HOMESTAR REAL ESTATE SERVICES INC

BEWARE!!! We had an appraisal done on our home in an effort to refinance. The appraisal was extremely flawed! First, Dan did not count the number of bedrooms correctly. Then he ran comps of homes with the incorrect number of bedrooms, which naturally brought down our value. Then after giving him an itemized list of recent home additions and improvements, not only did he exclude my list, he severely depreciated my house because it's "more than 3 years old!" We attempted an appeal of the appraisal through our lender and Dan refused to change his stance. In fact, he was very RUDE and HUNG UP on us when we questioned how and why he wouldn't get the number of bedrooms correct so our comps would be fair and reasonable. We also questioned why he wouldn't include our home additions and improvements and he REFUSED to even discuss our appraisal further. Don't waste your money on this company...by all means request another appraisal company. This company really SUCKS!!!

We had an inspection on 11/19/2018. Factual mistakes are listed below, including not even testing the oven. I would recommend most strongly against using this home inspector. 10. Built-In Kitchen Appliances 10.1 RANGES/OVENS/COOKTOPS were shown as INspected The oven was installed 4/3/18 and was still new as seller doesn't cook. When I tried to heat the oven on 1/15/19, it didn’t heat at all; When I called Dan, the inspector, to ask if he checked it, he said he was coming over to check out the oven and would call to arrange a time on 1/17. He never called. A Whirlpool repairman found that the electrical wires for 110V were connected but those for for 220V were NOT connected in the sealed metal box above the oven. These could not have come loose but must never have been connected and checked by the original electrician and since the prior owner didn't cook, nobody ever checked the oven. The inspector could not have even turned the oven on! ABSOLUTELY TERRIBLE!!! 2. Exterior GARAGE DOOR (Comment on Auto Reverse Function) 2.8 Door does not reverse when met with moderate resistance. Downforce adjustment is due. (Operable auto-reverse safety beam is in place)" The garage door worked fine when I did the 2 standard tests: 2x4 placed on ground under door closing position; door reverses upon contact standing under door with arms outstretched; door reverses upon contact with arms

The president of the company was rude and hung up on us when we questioned how and why the appraisal came in lower than a previous appraisal 3 months ago and REFUSED to even discuss our appraisal with me. Told us that his client is NOT us, and that they report to he lending institution and if we have questions to discuss with them. IF you are ever in this situation, request another appraisal company. This company SUCKS.

On May 13, 2013 we contracted with Homestar Real Estate Services, Inc., to perform an inspection on a residence that we intended to purchase (and did, upon receiving a reasonably clear inspection report from Dan Gatrell, president of Business. on In short, the inspection report listed no serious hazards, code violations, or other factors that would render the residence untenable; the problems that were noted in the inspection were minor and the seller of the property agreed to make the recommended repairs. After having lived in the residence for less than three (3) months, we began to notice smells of mold coming from the crawl space under the main living area of the residence and from the attic area over the bedrooms of the residence. Upon inspection of these areas, we found two issues that were not noted in the Business' written home inspection report despite these areas being noted in writing as having been inspected by the Business. 1.) The crawl space was inspected by the Business, and the home inspection report mentioned only that the outside ventilation grates were blocked. The Business recommended clearing the blocked vents and adding insulation to the main floor of the residence (crawlspace ceiling) and walls of the crawlspace. We explicitly asked the Business whether or not any mold or moisture was found during the inspection, and Mr. Gatrell of the Business told us that the crawlspace was one of the "driest I'd ever seen," and that no mold was present. After the smell became problematic, the Homebuyers had a third party basement leak remediation inspect the crawl space, and the existing insulation was found to be full of mold -- in some cases covered through the full thickness of the insulation in mold growth. This included areas where the insulation appeared black and we asked the Business if the discoloration was due to mold. Moreover, the Business noted in its inspection report that there had been rain in the previous three days, but that the crawl space was still dry. The crawl space clearly has a leaking issue, and takes in water every time it rains. 2.) The attic areas of the home were inspected by the Business, and the home inspection report mentioned only that there were low levels of insulation in the attic, and recommended upgrading the insulation. The report clearly notes that the Business inspected venting systems for the kitchen, baths, and laundry areas, but noted no issues with these. After the smell became problematic, the Homebuyers investigated the attic area, and found that a span approximate 12-15 feet in length and 6 feet in width of the roof boards exposed in the attic were covered in mold/mildew. Further inspection revealed that the hall bathroom ventilation fan was venting directly into the attic area, directly in contrast to code set forth in Chapter 15 of the International Residential Code (IRC) for 1- and 2-family dwellings. Virginia relies on International Code Council codes (including IRC) as the basis (incorporated by reference in most cases) for its state building, construction, and maintenance codes. The Business failed to note that the hall bathroom ventilation fan had only 3-4 feet of vent pipe, discharging moist exhaust air into the attic area and not properly ventilated directly to the outside either through a pipe in the roof or via a gable vent at either end of the residence. Damage to personal property because of the mold and water in the attic and crawlspace, clean up of the mold, and remediation of the improper bathroom ventilation have cost us significant amounts of money already, and proper mold remediation stands to cost many thousands of dollars more. Additionally, this is not a case where the Business could not have known that mold would develop following its inspection. The mold was undoubtedly present in the crawl space during the Business' inspection of the residence (an area noted in writing as inspected and free of problems, aside from insufficient insulation and blocked vents), and the Business not only failed to note it but assured us that there, in contrast, was no mold. The improperly ventilated fan was also present during the Business' inspection of the residence (in an area noted in writing as inspected and free of problems, aside from insufficient insulation). The Business failed to find the problem, that, upon noting, any reasonable person can anticipate would lead to mold growth when moist air was discharged regularly into a relatively closed space with a non-waterproof interior.

very professional. Very prompt. and very thorough.

Dan was excellent. In addition to informing us about what he was looking for during each section of the inspection, he also gave us detailed on each of our systems (heating, A/C etc.) As first-time home owners we found the information very valuable. We received a detailed report the very next day, including photos of each item that needed to be fixed or replaced. When we finally moved into the house, we had some questions about turning on the gas and water, and Dan stopped by on his way home from work to help us turn everything back on, even fixing our stove when the gas wasn't flowing correctly. He really went above and beyond!