HOUSE MASTER OF AMERICA

Prices we as agreed and standard for the industry, as well as meeting the deadlines for the inspection. After we moved in we started to notice some things that were missed but should have been listed on the report. When we found this home we had been in town for less than a week to find and buy a home to move into about month later. With all the importance put on home inspections coupled with the fact we were out of state at the time, we relied heavily on this home inspection to point out obvious issues as well as things not easily or readily seen. Sometimes something obvious will lend itself to something more serious that can be negotiated into the sale or disqualify the house completely. Therefore, we hired this home inspector to report to us anything that was or could be potential problems. There were 4 major issues not listed on the report that we had discovered after living in the house for a few months, when I asked the company for a total re-inspection. Kathryn, the owner, refused to do this - she would only have her inspector look at specific concerns. She wanted to send out the same inspector, which concerned me due to the ineffective inspection he had already done. I had to insist on a new employee, which she eventually agreed to. The new inspector validated my concerns and found a couple more major issues. He also confirmed these should have been listed on the initial inspection. When I talked with Kathryn about the new findings she insisted that I fill out an "incident Report" to send in to her insurance company. I filled it out stating I would get bids for the repairs and send them over as soon as I got all of them together. In the course of getting bids another issue arose with the roof that would have to be fixed before being able to fix one of our initial concerns. All of this took place in under 5 work days. That same afternoon I received a letter from her stating, in essence, that she was not going to warranty any of her work whether it was missed or neglected. I was assured in the letter that she knew I could "appreciate her position." All throughout this whole experience Kathryn has been very dismissive and evasive. I can't get her to answer my calls now - I had to call the corporate office of House Masters to have them get her to call me after the re-inspection. One specific issue we have is this (although by far from the most pressing and important): at the time of the purchase the duct needed reattached and this was negotiated with the previous owners to have the work done. The inspector came back out to inspect that the work was in fact completed and signed off that it was. This was not true - the duct was never fixed. This was confirmed by the new inspector based on the condition of the duct and accumulation of condensation inside. My concern with this is not cost...it's been fixed with the cost of only a couple hours of time in the crawl space. What all this points to is a lack of ethics and accountability. Especially when I confronted her with the issues and all I got was excuses and then ignored. The cost associated with all the repairs isn't too exorbitant (probably around $2,000), so it doesn't warrant any legal action. But, anyone using this branch of the company should beware. Your "guarantee" you get with their work is nothing more than a disclaimer and you will be opening yourself up to potential problems after you move in. I suggest you call LICENSED PROFESSIONALS EDUCATED IN THEIR SPECIFIC DISCIPLINES to do all your inspection needs. It may take a little more time and a few more appointments, but the cost will be close to the same. The most important difference is you will get someone who actually knows about the specific disciplines. rather than someone who's experience in building, HVAC, electricity and roofing is limited to hiring employees who aren't required to have the education that electricians, plumbers, etc. are and may not even have the experience in all of the work they are contracted to inspect.