All Pro Home Inspections

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Steve is an absolute star. He is very very thorough and that is a characteristic you want in a home inspector. He does a great job of finding all the issues and gives you a very detailed and beautiful report which has all the documentation/photos of everything. he does a good job of explaining to you what is a minor issue that needs fixing from what is a big deal and should make you reconsider purchasing the home. We were in escrow twice with homes that were remodeled/refurbished that he found issues that led to us pulling out of the escrow, notably room additions with no permitting or foundations being poured.
Steve is more expensive than most inspectors but he is totally worth it, this is one of the biggest decisions you will make in your life and it can also be a biggest mistake if you don't get all the facts, why go cheap on that? I will only use Steve for all future home inspections needs I have.

Steve helped us to identify numerous issues with the home we are buying, and his expertise aided us in gaining leverage during the negotiation process we experienced as home buyers.  He is detail-oriented, and really seemed to enjoy teaching us about the issues facing the particular home we are buying.  We will definitely turn to him for advice in future home inspections.

I will not buy a house in Southern California without having Steve John inspect it. 
Over the years, we have had at least 6 home inspections in 4 different cities from some of the best inspectors available and Steve John?s knowledge, thoroughness, and professionalism is in a completely different league than anyone else. 
His inspection produced a 100+ page report and it would take too long to detail everything, so these are just some of the highlights of the project: 
We had a 60-page previous inspection report on the property and, while that inspection was thorough, Steve found a lot of serious issues that precious inspection missed. 
For example: The cast-iron main drainpipe was corroded which everyone could see. However, Steve inspected each second floor drain pipe and found leaks and corrosion that others had missed.  At least we knew going in that all the drainpipes had to be replaced, which is less expensive that you might think.
The house had nice drainage in the surrounding patios and hardscaping that looked great to the layman. Steve did not like the look of some of the drainage close to the house that had been added over the years. He crawled under the house to the edges and inspected every support beam and found that many of the support beams were rotten enough that a screwdriver could be easily passed through them. Some of the support beams had been replaced over the past decade and would have to be replaced again. The other inspection reports missed that.  
The house had a master suite remodel that looked great on the surface. However, we kept getting the feeling something was off. Steve showed us exactly what was wrong in various places and we felt silly for having missed it. He removed the vanity back panels and showed us how the plumbing was done in a ?creative? way. Some of the shower nozzles did not work and were simply fakes. Again, the other inspection missed that. By the way, it was a simple call to the building department to find that the new construction was not done under building permits, which the seller had ?forgot? to mention. I guess this is the main difference between Steve John and other inspectors. He sees little details that tell him to inspect further. Other inspectors, although conscientious, simply do not have the depth of experience and miss those signs. 
Steve also takes the time to point out potential problems the homeowner could correct in order to avoid more serious problems in the future.  This includes such things as drainage issues that will cause problems in the future and trees that are damaging a roof. Those are simple fixes that will avoid costly repairs in the future. It would be worth it to have Steve John inspect your current house every couple of years in order to properly maintain the house and preserve its value.
By the way, the property contained a casita that was added a decade earlier by a previous owner. It was built properly and Steve?s report showed that.  
Some of the issues with the main house we knew about, such as the knob and tube wiring. However, Steve John could tell us the extent of the problem and what needed or did not need to be done to ameliorate the problem according to safety standards, codes, and current practices. 
It is doubtful that your inspection will uncover as many problems as mine did. However, if Mr. John inspection does not find any problems, you can be confident that you have done everything possible to make sure problems do not exist. Mr. John?s rate varies according to the scope of the inspection. As mentioned, our inspection project was significant. However, it was the best $1,500 I have ever spent. While house hunting, I have seen copies of house inspection reports. The first thing I do is go to the last page of the report, usually at the bottom right of the page, where the cost of the inspection is listed. If it is a 200-dollar inspection for a million dollar house, it is probably not very useful. 
When I read stories about people buying houses that turn into horror stories and financial traps, I wish those folks had had access to an inspector such as Mr. John. As mentioned at the beginning, when I buy my next house in Southern California, I will not close the purchase until Steve John inspects the property and tells me exactly what I am buying.

