The Home Inspection Co

Hi Alec,
I'm so happy to hear from you, I was wondering how you managed with the townhouse, from nearly a year ago, and am pleased to hear that you walked away from it. When people hire me they are generally quite concerned about being caught up in the sales process, they are generally beaten down by the months of searching and being outbid. Their sense of objectivity has been sullied by disappointment after disappointment of being outbid. Basically homebuyers just want the house, damn the torpedoes. I'm afraid I'm not much help to house fatigued people as they will choose a cheaper home inspector because- they may be convinced that all licensed home inspectors are the same. Disappointingly, common licensed inspectors can be measured in yrs of experience, the type of inspector who trained them, school courses or online, are they working for a multi inspector business, franchise or themselves, how long of an inspection turn around- some can be as little as a 2 1/2 hour turnaround while the majority are 4 to 5 hour inspection turnarounds which includes an instant computer generated report, there are still some inspectors who are not computer savvy and are still using a paper checklist. And finally most of all; 95% of all home inspectors are dependent on realtor referrals where there is a tit-for-tat reciprocity. Total independence from realtor influence is extremely rare, how can a home inspector have 2 masters? The real state agent is the constant in an inspector’s business relationships, home-buyers are transitory. Yup, it's a jungle out there. Happy trails Alec...
Ted Gilmour

Hi RK,
Thank you for taking the time to pen the impression of your inspections. My testimonials are done without incentives, it's entirely up to my clients. My extended post inspection service is not dependent on clients submitting testimonials. I'm sorry I do not provide incentives to write a testimonial as some referral websites operate, I believe testimonials should originate with a sincere level of exceptional performance and satisfaction. As most of my inspections are from past client referrals I'm finding when they contact me they already know from their friend, family or colleague what to expect and have generally reviewed my past client’s inspection report. For people who are not referred to me by friends or family, I do provide a sample report to showcase, to some degree, my level of dedication to the client. Incredibly most home inspection companies do not think this information is important enough to include on their website. The inspection report sample can be the best measure of client dedication, inspection detail and interpretability. happy trails...
You know I can always be found by typing Ted Gilmour
PS: your inspection fee was not $500, thanks for trying to make me look more attractive to window shoppers. If people are looking for a bargain, that's me, I spend 4 times the hours and only charge twice as much as most other home inspectors.

Hi,
Since you didn’t leave your name I can't very well comment on your testimonial other than to say thank you.
Client referrals are the backbone of my business, how are homebuyers to know who to hire when most home inspection companies will not post a sample report and fee schedule, you end up relying on the businesses self-promotion and their client testimonials. Since people don't buy houses that often they are not in a very good position to form critical opinions about the service they receive.
You probably looked your friends report over thoroughly to make your decision. I would say most homebuyers wouldn't know what a thorough inspection looks like and are completely satisfied with a 3 to 4 hour inspection turnaround. As you know I spend most of the day investigating and collecting information and spending the entire next day composing your custom report which we sit down and review. The report is not a checklist, boilerplate or computer generated- it's a photo detailed original account of deficiencies prioritized with action suggestions.
Thanks again and happy trails...
Ted Gilmour

Hi Bowen,
Thank you for writing about your inspection experience.
We made some significant discoveries: code, safety, functional and cosmetic deficiencies. You used the report to demonstrate to the builder what you required to be repaired. Approx. 2 weeks after the inspection you asked me if I would do a reinspection of the contractor repairs. Not surprising the builder did not respond to all of your requests. Some of the repairs were done with the wrong materials such as the wrong caulking material and some other repairs were simply fudged. Many were not even addressed.
For someone like yourself it would have been very easy for the seller to simply tell you everything was completed and you would have been satisfied. I'm very happy you asked me to check things out.
You have a serious problem with lime deposits on your exterior tile walls that needs to be investigated by a building envelope engineering specialists and to prescribe a solution, do not let this issue slide. If a solution is not found these walls will be quite an eyesore within a couple of yrs.
Wishing you all the best,
Ted Gilmour

Hi Anna,
Your description of the previous condo is a different version than my memory. The roof was not 1 or 2yrs old, what they had done one or 2 yrs prior was to make repairs to the roof instead of replacing it. It actually needed replacing. As with other assurances from the seller, the reality didn't measure up to the claims. FYI Aluminum wire is not a reason to run away from a purchase if everyone in the building has their wiring pigtailed. I don't think that sort of thing happens very often so as with any chain, it's only as strong as its weakest link. Older buildings have a lot of handyman wiring due to new lighting fixtures new outlets and switches which all require very specific skill and material to interface with the aluminum wiring. Most homeowners/handyman do this work as if it was all copper which could lead to overheating/fire hazards. There were other things like the copper piping being at/beyond its service life. The entire exterior had been painted but that only sets the building on a one-way course to possible destruction by Mold. Yes the building was an exercise in what could go wrong, had gone wrong and had been covered over.
Although your new home is not without its problems they are nevertheless manageable. I hope you can make your unit a happy unit and that you press for some of the repairs and replacements that we had discussed.
Wishing you: Happy trails...
Ted

