Preferred Home Inspections Inc

It went really well. Given the fact the inspection took 3 hours, I don't think I could fit the entire story in here.

Fernando, Wendy and Elissa showed up on time and performed a comprehensive inspection of the house. They took the time to explain the different areas to me (good and bad). They finished writing the report by the end of the inspection, and reviewed it with me. Does it get better than this? Great job.

PHI is a family team made up of Fernando, his wife Wendy, and their daughter Elissa. This was the third property I asked them to inspect. (The first two had major problems neither I nor my Real Estate agent noticed.) As usual, they were excellent. They are very knowledgeable, extremely thorough, and they take the time to explain everything. (If you follow them around during the inspection you will learn a lot.) They are also very friendly and generous people. You will like them. The condo turned out to be in much better shape than the houses. It had only three notable problems. The seller had disclosed that there had been roof damage and water penetration due to Hurricane Ike, and that the ceiling above the dining area had been be repaired, so I asked Fernando to check that area in particular. The ceiling looked fine, but when Fernando looked at it through his infrared camera he was able to see that insulation was missing (photo below). When I decided to buy the condo one of the conditions was that the seller agree to replace the missing insulation, or make an allowance for it. The seller had recently replaced the A/C condenser unit. Fernando examined it and said it was in good condition. While we were still outside Fernando bet me that whoever replaced the condenser did not install the proper size breaker. We went inside to find the breaker box. It turned out he was right. It had a 30 Amp breaker for the condenser. The specification for the condenser was a 15 Amp breaker. Fernando explained to me that having the wrong size breaker could allow a power surge to damage the condenser. So, another condition of buying the condo was that the seller agree to have the right size breaker installed. The seller contacted the condo management about this issue. The management?s maintenance man said the breaker did not need to be replaced based on the reasoning that ?all the units had 30 Amp breakers?. Therefore, the management company refused to take responsibility for it. So, the seller?s Real Estate agent told my agent the breaker did not need to be replaced. I ended up calling the company that installed the condenser. The man I talked to told me that, yes, technically the breaker should have been replaced, but they didn?t always do it. I got essentially the same reply from a technician at another A/C service company. (It makes you wonder.) I had confidence Fernando knew what he was talking about, so I insisted the seller replace the breaker. He had it replaced. The one really serious problem Fernando found was in the attic. Along the top of the gypsum firewall ? parallel with the roof? pieces of gypsum had been installed horizontally to close a gap. Multiple pieces of the gypsum had fallen, leaving the gap open. There were other significant gaps too. (See photos below.) Fernando told me that in the event of a fire the gaps could allow a fire to spread more quickly. Fernando surmised the damage occurred either during the hurricane or during the roof repairs after the hurricane. So, another condition of buying the condo was that the seller have the firewall repaired. In this instance, the management company said they would take responsibility for fixing it. However, after I closed on the property, the management company?s contractor said the firewall damage was insignificant and did not need to be repaired. At that point, the management company?s position was that they were not going to repair it. I had confidence Fernando knew what he was talking about, so I contacted the Houston Fire Department and requested to have an inspector come out to give a final opinion. When the inspector came out he looked at the firewall damage and immediately said that it ?definitely? needed to be fixed. The only ?problem? with using Preferred Home Inspections is that you might be disappointed when you find out the house you like so much has so many problems. That?s how I felt after the first two inspections. However, that disappointment was nothing compared to what I would have felt if I had bought a house that turned out to be a ?money pit?. Incidentally, when I called Fernando to ask him to inspect the condo it turned out that he was scheduled for surgery the afternoon of the day I wanted to have the inspection completed (time was a factor). Despite being in pain, Fernando agreed to do the inspection the morning before his surgery because he said he would be unavailable for about a week after the surgery. That?s commitment!

