ECHO HOME INSPECTION INC

unknown

Extremely thorough & knowledgeable.  Answered all my questions along the way.

unknown

Echo was able to come out on relatively short notice (a few days). Right away they found a leaking pipe that was dripping immediately above the circuit breaker box. We both realized that further inspection would be dangerous, so Dotty at the home office generously agreed we wouldn't be charged until it was fixed and they could do a real inspection. After the bank fixed the leak, Echo again dispatched a two person team (consisting of a licensed inspector and his assistant) who arrived 30 minutes early (a good thing) in order to do the external inspection. They were personable and answered all my questions patiently, offering helpful suggestions about the house and its maintenance. The inspection was thorough and covered every aspect of the house. It was an old-school "pencil and clipboard" inspection with no digital pictures or videos that higher priced outfits provide. However, they immediately gave us a neatly organized notebook detailing all of their findings. I don't think having digital images/videos would have added much value anyway. The initial inspection was done in a hour and a half (a bit short, I feel) but after they went over my checklist and concerns (and seemed genuinely happy to do so), the inspection took a healthy 2.5 hours. My only criticism of their service was how arms-length they were sometimes about testing things. I understand that inspectors can't risk damaging the property but at times they would back off from investigating small problems. For instance, the front water faucet was hard to turn so they declared it rusted shut (but a little more force opened it). Or, the kitchen faucet sprayer was leaking so they marked the whole kitchen plumbing as shot. Sure, blowing up both issues a little is good for my negotiations as buyer but is not as helpful for me, the future homeowner. I'd rather know the true extent of problems (even small ones). Overall, based on my limited experience with inspectors, I'd recommend them and use them again. We were able to negotiate a $3000+ credit at closing based on their findings, so we are quite happy with that.

Very well! Vic and Patty were well organized, punctual and VERY detail oriented. Vic took the time to explain, in laymans terms, how everything should look and if it didn't meet their requirements, what I could expect to pay to have it fixed or replaced. They also explained what could reasonably be asked of the current homeowners to have fixed as condition of the sale and what is simply wear and tear. I has been a year since I used their services and if I have fixed everything on the list they gave me. Now surprise issues and I couldn't be happier with their service. They made buying a home much less worrisome.