hesitation to others for their home inspections.

Mr. Kapoor was right on time. He provided a detailed report with excellent descriptions of work that needed to be completed. Because of how he carefully explained his each item I felt confident in his work.

I hired Vimal Kapoor based on the recommendation of my realtor, as well as the home inspector who did the original inspection for my current home (as he was currently booked). I contacted Mr. Kapoor's office and spoke with his assistant, who was very friendly and very efficient in setting up the inspection appt. and explaining what would happen during the inspection. On the day of the inspection, Mr. Kapoor arrived right on time (he was actually at the house even prior to my arrival, which was wonderful) and proceeded to spend three and a half hours inspecting every area of the house. He specifically asked that I walk with him during the inspection in so I had a good understanding of what he was inspecting, and to very patiently explain what items he was reviewing in each area of the house. He encouraged me to take notes and ask questions, so I would be aware of what items needed to be checked further and to better understand the workings of the house. After examining a particular area (such as the exterior) he would write down his findings in detail before moving to the next area. All-in-all he physically accessed every nook and cranny of all three levels of the house inclusive of two trips into a very hot attic that had to be accessed via stairs located in a bedroom closet. When the inspection was completed, he handed me a detailed report of his findings and said he would happily be available to speak with me at any time should I have additional questions. Mr. Kapoor also said that the current owners of the home could also speak with him, should they have any questions about the items he recommended be addressed for repair or servicing. Prior to submitting my home inspection addendum to the sellers, I contacted Mr. Kapoor the day after the inspection and asked if I could speak with him further of some of the items. He was very happy to take my follow up phone call and again very patient in further addressing my questions on some of the things he found and validating the items I thought should be addressed immediately by the sellers. Mr. Kapoor also allayed my fears about the remainder the items and stated they could be put on a future 'to-do' list of recommended improvements to the house, that could be addressed down the line. Mr. Kapoor's inspection report will be very useful in providing a detailed checklist of the items that will need to be addressed at some future point. During our phone call he also said if I need to speak with him again with any of my questions or concerns, to please call him anytime. I feel so much better after his inspection knowing that I am purchasing a quality home and knowing the workings of the home. I would definitely recommend Mr. Kapoor to any one else having their home inspected and should I ever need another inspection in the future, would definitely use his services again.

Excellent job, very detailed inspection and we really felt he was looking out for us. Already had a great set of referrences. A real great pleasure to work with. It helped for us to let him know we were first time homeowners. It usually works the opposite way when you do this, but he helped us more than usual by pointing out the small things as well. Very honest individual.

Very well. Hired Mr. Kapoor and Jeff Adler to come out and inspect and make recommendations. Also did mold air testing.

I contacted via phone Vimal Kapoor through the recommendation of my Realtor. He responded immediately, thoroughly explained his home inspection procedure, provided his credentials and offered to provide names for referrals. The phone call was efficient and gave me the impression that he was a good option. I then called three other home inspectors to compare services and prices. One of those three other inspectors asked, who else I was considering for the job and said that he know Vimal. He said, "I don't want to take away business from someone who your Realtor recommended if that person is qualified. And Vimal is very qualified." This inspector even said that if he himself weren't already a home inspector, he'd call Vimal to do the job. With that endorsement, I went with Vimal. On the day of the inspection, he arrived early and spent more than three and a half hours with us (three bed, two bath home). He talked us through every detail that he was inspecting and explained clearly what he was looking for and why. He also physically accessed every nook and cranny of all three levels of the house (including making two trips into the attic via very tight crawl spaces). He patiently answered all of our questions and gladly took a follow up phone call from us a week later to answer more. He report was detailed, clear and delivered immediately after the inspection. My husband was interested in doing a lot the recommended improvements to the house himself, so Vimal's report also serves as a concise checklist of things that we need to address over the next several months. Vimal has more than 25 years of experience and teaches a lot of classes on home inspection-related topics. His educator style lends itself well to home inspections with first time house buyers, as we are. We learned so much from him and feel much more confident and knowledgeable about our new home thanks to Vimal. I would whole-heartedly recommend Vimal to other people and will definitely call him for our next home purchase.

THE COMPANY HAS SEVERAL INSPECTORS BUT I CAN ONLY RATE THE INSPECTOR, RON MEELY. HE WAS VERY PROFESSIONAL AND EDUCATED US ON OUR HOMES SYSTEMS. HE WAS ALSO ON TIME FOR THE INSPECTION.