LBI Home & Building Inspection

unknown

unknown

.

.

He didn't do the work but the amount of time he spent with me answering my questions and helping me, was appreciated. I just decided to go with another company.

Mark takes his home inspections seriously. He was at the site 30 minutes before scheduled, canvassing the exterior of the home we were having inspected by him. He is thorough and took as much time as needed to answer all our questions and describe any existing or potential problems with the home. The whole inspection was an educational experience and my wife and I are very grateful to Mark for having provided such a thorough and deliberate inspection. Yes, he does not provideelectronic/computer generated reports (as another have mentioned) but this is only a plus as he writes a very complete report in your presence and also includes other useful information that any potential homeowner would find extremely beneficial. The report reflects clear technical writing and is extremely legible for future reference. In this age of cookie cutter, copy and pasted, computer-generated nonsense, Mark's report was refreshing to see as it was personalized and comprehensible, thorough and deliberate - matching his inspection style and excellent work ethic. I would highly recommend Mark to anyone needing a home inspection in the Northern Virginia area.

We spoke by phone and also by email before the appointment. Mr Londer was very professional and detailed. He arrived at the house before I did. He found several things that could be easily fixed but that I would have probably never seen. One was that the microwave was venting to the inside of the house even though it was constructed to vent outside. (This was really important to me) He pointed out several things that I could do for maintenance of the house. He explained how the electrical circuits were set up. This made me realize that I probably need to install another outlet or 2 in the garage if I plan to keep a freezer or 2nd fridge out there. Even though I closed on the house the following day, there were several things that were still not finished on the house at the time of the inspection. But I learned what to look for and was left with a completed notebook for later reference.

Mark does not provide electronic inspection report nor does he provide photos of the issues found, both of which are the standard industry practice now. Fortunately for me, there were no issues in the home. If the home you are considering has any issues, good luck negotiating with the seller based on hand written report only. When asked about the photos, Mark claims that he provides photos when he cannot adequately describe the problem in words, client does not understand or client asks photos of specific items. Knowledgeable home inspector but a prisoner of old school.

Mark is a very good home inspector. We were brand new to home buying and quite apprehensive but felt a lot better after having an inspection with him. He was patient with us and guided us through the whole process. It was clear from the beginning that he knew what he was talking about and he was a good teacher too, explaining things intelligently in a way we could understand. He pointed out the biggest flaws in the house as well as minor issues that would need attention in the future. As a result of his inspection we were able to save thousands of dollars by having the seller fix the biggest problems. He left us with a full report and a very useful binder with 'instructions' for the house. We bought the house and have used this binder numerous times for fixing the garbage disposal, diagnosing mysterious sounds, etc. Five years later we called him for a possible inspection of a new roof repair and he was just as helpful with guidance over the telephone. (The only suggestion we would give to someone who is considering a home inspection for a home purchase is to make sure to pay a roofer for an additional roof inspection - if we had done that we would have been able to use it in our negotiations when buying the house. Instead, we did not get a full roof inspection done and had to pay more than 7 thousand dollars for the new roof this year!) Mark is highly recommended by us. We got a great value for the inspection and continued customer support from him!

At the beginning of the inspection, Mark gave me an initial overview of the inspection process, the rules for a home inspection, and what he can/can not do, say, or recommend. As a first time home buyer, this was incredibly informative and helpful. Throughout the inspection Mark was very thorough and took the time to explain everything he was doing. He also explained the operation and maintenance of all the appliances and equipment in the house. Mark does talk a lot, but I feel that I greatly benefited from everything he said. I feel that Mark not only did a good job of answering all the questions I had, but that he also went out of his way to answer questions that I didn't even know I had (i.e. things that I would have wondered about months after we closed on the house). At the end of the inspection, Mark summarized all of his findings and answered questions. He then provided me with the report and an informative book on how to operate everything in our home. Lastly, Mark invited further questions via the phone, even after closing, at no charge. Since I've never done a home inspection before, I can't compare the price to other home inspectors. I do, however, feel that I received a very good value for my money based on the service and expertise that Mark provided. Without hesitation I would recommend Mark to anyone I know who is looking at buying a home.

See description of services performed with covers my experience with Mark.

The roof had a leaking problem that he did not catch. He did not test all electrics.

First off, Mark expects you to be present for the inspection. Not only does he inspect the home, but he will educate you on any aspect of home maintenance and repair, and he is very receptive to questions. At the end of the inspection, he hands you the original inspection paperwork, which is about 20 pages of organized notes, and a 120+ page home systems guide. All this is packaged in a very nice binder that will serve as a perfect reference for how to care for the home. Being mechanically inclined, my husband was looking forward to learning as much as he could about what to do for the home and he was not disappointed. The inspection took 5 hours, there was nothing left to chance or assumed, all areas of the exterior and interior of the house were examined. All appliances were tested, and all attic areas were entered. Mark was extremely professional, and exuded the attitude that this was an opportunity to teach my husband everything he could about the house. He gave off a very comforting feeling that he was working for us and not anyone else. Bottom line, there was only one issue that Mark didn?t feel comfortable signing off on and that was the electrical system. There were a total of 5 circuit breaker boxes in the house, installed at different times during different upgrades. Figuring out how to effectively shut off power to the house and whether all the electrical additions were within code was something Mark recommended an electrician look at. At the end of the inspection Mark went over all the notes line by line on the inspection again, and took any other questions that my husband had making sure that everything was perfectly clear. If you truly care to know if the house that you are buying is safe, as well as how to maintain it that way, you could ask for no better inspector than Mark Londner and LBI Home Inspection.