I spoke with Steve, the owner, and was able to schedule a home inspection within a few days.  Steve showed up earlier than expected on the day of the inspection.  The home is an older home, but has had 2 seperate additions done already.  He spent 6.5 hours going over everything in details.  It was great to be there during the inspection, as he showed us what he meant by several of the repairs needed, so that we understood what we were looking at.  He provided a very detailed report that was 50 pages, complete with pictures of each of the issues he had identified, as well as which items he felt needed more specialized inspections - in our case, drain lines and chimney/fireplace.  
Overall, we found that Steve was a little more expensive than some other inspectors, but we were happy with the time and level of detail he went into to make sure we had a good picture of potential problems in the property.  We figured that we would rather spend a little more to make sure that there were no big surprises after purchasing the house.  I would use Steve again if purchasing another house.

I waited almost a year to write this, because we wanted to make sure any hidden problems had enough time to arise before we wrote a review. Anyway, we haven't had any "surprises" so I feel confident in writing this now.  I initially was apprehensive about his price, but rationalized it with "you tend to get what you pay for" and his years of experience are definitely worth something. Not to mention it's a mere fraction of the biggest purchase of a person's life. Anyway, I probably didn't pay enough for the professionalism, honesty and thoroughness we received. 
and that's the main reason I waited to write this review.  We arrived at the home (we were in escrow in) approximately 5 minutes early, and the inspector was already on the roof. He spent a good 45 min to an hour on the roof, taking pictures and documenting the good and the bad.  We proceeded into the home where he set up a mini office in the kitchen. He thoroughly tested everything within the 3/2 1500 sq ft home. He was in the house for 3.5-4 hours taking more pictures, climbing up and disappearing into the attic and thoroughly testing / documenting everything. Now for the nitty-gritty. He donned an all white body suit with hood and safety glasses; and disappeared under the house. He was under there for 1.5 to 2 hours! I guess the home was originally built as a 2/1 with a 1/1 addition built in 1960. Anyway, it was hard to transition between the two, but he squeezed in there and I have the pictures to prove it! Anyway, there were minor problems and we closed on the house. I received a good overall report (hard to believe because the home was built in 1936) and that's the main reason I waited to write this review.  We honestly thought something bad would surface... Yeah, nothing! He caught everything!! Experience pays; he's worth a little extra.

 
Home buying is stressful enough, hire All-Pro and don't worry about that part of the experience.

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He was very knowledgeable and tailored his inspection to my specific needs. This inspection was preparation for a home remodeling project, and I didn't want to have any HGTV disasters in the middle of my project. Steve made several suggestions for saving money, and pointed out several things that were wrong that I had not considered. And while I may not save money on the overall project, I'm now confident that every dollar will be used for the most benefit. Because I will be doing a lot of the work myself, Steve also gave me good recommendations on how to approach various aspects of the job, as well as recommendations for subcontract work (e.g., HVAC, roofing). I will definitely call upon Steve again for an in-progress inspection to make sure that everything is in order and that I will have no problem with the city inspections. Thanks Steve!!

This is the second time we have used Steve John as our home inspector to purchase a house, and I would not want to buy a house he had not inspected.  He is absolutely fantastic.  He is thorough, careful, informative, and reasonable in all of his recommendations.

Steve John is the ultimate professional- courteous, patient, punctionual. Although a little higher priced than others he spent a full 8 hours at the house. It was worth every penny. Even our realtor was astounded by his thoroughness and the time he spent inspecting. For the full value tag along with Steve as he inspects every nook and cranny. He patiently explains what he is seeing, never talks down to you and I came away fully educated as to the condiiton of the 1938 Spanish we were buying. A priceless experience!

