First Choice Home Inspection

Process went very well, most impressed with the quick report after inspection.

We called Tyler a only a few days before needing a pre-inspection. He was able to come out quickly and perform a thorough home inspection on a 1950's rambler. He was prompt, courteous, knowledgeable, and clearly knew what he was talking about. it was refreshing to know exactly what to expect if we purchased the home. After the inspection, he spent time with us going over every detail. Tyler's a true professional that we would highly recommend to anyone looking for a quality home inspection. We didn't end up finding the right home, but we certainly found the right inspector.

He made special arrangements for me since I was in town for the weekend. He was able to help with the inspection the day after I called. He did a very detailed look at the house. I had a detailed report with pictures the next day. He gave me $25 off for being an Angie's List member and was very responsive to my needs.

I thought it was good. The price was fair and everything went well.

During both inspections, he was prompt, professional, and did an excellent job of explaining any defects he uncovered. His reports are thorough, well organized, and nicely formatted with pictures to accompany the text. The pictures are very helpful when learning about new things that can be wrong with houses. The level of details that he covered was great and we felt that his reports helped us make informed choices.

I used First Choice Home Inspection for my home inspection.

We used Tyler twice to inspect homes in Fall of 2009. Within hours of the inspection, he provided a detailed computerized report via email with pictures of all areas which called for attention. The report was very easy to read, and helped us greatly in our negotiations when purchasing our home. Tyler was prompt, professional, and very patient with our first time home buyer questions. I would highley recommend him to anyone considering purchasing a home.

We called Tyler on a Thursday or Friday and he was able to meet us at the house the next Monday. He was incredibly thorough, professional and friendly. My husband and I asked a ton of questions and followed him around a bit and he didn't seem to mind at all! His report was thorough, and he sent it to us the evening of the inspection. All around great service!

I chose Tyler based on reports here on Angie's list. This was a very well-spent $375.00. He met me at the house at the appointed time (actually, he was a bit early). He got up on the roof and walked around, taking pictures and inspecting things up there. He tested every outlet and GFCI (ground fault circuit interrupter) in the house, finding that many were not properly grounded. Every facility in every room, from the door knob to the heater, to the closet door, was inspected carefully. He crawled up into the attic and inspected the electrical system, also looking for evidence of roof leaks and anything else that wasn't right. He found some live knob and tube wiring that was spliced to using duct tape (!). The crawl space was next (that is, the one that actually has any clearance at all). The crawl space in this house is only about 12 inches high (code calls for 18 inches now). But Tyler is athletically built, and is used to wreck diving, so was undeterred by the close spaces. At one point he got his head stuck between a rock and a floor joist, and had to wiggle out of his respirator to get free. He found evidence of water intrusion into the walls (moisture ants), as well as some places where the deck supports were starting to rot. Some cracks in the foundation were found; he suggested that this could be because the gutters were not set up to drain far enough away from the house. The roof was identified as being at the end of its life (which the seller's agent initially tried to deny, but agreed to when the seller was unable to find any roofer who would certify that the roof had 5 years of remaining life). The seller replaced the roof, saving me $6000. I found Tyler to be very good at explaining things, and he was also able to give me ballpark estimates on the expenses associated with certain repairs (like repointing the chimney, whose expense I had no idea about). This I found very useful in my planning. The 28 page report was delivered to me very early the next day via email (at my request). Tyler had actually mailed it at almost 2 AM, having stayed up that late to finish it! He apologized for not getting it to me the prior evening, explaining that he'd had some calls take longer than expected that day. The report is in the form of a PDF file that I can print or view as needed. It is also handy for emailing to contractors to explain work or estimates required. The PDF contains an index that can be used to quickly find individual topics; unfortunately, the organization of the index is not consistent (the "hazard or wood destroying condition" index entries link to the summary at the end, while the "service or repair required" entries link to the main report. I'd prefer to see an index that lets me get to both the main report sections and the summary sections. The report contained full narrative and pictures (by priority and topic), and then a summary, by priority and topic, of the items that required attention. This was useful, as it put the most important items first, and the summary section is useful as a checklist. The main report and the summary had the following sections: Hazard or wood destroying conditions (requiring immediate repair) This included the evidence of water intrusion into the walls, a potential trip hazard on the front sidewalk, and some scary electrical problems. Service or repair required This included the roof (a big item!), the chimney mortar, small foundation cracks, and various small problems with doors, outlets, etc. Monitor or improve This included things that I might not have thought to inspect regularly, including the condition of the paint and caulk on the siding (unfortunately this house has no eaves). Also included were galvanized water pipes, drain lines on the sinks, and a recommendation to remove soil under the house to ensure 18 inch clearance as required by code (and to avoid wood destruction). He also identified evidence of a prior oil fired furnace and recommended that I verify that there weren't any improperly decommissioned buried oil tanks that could be very costly to deal with. I was able to get this service done for free by a tank removal service, greatly easing my mind. As a result of the inspection, the seller replaced the main house roof, and also gave me $2500 toward closing (rather than take the time to do the various repairs I'd requested). Now I'm faced with doing the repairs or finding contractors to do them, for which I will definitely use Angie's List! In summary, I strongly recommend Tyler's house inspection services to people considering buying a house, or even those who already own a house and want to know what might need attention. Tyler gives Angie's List subscribers a discount as well!

