Donofrio & Associates Property Inspections

professional and efficient.

Okay! Prompt, timely and thorough

unknown

I am a first time home buyer. I recently had a home inspection done by Donofrioand Associates . My inspector was Joey Donofrio, he was absolutely fantastic! Joey was on time, thorough, very detail oriented (and patient with me because I asked a million questions). He was an in-depth and knowledgeable inspector. Joey was free with his advice, open mindedness, and recommendations throughout the entire process. Personally, I learned a lot about this property that I will eventually own, thanks to him. I would definitely recommend Donofrioand Associates to others.

Donofrio and Associates performed two home inspections for our family within the month. In both cases they (Ed and Jason) were very professional. They provided many detailed explanations of the various home systems in terms understandable by the homeowners. They also provided valuable information on maintaining the systems going forward. We were especially impressed that they are available to review proposals offered by contractors to perform necessary repairs at no additional cost. Will definitely use them again.

I had my home inspected by Donofrio Property Inspections last week and was impressed with the entire process. The inspector, Ed Donofrio arrived about 5 minutes early and described the process he was going to follow. His approach seemed to follow the advice I have been given for speeches, namely tell them what you’re going to say, say it, and then summarize it. After Ed described the process, he startedthe detailed review of my home and its systems. He would ask me to look at some of the problem areas he discovered so I’d get a visual understanding of it. He identified several serious issues, including a water leak from my roof and two potentially dangerous electrical wiring problems. He followed a very detailed outline of what to cover and took many pictures that were later included in his comprehensive report to me. When he was done, he reviewed the most serious issues and gave me advice on prioritizing. I could not have asked for a more thorough or more communicative home inspector. When I tell people that I had a home inspection done, everyone assumes that I’m selling my house. I am not, but I am a single mother who has lived in this townhouse for 20 years and know very little about serious home repair and structural maintenance issues. I had saved to replace my kitchen appliances, but before I spent that money I needed to know if I had other priorities to deal with. The home inspection was the best and most thorough assessment I could have received. Luckily, my condo association should be dealing with the leaking roof, and the electrical problems should not be expensive to repair. Ed identified a number of other marginal issues, but I can deal with those in my timeline. I highly recommend Donofrio Property Inspections. They were great to deal with and you really get your money’s worth.

Every went extremely smooth. Showed up exactly on time and was able to answer every question I had and believe me I had alot. LOL. I do not plan on moving again but If I ever did I would most certainly use Donofrio and Associates again. I cant recommend them enough.

We hired Donofrio and Associates for our home inspection and could not have been more impressed. Buying a house can be a stressful process. Joey Donofrio of Donofrio and Associates was very patient and took us through the entire house answering all of our questions. He was very friendly and not only showed things that were wrong, but also water shut-offs, where to change the filters, and gave us several home maintenance tips. After the inspection we received an electronic copy of the report that had tons of photos with everything he found and explained to us. We highly recommend Donofrio and Associates. Out of the 4 times of having a home inspection performed this was by far the best experience.

I was referred to Donofrio and Associates by my Realtor. She told me that they did all of her inspections and it was run by Ed Donofrio. I called to schedule my inspection and within a week Ed was at my place. I was glad to see that Ed had showed up on time, which was great. He explained to me what he was doing, why he was doing it, and what the value was. Ed was extremely funny and he made me feel at ease about my investment. Ed spent roughly 2 hours inspecting the home. At the end he pointed out some of the things I should be weary of. I got great insight into what pieces of my home may be major expenditures coming up. I was able to leverage some of this information while negotiating the price, which helped me ensure I got a fair deal. I would definitely use Donofrio and his services again and I am glad the company was recommended.

We had Ed Donofrio from Donofrio Inspections perform my home inspection. He did a very thorough job inspecting our home. He showed up on time and took us through everything with patience as we were first time homebuyers. He even discovered some issues with the house that we were very lucky to have found before moving in. We would definitely recommend using him as he is very knowledgeable and professional. Great inspector.

It was my first time using Donofrio and Associates and they did a fantastic job. Joey Donofrio was the inspector and he performed a thorough inspection. This was my first time buying a home by myself and I was very nervous. The Donofrio's walked me through every step of the inspection and were extremely patient with my questions. Joey took several photos and gave me a 30 page report. I was impressed with his knowledge of the systems inside the house: water heater, hvac systems. and electrical. He was very polite and professional. I had brought my parents along for the inspection and they were also very impressed with his patience and knowledge when it came to answering questions. I highly recommend Donofrio and Associates!

