Mark's Inspections

Awful experience. Inspector did not even look at crawl space and missed major structural issue with concrete slab. They followed up with us trying to reslove things. While he ackowledges that his employess did not do his job, Mark is unwilling to accept any responsibilities for his employess and does a lot of handwaving claiming that everything is how it is supposed to be and repaired well, so there are not damages he is liable for, pointing to his limitation of liability of $500 (the cost of the inspection). So we will have to pursue other avenues to recover damages due their gross negligence. Unfortunate.

We purchased our first home and Mark's Inspections was recommended to us by our real estate agent. We unfortunately was sent and inspector named Rich Perotta from Mark's Inspections. Firstly, it took him several days to get the report to us and when he did I noticed that in the report, he inserted a "fake picture" of the fuse box. He also indicated that the fuse box was in a totally different area. When we realized that we called him to reinspect, which he did. Second item - he indicated that he inspected the gutters. The house does not have any gutters!!!!!!! Third item - he indicated the dryer vent was installed correctly, however, the dryer vent was covered by the vinyl siding and he never went outside to inspect. This man has cost us unnecessary money and as first time home buyers, we trusted him because the company was recommended to us. Mark (the owner) was very rude when I called and said this has nothing to do with him, his workers are independent contractors. The home inspection is such a critical piece in the process and we trusted Rich Perotta (under Mark's Inspection) to do right by us. If he had done his job, we would have caught everything ahead of time and used it to close the home deal. I just don't want anyone else to fall victim to this company!!!! Now no one has returned our emails. The inspection was $500.

Mark was referred by my realtor, which saved me some time. I did not meet him until near the end of the inspection as I was busy with work, but i was impressed with the thoroughness of his report. Some plumbing issues throughout the house were the main thing he found.

Mark sent someone named Justin to come inspect a home for us we ended up purchasing. We asked Justin specifically to check over some areas on the roof that seemed it could be potential problems. He spent zero time on these issues and was more concerned with the fact that he thought the kitchen had no modern outlets, all the outlets are brand new. We are now currently involved in an entire roof renovation which our roofer has agreed should have been noticed by any inspector. He claimed the washer and dryer were working...reality: dryer was smoking the first day we moved in and both had to be replaced immediately (pointed out by the homeowner during our walk through). He also noted in his report that the dishwasher was completely broken...reality: was brand new and works perfectly. The biggest issue that still blows me away was regarding the radon test. It came to our attention that Justin put the radon test kit in the crawl space of the basement which showed a reading that was above acceptable levels. We asked Mark to come back and retest before we spent 11K cementing the crawlspace ground. This time, Mark himself showed up and told us that the radon kit should have been placed in the first level of the living space (NOT A CRAWLSPACE). That test came back with little to no radon as it should have the first time. Since the test was done incorrectly the first time by his guy I texted Justin and asked for a refund for the cost of the first test. His response back to me was 'Wasn't it the high radon reading that got you the great deal on the house'. Holy **** what the ****!!? This idiot has no idea what we paid for our house...furthermore, at the point of the radon reading we were well into the contract signing phase and we weren't able to use a high radon reading as a bargaining chip. In fact, we almost didn't get the house because we were worried we wouldn't be able to get the radon levels fixed! Soon after I was promised a refund for the first test and then that promise was rescinded after I refused to sign a release saying that I wouldn't hold them liable for the entire inspection. This is the shadiest business I have ever had the unfortunate experience of working with.

Purchased a house in White Plains, NY. I was in a rush and made the mistake of listening/trusting my realtor. If your even considering using this company, you would be better of blind folding a stranger and paying them for their time. This company would only be useful if your colorblind and want to know the colors of the rooms, even then its a gamble. I used them and am now paying for it, they missed anything and everything. If you do decide to use them, then you deserve every bill you get after closing on your property down to the penny. This company most likely makes a ton of money on first time home buyers and with whatever arrangement they have with the realtor. The company I normally used was book solid and this useless company was available next day (warning sign). You've been warned, but its your money and your house. I for one am truly disgusted with this company and their unethical behavior.

There's an old saying: "...you get what you pay for..." Their inspector, Rich (I think) did not find mold in 3 different areas in my house that had been there a very long time. It was only a rodent inspection that mold was found. I emailed Mark Aakjar about this with no response. It's best to avoid home-based businesses and stick with a company that has a real office space and office staff so that there is accountability. You can see other negatives reviews on Mark's Inspections: http://www.yelp.com/biz/marks-inspections-katonah (at the bottom are 28 reviews that are hidden.)

He arrived on time to do an inspection for our purchase of a condominium.I found it interesting that he schedules his appointments 1 hour apart, which did not seem like enough time to do a thorough inspection. While he did find a few minor issues such as the footing of the deck needing replacement and the automatic garage door needing updated mechanisms, he did not find obvious issues, such as two separate bathroom drain pipes that were rotting (and we have had to replace). Also, he did not find badly set-up wiring under the kitchen sink that was used for the dishwasher. On his written report to us he listed our address incorrectly and also listed the electric water heater as a gas powered water heater. He did not check to see if the appliances worked. While I know that an inspector cannot find all issues or problems during their inspection, I believe, based on prior inspections that I have had performed on other properties in the past, this inspection was seriously lacking. I would not recommend this inspector to others.

Mark was at the property prior to me, he started the work and filled me in when I arrived. He was very keen on making sure I got the information I needed. He had told the seller that he need to the inspection alone, the last time I did one of these the seller followed us around, it was distracting and impossible to have an objective conversation. Mark made sure this didn't happen and it resulted in clear cut communication between us two. The report was delivered the next day as promised. Excellent experience overall.

Mark was very polite on the phone but seemed rushed when performing the inspection. He did not go on the roof or enter the crawl spaces. Overal I would give him a C+.