The Reilly Group LLC

We recently moved to Connecticut and bought a house in Westport, CT. Back in early September we had a offer on the house that we purchased now and our real estate agent offered to help with the home inspection. She said J Reilly is one of the reputed home inspector in the area and arranged him to do the inspection on 9/19/20. She said they will call to confirm details of the home inspection but they never did and also didn't return my calls. Being new to this area, I just went with my real estate agent recommendation and viewed their website. On the day of inspection, J Riley didn't show up but sent his assistant. There was only 1 guy doing the inspection for pest, pool and hvac. But the website said there will be team of inspectors. He cut short lot of things spend about roughly 2.5 hours total for about 7000 sq ft home but still charged me $2000 for the inspection. It was a total worthless service, even I could have done a better job that the guy who performed the inspection. I have listed the few issues that we notice during and after moving into the house. I really think this guy shouldn't be inspecting homes putting people life at risk: 1. Roof: We saw the so called inspector viewing the roof with his binocular and when asked he said he didn't have ladder. In their website it specifically says that they will perform by climbing up and not visually inspection which sets them apart from other companies, its a total lie. 2. HVAC: he said the furnace have to be performed maintenance service every 5 years. I have never heard anyone wait 5 years to service their heating and cooling system. Its even in the report. Also, he didn't know where the furnace filter is for the unit. 3. The visual grading in the side of the house is bad but when asked he said its not an issue and didn't even note that in the report. But after we moved and with the rain there is always a pool of water and a contractor says that the grading is poor in that area and need to be regraded costing thousands of dollars. 4. The first day we moved into the house we noticed the range hood making loud abnormal noise as if its going to fall down. After checking with appliance technician and the HVAC person its clear that it was not installed properly and the damper is not opening which causing that abnormal noise and no suction. We had to cut a hole in the ceiling and wall in order to correct the installation. Now we have to not only repair the unit but have to repair the ceiling coming us thousands of dollars. How come he didn't at least to investigate the abnormal noise? Even I could check that myself no need to pay this guy $2000 to do a ****** job. The list goes on there are more issues that he didn't mention or notice. The reason I want to complain is the guy should not be allowed to inspect homes anymore as he can put people life at risk. Even after expressing our concern through our agent owner never bothered to call and ask about our concern. This shows the amount of care they provide to their customers.

The inspector was a disaster. In addition to pulling our dehumidifier hose out of the basement sink (and leaving it on the basement floor, causing water damage to three paintings stored nearby - which cost us quite a bit to restore and reframe), the inspector told the prospective family that our Radon systems here was not working, so we had  to call Connecticut Basements, a reputable company, to repair same and be sure systems were working.  They came and said there was nothing at all wrong with the radon systems...the inspector had not noticed an off/on electric connection. That cost was  $110.  He also wrote in his report that we had a "non-working dishwasher".  This was not true either, but we realized that, again, it was because it was not turned on, so we avoided that expense. He also managed to break a small porcelain lamp.

When we intially contacted them about all the damage, they apologized profusely and told us to send them a bill. We did so, not even charging them for the full damage to the paintings. This was three months ago. We have emailed them every two weeks since, asking when we can expect to be repaid, and they do not respond.

Something is seriously wrong with this inspection group.

As others have already commented, the Reilly team is great.  They arrived on time and methodically went through every corner of the house. Their report was very thorough (23 pages) and they came back a second time to further inspect some issues.  They offered advice on different aspects of the house (such as recommended major and minor repairs) and pointed out safety concerns.  We were very happy with the job they did for us and would use them again.

The home inspection from J Reilly was thorough and the resulting report was comprehensive.  J works with another team member - while he goes about the inspection, he reports back to the team member via radio so that his colleague can record the inspection results and create the report real-time.   This certainly led to a timely report - we received it at the end of the inspection.  However, at times during the inspection, I did feel that J's explanations to me, or time spent might have been slightly rushed as he was constantly communicating back and forth with the colleague on the radio.
J's speaks in layman's terms, so you can clearly understand what the results are.  The final report provides results in meaningful categories: 
- Major repair
- Minor repair
- Safety Issue
- Needs further investigation
These categories helped us determine what the priority items were to bring back to home seller for address.
A few cons from the experience:
- J talks very fast, so you really need to listed closely!
- J's colleague was not as thorough - I believe his name was Mark.  He performed some of the interior inspection and missed a few items that I had found (rotting on a window casement and broken heat vent in one of the rooms). 
However, the overall experience was very positive, and J offers to come back to the house after repairs have been made to ensure they are thorough...a nice touch.

Everything was great up until we found water in the basement 2 weeks after the inspection...............................They missed a hole in the foundation!

They are a team! Three guys coming on time and do the efficient job. clear explanation and report.
Free final walk through service at the closing day and I get many info of how to maintain the house in the future.
I am very satisfied with the service.