Excellent. Mr. Martinez is extremely professional and efficient. He and his daughter arrived well-prepared with lots of equipment, including a high-tech infrared camera that detects temperature differences and moisture. (They even thought to bring bug spray to fend off the mosquitoes outside and they let me use some). Mr. Martinez immediately spotted serious problems, even before unpacking any equipment. He showed me problems as he found them and thoroughly explained why they were problems. After only 10 - 15 minutes, he found so many problems he told me the house would be a "money pit", and he suggested I might want to consider terminating the inspection process so as not to waste my money on a full inspection. He continued looking a little more and immediately found a "deal breaker" inside the house when he moved a sofa next to the front windows and found the wood flooring was buckled because there was so much moisture under the floor. Mr. Martinez and his daughter are both very professional and very nice. Mr. Martinez prevented me from buying a money pit and he only charged me $100. I am very glad I hired Preferred Home Inspections to perform the inspection. I chose PHI because of the great reviews on Angie's List. The reviews are well-merited, and I will call them again the next time I need a house inspected. I would recommend to a friend without hesitation.

Everything they did was awesome! Coming from having a horrible inspection on my current home I really wanted to find an excellent inspector for our new home and Fernando and Wendy were them! I was astounded with their infrared camera picking up water damage in the wall and floor; and it picked up a lack of insulation on one wall in the house that was 20 degrees hotter than the rest of the walls. They also had so much knowledge with construction because they used to have a construction business and were able to tell me what the water leak was from; that there wasn't enough soffet vents to cool the attic; that the ducting of the A/C was too close together and was passing heat between the ducting. They even had a device that was able to detect different elevations throughout the house. That along with all of their helpful knowledge and advice I feel I really saved thousands of dollars by doing this inspection with them!!!!!

Excellent and thorough service. They used lots of modern devices for testing various things, and provided a printed computer report when finished (also sent by email). They were knowledgeable about many, many things, and gave info that I didn't even know I needed, which helped me extensively when thinking about repair projects and insurance claims. I had no previous idea what the cost would be, and it seemed like a lot of money, but I could not be happier with all the information I received -- well worth the cost.

Since I used to work in construction I can say that they did a great job checking out everything in the unit and left no stone unturned, uncovering a number of items that would cost thousands of dollars to replace. They were on time, very professional, willing to explain everything they found in great detail and provided us with a hard copy of the inspection report on the spot and received an electronic copy by the time I got back to the office an looked at my email. This team is worth every penny and will call them for any future home inspections that we need!

This family owned company is the best. They called back right away and came over the next day. I can't thank them enough for all the insight they brought to the house I choose to put an offer on. This was the best experience in the whole house buying process. Thanks so much to both of you.

The inspection was on the house we live in. We were trying to decide where to start with repairs and renovations and I no longer had the report from the inspection done when I bought the house eight years ago. The first thing Fernando did was climb on the roof and almost immediately advised me to call our insurance agent, as there had been much more damage from Hurricane Ike than we were aware of. After the roof he spent a very long time inspecting the pier and beam foundation (by which I mean he put on a coverall and crawled around down there for at least half an hour). This costs an extra $200 but it's well worth it. All in all the inspection was truly interesting and informative. Both Wendy and Fernando welcome your presence and questions at every stage, and the voice-recorder relay system thay have means you get a finished copy of the report (with photographs!) before they leave your house. As a result of the inspection, we did call our insurance agent about the roof, and now we have a new roof!

They were prompt, personable, and professional. As they conducted the inspection, both Fernando and Wendy made remarks into a Dictaphone so that they would remember each aspect of the inspection. Their comments were transcribed into a very thorough report provided at the end of the inspection. They pointed out issues that I would want to explore further. They conferred with one another to make sure that no area was missed. The report was completed promptly with color photos included to identify areas of concern. Quite frankly, after purchasing 5 different homes with 5 different inspections, their work was the best of all. They produce an exceptional report and are willing to assist with any questions that I might have. If it hadn't been for their use of a moisture meter during their inspection, I would not have asked to have a hydro test conducted to determine if the foundation had any leaks. The hydro test revealed 3 leaks in the slab that are now in the process of being repaired.