Jason Donofrio , one of the very qualified home inspectors for Donofrio and Associates, continues to do thorough inspections when called upon for my Real Estate needs and requirements. I have found Jason to be extremely punctual, courteous and professional. He does a terrific job at explaining the various systems of the new home to purchasers, points out marginal to defective materials or items in need of replacement or repair, as well as having the capabilities to provide a printed inspection report/summary right there for your review at the property site. No stones left unturned. Congrats Jason- continue the good work! Donofrio and Associates now have a new telescopic system for roof inspections- Research them online. Nan and Company- ReMax Select Properties.

Inspection went well. Showed up on time. Through job. Sent unsigned invoice next day, but took a couple of days to get a signed copy.

Donofrio was recommended to us by our contractor so we felt pretty confident in our selection. We had Ed, I believe he is the owner of the firm. We didn't request him but it just worked out that way. He was very punctual so it was a good start. But it went down hill from there. He talked a great game plan but I just felt he was just going through the motions to get done ASAP. Out of the almost 3 hours he spent on site, half an hour was used explaining what we were getting for our money and another half an hour in printing out the final inspection report. That left two hours trying to inspect over 3000 sq feet house. He would just focus on the little things light turning on and off lights and shutting and opening doors. Thanks to him we did find couple of squeaky doors. And less focus on what I think are the major issues like roof, attic, plumbing, structure's integrity and obvious water damages stains on a ceiling and in a bathroom floor. I'm at a point where I feel like I need to get a second home inspection. Maybe he had an off day but I would not recommend him to make a purchase on the biggest investment of your life.

I was not impressed with Donofrio and Associates. One of his sons came and did the inspection. Bottom line, he missed things and many of the things we put on the report were items that I noticed and pointed out after he had skipped by them. One issue I have in the house is a bunch of electrical problems, with a fuse tripping because of a loose wire/bad light fixture. Other outlets don't work in the house. He missed the fact that the garage attic didn't have insulation against the interior wall, which I had to point out. My agent recommended these guys, but I would rather do a home inspection by myself and than pay for their service again.

Having bought five homes and sold four homes in my career, I can tell you that no home inspector is perfect. However, having lived in our Fairfax home for 13 years and having had a pre-listing inspection, I knew the condition of the house very well and Donofrio did not miss anything. When you do have a home inspection for a house you are buying, stay right with the inspector and ask lots of questions. If anything looks not quite right, ask him about. Don't go sit in the kitchen while he does the inspection and wait for the report.

Our realtor recommended Donofrio (even though he had not worked with them before). They were able to perform the inspection very quickly and fairly thoroughly -- but we have not moved into the home yet so it's hard to say if they missed anything important. I can say that they were very responsive to a series of follow up questions. Bottom line: I would use them again.

Our realtor recommended Donofrio and Associates. Ed spent about 2 hours walking us around the property and telling us about the house. He did answer questions, but still didn't seem all there. The day we moved into the house we noticed that the kitchen sink was leaking. This should've been caught during the inspection. He missed several other things that should have been caught, such as the finished wall in the basement was done incorrectly, and some of the electrical work wasn't done to code. I would not recommend this company and will not use them again. If your realtor recommended a company do your due diligence and find a home inspection company on your own.

It couldn't have gone any better, from the time I made the appointment to after the inspection when I called with additional questions.

The gentleman that showed up was Jason Donofrio (not Ed), who I believe is taking over the family business. I was a little skeptical about using this company and made it clear to may real-estate agent about the bad reviews on Angies List along with the BBB (since he recommended them). Three bad reviews on both sites didn't really change my mind since these few cases are probably out of hundreds of houses this business has inspected. As someone with prior knowledge of construction, electrical, etc, I think Jason did a good job performing the following: 1.) Window Seal checks 2.) Electrical 3.) Water (including showers, tubs, and bath) 4.) Climbed into the attic and photographed various locations 5.) Identified some minor structural issues on the outside of the house. He seemed friendly and was willing to answer all of my questions (even those I already knew, but wanted to verify his knowledge). Inspections are not rocket science; however, he spent about 2 hours throughout the house. Using his mobile laptop, printer, and accessories, he printed out a report and binded the document on the spot. I then received a digital format of the inspection report via email 2 hourse after departing as promised.

This was the biggest waste of money. The truth is, home inspectors don't even have to be licensed in VA. This guy, Donofrio, missed a huge cover up of an existing water problem in my basement. Once we had water coming into our basement and ruining all kinds of things I saw very obvious signs tha tthere had been a water problem in this basement. I could literally see where water had compromised a door jam frame and it was heavily painted over in an attempt to diguise it. This cost me over $20,000 to fix. I paid Donofrio $400 for essentially notcing some small tears in some screens and a fireplace flew problem. I told Donofrio about this and asked for my money back, he said no citing that "you got a good inspsection, the screens, the flew and a door hinge, yeah you got a very good inspection" I disagreed and he actually started yelling at me on the phone. I don't think he operates on all cylinders and his work is incomplete.

