ValueGuard Home Inspection

I am in the market to buy a Philadelphia row home. I expect a certain amount of rehab/remodeling, but I don't want to get into a money pit. My boyfriend said I needed to find the local "Mike Holmes" from HGTV's Holme's Inspection. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would come close to achieving that, but Mike Bluestein from ValueGuard is definitely close! Mike was already at the home when we arrived at 9:00 am on Saturday. Mike spent over 3.5 hours inspecting and checking every major system and aspect of the home. His experience and expertise in home building and maintenance were clear and evident. He explained everything in terms that I could understand, gave me options and answered all my "What if?" questions with patience. I felt that I had really received my money's worth and gained a lot of information about the home. Best of all, I had the completed report on Monday morning. ValueGuard provided an excellent service for me. In the likely event that I will need them again, they are on my speed dial!

I liked that they were very quick and efficient. They performed the job with very little intervention from me. They operated independently. The price was competitive. I never saw or interacted with them as everything went through my agent. They definitely met my expectation.

They were amazing. We were getting the run around with realtors and they were really nice about it. They were really great. They were thorough and on time. It was everything that we could have asked for. Their price was better than everyone else. They were really willing to work with us because they knew that we were dealing with a difficult schedule. They constantly stayed in touch with reminders and the communication was amazing and they were flexible with their schedule. I would recommend them because they can do everything you need and they will work with your schedule even if it is limited. They had the best price and they had a special too. We are going to be using them again.

Outstanding! The service and communication were exceptional. The inspector listened to our concerns, provided many, many helpful suggestions for energy savings and provided a detailed report. Well worth the money!

Both were performed in the most professional expert manner. Inspector took extra time to make sure no stone was unturned. Valueguard was easy to work with!!

The home inspector, Mark Helbig, came out promptly and was thorough in his inspection of the house. The house was built in the 1920s and had been managed as a rental property for many years. Thus, it had not had the maintenance and loving care that a family owned home might. He noted many things I would not have seen myself. He carefully tested all plumbing and electrical systems and went into the crawl space above the third floor. He thoroughly inspected all structural components of the house and foundation, and evidence of moisture. He provided a booklet with general instructions about home maintenance and careful documentation of all of his findings complete with representative photographs and estimates of possible needed repairs. We purchased the house and negotiated the price based on the findings in the report. I have subsequently followed up with the suggested remediations and repairs and have found many of the estimates provided at the time of the inspection to have provided a nice rough idea of what I would have to invest to bring the house to the desired standard. Since then I did find that he missed seeing that the bathroom shower surround was coming loose and leaked. But beyond that I was very satisfied with the service which saved me many potential headaches. I would highly recommend this company and this inspector in particular.

Before reviewing Value Guard's service, I would like to explain why I chose Value Guard in the beginning. As a first home owner, I do not have much knowledge on house, so we want to find a trustable and professional inspector to carefully inspect the house which we are purchasing. After studying the internet, comparing over 15 inspectors' websites, and checking the websites of Angies List, Better Business Bureau(BBB), and American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI), we finally decided to go with Value Guard (although their price is not that low), since the company is BBB-accredited (A+), highly evaluated in Angies list, and with a team of ASHI-Certified inspectors. In the following, I would like to talk about our experience of the service. Mark Helbig was our inspector. The appointment was about 2PM. We arrive there about 1:59PM, and Mark was there already and taking same pictures. After signing the inspection contract, Mark started the inspection, and I follow him everywhere (expect on the top of the roof due to safety issue). We begin with the side wall of the house, and Mark pointed out some repairs on the wall and explained why there were more repairs around windows and doors. Then, Mark climbed the roof to check it physically. He also inspected every room (including each window, outlet, and drain), the yard (trees), and the power line. Meanwhile, he also kindly showed me how to adjust the temperature of the heater, use the oven, and the gas fireplace. He also crawled into and carefully checked the crawl space. Although the inspection was planned to be 2.5 hours, it was about 4 hours due to his careful inspection (no extra charge). Whenever Mark found something suspicious, he would take a photo. In summary, during the inspection, he was very professional and highly careful, and he was also very patient and helpful in answering my questions. In the following business day (about two days later due to the long weekend), Mark send a very professional and detailed inspection report (PDF and hard copy) which is about 30 pages with photos. This is not the end of the service. I called Mark for some clarifications of the report and for getting a cost estimation for some issues in the house. Although Mark was not reachable by his cell phone during the daytime (I guess he was doing inspections), I was able to talk with him during an evening and also have email communications with him. He was able to provide an updated report for clarifications and also sent me a professionally-prepared cost estimate report. In summary, I am very satisfied with the service of Mark Helbig from Value Guard. The radon test was done by another individual (Joe McGinley) from Value Guard who I have not seen. According to the Radon report, he put the detector 2 days before the home inspection, and picked up the detector before the home inspection. The radon test was analyzed by Radalink with 44-hour hourly report of Radon level and graphical plot. The termite test was done by a separate company (BORO Exterminating Co., Inc.) contracted through Value Guard. You can also find their contact through Angie?s list. Rob Bruno was the termite inspector. The termite inspection was done at the same time as the home inspection. Since I did not have a chance to go with Rob, I did not know the details. From my opinion, Rob is quite nice and professional. In the end of the termite inspection, Rob answered my questions about how to find and prevent termites.

