Sherlock Home Inspections

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My first bad feeling about their professional behavior was when the owner kept messaging me almost close to midnight to get the payment immediately (same day as the inspection was made) before he releases the report. I was asked to call him back at 11 pm!!! to make a payment over the phone with my credit card and I did. It was a hint of something bad to come if the service demanding immediate pay disregarding how late at night it is.
Then comes the report, pretty lousy, and it is not that it is my first report ever or don't know how reports are supposed to look like. I own 6 homes so I am very familiar with the process. Half the report was shopping list for repair and advertisements for affiliated companies. The inspector did not state any details as promised and the pest control was nothing but a cartoon drawing of the property and list of some insects (spiders, ants ) that were spotted in the lawn. The report did not state the condition or type of flooring in any of the rooms and when I called for more details, while the inspector (not the owner) was friendly and trying to be helpful, he did not know the difference between hardwood flooring and laminate and could not tell me which one it was. No word on the quality of windows, condition of the tiles, sewer drainage and toilet flush (which was found was a problem later on when I used the toilets). Despite the faults described in the report, I went ahead with the purchase not knowing there is more that the inspection never mentioned. Keep in mind that I am out of state and I relied entirely on that report.
After the closing I flew to Naples and gained possession of the property. I noticed large water stain in the ceiling of the dining area and bubbling plaster underneath (30"x20" area) . When investigated in the top floor, the shower floor was leaking water to the dry walls, the drywalls were damaged at the base and the ceramic/stone tiles had no slope and the water always makes a puddle in the shower area (and dark discoloration was not hard to miss because of the stagnation of water when the shower is used). NONE of this was ever mentioned in the report.  Further, the kitchen sink was and has been leaking water from the erator and there is significant water damage and stain on the base cabinet under the sink. The erator was described in the report as stuck, but the truth is it was broken and was leaking water from everywhere for a long time enough to cause the above damage described in the cabinet. AGAIN, this was never mentioned. The toilet was backed after it was flushed for the first time and had to call service call to snake it, I don't believe they even tested if the toilets were flushing, which should have been done on a property that was not occupied for 2 years. The valve in the 2nd bath was described as stuck with gunk and would clear on itself, matter of fact it was not just stuck but all melted and the repair had to tear a wall 2'x3' to replace the valve and reconnect the pipes which cost me over $500 in repairs.
My over all experience with Sherlock is that they could care less for the customer. The owner was quite unprofessional when I brought my concerns after seeing the report and his answer was: What did you expect? He considered it a personality conflict instead of recognizing mistakes. They were more eager to take the money even at the middle of the night but would not take the time to make thorough inspection. They omitted to mention two different water damages to the house among other things as mentioned. For all of the above reasons, I would never use their services again and definitely would not recommend.

They did an excellent job. It was a good in-depth report. We didn't have any problems with them at all.

Every aspect of the inspection was positive, to the point, and professional. I appreciated the time taken in my initial phone call and on the web site to explain the process. The needed work was quickly scheduled then begun and completed on time. Johnny Dennison was the inspector. He was very approachable with any questions, but mainly focused on the inspection. He took about three hours to do the complete inspection and was moving the whole time. At the completion of the inspection he discussed all major findings and answered my questions. I never felt rushed. He told me that I would have the finished report by email the following day and it came right on time. The report was thorough, well illustrated with pictures, and his added comments were especially helpful. I have confidence that I understand what work will be needed on the house after closing.
Johnny was very courteous to the current renter who was working at home during the inspection. He informed her where he would be in the house and when he moved to another area.  I was especially impressed that he pointed out a simple thing that she could do to improve the air curculation in the house. That was an above-and-beyond moment.

Inspection date 3/20/12I
 joined Angie's List to specifically find a home inspector for the duplex we are considering and found Sherlock Home Inspections to be the top rated and after checking several others, they turned out to be VERY reasonably priced! Todd bent over backwards to accommodate me on short notice because the water and electric would only be turned on for one afternoon.On a very busy day for him, Todd found a way to squeeze my inspection into the schedule. Senior Inspector Larry Martin arrived at 4:00 PM to begin his inspection and didn't finish until 9:00 PM! Our daughter was there during those hours and reported to us via phone during the process. She told us that Larry was unbelievably thorough, explaining everything to her as he did the inspection. A very detailed report containing 106 photos was in my inbox by 10am the next morning!. I feel much relieved making this purchase thanks to Todd and Larry at Sherlock Home Inspection!

