NPI NATIONAL PROPERTY INSPECTIONS

I should have know this was not the right vendor to choose as he was pretty pushy on the phone about taking the appointment time. He showed up with a broken arm so he could not do everything and his son did a lot of the inspection. Even though it was done under his direction, it was not thorough or accurate!! No one actually went on the roof. He missed so many things. I wound up having a contractor come to the house after I moved in and he said that the inspector should have recognized these issues. Leak in the siding, section of roof that needed to be replaced, bathroom with wrong type of window and tiles. Leaks galore in the bathtub. I don't know if I would have proceeded with this house had I known some of these things.

These guys were very prompt. They inspected the house and gave everything a good looking over. They took a lot of pictures and were very knowledgeable. They estimated the hot water heater to be over 10 years old, the roof shingles were 20 years old, and the oil furnace and heating system were in imminent danger of failing. In reality, both my plumber and furnace guy have remarked on how well maintained the heating system is (the sound heard during the inspection was water hammer from the sink), the guy who did the gutters (who had very good reason to tell me otherwise) said the shingles were at most 10 years old and in good condition, and the mystery as to the age of the water heater was solved after looking at the sticker that read "manufactured 2011". We are new home owners and we love our house. The inspection report from NPI gave us serious reservations about buying this place. I do not mind the whole home inspection process prior to closing on a house (I believe in its importance), but when you see what you get for the money you've paid it just feels like a racket.

We met Charlie and his assistant at the home and saw they had arrived a little early for the 2pm appointment. That was ok since he had a head start on the inspection. My husband accompanied the inspectors on their rounds and was dismayed to find that the house that was listed as "mint" actually had cancer!! This house had an in ground pool, large property, top of the line remodeling of the kitchen, a fireplace, overabundance of closet space-it was beautifully laid out. But then Charlie came in with his professional training and burst our naive bubble-and we were not first time home buyers! The electric service was only 100 amps; some breakers were rusted; the electrical panel overcrowded; there was copperclad aluminum wiring; there was termite damage to a main beam; the chimney not up to par; the windows would have to be replaced; and on and on. Charlie saved us from buying a home that would have cost us thousands of dollars more than the purchase price to make it safe for us.