The Home Detective

It went Well. Al was professional, punctual and answered all of my questions. He took time inspecting the home and advised me of any issues that he thought needed corrected. I received a complete .pdf of my report within 24 hours.

This was a general home inspection. The inspector, John, showed up at the property at the scheduled 9am that we arranged. He welcomed my wife and I to accompany him on this inspection. He was easy to talk to and had a wealth of information to share during this inspection. The home had advertised a new heat pump and he pointed out that it certainly was not new but over a decade years old. Newer parts were installed and that was it. He found an area of the garage which was partially painted. He said that many times sellers will do this to cover up any water damage. The list continued and it was now up to us to buy or walk away from the deal. We walked away. Although we initially wanted to buy the house this inspection raised some red flags that we didn't want to deal with in a home purchase. John had just reported the facts of his inspection. The next day I received a copy of his report complete with color photos. I'm happy to have hired this company. Well worth the money spent.

It went fabulous!!!!! John Farmiloe did a wonderful job. He came out for the first inspection which was 2 properties on one parcel. John was very prompt and actually beat us to the appointment. He was very friendly, courteous, and professional while doing the inspection. He was very knowledgeable and thorough when inspecting the houses. He was very patient with us and answered all of our questions and concerns about the houses. After being there for several hours and working very diligently. John found several major defects and informed us in writing (that still was within the 7 day deadline) and saved us major headaches from buying a lemon. We are very grateful to John for that!!!!! So, when we were interested in buying a second house, it was a no brainer. We called John Farmiloe for the second inspection. Again, he was prompt, professional, and courteous to us and did a very thorough job. When inspecting the house. The seller had claimed that he had already had the house inspected by the city on 3 different occasions and it was in tip top shape. Well John found a few minor issues and informed us of these. We couldnt come to an agreement on fixing these issues , so the deal was null and void. But no fault of Johns. John saved us another headache. But he is a genuinely great inspector and we will definitely (only ) use him for any further inspections. Because we know that we are getting a honest, straightforward, professional analysis of properties and he will nor sugarcoat or hide any defects to suit you. We really cant say enough about John as an inspector and as a person. He is our inspector until we buy the house that is right for us! He always keeps the prices of the inspections fair and always shows up on time and ready to inspect for you. It is just good to know that there are still people in todays times that have such high standards and work ethics!!!!! Again, Thank you John for all of your hard work and dedication.

After using another home inspection service on a previous property, which was extremely expensive, I decided to try another company. John from initial phone call all the way to follow up after the services were rendered was a complete professional and extremely personable and down to earth. I appreciate that, as it goes a long way for making your customer feel at ease. He was right on time and very thorough with his inspection. Not only did he point out major concerns with the property, but he also pointed out positives as well. He spent around 2 hours at the property checking inside and out. Crawled into and checked spaces I would have needed a hazmat suit to enter, just to make sure things were properly checked and in good shape. This is greatly appreciated because this home purchase for my wife and I has been a long road and we did not want to waste our money on a money pit. As he went from room to room or any where out side the house he was pointing things out and telling you what was going on as he was going and taking pictures for his final report. In the end, his great job inspecting the house ended up saving my wife and I a ton of head aches and from spending our money on a crap chute. We did not end up purchasing the property, and since then have found another house in which we have rehired John to come back out and inspect. I highly recommend him, he stays in contact via e-mail text and phone call when ever you need to speak to him. To sum it all up...The Home Detective is Pure Awesome.

John Farmiloe is the best home inspector I have ever had the pleasure of working with. He walked me through the entire inspection and took the time to explain everything to me. He arrived early and us extremely professional and friendly. I truely enjoyed his company. If you are seeking a professional, honest, punctual home inspector then John Farmiloe is the ONLY HOME INSPECTOR YOU WANT TO WORK WITH!!! When he left he informed me that I can call him anytime with any question and/or concern. Call John Farmiloe for your home inspection TODAY!!