Promptly scheduled appointment that was kept. Detailed inspection and reporting. Helpful in preparing house for resale.

I found Tyler Mittendorf's listing on Angies list by screening for companies with at least 30 A-rankings. I was under a strict time constraint, as I was bidding on a house with a deadline. When I explained, he came the next day. He was fully professional...punctual, thorough and efficient. I accompanied him throughout the inspection and he willingly answered all my many questions (unlike many workmen and contractors who seem to regard the female gender as linked to insurrmountable stupidity). That same day his full report arrived by e-mail, and I was able to make the right decision , i.e., not to increase my bid. Based on my very positive experience, I then hired him to inspect two other houses. Again, he exhibited all of the same qualitites. I especially appreciate the manner in which the information is presented in the lengthy report, which allows me to prioritize the projects to address the problems detected. In addition, the comments and pictures have saved me appreciable time in explanations to the plumbers, electricians and other workmen of the work needed.

Was available the next day and able to answer all questions

We called Tyler to do our home inspection based on the outstanding reviews on Angie's List and were not disappointed. The time we first called Tyler to the complete and detailed inspection report took only 24 hours! Tyler was extremely flexible and was able to come on a short notice. We arrived right at the scheduled time, and Tyler had gotten there early and was already on the roof and looking around the outside. Tyler was very thorough in his job, walked around with a voice recorder to make notes, and took a lot of pictures. He also allowed my fiance, who himself knows quite a bit about construction and houses, to follow along and chat about the different aspects of the house, which probably slowed him down. After the inspection, he chatted a bit with us and the realtor about what he found. About 6 hours later, Tyler sent us a full report of the findings via email. The report was 20 pages long on a newer home! It was very thorough and easy to understand, and came complete with annotated pictures of what he found (I included a screen shot of a portion of it below). I felt pretty confident that his report was accurate, because he spent a long time and as he was doing his inspection, said that he was going to do his best to find any problems. He did not find anything major, and we are going to continue with the home purchase confidently. The only glitch that came about during the inspection was when the testing of the smoke alarms set off the house's security system. We had to spend about 5-10 minutes on the phone with the owners and the alarm company to get the alarm reset. Not Tyler's fault at all (I'm glad he tested the smoke alarm!), but it was a little bit stressful until we got it resolved. Tyler was good-natured, helpful, and apologetic throughout the ordeal. The entire inspection was very quick, but still thorough and done with complete professionalism. We got a a $25 discount for using Angie's List to find him, and his prices seem comparable to others in the Seattle area.