Hi Abe,
I really appreciate your testimonial submission to HomeStars, stories like yours help homebuyers seek out and demand better, dedicated service.
It's so good to hear from you, I assume you’ve been taking care of our discoveries. I'm very happy that you chose me as your inspector, your home had many challenges and thankfully, I believe, we were able to make those discoveries which led to discussions on repair strategies. As you noted; holding my clients hand through renovations and improvements is the cornerstone of my business. And yes I do enjoy it. I don't do construction anymore but I still love the involvement in the process. You were on a tight budget, I'm always impressed when people choose me when there are so many tempting and less expensive choices.
And as you know I never tire of progress stories and a call for guidance.
Happy trails...
Ted

Hi Jordan,
I assume you're well settled in by now, I'm always surprised when clients write me a testimonial several months after their inspection.
Yes, when we met it was as if we were old friends. Helping people sort through some of the marketing camouflage not only helps potential buyers but I actually prefer to inspect strong home contenders. I do thoroughly enjoy the challenges of less than happy homes but I hate to see people waste their money for a home inspection of a real bow wow that should have been euthanized. Don't get me wrong, doing an inspection on a problem house is a huge educational plunge for unsuspecting buyers, it's actually kind of fun. In most all cases their 2nd purchase choice is quite a bit different when they realize; any savings in the sales price would actually be more than gobbled up in needed repairs and future maintenance, repair and replacement. Yes those imagined savings pretty much evaporate when the rose-colored glasses come off.
As always; you know where to find me, I'm anxious to assist with any issues you encounter.

Happy trails...
Ted

Hi W & J, I’m pleased you were able to negotiate a better sale price to reflect some of our discoveries.
For clarity: most of my clients count the time from when they arrive at the inspection, I might be there an hour and sometimes more prior to my clients arrival, the actual time that I spent on this house was just over 8 hours. Getting there a little bit early allows me uninterrupted observation and analysis of the exterior, the most important part of the house; so when you arrived at 9:30 AM I had a good account of the home's exterior elements. Together we reviewed the entire exterior before we proceeded to the interior. This home had some serious deficiencies and unpermitted work done after the original city inspections. There were plumbing, drain and electrical infractions that confirmed my suspicions that the basement was finished post city inspections.
Your HVAC system will be a sizable repair job, all the deficiencies aside, there were many solid aspects of the house that were without concern; mainly the structure and interior finishing.
With the selling agent constantly reminding us to hurry up and finish we proceeded at our steady pace of discovery and discussion and managed to complete the inspection prior to my 6:00 original estimate and in spite of the agent’s interference. Slow and easy does it.
As you are aware; the inspection industry is virtually designed and controlled by real estate sales interests, any home inspector who spends more than 3-4 hours on a house will not get agent referrals and can even get blackballed. Agent referrals represent more than 60% of all home inspections, guess what caliber of home inspector is the beneficiary to that 60% market?

Being totally unfettered by promises of inspection referrals I am also not intimidated by any controlling/interfering real estate agents. The only reason they think they can control the home inspection is because they are quite accustomed to telling inspectors how to do their job and how long they can stay in the house. Most home inspectors do not know what their clients rights are and/or are afraid to push back against agent manipulation of the inspector's time. I know most home inspectors would say they never have any problems with agents controlling their inspection, that’s simply because their discovery and reporting do not pose any threat to the sale.
In the end meddling agents generally are only accomplished at making themselves look foolish, trying to rush the inspector out of the house, this behavior speaks for itself, is unprofessional and represents an unauthorized interference with the buyers legal right to exercise their Due Diligence. Happy trails, Ted

Hi Sunny,
Thanks for your generous account of your experience. It's more like a short story.
If it wasn't for the builder's willingness to make repairs I think this house would've been quite exhausting to attend to all our substantial discoveries.
Since my inspection covers nearly every square inch, my inspections will uncover minor details along with the major. Only because I spend the time on the inspection and composing your report (in your case, a 3 day turnaround) can I present most all deficiencies in terms of importance, priority and cost. As you pointed out you were able to convince the builder to make good on the more grave deficiencies. Typical to anybody who's in business to make money we found on some occasions that the builder’s repairs were fudged and had to be done over again. Yup we can't always take people's word for it, you gotta check it out for yourself.
The reason I offered to reinspect for you and not charge was because I was concerned that the builder would try to hoodwink you into accepting less than what you were promised, what you believed you were paying for. You are right some of the deficiencies were so obvious that even a blind man would have caught them, like the finish installation of all the plumbing fixtures. I suspect he got Carpenters or Carpenters helpers to install the plumbing fixtures after he had fired his plumber. There are many things that can go wrong with a new house and for the most part are usually not that apparent. I’ve found I need to inspect every square inch of the house from the substantial and obvious to the minutia which can be telltale indicators to deficiencies, short cuts, failures and fudged. Wouldn't want to give people the wrong impression that I hound my clients for more work, as your advocate I simply like to see things tidied up.
Happy trails....
Ted