We were beyond impressed with John Farmiloe's and assoc.'s professionalism and expertise from start to finish. The inspection itself took two and a half hours and I was able to take thorough notes all the way through. He covered every aspect inside and out. Every electrical outlet was checked, every window and cupboard door, drawers etc. was opened. Every appliance, the attic, crawl space, garage, plumbing, flooring, detailed exterior inspection, fired up furnace and a.c. unit-he didn't miss a thing. Additionally he advised us in terms of priorities of things to do and not do whether we moved into the house or sold it (my husband inherited it and we had not decided which way we were going). He also gave us specific and general praise regarding the house, the neighborhood, the lot and named specific companies he recommended to contact for help with things that needed to be addressed. Something we really appreciated was that he informed us that vendors might try and sell us on doing more work than was necessary and made sure we understood exactly what needed to be done in order for it to be more cost effective for us. He took photos and provided us with a 15 page detailed report via email within 24 hours. He told us if we had taken care of things which needed attention he would come out and reinspect and revise the report at no extra charge. John encouraged us to call him anytime if we came up with further questions. We would not hesitate to highly recommend The Home Detective. There was nothing we were disappointed with. This was also our first experience using Angie's list and it was a great start. Thank you so much! Paul and Gail Zink

I called a total of three home inspectors and professional communication via telephone with prompt returned phone calls is what got the Home Detectives the job. Also, I like that they have two heads working together throughout the 2.5 hours home inspection. I met with Al and Eric for a new home purchase inspection within a few days of calling to schedule an appointment. They were prompt, thorough, professional, and had several recommendations (safety enhancements, violations, maintenance recommendations, and repairs) that they photographed and documented for me in a 15 page detailed report. I received the report the same day of the inspection. They not only honored the Angie's list discount of $30 but provided an additional $10 off for cash/check payment. They made me feel confident I was buying a good home, which made me excited to move-in ASAP. Thanks for your professionalism.

Al went above and beyond!!! Professional, patient and knowledgeable. Al was punctual, went over everything throughly and explained clearly what he found. Climbed his ladder in the rain to check the roof, crawled under the deck and into the attic, he even went so far as to pacify an overly curious neighbor. We felt confident proceeding with the home buying process thanks to Al.

I called The Home Detective on a Sunday afternoon and they called me back within the hour. They were able to fit me in within the next 7 days. Time came for my home inspection and John showed up prepared, ready to not only tell me about the faults within the property that I purchased by also talk me through and educate me about why and how they happen. John spent 4.5 hours at the property with me and really throughly covered every nook and cranny of the 1800+ sq ft home, interior and exterior. My realtor, who is one of the top in the area, learned things from John during the inspection. I had previously gone through two other home inspections on different properties in Cleveland. None of the other inspectors I had were as personable as John and none of them actually took the time to really educate me about the problems associated with the home. They simply wanted to write everything down in a report and be done with it. Being a people person, I really appreciated John talking through everything with me since I had committed the time to be there and wanted to learn. The other home inspectors that I had previously charged me over $500 each for the general inspection, not including the pest inspection or radon inspection. John's pricing was fantastic and I wish I would have found him earlier.

I am a repeat customer. I first used them in November 2013 and again for a different house in April 2014. I ended up buying the last house. This is a third home inspecting company that I have seen at work. (I was not impressed with the inspectors that I had used in the past: misdiagnosis, omissions, etc.) I was so impressed with "The Home Detective" guys, they earned my repeat business and I would recommend them to anybody. For a reasonable price, I got 2 knowledgeable home inspectors that combed every corner of the house. They were very patient to explain their findings in plain English and gave plenty of useful advice. Their report was as detailed as their walk-through, and I still use it as my to-do-list.

Al was fantastic!! He showed up to the house early and had already fully inspected the exterior by the time we arrived. He gave us a review of outside issues and then we went through the inside of the house together room by room. I appreciated the way he explained things in terms we could understand, as we have very little knowledge of anything structural/electrical, etc. Al also demonstrated his willingness to go above and beyond when he crawled through the dirt underneath the deck just to find a dryer vent! :) Our inspection was at 4:30pm on a Friday and Al had the inspection report completed by 10am the next morning! The report was 15 pgs and it included detailed descriptions of issues along with pictures. My realtor commented that it was one of the best inspection reports she had seen.. very organized, condensed, yet detailed. It was a pleasure working with Al and we would absolutely work with him again!

