Yellow Hat Inspections

Very Thorough

They were on-time and were very thorough. I felt confident with their abilities.

I specifically went with Yellow Hat because of the video of the sewer drain and infrared photos they offered. We were purchasing a foreclosure and there was multiple signs of water damage on the ceilings. Mark completed the inspection and sent me the report the following day. The report mentioned that the A/C was not cooling, but didn't mention that to me during our walk-thru when I could have talked to him about it. The A/C system is one of the most important inspections and a potentially costly repair one could have when purchasing a home. A few days later when I was at the house doing some clean up, I saw the A/C breakers were off. I turned them back on and the A/C ran and cooled fine and has been ever since. I guess Mark didn't check the breakers and just failed the A/C units in his report, perhaps that's standard procedure. I was sort of hoping a $400 inspection would accurately tell me if my house was able to cool or not. He didn't send the video of the sewer drain with the report so I had to ask for that. He didn't send the infrared pictures with the report because he didn't take any during the inspection. I'm not sure why he decided to forgo this, as we talked in length about my concerns of the water damage and knowing the infrared camera can help detect water damage in walls, ceilings, roofs, etc - not due to moisture but to temperature differences. So Mark came back out after inquiring about the missing infrared photos. He took some pictures and said he would analyze it for me and let me know the results. I never heard from him after that. Instead of chasing him down yet again to get what I already ordered and paid for, I had a contractor and a roofer both analyze the damage and tell me what Yellow Hat would not. Other than the sewer line inspection, my report wasn't any more extensive than a standard report that any inspector would give you. I will not pay Yellow Hat's premium price on my next inspection, even with their Angie's coupon.

I was looking for home inspector around the area for the house that I was planning to purchase. I found Mark's name and the Angie's list and decided to hire him. Based on my previous experience with Angie's list, I was little confidant that I would get a good service. I contacted Barbara and scheduled an inspection for 06/14 08.00 am. Mark turned up on time and spend almost 3.30 hrs to go through each area of the house. He did a through inspection and was kept giving some inputs every now and then. At the and of the inspections, he took me around all the places and explained all the issues that he had found. He also promised me to send a detailed report next which he fulfilled. Without his service I would have not gained the knowledge and understand that I have about different aspects of home. I would certainly recommend Mark to anybody who is looking for thorough and honest opinion. Please do not compare the price with other providers as there are no free lunches and you get what you pay for.

HIGHLY RECOMMEND!! If you are inspecting a slab foundation, this a priceless inspection that I haven't found other inspectors in the area doing yet. The technology found a bubble in the floor caused by leaky sewer lines that was in turn causing significant structural damage. Regular methods would never have turned up such a subtle yet costly issue that could have been all mine. He was kind, thorough and meticulous, walking me through the issues and following up with photos in his detailed report that was delivered within hours. He found so many issues I honestly cut him off as I knew this was not the property. Once I realized this property would not work he also offered to email me information on how to be my own inspector and things to look for in the next property. I did look at the report he sent and it contained various bar graphs depicting the slab foundation problems, specifically where in the house the floor was raised due to a sewer problem. There were also many other charts and photos including photos from the sewer cam. It was crammed with useful information. Yes, it's more expensive but well worth the cost. I am using him again for a different house. Fingers crossed!

Full home inspection with pest review. I am relocating so I told Mark I wouldn't be there for the inspection and he was nice enough to provide a 20-minute video of his walkthrough with the inspection report. A+ Then he took my call at a relatively late hour that night to discuss the report. He charges more than some others, but we got a foundation report, sewer video cam, and video report to go along with the detailed report. He is worth the price.

As first home buyers we felt the explanation we got when we got a walk-through of the services performed was great. We arrived close to the end of the inspection, and we were shown all pictures and findings. We asked many questions (again, 1st time home buyers) and he took the time to answer them all. He even explained how a few minor things can be easily fixed, and recommended a more through examination of the sewer based on his findings. Thanks to him we were able to identify an important problem before we purchased the home and the sellers are now in the process of fixing it. My only comment would be that we would have liked a bit more detail on the actual report of findings. The pictures included however were helpful when explaining to the sellers what repairs we wanted completed.

I purchased a Big Deal coupon for Yellow Hat Inspections. I would really recommend them. Mark, the inspector, was very very informative. He sends reports and after it was done, he would send another e-mail and ask me questions regarding the report. He was great.

Think I covered that in the Dos and Don'ts .... From start to finish Mark was quick, efficient and very, very thorough.

They did a good job! Based on the results they provided, we decided not to go forward with the house. I would use their services again.

Mark did a fantastic job. He searched the house top to bottom. Our Realtor said that Mark's inspection was the most thorough one he had ever seen!

Mark is one of the best service professionals I have ever worked with in any capacity, and I would recommend him highly to anyone looking for a home inspection. The proof of this can be found in the fact that this is the second house Mark has inspected for us. He continues to impress us with his thoroughness and knowledge, and his incredible patience in answering every question we had during the walk-through following the inspection. On top of all of that, he also takes a video of the inspection and allows you to access it online. This was extremely helpful to us when we needed to go back and look for details we couldn't remember from our visit. In short, if you are looking for a home inspector, hire Mark. You will be happy you did.

