Haystack Home Inspections

Chris Thomson has done two home inspections for us. He agreed to stop the first inspection half way through when it became evident that there were too many problems with the property. We have acquired the second property after he did a comprehensive examination and left us feeling confident our new home was in good condition

Chris at Haystack Home Inspections did a home inspection for me for a condo I was considering purchasing. All the way through the process Chris provided excellent communication, excellent service and a very comprehensive report about the 'health' of my prospective condo at the end.

I am a first time home buyer and was looking at an older (1975) low rise condo building as I was wanting to avoid 'leaky condo' nightmares but was aware than an older building would likely have its own potential issues. Chris was very thorough - before doing the inspection he reviewed the strata minutes and plans. On the inspection day he arrived early so had already conducted a preliminary assessment of the exterior by the time I arrived. Chris went up on the roof and down into the basement, examined the car park and the utility rooms. In the suite (amongst many other things) he opened up the electrical panel , brought out his water meter, opened windows and ran the dishwasher. He took loads of pictures as I trailed after him and asked lots of questions. He easily answered all of my questions and asked me some of his own; what I was most concerned about and what was of less concern to me (ugly paint jobs lol).

After the inspection Chris provided me with a detailed report with photos, indicating objectively what was good, what was satisfactory (and why) and what would need to be addressed immediately. He also invited me to call him if I had any questions and in fact followed up with me a day or so after issuing his report in the event I had any more questions. That report helped me make an informed decision as to whether or not to remove subjects and ultimately I did decide to purchase!

Chris obviously loves doing home inspections and really cares about his clients. He provided great service to me and I happily recommend him to anyone who is looking for a home inspector.

**I have posted the same review on Yelp**

Chris from Haystack Home Inspections is a true professional. We bought an older home so we wanted to know everything. Chris spent 5 hours going over every square inch of the home. His attention to detail was incredible, in fact our electrician was very impressed with a number of things he brought to our attention. Chris wills supply you with a detailed report with pictures and all of the extras so you know where everything is. I would highly recommend Chris to anyone looking at an older home.

Chris from Haystack Home Inspections provided a home inspection for our condominium in Vancouver. We found that he was friendly, easy to talk to, and most importantly he was very knowledgeable and thorough. His inspection report was detailed with great tips on maintaining and improving our home, as well as a handy green - red visual key for things that were great to things that needed attention. I would not hesitate to work with him again, and I will be referring him to friends and family.

Chris is everything I'd want in a home inspector. Conscientious and incredibly thorough. The report he sent to us is detailed and explains every single one of his reccomendations throroughly. I like that he errs on the side of caution and doesn't leave anything out!

Chris was candid, honest, punctual, and exceeded my expectations. It is critical to have professional help in navigating the purchase of a home and Chris' advice made all the difference as we vetted the property that interested us. I would recommend Chris and his service without any hesitation.

Chris Thompson did a thorough and honest inspection of my apartment. He brought my attention to issues that are currently not relevant but might become so down the road. This information gave me confidence about my purchase and helped me decide where to put my money to make it a more valuable investment. Chris did a very complete inspection, of the unit and the building and even returned another day to follow up on some questionable outlets. In doing so he proved he is committed to quality and cares about doing an excellent job. He also made some helpful suggestions. I highly recommend this company.

Chris provided service and advice that was genuinely superlative. The report produced was fact based, easy to understand, and provided all of the information I needed to make an informed decision.

Chris showed up half an hour early to my townhouse inspection, carefully examining the site and common spaces for unusual wear and tear, poor workmanship, and design issues. He encouraged me to follow him throughout the site visit and made sure any questions I had were answered (even the dumb ones!). He inspected the mechanical room, electrical room, boilers, and all of the underground parking areas.

Within the townhouse itself, he examined all of the plumbing, appliances, radiant heating and electrical systems (wiring and electrical box). He looked for safety issues around railings, garage door operations, smoke alarms and exit points. Any issues noted were brought to my attention and remediation advice was given immediately. He even reviewed the strata minutes and documents, and noted that a set of AGM minutes were missing (which ended up containing important information).

But most off all - Chris provided an objective perspective and clear eyed advice. His goal was to provide me the most complete and accurate information that he could, so that I was comfortable with my decision on whether or not to purchase. As a CFO of a good sized software company, I was impressed that Chris was able to help frame the figures and potential costs in a way that helped me understand the risks and rewards that I was stepping into with my purchase.

At the end of the day, Chris made be feel like I conducted the best due diligence process that I could. Given the huge price tag with Vancouver real estate - I can honestly say that the fee I paid Chris was the best money I spent during the entire purchase process.

Great work!

Haystack Home Inspections was recommended to us through a colleague's Realtor and we decided to proceed with them after doing some additional online research.
The inspection was coordinated in advance and all necessary paperwork provided to us so we had a good amount of time to review the terms and arrangements.
On the day of the inspection Haystack arrived about 30 minutes early (even before us) to begin the exterior inspection and spent some time with us discussing their initial findings (including those from the Strata minutes which they reviewed as part of their services) before moving into the interior of the building. Their inspection included a detailed review of common building areas and the interior/exterior of our unit (including testing of all appliances...which identified a disturbingly loud dishwasher).
After the inspection Haystack provided us a detailed verbal overview and walk through of their findings, identified items they deemed most critical, and followed up with a clear, lengthy report the same evening (complete with courtesy phone call to tell it was in our inbox). With their findings we were able to have the Sellers agree to address some deficiencies with no cost to us as the Buyer.
A few days after the inspection Haystack followed up by phone to check if we had any outstanding questions.
I work as a Mechanical Consultant and was very satisfied with the thoroughness and professionalism Haystack demonstrated. We would definitely recommend them to others looking for a home inspection and use them again in the future. Keep up the good work, Chris!

Haystack Home Inspections provided us with a very comprehensive report complete with pictures. This made us very comfortable in that we knew exactly what we were getting ourselves into and gave us a very good package to go back to the seller with to complete a deficiency list prior to close. Haystack Homes is the best inspection company I have ever worked with and I would highly recommend them to friends and family. Should we need another inspection in the future, this is who I would use.