Castle Home Inspections Inc

Castle Home Inspections made a stressful time in the home buying process much easier. Scheduling the appointment with efficient and easy. Home inspectors Steve and Eric were thorough and professional, answered all of my questions and my real estate agent's question, including questions that I had weeks after the inspection was completed. Based on the inspection results I was able to negotiate a much better deal on my new house. I've bought and sold real estate many times and used several different home inspectors. The service I received from Castle beats them all hands down.

found a issue with the roof and radon was high

CAVEAT EMPTOR. Maybe all home inspectors are as incompetent and unethical as this one, but I hope not. Our hope is that this review will save other homebuyers the tremendous risk, financial expense, and frustration that Castle Home Inspectors caused us. The bottom line: (1) They did a *terrible job*, missing a laundry list of issues (listed below) that we could (and would) have required the sellers to fix before purchase. (2) The warranties and guarantees they advertise turned out to be illusory. (Their own inspector admitted that none of them cover us (or any other clients) for things that they miss.) (3) Shortly after we bought our house, we discovered (when it sprung a massive carbon monoxide leak and had to be immediately replaced) that t hey had misrepresented the age of our gas boiler by a full 20 years. Moreover, although that misrepresentation cost us $10,000 and put us at substantial physical risk, they were protected from any consequences by an absurd contract that authorizes the company to make all the "mistakes" they want--up to and including knowingly providing false information that put us at risk--without fear of any consequences. More detail: On the FIFTH DAY in our new house, we had already discovered the following list of things that Castle Home Inspectors missed: (1) Front door that didn't latch (2) Broken back-door deadbolt (note that this meant that neither one of our doors was secure, and we live in a city neighborhood where burglaries are relatively common) (3) A pipe that leaked water into the basement every time the downstairs toilet flushed (4) Upstairs toilet (our only available toilet thanks to the leak in the other) didn't flush without someone holding down the handle for several minutes (had to be replaced immediately) (5) Bedroom door handle was broken -- came right off into one's hand. (6) Both of the electrical outlets in one bedroom were non-functional (7) At least one of the electrical outlets in another bedroom was non-functional (8) The hardwood in the dining room was separated from the kitchen floor board by a couple of millimeters for a stretch of a couple of feet. We could see straight down into the basement from the dining room. (9) Substantial termite damage (even though we had paid extra for a dedicated termite inspection) Of all of the above issues, only one (the non-functioning electrical outlets) was covered by any of the warranties that the company touts on its website. Those are almost completely bogus and explicitly exclude anything that was already defective at the time of the inspection. In other words, as their inspector acknowledged after-the-fact, if they missed it--as they missed all of the above--it is not covered. That's one h*** of a warranty! Then, eighteen months after moving in, a family friend/HVAC contractor was checking a leaky radiator for us and discovered that our boiler was leaking massive amounts of carbon monoxide. We had to replace it immediately, at a cost of $10,000 (basically due to the age of the old system). We discovered when getting bids that the boiler was 40 years old -- even though Castle Home Inspections had told us it was 19 -- meaning that eighteen months earlier, when we were buying our house, it had been a completely foreseeable hazard (for breaking down and/or a CO leak), and we could absolutely have required the seller to replace it (or subsidize its replacement) if Castle's inspector had not given us false information. Having now pursued legal recourse for this misrepresentation, we can say for sure that there is absolutely nothing that holds these guys responsible for mistakes, omissions, or -- as it turns out -- outright lies. We can also say that, faced with evidence that their malpractice had put us in grave physical danger and cost us a ton of money, they resorted immediately to legal bullying and threats, then tried to buy us off, and ultimately made up lies about the actually competent professional who *saved our lives* and didn't make a dime off of it. (This obviously was not the first time they had had to defend themselves against allegations of malpractice, which speaks volumes in itself!) And yet, because of our inexperience and their ridiculous contract, they prevailed. I suspect other home inspectors may be similarly protected from liability by unfair contracts, but I certainly hope it is possible to find some who do their jobs better and/or who don't resort to the same mean-spirited tactics to avoid responsibility for their own errors.

This company is great, very thorough and takes the time to discuss and explain anything. They made an effort to address any specific areas of concern before the inspection as well as taking the time after to ensure we had covered everything. I would definitely recommend and use this company again.

We had Castle inspect 2 different houses for us when we were in the home-buying process. Both times, they were on time, the report was extremely thorough including pictures and detailed descriptions, and they were easy to work with. Payment options included being there in person or handling things online - we did both and were satisfied with both options. In fact, for the second house, we were so confident in their abilities that we did not even attend the end of the inspection as we knew that the report would be outstanding. They encourage phone calls for any questions. We would highly recommend them.

I arrived to the house 10 minutes early and Jack was already there getting set up to begin the inspection. Once inside he explained to me what he would be doing and answered the questions that I had. Once the inspection got started Jack was very thorough and walked me through everything he was doing, and what he was checking for. He pointed out any problems that arose, and the likely cause for the malfunction. He was professional and courteous the entire time, and I would have no problem referring him to anyone I know that is purchasing a new home. If you are in the market for a new home call Castle.

As a real estate agent, I have been using Castle since last last year when they were recommended to be by another agent in my office. I have recommended them to all my clients ever since our first experience. I have had inspections with both of their main inspectors and have had nothing but a fantastic experience every time. They arrive on time, and do a great job. They are especially good with my firs time home buyers, making sure they understand all the issues without scaring them or making something out of nothing. They make sure the buyer is fully aware of the home they are purchasing. The buyers always enjoy working with them. For agents, they really go above and beyond. They provide us with cute closing gifts to give our clients and check in on us with e-mails and with social media. They are a high quality local company!

The inspector Jack Rothweiler came on time. The appointment was for 8 am by the time I got to the house the inspector was already there and was setting up. He seemed knowledgeable and patient. He explained what he was doing and pointed out fixes that would be needed as we went along from room to room . He answered all questions patiently . What I found different about this inspector is that their company checks for recalls on appliances and gives the phone numbers that I could use to contact the manufacturer for the fix. We had the house tested for radon ( which turned out to be positive at a high number). We also had the termite inspection through another inspector (as Jack does not do termite inspection) when I got the results via email , I had a few questions which were answered by their customer care specialist over the phone. I asked to speak to Jack. He was prompt in calling back and answering my questions.. I get emails from them regularly even now regarding maintainance of the home etc. I am pleased with the service and the emails are useful. I would recommend this company to anyone who wants quality home inspection.