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I called Steve on a Saturday afternoon after reading all of his great reviews on Angie's list.  I explained to him that I was purchasing an
investment property and was closing escrow in less than two weeks.  Steve offered to come out the next morning (on a Sunday) and quoted me what thought was a reasonable price for the size of house and amount of time that I knew he was going to spend.  I knew from speaking to him and reading the reviews that it was going to be a long day.  Steve arrived at the property the next morning on time and as I described up above, he covered every square inch of the property in great detail.  By the end of the day, my head was about to explode from everything I had learned.  He also provided a referral for a drain inspector to further investigate the cast iron drain located under the existing concrete slab.  He explained that on a 1950's slab home, the drain replacement would be the most costly repair to make (30-40K) and was worth checking into before the purchase.  In total Steve was there from 10 am until about 4:30pm (at least 6.5 hours).    I cannot say enough about how good of a job Steve did.  It is rare to find people who put everything into their work like this.  I highly recommend using All Pro Inspection for anyone looking to purchase a new or old property.

All Pro Home Inspections performed a very thorough inspection for our home purchase.  We were concerned because we were buying a short sale property and wanted to make sure we knew exactly what we were getting.  Steve John did just that.  He probably took about 6 hours to perform the inspection.  And the report he generated was very thorough and helpful.  We paid a little more for the inspection but were very satisfied with the results.  The inspection gave us the confidence in the property to proceed with the purchase.

In both of the inspections that Steve did for us, we were impressed with the amount of time and effort he put into them and the detail included in the reports he provided. Steve spent about six hours on each of the inspections -- much more than we remember other home inspections taking in the past -- and while he does charge a bit more than average, we think the value we got for the extra money was well worth it.
For the house we didn't buy, Steve's advice saved us from making a purchase we would have regretted. He uncovered foundation problems that would have cost us anywhere from $25,000 to $40,000 to repair, and structural problems with the garage that could only be solved  by razing it and building a new one. (Both of these assessments of Steve's were supported by a separate contractor who came out to evaluate.)
For the house we did buy, Steve gave us a clear assessment of what was right and wrong with the house that helped us feel confident moving ahead with the purchase. Now that we own the place and done some renovations, we can say confidently that there are no major issues with the house that any contractor has uncovered that Steve hadn't found himself already. We only appreciate Steve's work more as we get more work done on the house and hear other experts' assessments line up so closely with what Steve found. We'd recommend him without reservation.

I've done that in previous answer.

Exceeded all expectations - Steve is phenomenal. In the process of thoroughly looking at every single detail of the house and crawling into the tiniest of spaces, he also patiently explained what was going in, gave super-helpful advice for preventative measure to maintain the house well, and provided options on how one might fix one thing or another. The real estate agents present had never seen such a superb performance before. Super-highly recommended. I would give 10 stars if that was an option.

This is one of the most complete home inspections I have seen.  He identified every major and minor item with the house, and uncovered some serious items we were not aware of, and I don't think the sellers were aware of.  We will probably purchase the home regardless of the findings, and now have both a negotiating point with the sellers, as well as a baseline to work from on what needs to be repaired in the near term, and what can wait.  Allpro may be priced a little higher than most inspectors, but they are WORTH EVERY PENNY.  If you are a buyer, trust me,  this is the inspector you want.  If you are a seller, be prepared....  I would recommend you have him go through your home before listing so you know ahead of time what is going to be found and can correct it or take it into account in your pricing.   Either way Steve at AllPro is the one you want.

The seller and seller's agent were at the home through the inspection and he handled everything very professionally and his report was very helpful in getting us a good negotiation and resolution on the repair request. He printed out a full draft of the report at the end of the inspection and provided an email copy of the final report with pictures later that afternoon .I would use Steve again and highly recommend his services for any buyer who is in escrow to purchase a home.

We inherited a very old house, and weren't sure what maintenance issues it might have. Our intention was to keep the house and rent it out. We wanted to make sure the house was in good condition prior to renting it our, and we wanted to know if we were going to have to anticipate any expensive repairs.
Steve John does charge a bit more than I think is typical. He also does a much more thorough inspection than is typical. He is extremely professional and knowledgable. He was very patient, and seemed to enjoy answering questions and explaining all the good points and the bad points of this house. He told us what needs to be repaired now, and what to watch out for in the future. I think it was money well spent, worth every penny.
If you really want to know all about a house you are acquiring, this is the guy to call.

