A Closer Look Home Inspection

I used this inspector on the recommendation of our real estate agent and I am disappointed with my choice. There were a few warning signs I should have heeded before contracting with him: no recent reviews on Angie?s List/Google, and he had committed to sending some recent vintage sample reports for me to review ahead of the appointment but he never followed through. When I arrived a few minutes early for the appointed inspection time, I was surprised to find that the inspector had come much earlier than that and had supposedly already completed the inspection of key house areas like the roof, chimney and exterior. He had started without me even though I wanted to be present throughout the inspection. I wanted to at least do the exterior walk-around with the inspector and have the opportunity to ask questions but because he started so early I was denied that chance. Also, I will now always wonder how thorough the exterior inspection really was. This inspector charges near the top of the range of prices I have been quoted. In my view, his level of quality is average in most areas and sub-par in others. He concentrates on electrical; on the flip side, he performed only a cursory inspection of the heating/cooling system. While testing the heat during our recent inspection, I did not see him making any effort to actually check the furnace operation. It was only when I walked down to the basement myself to check the furnace that he came down to look. He then only gave a quick glance through the furnace sight glass. There are other examples of how his inspection runs on the cursory side. The home we are purchasing was retrofitted with recessed ceiling lighting and I asked him whether the heat generated from the installed lighting could be a problem. He replied that he would be checking the wiring and the bulb receptacles but he never did, and I forgot about it until after the inspection was over. We also asked him about the purpose of some wiring junction boxes in the basement and he said he didn?t know and that we would have to ask the seller about their purpose. It?s the thoroughness, attention to detail, and follow-through that seems to be lacking. We also had him perform radon testing and in my view this inspector lacks the necessary expertise to thoroughly and competently test and report the average radon levels in the house. He knows little more than how to turn the tester on and print out the results. He was not able to answer my questions regarding why the reported result differed from the average of the hourly readings he provided, which calls the result into question. In fact, he got defensive with me when I questioned it and assumed I was trying to get him to change the result, when actually I want to understand how the reported result could be supported by the data (as an engineer, that is my natural response). I would expect from a professional that he could explain the data; my position is plainly that the reported result must be supported by the hour-by-hour data. If not, I expect him to fix it, or, alternatively, if it were supported by the data, the result would stand. I do not believe that this inspector understands the concepts of statistics and data integrity. I am disappointed that he lacked fundamental knowledge in the subject of radon testing, that he could not square his test results with the data, and that he simply referred me to the test unit?s manufacturer for my questions. The manufacturer would only refer me to its website FAQ?s (which did not address the questions). The home inspector would go no further in getting the requested answers to my questions. What I did find out from the manufacturer?s website is that this inspector uses a unit with a fairly low accuracy capability (+/- 10%, whereas other specialists use +/- 5% or better testers) which can make a material difference. In our case, the difference in the average result could be the difference between being under vs. being over the EPA guideline level. Not having a competent radon test technician carry out the test with the right equipment was potentially a very costly mistake for us. Overall, in summary, for the price charged, the lack of follow-through on some promises/commitments, and the questionable knowledge of and lack of expertise in operation of the radon test equipment and results interpretation, I would recommend going elsewhere and finding a different home inspector. I know I will in the future. Buyer beware.