Fernando and Wendy were at the home on time, set up and ready to go before I got there. Wendy had set up her portable computer station and was typing away the report as Fernando completed pieces of the home and handed her the recorder. I walked with Fernando and he explained the issues and solutions. I was very happy to receive the inspection report at the end. We also opted for a air quality test(which was not part of our initial plan) and received the report couple of days later.

This is a husband and wife team which is very thorough and efficient. They each have a tape recorder and make notes of everything they see and then they type up a very clear report to give to their client.

I have been successful with the reports provided and with their assistance when requested, in all of my situations, to negotiate either all of the damages being fully repaired or those repairs that were the most costly. During reconstruction on the requested projects they provided the appropriate and approved methods to repair and documented the work with photo's and reports that will be of great use in the future to factually support information that I will be required to submit on property disclosure forms. They offered freely even more from their years of experience in many other areas concerning restoration methods that are useful in maintaining my property value and insuring that I am able to return the property not just to the condition it was when the damage occurred but to better than new condition and increase the property's value in the process. I am definitely pleased with the value received for my money.

EXCELLENT EXCELLENT!! He was easy to schedule, arrived on time with his wife Wendy, who sat in the kitchen and typed up the report as he did it. He went throughout the house, attic spaces, garage, and also performed an exterior inspection. He was GREAT. We've have 3 home inspector experiences previously, and Fernando was definitely the BEST. He found a bunch of things wrong that the first inspector didn't find before we bought the home, he was knowledgeable and personable, and very easy to talk to about all his findings. Even our builder (who certainly wasn't happen with the list of to dos Fernando came up with), admitted later that Fernando was one of the better and more thorough inspectors he's come across. And our builder can be a pretty terse and grumpy guy, so any compliments from him are really something. Fernando knew his building codes REALLY well, and was able to point out many issues in our house (new construction) that weren't quite code, so we could bring it up with the builder. We are recommending him to ALL our friends and to all of you out there cuz he REALLY is REALLY good! Thanks Angie's List, which is how we found him in the first place. This is really an example of Angie's List working beautifully for us members.

It was fantastic. On a scale of 1 to 10 they are an 11.

This was very detailed. They answered questions after the inspection to clarify questions that we had. I feel very comfortable moving into the house after this inspection. The items that were identified needed to be fixed. I highly recommend.

It went great! It was so very evident that these two knew exactly what they were doing. They arrived on time, and began unloading their high tech equipment, but at the same time they were very personable. I felt as if I had known them my whole life! They told me exactly what they were doing, every step of the way. I am impressed, and informed. It was not very stressful at all.

Fernando and Wendy arrived on time and started to set up immediately upon arrival. The equipment Fernando and Wendy brought was state of the art. FLIR (forward looking Inferred camera), laser level, water meter, was all very impressive. Best of all they knew how to utilize the technology. They also double checked with another device to check for accuracy. Fernando and Wendy explained everything they were examining and whether they were minor issues or major issues. The inspection lasted 3 1/2-4 hours and they were VERY detailed. I personally didn't know what to expect as this was my first home purchase. Fernando and Wendy made me feel comfortable with the inspection and eased some of my worries. To be honest, it felt like they were family and looked out for my best interest.

Fernando and Wendy arrived promptly and set up shop in the breakfast room. As described in earlier posts, they split the tasks. Fernando checked the main structural issues while Wendy checked the more detailed issues and typed the report. They had modern tools of the trade, such as an infrared camera that would sense temperature discrepancies and leaking water, a water saturation tester, an electronic slab measurement machine, etc. Fernando allowed my husband and I to follow him throughout the inspection, answering our questions, showing us the problems, and explaining what he found. He was knowledgeable, but he wasn't someone who is looking to tell you how horrible the house is. He knew it was a 50-year-old home, and so he inspected it explaining what was wrong, and whether that was normal for an older home. The report was clear and precise. He also did a mold test for us. We paid extra to have it expedited, but the tropical storms in FL changed the schedule, so he refunded us the expedition fee. He and his wife really made us, as first time home buyers, feel well educated and taken care of. The inspection lasted nearly five hours, and was extremely thorough.