Mark was very professional, detailed and through. I thought he did an excellent job. He spent about half a day in my home performing the inspection. His report was easy to understand and where I did have questions he made himself available by phone to explain it. He then represented me in my roof claim appraisal process to get my insurance to pay for my hail damaged roof. I would strongly recommend Mark and will use him again!

Mark was very patient in explain the very detailed report he created, accompanied by a video and pictures. He walked us around the whole property to discuss his findings. He did not seem rushed or in a hurry to leave, he as happy to stay and help as much as he could. My realtor, and other service professionals I spoke to about the inspection, were very surprised at Mark's capabilities and services. I would use again and would highly recommend Yellow Hat Inspections. Great work!

He did a really really good job on the service. He gave us a full answer to whatever we needed to know about the house. The home service was wonderful. He was on time, honest, professional, he has a really good feedback and is easy to contact.

I am very pleased with inspection performed by Mark on my new house being build in Allen, Tx. He arrived on time and very patiently explained questions that I had pertaining to the house. He was very through in inspection and pointed out things that builder missed and was critical. The report and video link was available by night. In course of inspection, Mark found major issue using sewer camera with sewer line going from House to city sewer system that there was ?belly? that was already half blocked. If this would have gone unnoticed, the sewer would have backed-up leading to overflow within home in no time. It is sad to state that lot of city building code including Allen do not require check of sewer line via camera, hence neither city nor builder ever checked sewer line, they leave it for luck of homeowner. I plan to call Mark back after City/builder fix sewer line.

We were not happy with this because the bases of our cabinets had also been in the 1 inch of water but since there was no apparent damage they would not replace or repair them. We called in Yellow Hat Inspections to inspect for the roof leak and to document what was damaged. They found the roof leak within minutes of being at the house, which was remarkable, since the roofer sent by the insurance company could not find it! Then using an infrared camera, he took pictures of the walls showing that the water had penetrated further than could be seen with the naked eye. The camera was also able to show that there was water in the cabinet sides. He used a snake camera to take photos of the water damage hidden behind the cabinets. We sent the report to our insurance company and they agreed to pay for the complete repair of our walls and cabinets. This would not have happed if we had not used a third party inspector because the people sent by the insurance

He saved us from buying a money pit! We decided to pull out of the deal rather than face the estimated repair costs which exceeded $20,000!

The inspection helped us negotiate a better deal and prevented us from buying a home that would need major repairs.

This was the best $325 I have spent and once I had implemented the changes I saved more than the cost of the analysis in less than 18 months. But the savings were not the best part. The biggest benefit came the next summer when the house was kept at a constant and comfortable temperature even when it was over 115F outside.

When buying a home one of the most important things we must do is hire an inspector. How do you even decide which company is going to do the job right the first time and look out for your interest. I can tell you that Barbara and Mark Elliott of Yellow Hat Inspections are going to do just that. First you call and speak to Barbara and she takes the time to explain the process of the inspection, explains the different services they offer and answer all your questions. She then sends you all the information you need to make an informed decision. On the day of the inspection Mark shows up and goes through the whole house making sure to note all the good and deficient aspects of the house. He then reviews his findings with you and points out what needs to be addressed before the sale to make sure you get a fair deal. He also goes over the items that will need addressing afterwards and really takes the time to explain and show you what needs to be done to make sure you have a "healthy" home for years to come. He then puts all this in a very detailed report including pictures, observations and recommendations. If you want your home inspected once and inspected right, all you have to do is call Yellow Hat inspections. They will take care of you.

They were amazing. Mark was extremely through. They looked at things I didn't expect and had everything on video and tape recorded. He had everything available online for me to reference. He even let me know what changes needed to be made after the house was purchased.

I got them from a word-of-mouth referral. Their price was within line of other companies’. They were late to the appointment and the service was okay overall.

My house is almost one year old and the warranty is about to expire. I am really glad that I decided to go ahead with the house inspection and let the professional do his job. The report included written details with video, photographs and suggested corrections. The use of an IR camera revealed the lack of proper insulation in some of the walls and showed heat entering through a bad seal in the attic door, thus allowing heat in to the house. The inspection found many defects that I was not aware of and now can show the builder where they need to make repairs. I am extremely satisfied with the entire process and professionalism provided by Yellow Hat Inspectors. I will use them again if the need arises.

This is the second time we used Mark Elliot with Yellow Hat. The inspection on the first home, that we did not purchase, saved us an unblievable amount of heartache. Mark was so detailed and a video of the inspection was supplied! The home had suffered water damage that had been undisclosed on the seller's report and after reviewing the damage, among other findings, we opted to exercise our right to terminate the contract. This time the results of the inspection were much better! Again, Mark left no stone unturned, and no nook unexplored. We are entering a home purchase knowing what things need to be addressed right away with the seller, and what things to anticipate doing in the years to come. Mark spends at least 5 hours on these inspections based on our experiences and discloses everything at the end of the inspection. His reports are detailed with photos and videos. Having been through inspections with family, friends and other homes we've purchased... I just never seen such detailed service. My husband and I highly recommend Yellow Hat and Mark Elliot.