North Bay Inspection

An appointment was easily scheduled on just a couple of days notice. John arrived early and was very friendly, yet professional throughout the inspection. His breadth and depth of experience was obvious and he clearly explained any issues that he saw as we went along through the inspection. Any questions I had were answered and John also gave me any background information that might be pertinent to a certain situation.
The inspection report included pictures of the overall condition of the house as well as any 'trouble spots' that John found. There were some minor typing errors in the report, but it did not detract from the content. The report was well organized with immediate recommendations at the beginning before addressing the homes individual areas and systems.
The price was relatively high when compared with other inspector's' rates for a home of this size. However, in the spirit of 'you get what you pay for,' I believe I received a top rate inspection. Additionally, John encouraged me to contact him with any questions I might have in the future.
Overall, I was provided with a high quality service and product and will look to John for any future home inspections I may need.

The house we are buying is only 5 years old so we were sort of thinking that having to pay for an inspection was a bit of a waste of money but we could not have been more wrong! John had my husband follow him through his entire inspection and explained every detail about every system of the house as he went along. There is not one part of the house that my husband hasn't seen or doesn't know how to operate now. That alone was well worth the price. Even if you already bought your home it is worth having John come out just so you can learn everything there is to know about the house. He is like a walking instruction manual and then his report is an actual manual that you can refer back to at any point. John was not only the best but was completely reasonably priced. He was actually less than some other inspectors I saw. You will not be disappointed, I promise!

I called Northbay on a recommendation from a friend who owns a number of pieces of real estate. I needed an inspection on very short notice, and in a hurry, as this was a short sale purchase that had just been approved and had a 30 day timeline to complete. The bank gave me 30 days, which included 3 holidays, so the timeline coudn't have been more insane. I called Northbay, and they came the day I requested and the time I requested, when I had all the other inspectors there. John Marshal called me that morning to confirm the place and time, and arrived promptly. I followed him during a portion of the inspection including up onto the roof, asking questions and discussing what we were seeing. As I had other inpectors there at the time, I moved on to other inspectors and questions throughout the property. When he was finished, John tracked me down on the back acreage, and walked me through all of his findings. He not only pointed out the issues and described solutions, he drew diagrams and estimated costs, all of which proved to be absolutely accurate. (to the dollar on the electrical work!). While doing these things he walked around the home and indicated the exact things he was tlaking about, answering all my questions. John respected my level of knowledge in some areas of building construction, and total lack of knowledge in other areas, and never talked down to me. He communicated in a way that was informative and incredibly knowledgeable, just exactly what I was looking for. I'm very much a DIY'er, and he gave me all sorts of great suggestions on how to cheaply and effectively resolve issues like drainage and earthquake retrofit. At the end he summarized his findings, and was the first report I had in my email box less than 24 hours afterward. I could not have asked for anything more!

John Marshall did a great job. He allowed me to accompany him throughout the house as he did the home inspection. His explanations were clear and easy to follow. His written inspection was thorough and included many excellent pictures. I use it as a reference even now, three months after having purchased the property.

Excellent service.

Mr. Marshall was extremely professional and highly competent. The inspection was careful and detailed, the write-up was thorough, and he added a lot of extra detail on how we might fix the problems that were found. I would use them again in a second, and I recommend them very highly.

John was there ahead of time! When we arrived to meet him he was already walking around checking things out. He was very friendly and took time to explain everything that he was checking and why. He also gave us an ongoing commentary of helpful hints about what would soon need attention, how to maintain almost every aspect of the house. All of this commentary also appeared later in his written report. We walked around the exterior first and he made many detailed observations as he let us follow him around. He poked around and opened up electrical subpanels, carefully examined the siding and windows, exterior doors and frames, etc. We went up on the roof and he again made many detailed observations and made suggestions on how to keep the roof in good shape. We then went inside and he ran all the appliances, including the heater, which he opened up and pointed out some repairs that would be upcoming. He also made lots of suggestions on how to maintain things, and patiently answered every question. Then John climbed into the attic with his flashlight, camera and clipboard. We didn't follow him in there but watched while he checked around up there. Then he located the under floor access points and climbed into the crawlspace under the house as well. There is a detached 2 car garage that was converted into a studio that wasn't part of the job, but John took a look in there anyway and made some great observations and suggestions. I felt as though I knew so much more about my new home thanks to this very educational and pleasant experience. When he emailed me the report, it was complete with the photos he took. It included all the little suggestions he made during the inspection, and more. For example, he had a 4 or 5 step procedure for draining the sediments out of the water heater as a part of regular maintenance. We didn't even talk about that during the visit - cool! He also supplied me with a list of contractors that he could recommend to work on our floors, heating and cooling, roofing, plumbing, etc. etc. He also gave us a construction cost guide - what we might expect to pay for painting, roofing, foundation work, etc. Very helpful! Because of his high integrity, I feel comfortable using the people on his recommendation list and the cost guide is very informative. I feel very confident that I know what I am getting into as I buy this house, both in the short term (things that need immediate attention) and the long term (things to do before the next winter, yearly maintenance, issues to expect in the next 5 years, etc.). Man, what a bang we got for our buck!