Al was amazing! He was able to squeeze us in for an appointment next day when others were booked out for 8 days. He was punctual and friendly. He was SO thorough. He spent over two and a half hours inspecting the house. He crawled into every nook and cranny. He checked every outlet. He used his flashlight to inspect all corners. He noted every detail on exterior that needed caulking. I can't emphasize how much attention to detail he had. He was super-helpful in noting all of the things we can do to improve and maintain the home. He answered all of our questions (we came prepared with a long list) and more. He really took his time with us. Then the next morning we got his report which again was super detailed and thorough. I have already recommended him to two friends and I do the same to you! You won't be sorry!

The inspector showed up on time. The whole process took about 4 hrs. Although we would like the inspector to walk on inspection for the roof, the inspector just did a "top-of-the-ladder" inspection. In general, the inspection is very rigorous and throughout. The inspector is very professional and knowledgeable about home structure and possible defects. He pointed out the current state of settlement and suggest us to find a structural engineer if we are concern about that. He is very professional. At the end of the inspection, I would like him to check the basement again just to make sure there is no leakage in the basement after we turned on all faucets. He agreed and did a through inspection on that. We would definitely use the same service next time.

My wife and I worked with Howard Hanna as our realtor. When we signed the contract on our house-to-be, HH gave their ?preferred vendors? for home inspection. After conducting a lot of research, we opted to go with The Home Detectives instead. Our HH agent was skeptical and asked to attend the home inspection. Additionally, my father in law, who buys and sells real estate as a hobby, was in attendance. On the day our inspection was scheduled, Al from the Home Detectives showed up to the house early. He had done a cursory inspection before we arrived and had already identified a couple of things that he wanted to check out more closely. The inspection was extremely thorough, but not excessive. Al pointed out everything that was cause for concern, but also pointed out a lot of things that were really great about our house (it?s always nice to know that there are some really great things about how your house is designed/built/maintained!). Al also pointed out several things that were not a concern in the short term, but may be so in the long run. He also differentiated between the things that we should contract out and the things that we could do ourselves, which was helpful for new home owners. Al even invited us to contact him if we weren?t sure how to conduct aspects of home repair. That?s a great resource to have! Overall, for an average cost, we got an incredible inspection and a very detailed report that was sent the same night! We appreciated his knowledge, experience, and willingness to endure many questions from new homeowners. Perhaps more telling was the approval of my father in law and the words of our real estate agent: ?That was extremely thorough, and the inspector really knew what he was talking about!?

John was a fantastic inspector, thoroughly taking me through a 1-bedroom condominium in the Warehouse District in DT Cleveland, which I eventually ended up buying. He spent about 2 hours, looking at every nook and cranny of the apartment and beyond - going so far as to climb out the window to examine the inner-facing courtyard, and going up to the roof, far beyond what I would have expected for a condo inspection. He patiently answered all of my questions, made sure that I knew how to work my appliances, furnace, heater, changing filters - and allowed me to take a very active, hands-on part in my inspection, which I appreciated! Very nice guy and easy to talk to as well. Great price! Highly recommended!

Al was great! He arrived before the scheduled time and was very thorough in his inspection. He had a great sense of humor and was easy to talk to and ask questions on items he had pointed out to me. He explained things in "laimans terms" so I could understand what he meant.

John arrived a half hour early having already begun his inspection, he was extremely knowledgeable and detailed and spent a lot of time answering all of our questions. He pointed out areas that needed attention that we would never realize would be a problem, such as opening every single window in an attached sunroom to find deteriorating weather stripping. He checked every outlet, all of the plumbing, drains, appliances, roof, climbed into the attic crawlspace to check insulation and trusses and much more. He noticed the garage door opener did not have an electric eye and a defective sensor which could pose a safety issue. John was very personable and told us we could call him anytime in the future if we had questions or issues that arise. We received a very detailed report with pictures the day after the inspection. The home detective was able to get the inspection scheduled quickly knowing that there are deadlines involved in purchasing a home and despite busy time of year for home sales.