He went through the inspection with my husband. I thought the price was reasonable. My husband had no complaints at all. The inspector noticed something about the outlets and the windows had condensation on them.

The inspection went very well, Mike was our inspector and by the time we had arrived at the home he had already inspected the garage, outdoor areas and three floors of the house. We went back over every inch of the house with him, him explaining every detail and answering our copious questions. He gave good advice about things we had seen and wondered about and was very professional and thorough. The report that we received was also very detailed and included all the notes Mike had told us about. Can't be happier with ValueGuard. Our real estate agent was very impressed with him as well.

It did not go smoothly. Chase promised more then they delivered and I was on the phone with him in the first 5 minutes.

Our experience with ValueGuard was outstanding. They were extremely easy to contact and we had no problems arranging for an inspection on the desired day (with only day or two notice). Our inspector, Michael, was very punctual and conducted an extremely thorough inspection. He was very helpful in answering questions, both during the inspection, and afterward by telephone. His findings were detailed in an extremely clear, well-prepared report including color photographs. This report was extremely useful in continued negotiations with the sellers.

Shelly at their call center was professional, responsive, and timely. I explained that we were buying an old home full of risks and unknowns (a total gut rehab on a very old home that was in horrible condition before the rehab) and that we needed an experienced inspector; she assigned Mike Pistor who was certainly up to the task. ValueGuard took care of coordinating the home inspection, the separate termite inspection, and the separate radon inspection, and scheduled it all with the seller's agent - we didn't have to do anything other than show up. Mike arrived on time, and was thorough, pleasant, professional, and very knowledgeable -- while we did find some issues with our home, we left the five-hour inspection feeling much more comfortable with our purchase than we did before. The termite inspector (also named Mike) was very thorough and knowledgeable, and when we found termites he explained the infestation and the risks to me in a way I could understand. We would recommend Mike and Valueguard for anyone, especially if you are buying a "problem" home!

After doing a careful research online, checking websites and customer reports ( Angie's list reviews were a great help ), and also calling various companies to get quotes and see how they treat potential customers over the phone, I decided that ValueGuard was the right choice for me. Their inspectors were on time, polite, and did a great job explaining what they were doing and what they found ( Mark Helbig did the home inspection ). Almost every time I called their office I spoke with Shelly Millard, who did a wonderful job answering my questions. I am very satisfied with the job done by ValueGuard, and I would hire them again. Their services are a fair value for the money. I would not hesitate to recommend them to others.

They are responsive and professional. I wish they could have taken more photos of problematic areas. Overall the experience with them is satisfactory.

Great company! - we've had some difficulties with our realtor so we were quite listless with the process as a whole. Our initial communication with the Millards was positive. Finally, someone who not only wanted our business, but valued it as well as took our best interest as first priority. Our faith in customer service and care was renewed. Mike Baltrush was punctual, professional and a great resource for a first-time process that was scary for us. I can't say enough how pleased we were and we would be honored to recommend your company and Mike Baltrush to any and all new homebuyers. Thanks so much!