Despite a mixup with scheduling, we were very pleased with the Reilly Group and J Reilly.  We can't adjust the total rating for the mixup, however, since it wass handled professionally and fairly, and they were able to reschedule with us quickly.  J Reilly and his team walked us through every inch of the property and were willing to offer advice freely on what we could expect for costs of various repairs, potential upkeep, etc.  When obtaining quotes, Reilly Group was a bit more expensive than other companies in the area, but you absolutely get what you pay for.  This was our second home, second home inspection, and the quality & detail provided by The Reilly Group was worth the extra $.

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The Reilly Group was an absolute pleasure to work with! My husband and I live out of town and could not attend the inspection. Our Realtor, who has seen countless inspections, made a point of calling to tell us how impressed she was by the professionalism and thoroughness of J and his team.
The report we received was very thorough, organized and easy to understand, and even before we had noticed it in our email, J's team member, Hadria, was calling to schedule a phone confererence for J to review it with us and answer any questions we might have. J was extremely knowledgeable about all the topics he covered, giving us detailed information about the scope and seriousness of any problems and likely cost of repairs. Any follow-up questions we had through phone calls or emails were returned immediately by Hadria or J with detailed responses.
Since we had missed the inspection, J even offered to spend an hour with my husband and I at the final walk-through to make sure repairs were made properly and show us how to operate various systems in the house.
We feel confident that The Reilly Group performed an extremely thorough and competent inspection of the home. We would highly recommend The Reilly Group and would definitely use them again.

They were so punctual. They were fast. They came and were prepared. They had software. They had head sets and looked in every nook and cranny. By the time I got there they had already done a preliminary and were going back through to write down any of the things that they had seen. They were there with the real estate agent. By the time I got there there was very little extra stuff that I had to do as far as waiting for them. They were ready when I got there. That really was great because I as on a time budget. The price was reasonable. They emailed the radon report as soon as it was ready. They were just fantastic. I can't say nothing bad about them. They were so thorough and wonderful. I would highly recommend them. I would use them again.

J and his team showed up right on time, let me know what would happen, and began an inspection that ran with military precision.  J and Pete did most of the inspecting, while a third guy (connected to them by earpiece) manned mission control and wrote up the report. J and Pete inspected mostly independently, and generally one of them would be walking me through a portion of the house while the other inspected the next part. They were up on the roof, had their heads in the chimney, crawling around under the outbuilding.  They took care to explain to me exactly how everything worked and what the causes and solutions of problems were.  They kept asking me if I had questions, and were very patient in answering my questions. At the end of the inspection (just over two hours thanks to their efficient way of working) I had a 24-page full-color printed draft report, and a corrected report came over email when they got back.
These guys really understand antique houses!  I feel very well-informed as I continue with negotiations on the house, and I have a whole list of things to watch out for in the future if I do end up buying the house.  It's like having an owner's manual for the house.
I paid quite a bit more for this inspection than others might have charged, but I don't think I could have had better people for the job.  I'd use them again in a heartbeat.

The total spent was $750; $600 for the home inspection and $150 for inspection of 3 barns.
I was very pleased with their professionalism and very helpful advice on how to repair and maintain my older home and barns.  It was great to get a list of things I should repair immediately along with a list of things I could work on over time.
I would use their services again.

He is great. He came with his computer and six experts in their own specific areas. They do the inspection and before he leaves he has a computerized print out of the inspection. The service was unbelievable. I thought the price was a little expensive, but I really did get what I paid for with the service. He inspects every area of the house and he stayed for several hours. He found things I don't think anyone else would have found.

Being a first time home buyer, my wife and I were uneducated in the process of home inspection.  The real estate agent gave us the name of three companies consider.  The Reilly Group was one of them.  Right off the bat, we felt very comfortable with Hadria (Executive Office Manager) and decided to go with the group.  The were able to get in immediately and were a very reasonably priced option.  On the day of inspection, her comfort was reaffirmed by the fact that Peter (inspector) was already there to meet us when we showed up (we were 5 minutes early!).  He explained how they broke up the house between himself and J (Principal/Inspector).  This way when one was inspecting, the other could go over his findings.  I found this to a great system since both were very knowledgeable and we were not spending a full day at the home, while never feeling rushed!  Peter got to work on the outside as J and Mark (Tech) showed up to confirm Peter's explanation and start on the roof.  Before we knew it, Peter was going over the outside with us.  When we was done, he went to inspect the inside and J went over the roof with us, alternating between the two until the inspection was complete.  We were never sitting around, and we never felt rushed through the process.  Both of them made sure that we completely understood everything they were telling us, offered suggestion on how to fix issues and answered all questions we asked.  While all this was happening, Mark was inspecting the appliances/heating to make sure they were in working order and inputting data for the report.  After the two of them went over the whole house, J went over the report that was printed and waiting for us!  Unfortunately, the sale of the house fell through do to a lot of problems J and Peter uncovered (which the home owner was unaware of).  However, we found another home and did not hesitate to call J and group in to perform the inspection!  Every one of them (Hadria, J, Peter and Mark) were very professional and made us feel comfortable with our decision to go with the group.  I can not say enough about the company and would highly recommend them to anybody looking for a home inspection!!!