CSI: California Structure Inspectors

Matthew did a fantastic job both times. Very helpful in explaining what was really significant/important and what was something to note but not essential fix/expensive/scary. Very thorough and knowledgeable.

Hugo is the type of business man you don't often find from my experience.  He was immediately ready to be helpful and to answer specific questions re:  all the details of the property that I was ready to supply in about a property in a 2-3 minute conversation.  He understood completely and was able to advise.   This allowed me to make an informed decision about whether or not to have detailed inspections.   I wish I had found this company earlier for all my property inspections.   Would definitely recommend.   Thank you Hugo.

unknown

I called CSI on Saturday 8/2/14 needing a home inspection the following Tuesday. The receptionist was very accommodating and set us up for that date.
Our inspector was Josh Lopez. Our initial impression of him was that he was very young (think college student), but after walking through the 2 hour home inspection with him, we were very impressed. He was very thorough, had high tech heat sensor equipment, and identified items we would never have noticed. During the inspection, he was not bothered by the many questions I had and even invited us to join him in the inspection process, and gave us many tips on how to fix some of the minor problems.
Based on the report, we were able to lower the purchase price of the home we were buying to re-mediate the major problems identified by Josh. CSI received a B-grade in some areas due to the report arriving 2 days later. I emailed several times and finally called and got a hold of Hugo (owner). He emailed the report right away. Besides that glitch, my husband and I were very pleased and have already recommended them to family members.

unknown

For your standard home inspection they are quite thorough and professional and I would recommend them. Hugo came out with another gentleman and they were very nice and took their time with the inspection, pointing out and explaining everything they saw. They seem knowledgeable and have their business down. The report they generated was professional and explained their findings in detail.
My issue is this (B vs A rating)- the only reason I really called them out in the first place was to tell me exactly what structural and foundation damage was done during a recent earthquake and what needed to be done about it. They did find cracks in the foundation and some damaged roof support in the attic. They were also concerned with a crack near our main entry that was atypical of cosmetic cracks. So, the and quot;Structure Inspectorsand quot; recommended that we get an engineer (city or otherwise) to come and look at the house and make any necessary repairs.
Again, while for what they did, they were very good, it did not serve my purpose. I was clear on the phone that I wanted the inspection to check for damage to the house after the earthquake. It would have been helpful for them to say that they are not engineers and cannot assess what needs to be fixed and how, in regards to structural integrity.
Bottom line, I had one inspection and had to have someone else come out thus paying for two services when I only really needed one. This could be partly my fault not really understanding what CSI does and doesn't do, but they do have some responsibility to communicate that as well.

We hired California Structure Inspectors to perform a home inspection on a four unit property. Our inspector Aris showed up before the appointment and got straight to work. He was extremely detailed, explained what he saw along the way, and gave us tips on what repairs needed to be done. Aris emphasized a lot on items that could cause safety concerns and didn't mind getting dirty buy going underneathe the house into the crawl space. Less than two days later, we received a professionally written inspection report with plenty of photos and explanations. We were more than happy with the service we received and felt that the the inspection was well worth the price. We made an excellent choice of hiring our inspector and we highly recommend CSI California Structure Inspectors.

He was very thorough and did an amazing job. He arrived on time and spent a lot of time. He checked everything and did not rush through anything. His price was very fair too.

We weren't very happy with them as they missed some pretty major problems with our house. The price was reasonable.

It was good. Overall they were very professional and came on time. The customer service was good. They did a pretty thorough inspection. They were very easy to work with. I would absolutely use them again.

I called the vendor and they offered around $250 for a basic home inspection on a property that I liked to buy. Their web page has example reports which I initially liked. It was easy to read and has picture illustrations. I think CSI is a reasonable vendor to use, , I choose National Home Inspection later in favor of their check box style report. As for service, CSI is comparable in price and quality.

I liked how organized the inspection team was. I will use them again.

Hugo was wonderful. The owners wouldn't let us in on the initially scheduled date and time. Hugo was incredibly understanding and we rescheduled with the owner for a new date and time. The inspection took a little over 2 hours. He explained everything he inspected and was so very patient with all of our millions of questions. He spoke in terms that were easy to understand without making us feel like he was dumbing it down for us. He used electronic equipment to check the insulation and then crawled up in the attic to further verify the fact that there was little to none! He took tons of pics and even put on a jumpsuit and face mask to crawl under the house. The report was awesome with graphs, pictures and so much information. Even my realtor, who had never heard of him, was impressed with Hugo and CSI. I would be more than happy to recommend his company for any home inspection.

The inspection went really well. He was there before I arrived and got to work immediately inspecting the property from roof to basement. He explained things to me along the way when I followed him around to have a better understanding of what the issues with the property were. His report was exactly how you want an inspection report to look - extremely detailed. He differentiated between what was a serious issue and needed immediate attention to what was just minor issues. I can't begin to tell you how important this is when you are considering a home inspector. Long after the inspector is gone all you have is that report and when you are trying to figure out which repairs you need to tackle and in which order it is so important to be able to refer to it for guidance and to really understand what the severity of the issues are. The report was so concise that I feel I have a real clear understanding of how I need to proceed and in the order of repairs. The only issue I had with him is when I emailed him a question regarding the report he took a week to get back to me and that is after I emailed him again to remind him I sent him the first email. Other than that I would say his inspection was terrific and I would definitely use him again and recommend him to everyone for a home inspection. By comparison I want to share an experience I had with another inspector.

I was originally going to go with another well rated home inspector A Thorough Guy until he sent me a copy of a home inspection report for reference. He did do a thorough job of listing a bunch of things that were wrong with the property but there was no differentiation between major and minor issues. Everything look the same in terms of importance. I asked him about this and whether or not he made any distinctions between major and minor issues and what needs to be taken care of right away in the report. His reply was to tell me that different people have different priorities for fixing things and what is important to one person may not be important to another. I told him that may be true but it is important to at least understand the severity of any issue and to differentiate a minor electrical issue from something that may burn down the house. He went on to tell me his own home was basically not up to today's standards and that some of the issues that are present in his home were considered risks but he didn't change them. He then went on to reassure me that I would not leave without knowing what items were major vs minor even though that would not be indicated in the report. About a half an hour after sending me this message he sent me an email saying that he didn't think he was the right inspector for me and that he wouldn't be doing my inspection. Well that was really unprofessional of him but actually in the end he was right. He wasn't the right inspector for me. Any inspector who doesn't do a detailed inspection report to allow the prospective home buyer to be able to read it and understand what the severity of issues are and what needs immediate priority is not the inspector for me. I can't say that he doesn't do a good job at what he does but I can say I have seen a copy of his inspection report and it is not very detailed. It will leave any lay person such as myself having to continually question what each of the items are in the report. I don't know if he sits down with his clients after the inspection and goes over everything but even if he did I don't want to have to take notes after my inspection. I want to know that my inspector has already done all of that for me and I don't have to rely on my college note taking skills for each and every item on the report.

These guys are the best! The first good sign was that I arrived to the property early but Hugo and his brother were already there! They are extremely professional, knowledgeable, thorough, and personable. I found CSI through yelp and decided to go with them due to all the great reviews. I shadowed the two of them around as they inspected every nook and cranny of the house I'm purchasing. They gave me great unbiased advice and I learned so much from the few hours spent with them. They were patient and never once did I feel rushed at all. These guys use the newest testing equipment and Hugo walks around with an iPad taking copious notes for the inspection report to be prepared later that day. Fantastic experience. I'm so pleased with their service that I decided to review them on Angie's List as well.