My experience with Donofrio and Associates is unfortunately similar to the first reviewer except my costs were far greater. I was referred to Donofrio and Associates by my realtor who told me they were structural engineers in addition to being home inspectors. I felt reassured by the endorsement of my realtor and the knowledge that they were engineers. What I hadn't anticipated was that the owner's son, who is not a structural engineer, would be the one to perform the actual home inspection. He is a nice young guy who has apparently done hundreds of inspections before, but he missed 2 major things with the home: (1) large moldy hole in the ceiling of the front closet caused by an old plumbing leak (obvious if he had looked up) and (2) improper structural supports for backyard pool deck (in plain view and not obstructed). Both my husband and I were present during the home inspection. There was obvious damage to the deck railing (leaning/pulling away from the deck), so we wanted reassurance that the railing problem was an isolated issue and NOT associated with the deck structure itself or the retaining walls holding the whole structure up. We were assured multiple times (in person, on the phone, and in writing) that the deck railing problem was an isolated problem independent of the retaining walls or deck structure. We asked the inspector many times if the deck itself and retaining walls looked fine, and he assured us they were. Well, the deck wasn't fine. In the process of replacing the deck railing, two different deck specialists in addition to my engineer uncle who happened to be visiting during that time (and who has no monetary interest in my deck), informed me and my husband of structural issues with the deck support beams. Lowest estimate to repair deck: $1,200. Cost to repair large moldy ceiling hole: $150. When we approached Ed Donofrio with what his son/employee missed (civilly, I might add), he became very defensive and started giving us the cold shoulder. My husband even sent him an email apologizing if we offended him in some way, and he became self-righteous and said he and quot;appreciated the apology,and quot; as if he deserved an apology and not the other way around! You know the Eric Dane joke about how a liar gets angry when he gets accused of lying? Well, that's what happened. He became angry over us calling him out on his mistake that cost us. We sent him an email requesting a refund of the $585 home inspection fee. We weren't even asking him to pay for the whole repair (total cost $1,350)! We just wanted a swift resolution to the matter and didn't feel like wrangling over the difference. We called and left a message. I even reached him briefly at one point and asked if he had received our email request for a refund, and he replied that he's and quot;on the road all day doing inspections but would check his email tonight.and quot; This was a month ago. Still no response. Anyone want to make a bet I ever get a refund? Stay as far away from this company as possible! I wish I hadn't been as trusting of my realtor's recommendation. I suppose I could have scrutinized my realtor's endorsement of them, but even with due diligence, you can't protect yourself from dishonest people sometimes.

I spoke to him on the phone and set up an appointment for a 1000 sq. ft. condominium inspection prior to finalizing the contract. Donofrio called me and we made appt for him to do the inspection, however I could not be present. His report noted very minor problems and documented such things as a missing drain stopper in bathroom sink, a loose toilet bowl, with the most noteable problem being the garbage disposal seized up and not working, etc. However, after going to settlement and moving in, I found the following issues which he onviously missed or failed to check: 1. Refrigerator was plugged so he did not check it, noting it was "not installed". Was later found to a leak in the coil and does not hold freon. Trouble shooting and efforts to repair cost me $185.00. 2. Washing Machine did not work, but was not noted in his report.was found to have calcium deposits clogging the water hose screens. 3.) Two light switches were bad (shorted out) and had to be replaced. 4. A third switch, in the upper landing was found to work the light in the attic, however it was simply that the bulb had blown out. 5.The thermostat is still cracked and I found that I have to giggle it in place to get it to register and set the heat, fan, AC, and temperature. I will most likely have to replace the thermostat. 6. Front dead bolt lock was inoperable in that the interior latch knob portion of the lock missing, but not noted in his report. 7. His report is also not marked to note screen door Pneumatic Automatic Closer is missing. When we called him to complain, he could provide no explanation, admitted to doing the inspection himself and he noted, "I personally did the inspection and as you said, in a condo there is not as much to test, so I have no explanation", and offerred to give a full refund. He stalled on the refund and never sent it, stating: 1.He didn't know how to work thre credit card reader for credit my Discover card. 2. He later advised he mailed a check, but it never came. 3. He could not explain what happened to the mailed check, so he suggested he check with his bank to see if the check cleared and if not, he would call me and issue a new one. I never heard back from him. Two weeks later, after receiving no reimbursement, I called him and he confirmed the check had not been cashed and he would send a new one, when he got around to it, "maybe in a week or two". I realized early one that this guy is a con man and was playing me; I don't expect to ever receive the refund for $310.00. Bottom line: Lazy, poor service, unprofessional and terrible customer service, The guy is a knucklhead and I would never use him or recommend him to anyone.