Working with Todd Riley was great. He was very proactive in scheduling the appointment and, since we were not able to be present at the inspection, making us feel that he was a valuable partner to us. The inspection was at noon on a Thursday and the home inspection report was in my email first thing Friday morning. The report itself was very detailed with descriptions and photos. 36 pages. It was the most detailed home inspection report we've ever had. Blemishes in paint! The Air Conditioner was good but could maybe be a bit more efficient! Like I said, very detailed. I had some questions and Todd gave me the number of the man, Larry Martin, who did the inspection. Larry was very good to speak with and answered all of my questions clearly and even said that if I had any other questions at any time in the future to be sure and call him. The whole experience was good. Everyone I spoke with, Todd and Larry, from Sherlock were very courteous and knowledgeable. As I said, we weren't able to attend the inspection as we live in another state, and so were nervous about the quality of the work but both Todd and Larry made us feel very confident about everything. I must state that this is for the home inspection only as we will receive the report for the pest inspection in the next few days but, if it's anything like the home report, I'm certain it will exceed our expectations. I would definitely recommend Sherlock Home Inspection to anyone.

Everything from start to finish was done in a professional way and I was extremely satisfied with the home inspection.  They have an exterminator come do an inspection of your property for any pest problems that you might have.  This company was also very professional!

Everything was wonderful from start to finish. Getting ahold of Todd was quick and easy. After a few phone calls he was able to schedule the inspection with one of his senior inspectors the very next day, which happened to be a Saturday.  Larry, the inspector, called one hour prior to the inspection just to confirm that I would be there. Upon his arrival, I was greeted very professionally, and Larry went over a brief synopsis of everything that he would be taking a look at.  He was more than happy to allow me to follow around and watch the inspection procedure. Throughtout the 3 hours, he explained a few minor issues that he had observed and answered every question that I had.  Being a first time homebuyer, I was profoundly impressed with his knowledge and willingness to go over every detail necessary to make me comfortable. I was also surprised that a pest control service evaluation was included in the inspection as well. He was professional and definitely an expert in his area, just for kicks I quizzed him on how many different types of ants invade the home. At the end, they both went over everything in great detail, and definitely put me at ease with my home purchase.

I chose Sherlock Home Inspection based on reports in Angie's List.  I was purchasing a townhouse in Fort Myers and needed to schedule an inspection before closing.  The people at Sherlock Home Inspection were friendly and helped me schedule an inspection within days.  The technician arrived on time and began immediately.  He was thorough and answered all my questions regarding the inspection and pointed out a few minor cosmetic defects and a few things that, although minor, would be worth correcting.  I received a detailed report of the inspection complete with detailed photos of areas of interest.  The Sherlock Home Inspector was accompanied by another inspector from another firm.  The other inspector was from a pest control company and is part of the inspection I contracted.  That could be a big deal in Florida.  In my case I didn't utilize the pest control services offered and took a wait and see approach to any possible "bug" issues.
I didn't really shop price when I contracted Sherlock Home Inspections.  I wanted a reliable inspection by a certified contractor and Sherlock Home Inspections delivered.  Friendly, prompt, detailed report, and, value.  What more could you ask for?

Robert was prompt, cordial & well dressed. Inspection was extremely thorough. Report e-mailed within less than 24 hours. I recommended this company.

Inspector arrived about 10 minutes early. He first listened to our concerns. Then he said he would go about his business. He seemed extremely thorough and was very willing to share information and answer any questions along the way. After he was done, he went over the complete report in general and emailed a 23 page detailed report late that night, as requested. 

Great job that took over an hour or more, sorry I don't remember but the report with photos were awesome as we are in a buyout arrangement.  I

The inspector was very knowledgable and professional.

Good

Arrived right on time. Very professional. Ours is a one year old home and the builder's warranty is coming to an end. We wanted to be sure everything is OK. He got on the roof, went into the attic, checked electrical and plumbing. Excellent job. Gave us some helpful home maintenance tips. Highly recommend.

The report was done the following day and emailed to me.

Good

In the process of buying a home and used Sherlock home inspection to do the inspection. Rob was very punctual, and professional, pointed out a lot of problems i had not noticed. he was very thorough and answered all my questions. Recieved the report with photos included the next day, Sherlock also sent out a pest inspector at no additional cost, to give an estimate of the cost of pest control which was very reasonable.