I called Fernando on July 4th not expecting a return call until the next week. He called me back within an hour and said that he would be in the area the next day. We live in a 50 year old house in Meyerland which had not been inspected in over 25 years. We finally decided that it was better to know the bad and the ugly (we were expecting bad news) than to fear the worst. The one thing that bothered us most in the 4 years that we had lived in the house was a wet smell in our bedroom that would come after a heavy rain. Fernando was able to figure out the problem (there was soil and gravel built up along one side of our house that drained toward our house instead of away). He explained the problem and offered suggestions to fix it... Turns out we just have to clear out the dirt and gravel and put in a drain. Fernando and Wendy spent about 4 hours inspecting our house (and testing for mold). As Fernando went around, he took pictures and recorded his findings into a little recorder, which he would periodically give to Wendy who was sitting at our kitchen table typing up with report. I followed Fernando around as he was inspecting stuff and he explained each thing that he was inspecting as he did it. Fernando is really patient and doesn't mind going over something more than once (for those of us who don't know much about electric codes, breaker boxes, foundation, moisture levels, etc...). He has a lot experience as carpenter, builder, Realtor, certified mold inspector, and more... so that he is able to look at things and give you perspective from different angles. After the inspection, Wendy printed up the report and we went over it item by item. She also emailed me a copy later that day. The report contains pictures, clear description of the problem and suggestions for fixing the problems. By the way, Wendy also did part of the inspection and was very knowledgeable. We felt very comfortable asking either of them questions. Fernando called with the mold report a few days later (had to be sent to the lab). We found out that our house is not in nearly as bad shape as we had thought! We are excited to fix things up and enjoy our house even more.

They were very punctual. They actually arrived at the home before I did. They found a serious defect in the home that I would have never found on my own. Although I was dissapointed in not buying the home, I was relieved that the problem had not become mine. I will definitely hire them again.

Fernando and Wendy were so thorough and explained everything to us in detail. They did a fantastic job, and even provided us with estimates for the repairs so we could submit an accurate deficiency report. They're really friendly people, were prompt, and they've been so patient with our many follow up questions. I will definitely use them next time I buy a home, and would recommend them to anyone else who is purchasing a home- they will show you what you are in for!

It would be an understatement to call Fernando and Wendy just good, because they are incredible. They are very thorough, organized, knowledgeable, and supportive and I am so thankful I hired them. *THOROUGH.* Fernando and Wendy checked everything. He has advanced tools to test moisture in walls, temperature in rooms, air quality, gas in attics, etc. Even our builders were impressed with some of the methods he used (i.e. water leveling) and commented that he was the best they had ever seen. He catches even the smallest of flaws that the builders never would have addressed. *ORGANIZED.* Fernando records every issue he finds and transmits it to his wife Wendy who sets up a computer and printer in the house to type out a detailed and easy-to-read report so that everyone leaves with a copy. That was great because we were pressed for time and couldn't wait days for the report. *KNOWLEDGEABLE* - Fernando has a lot of experience and explains everything to you. The experience was immensely educational. Not only does he have experience in home inspections, but he is very knowledgeable in mold issues, flooring and construction. *SUPPORTIVE* - What I loved the most about Fernando was that he fought for us. It was very difficult for us to speak to our builders on topics we did not know much about. Our builders were awful and really tried to take advantage of us young, novice buyers. Thankfully, Fernando was really firm with them and made sure they did what they were suppose to so that we got what we rightfully deserved in the home. I highly recommend using Fernando and I also recommend hiring him to come back to do a reinspection because our builders said they addressed everything, but Fernando found they really hadn't and we wouldn't have known better. You will definitely not be disappointed with their service. They are fantastic!

Wonderful - real time note taking and detailed report. We walked around with them and they looked in every nook and cranny and talked us through what they were seeing. Also had some recommendations for appropriate remediations.

They were prompt and very thorough. They took the time to walk down the inspection with us and explain everything in detail. They were also able to give us our report by the end of the inspection, which allowed us to begin negotiating for repairs immediately. They also arranged for a Brinks representative to inspect our system for free. We will be using them again as the deal on this property did not work out.