Tyler was responsive to my email request to schedule an appointment. He was on-time (even a little early) and spent the time necessary to make sure all of questions were answered. His report was delivered next day as promised and was complete and helpful.

Tyler was great. I was a few minutes late, but he showed up early and was already well into the exterior inspection when I arrived. He was extremely thorough and a really nice guy. And he was great to my 3-year-old son who was very intent on helping him. He went over the major things with me as soon as he finished and I was impressed with what he'd uncovered. But when I got his final report, I realized how good he really was. It was incredibly detailed with photos of everything that needed attention. It really helped in our final price negotiations with the seller. I would definitely use Tyler again.

This job was done very well and the report was emailed to us promptly, and included photos and good information.

Called for an appointment on thursday and Tyler was able to come out sunday morning. He did a very thorough job. Checked over from top to bottom. Pointed out problems as he went along and didn't mind me looking over his shoulder ( I asked ). After the physical inspection, Tyler e-mailed me a very comprehensive report with pictures. Tyler is very knowledgable. The whole process was very professional. I will definitly call Tyler again and recommend him highly.

Tyler performed a thorough inspection and explained features and controls in the home(the gas fireplace insert for example). Most importantly he found some water damage that needed to be fixed before my home purchase went through...a savings of $1500 at least for just that repair. Easy to follow report. I didn't get the $25 Angie's discount though-Tyler explained that it was the higher cost of going to Vashon.

It was very thorough and we learned a lot. He was very educational through the whole process. He provided a very thorough report at the end and was able to explain some things that were important to us.

Tyler was came on-time on both occasions: considering my own house inspection was scheduled on Saturday of Thanksgiving week, I thought that this was very satisfying for me and my wife. Most of all, we were very impressed with his knowledge depth and glad that he took time to explain all of our questions thoroughly and kindly. I would recommend Tyler to anyone who needs home inspections done right and accurate.

We contacted Tyler about a week before the inspection, but was unable to confirm with him until one day before our tentative date and time. (We were waiting for our mutual agreement to come through on our end.) He confirmed with us and met us the next day (Sunday)! The inspection took about 2 1/2 hours. He let us follow him around and ask questions. He was very professional and was the best inspector we have ever worked with. Our "new" home was built in 1926 and recently underwent a complete remodel--so we were unsure about what we would find. His report was extremely thorough. Having Tyler do the inspection has made us feel very comfortable with our purchase.

They did a very good job. They were very thorough and I would highly recommend them. They communicated with us very well. They are incredibly punctual.

We called Tyler because of the positive comments he had here on Angie's List. I had to reschedule twice with him as we were negotiating the purchase price and the time line changed. Each time we pushed the date back, he was polite and very accommodating. He started on the roof and found some items I would never have thought were an issue. He then worked his was up from the basement to the attic. We had found some issues with the house, which was built in the 50's, in our initial walk through with our Realtor, but Tyler uncovered substantially more problems than we had anticipated. If he was not sure about why something looked the way it did, he investigated it the best he could until he was satisfied (he couldn't take apart walls or perform destructive testing). When we received his report, we were amazed at the way it was presented and in the layout. It provided the information in a simple, easy to read format with pictures to back up his findings. On top of all of this, Tyler was a very nice guy, easy to get along with, and very professional. I would hire him again and recommend him to anyone looking for a good home inspection. He literally saved us tens of thousands of dollars.

Tyler was friendly, professional, and knowledgeable. As far as I can tell, he did a complete job. Time will tell whether there is anything he missed.

I am thrilled to find such an honest, competent, hard-working home inspector. The house that Tyler inspected for me is a starter house, that I am planning to sell, with quite a few issues and a nightmare of a crawlspace to get into. Tyler was good-natured about the situation and provided valuable suggestions. A comprehensive thorough inspection report with 30 pictures that helped to illustrate the points being made was e-mailed to me in less that 24 hours. Excellent work.