John was very thorough in the inspection and provided a lot of information. He answered all our questions and was very professional. The final written report was very detailed and helpful. A great job!

It went very well. 10 out of 10.

This is my first home purchase and I really didn't know what to expect. John was punctual and courteous, and he immediately put me at my ease. He invited me to join him for the duration of the inspection so that he could explain every aspect of his findings. He explained that his inspection report would focus on conditions that were less than ideal, pointing out everything that would need to be immediately addressed, could become troublesome in the near future or was no longer up to current code. Additionally, his report would identify any specific areas where it would be wise to have a specialist (plumbing, roofing, etc.) investigate further. However, through the course of the inspection John also advised me about what was right about the property. He directed my attention to improvements that were recent and done well, and explained in detail why they worked. He explained the construction techniques used throughout the home, told me how various features of the home could be easily maintained, and made recommendations for small (and inexpensive!) improvements that would increase the life and health of the current buildings. Big Plus - John was the inspector the last time the house changed owners, so he was familiar with the property and told me about improvements that had been made since he was last there. (How he remembered details about a property he last saw 8 years ago, I don't know, but that, I'm sure, is the mark of a professional who is good at what he does.) His enjoyment and enthusiasm as we moved through the property soon had me relaxed, engaged and deeply interested in everything he had to say. It was a fascinating and informative experience. John also stated during the inspection and in his report that he is happy to answer questions regarding the property at a later date and often communicates with former clients when questions or issues arise concerning their homes. I would be very comfortable contacting him in the future. As result of John's inspection, I'm confident about my purchase and I feel I have a realistic understanding of what repairs and improvements I'll want to make immediately and what I should be thinking about for a later time. I definitely recommend John's services. I continue to think about his recommendations and plan to implement all his suggested improvements. I know about my house, its construction and materials, and will be able to anticipate many of its future needs with confidence. The inspection process was a pleasure start to finish.

Overall, this was an excellent service, and I have recommended John Marshall to friends for similar inspections.

North Bay Inspection was absolutely wonderful. We were able to get an appt. within a few days from the original call. We are first time home buyers, even though the house was built in 2004, it was a foreclosure and the prior owners stripped the home, we wanted to make sure there was not any serious damage as a result of the prior owners anger. We hired John because of his many years of experience. He was very forgiving, the Realtor for the bank assured us the water and power would be turned on by our appt., and it was not. John did not charge us, even though he had already showed up for the appt. and had started. We rescheduled and he was great about the whole situation. Upon his inspection, he explained everything to us as we went through the house with us, answered all our questions. He was very very thorough!!! The home inspection took approx. 3 hours. He took many pictures and gives you pictures and a very detailed multiple page assessment of his inspection. He told us about the right away things to do, things to eventually do, and what to look out for, how the job should be done, drew pictures when we did not quite understand. He was so patient with us and really wanted us to get the most out of this experience. Any one in the Napa, Vallejo, Marin or Fairfield areas should definitely use his services!!

We chose John because of his experience with older homes (in this case, a 1910 Craftsman). We found John to be quite knowledgeable, very professional, extremely thorough and unbelievably patient. He showed up right on time and spent the next 3.5 hours inspecting every nook and cranny in the house. John allowed my husband and I to follow him around during the entire inspection (we are first time home buyers and wanted to learn as much as possible about the house). John not only explained everything he was doing, but patiently answered any and all questions we threw at him. (The education we received during the inspection was a bonus I hadn't anticipated). John's 50 page inspection report (with photos) was provided to us the very next business day (a Monday). He told us to call him if we had any questions about the report and, when we did, we once again found him to be patient and thorough in his responses. If we hadn't decided to purchase the home, we would hire him again in a minute.