We are in the process of purchasing an 1899 Victorian manor. While it is a very exciting purchase, homes this old can have a myriad of hidden issues. Plus we also had a pest inspection as required by the terms of our loan. My husband is a very handy guy and we had pinpointed many issues before even bidding on the house. But, we had decided that an expert 3rd opinion in this case would be very important. A missed issue on a house this old can cost tens of thousands of dollars. John, from The House Detective, was not only thorough but enthusiastic. He pointed out several things that my husband had missed and was happy to suggest how to handle the issue and how urgent it was to deal with it. He was very familiar with issues that can affect century homes and how to spot them, as well as how to best deal with them. My husband literally said that the inspection process with John was "really fun". John was friendly and professional and very obviously knowledgeable. But the best part was he obviously immensely enjoys his work, so you knew that he was doing this to his best ability and his ability was impressive.

Al did an excellent job on our home inspection. He was professional and was already at the house at prior to our meeting time. He was very thorough, explained everything as he went along, and gave good tips for home maintenance in the future. We had a few issues that required other experts to address. He answered all of our questions, and if he didn't know the answer led us in the direction of someone that would know. We received the inspection report the same day, even though it was a holiday weekend. We would definitely recommend him to anyone. The Home Detective is a service provider to Angie's list!

Al did an excellent job. He spent 3 hours inspecting every inch of house inside and out. He was very knowledgeable and helpful solutions for fixing many of the problems that we found. He finished the inspection at 7:30 PM and had the full report in my inbox by 8:00 AM the next morning. I would definitely use The Home Detective again if I ever need another inspection.

This experience was eye-opening for me as to how dedicated a business can be and how good service will lead to loyal customers. Not only did John come out and provide me with a very detailed and thorough inspection whilst answering my questions in a cheerful manner, with much detail and no technical jargon - but he agreed to return at a later date (which he did) to re-inspect a portion of the home a couple of weeks later due to the seller neglecting to have properly prepared the utilities of the home for the inspection -at no extra charge. John was very comprehensive and would tell me what he felt were "major issues" and what were not so major, he is clearly very experienced and can help walk you through what is normally a tedious and nerve wracking experience, making it simple, and interesting. In the end, our second mini inspection led to the discovery of a major deal breaker, and saved us from a deal that would have been a disaster that was only two weeks from closing!! I am a real estate investor and need a dedicated inspection team that is professional, highly skilled, cooperative, thorough, and committed - The Home Detective fits the bill - I would gladly deal with The Home Detective again!! Thanks for everything!!

Allen was very thorough! He arrived early to do a look-over so that once I arrived he could get started informing of potential problems. He was very knowledgeable and answered any questions that I had. He took photos and provided us with the results very quickly. My husband came later than I did and he was more than willing to go over and even show everything that was found with him which was very helpful! I was very impressed with him and would definitely use this company again.

John did an excellelent job inspecting the house we were planning to purchase. He was very knowledgeable, professional and detail oriented. He was happy to spend the time to explain exactly what he was doing stopping along the way to advise on how to maintain various parts of the house. The report was very detailed and accurate. I couldn't be happier!

Was going to purchase a home and asked this company to inspect it prior to the purchase. He made sure we had the realtor turn the water and heat on so the inspection could include these items. He took his time and did a very thorough inspection and included things that we could do to improve the house, such as covering the window wells and grading the yard away from the basement foundation. Was very punctual and professional. They did the job, submitted a written report as well as e-mailed the report, and took photographs. Because of his inspection, we were able to purchase the house for $5000 less to account for defects he found.

Overall, they did everything you would want from a home inspector. They spent a good deal of time on my inspection and walked me through the entire inspection process.