Ohio Valley Residential Inspection LLC

The cost of a typical home inspection through them was $250, but we received a $20 discount coupon to use, so in the end we only paid $230. Rather than retrieving the coupon from us at the start of inspection or even checking to see if we even had a coupon, Larry asked that we hold on to it and pass it along to friends, family, and others who may be in need of his services so that they can benefit from the discount as well. Larry was a few minutes early, so timeliness was not an issue. He first completed a thorough inspection of the exterior of the home, before putting shoe protectors/booties on to complete the interior portion. We started at the front lawn and worked our way around the home, then the garage, and finally the interior. The inspection took about 1.5 to 2 hours altogether, not only because he checked everything imaginable, but also because he was kind enough to teach us first-time homeowners a few things about operating, maintaining, etc. the appliances and such in the home, especially the heating unit. After we'd inspection one portion of the home, he would take a few minutes to make notes about his findings, and then we'd move onto the next item. Although we didn't pay for any special/extended inspections, he gave us an idea as to whether we needed to have the home checked for radon, lead, etc. To show an example of some of his findings, these were some of the things he had written on our inspection for our benefit: Remove bushes/leaves from contact with siding; area around rear driveway vent is cracked & resulted in the drain cover being uneven - causing a potential trip concern; no signs of structural movement, failure, or dry rot; 20yr shingle in average condition with about 5+ years remaining; moss accumulation on rear roof - fungicide intended for shingles can be applied (in the Spring) and may correct this problem; daylight viewable at rear & side doors - weatherstrip needed; original interior windows - no broken glass - all locks checked; smoke detectors are very old & should be replaced; grounded GFI outlets needed to the right of kitchen sink & left of basement bathroom sink; noisy range hood fan; appliances are older unit; 30 amp 240V service will be needed for an electric dryer; water stain & above-average moisture (with meter) in front closet at ceiling - check gutter for blockage; noisy ceiling fan in master bedroom; gas leak marked by red tape located above dryer; drips at hot water tank's pressure valve & intake service valve; no record of yearly service on heating system; and much more. We learned a lot from Larry about the home we're about to purchase, as well as about home maintenance in general! In fact, my spouse was so impressed with Larry's attention to detail that he asked Larry his opinion on having the home inspected every year or every few years to keep it in tip-top shape, and Larry gave us his honest opinion, even though it meant not getting more business. He said that he did not feel it would be worth the money to have the home inspected that frequently, as long as the home's cared for at regular intervals and the initial findings/contingencies from the inspection are taken care of. He could've easily said we should have the home inspected annually & make money from it, but he didn't. That kind of old-fashioned, honest work is hard to find nowadays, and his easygoing personality never made us feel uneducated or inadequate even though we were first-time homeowners. He was professional, easy to understand, explained things well, and was very thorough. With Larry's 16-page inspection report, we were armed with the proper tool that gave us the upper hand in ensuring the seller's cooperation in having our contingencies repaired. Once the VA appraiser came through the home to do their own inspection, the only thing they could find was a cobweb with 2 ants in one corner of the garage that the seller was supposed to have treated. They had no other issues with the home & we were able to close on the home in less than 30 days, despite having slow VA involvement, thanks to Larry's findings early on so we could have them addressed ASAP. The one thing we realized after moving into the home was that the garage was not given a thorough inspection, although this could be because it is detached. This Spring, the water (from rain) around the garage would create deep puddles, some of which ended up flooding the backside of the garage. The wood in the garage has some wet stains as well, and the storage attic above the garage was full of wet junk that we are now stuck with removing. We discovered that the gutters around the garage and lean-to were full of decaying/rotting wood, twigs, and moldy water. Upon closer inspection we had discovered a few carpenter ants trying to swim out of the mess. The gutters were not covered like the ones around the house; they were open/exposed. We found several more black ants, possibly carpenter ants, in the wood mulch in one corner of the backyard near the garage. It appears that the garage may be infested with carpenter ants, which means we may have to hire a pest control service.