The inspection covered the major areas of concern that we had in our home. The inspector did a thorough job in evaluating our problem areas and providing recommendations. He also provided recommendations for areas that needed immediate attention vs. those that could be postponed.

The ValueGuard inspector was prompt, professional and thorough. He was on the site earlier than the agreed-upon time and was already assessing external conditions. He was pretty ruthless in digging out rotted wood and stressing weak things. He was also fearless, climbing a ladder and bending over nearly in half 35 feet in the air to measure ceiling moisture (2-story great room). When an inspection topic was beyond his expertise (clay tile roof, knob and tube wiring) he wisely recommend we seek out an expert for further inspection. The report was professional, concise and delivered promptly by email the next day. My only concern was that he may have understated some of the estimated remediation costs. I don't know if home inspectors don't want Agents to view them as "deal killers" in order to get more referrals?? He found several faults not listed in the disclosure by the Seller. We subsequently walked on the deal when a roofer told us the extent of repair costs.

The services were provided in a timely manner.

Very professional, courteous and knowledgeable. Mike Pistor was the inspector and he was a huge help in telling me what needed to be done right away, what could wait, and the best way to do things.

Excellent. Inspector Craig Tillman was very thorough, and found several problems I wouldn't have seen.

Craig is very thorough -- went through the house from bottom to top, taking notes. Explained things to me along the way in terms I could understand, and made suggestions about maintenance, work that would probably need to be done sooner rather than later and vice versa. Found evidence of a small roof leak in a corner of the pantry that eventually resulted in concession from seller for new roof. Was vigilant about sure he tested/looked at everything. The report was completed the next day (34 pages!) and mailed, faxed, and emailed to me. It was a great document to work from for negotiating w/ the seller for work to be done prior to sale, etc.

I had read prior reports on the company and when our realtor suggested Valueguard we figured we would have called them ourselves, so why not! That was a great call by our realtor. Mike McKinney was already there looking things over when we arrived a few minutes early for the inspection. He pointed out various things that we should be aware of and was helpful in answering our questions. He even pointed out a repair the homeowner thought had been completely repaired, but was not. He gave us maintenance tips on various things in the house that were very beneficial for us. He sent us an email copy of the inspection report the very next day and the hard copy in the mail a few days later. I would feel comfortable recommending him and his company to anyone.

The company was very accomodating when I had to reschedule b/c of pending sales contract issues. It was also easy to schedule things in the first place. I didn't realize the inspections were going to be done by different people and somewhat different times (radon drop-off and pick-up), but it all worked out fine. I attended the inspection as recommended as was glad I did. Michael was very good at pointing out what he was finding and answering questions. As the seller was present, Michael did a great job of maintaining our confidentiality. He really got into the nooks and crannies in my opinion. The home inspection report was done in a day. It didn't include any pictures which I've read about from other inspectors, but b/c I was there I don't think it was necessary. It descibed in good detail what he found. I would definitely recommend them.

Our inspector was Michael Kelley, he came highly recommended by our realtor and I can see why, this guy was fabulous! So thorough, we spent the whole morning going through the place and he talked to us the whole time, encouraged our millions of questions, and was full of tips. Mike was like a tutor for first time homebuyers, he taught us some basics about taking care of the place, and pointed out what sorts of projects we needed to address right away, what could be done in the next few years, and things to take care of as time permits. Mike got himself into ever crack and crawlspace you could imagine (like deep under the front porch!) I'd recommend him whole-heartedly to anyone buying a house, but especially to first time homebuyers because of his easy going nature, and wealth of information that he readily shares. I just can't praise him enough--he found defects that allowed us to negotiate a very favorable price for our beautiful new home.

Craig was running a little late, and went out of his way to let us know. When he arrived about 15-20 minutes late, he was extremely personable, thorough and very professional. Making sure to point out aspects of the house that he would be including in his report, and explaining everything in terms we could understand. His report was very comprehensive, informing us of issues that needed to be resolved promptly, in addition to pointing out potential issues that might arise in the future. Craig also made himself available to answer any questions we had regarding his final report and inspection. Well recommended to any home buyer.