Steve John of All Pro Home Inspections  in San Diego, CA was simply outstanding.  He was very upfront that although he charges more than the average home inspection, he would perform a very thorough inspection on behalf of the buyer and make sure the buyer knows exactly what they are getting themselves.  We're not first time home buyers and too many times we went with whom the Realtors recommended and paid approximately $300-$400 for no more than a couple of hours of really just walking around.  Steve John wanted both listing and buyer agents there along with me, the buyer, to make sure we see and hear everything first hand.  The final report was just a deliverable for contract and negotiations purposes.  He climbed the roof, poked around in the chimney and attic.  He tested for moisture and the electrical.  It's a 5 bedroom, 3 bath on 0.25 acre property in North County and he spent 6+ hours thoroughly investigating and documenting everything.  The result, we found leaks in the roof, fault in the chimney and backyard gas lines to the fire pit and grill.  Bottom line, we still wanted the house but negotiated over $8500 in closing credits.  The return on investment was well worth it.  Thank Steve for a professional inspection and consultation!

He noted numerous minor deficiencies that the builder can easily fix.  He found several more significant issues that would have been costly to fix had they gone undetected. He allowed me to accompany him as much as I liked.  He also pointed out functions of the house and explained construction.  For example, I didn?t know that it was common for electrical outlets that are controlled by light switches to be installed upside down, by convention.

A few examples of the issues he found:  Minor issues:  paint imperfections and missing faucet aerators.  More significant issues:  two windows that didn?t open and close properly; metal fence touched the ground which would lead to rust.  Most important issues:  Drains to the curb were not angled properly which would?ve led to clogs; the brick façade was touching the ground and weep holes were buried (I never heard of weep holes); Cracked roof tiles and a water flow issue on the roof.

He was very responsive and conveniently scheduled the appointment.  He is articulate and friendly.  I highly recommend him.

Steve is a very thorough and quite professional inspector.  The amount he charged me was exactly what he said it was going to be.  For my house the price was based on the square footage. When I heard the estimate I told him I would have to think about it and call him back.  I am glad I decided to go with his service.  Probably like anything else, you get what you pay for.  He spent 6-7 hours at the property, and reviewed everything with me personally.  His report is extremely detailed and was very helpful was submitting my requests to be fixed before the contingency period closed.  I am sure that he found things most inspectors would not have checked or even realized were out of sorts.  His service easily paid for itself with the amount of money I was able to negotiate from the sellers in terms of repairs.  He is not the cheapest inspector, but he turned out to be well worth it.  I recommend All Pro Home Inspections without reservation!

Steve was very thorough and professional, he took the time to do the job right, and he made himself available to answer questions during and after the inspection. I was very happy with his work and I can highly recommend him. I did a lot of research when choosing an inspector, because I think it's critical for the inspector to have experience, training, and to be committed to spending enough time to do the job right. Steve has some of the best experience and credentials in the business. I encourage you to read his web site. He also spends more time than most other inspectors. He spent about 7 hours on-site during my inspection, and additional time afterward writing up the report. Other well-qualified inspectors that I spoke to estimated 3 to 5 hours for the same house. Steve is a one-man business, so you know exactly who is going to do the work, unlike bigger companies that just send whoever is available. The only downside is that you get what you pay for, so the pricing is higher than many (but not all) home inspectors. I have to admit that initially I struggled with the price, but in the end I decided that the inspection price difference is trivial compared to the price of a house. Also, because he is so thorough he may find issues that other inspectors would miss, and if you are able to negotiate those items with the sellers, it could make up for the difference in the cost of the inspection or more.  A thorough home inspection is money well spent.

Steve John was incredibly thorough and professional. His inspection lasted about 5 hours and he was incredibly thorough. He went way out of his way to make sure we understood everything and made really helpful suggestions about our house. I could not have been more pleased or impressed. I highly, highly recommend him.