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HouseMaster-Carmel

About us

or a guaranteed home inspection done by trained, certified, professional home inspectors, trust HouseMaster to do it right. Since 2010, Alan Peterson and the rest of the Central Indiana HouseMaster team has grown to the point of performing 1400 annual home inspections with 7 employees, proudly serving Hamilton, Johnson, Madison and Marion counties. Trained and certified by the National Institute of Building Inspectors, and backed by a free 90-day limited inspection guarantee, Alan and his team will inspect your home with the same attention to detail they would use for their own, and make sure you understand what the results of the inspection mean. What better reason to choose HouseMaster for your next home inspection!

Business highlights

15 years of experience

Services we offer

Comprehensive Errors & Omissions Insurance, Comprehensive Home Inspection Report, Multi-Family & Commercial Inspections, Multi-Unit Inspections, Seller Inspections, Termite & WDI Certifications, Termite Certifications, Written Limited Inspection Guarantee

Amenities

Free Estimates

Yes

Accepted Payment Methods

  • CreditCard
Reviews
3.819 Reviews
Number of StarsImage of DistributionNumber of Ratings
5
63%
4
5%
3
5%
2
5%
1
21%
Showing 1-19 of 19 reviews
Michael H.
Aug 2020
3.0
$695
Several significant items were not flagged on the inspector's report. These included, among other issues, an improperly hung garage door (safety issue), an inoperative control panel on the master bath jet tub and the lack of an access panel for the same (which I understood to be a code issue), and an inoperative refrigerator.

Daniel F.
Apr 2019
1.0
Housemaster home inspection came to my house to inspect. They looked at furnace which has worked perfectly since installed 2 years ago. After they took some of it apart and put back together it would not work . I paid for service call and technician told me the inspector had to knock wires loose and reconnected the incorrectly. He immediately fixed the problem but charged for service call. Housemaster would not refund fee for service call even though technician stated they were the cause. The inspector was blatantly dishonest and would not take responsibility. Avoid this dishonest company!!

ROGER V.
Apr 2018
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$385
Inspector could not check the roof due to snow on the roof but inspector pointed out many things of which we needed to be aware besides the items that we needed the seller to fix. Over all we felt the inspection went very well.

Mikala M.
Jul 2017
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$370
Great. I was a little nervous to use this company due to some of the negative feedback on Angie's List. However, they came recommend from the "Nextdoor" website in my neighborhood. I was very pleased with their services. The inspector was knowledgeable and did not seem rushed.

Alexa H.
Jul 2017
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$430
Great- very thorough and professional

Randy C.
May 2017
1.0
Avoid this company like the plague that they are. Not only was the home inspector not competent, Housemaster would not accept any accountability for his work. After moving into our home, we discovered that the sump pump has been disconnected from the storm sewer and hooked into the sanitary sewer - a clear code violation. Even though the inspection report looked at drainage and the sump system, the code violation was never mentioned. Worse yet, I found a picture in the report (attached to this review) that showed the pipe going into the sanitary and the cut pipe going to the storm. They had absolutely no excuse for missing it and even had a picture in their report which showed it! Now - where it really gets crazy. I contacted Alan, the owner of Housemaster Indy North. I showed him the picture in his own report and noted that the code violation was never mentioned. His response - quoted from his own email - "We will not be paying for the repairs or reimbursing you for the inspection." He offered absolutely no justification or explanation for why his company was not responsible for his inspectors lack of competence! Bottom line is that this is the worst response I have ever received from any company I've done business with. Most business owners expect competence from their employees and take accountability for their work . Alan apparently does neither. I'd avoid this company like the plague.

Gage P.
Sep 2016
1.0
$385
I received my Inspection by Eric Kartchner on July 6, 2016 for a home that I was purchasing. After I moved into the house on August 19, 2016, I noticed that the bath/shower pipes were leaking into the subfloor, walls, and into the basement. I notified HouseMaster the next morning on August 20, 2016. I spoke with the receptionist and she said she would have Eric call me back. Eric called back and told me to go ahead and have the repairs done they they will see what they can do. I had the repairs done and it cost me $1,104 to fix just the pipes that were leaking. Alan Peterson, the owner from what I understand, called me on August 24, 2016 and said he would like to come out to look at the repairs and see what it going on. I agreed and he said he would be out before Friday, August, 26, 2016. By August 26, I had not heard from Alan so I gave the office a call and left him a voicemail reminding him to get in touch with me. Finally, on August 29, 2016 Alan called and made an appointment for August 31, 2016 to come by. He came by August 31 and looked at the repairs. He made himself right at home when walking in by not taking his shoes off and clearing things off my kitchen counter so he had room for his laptop. I showed him the rotted floors from the leak and where the tile had fallen from the walls because of the leak. He spoke down to me and with a very unprofessional tone. I gave him a copy of the receipt from when I had the repairs done and he said he would look everything over and I would hear back before September 1, 2016. Again, I had not heard anything from Alan. I called the office on September 5 and left him a voicemail to not forget about me, again. The next day, Alan called me back and explained there was nothing they could do for me. He knew insurance would not reimburse him for this so he could not help out financially because of that. I then asked why Eric, the inspector, told me to go ahead and get the pipes fixed. He said he didn't know about that and would talk with Eric about that. Eric called me on September 8, 2016. He told me that he never said they would pay for the fixes but said that the told me to go ahead and get it fixed and they would see what they could do. I agreed that is what he said. I told him I would like to speak with Alan again. I was confused as to why Alan didn't contact me. Eric said he would let Alan know to give me a call. I have not heard a thing from anyone, like every other time. There reasoning for not reimbursing me for the damage was because they said the pipes were not leaking during the inspection and that during the inspection they rated the piping as in poor condition. To that I have to say, the pipes had to have been leaking long before and after the inspection. The plumbers documented that the leak had been doing on for a long period of time due to the calcium build up located at the leak. The subfloor also doesn't just rot over night. In the inspection report there were places were Eric mentioned the flooring starting to curl up on the sides and how the tile on the bottom of the wall were falling off. Nothing was ever investigated as to why these happened. They both were because of the leak that was ongoing. This proves that the pipe was in fact leaking at the time of inspection. As far as them telling me the pipes are in poor condition, there is a difference in a pipe that is in poor condition and a pipe that is currently leaking. A huge difference! Not to mention our hot water heater that they said was in "Satisfactory" condition went out just last night. Didn't bother to call and let them know. It would be pointless. I simply asked them to reimburse me the plumbers cost and they wouldn't. I didn't even ask for money to fix the flooring, the tile, and now not even the hot water heater. This company has bad business ethics and are very unprofessional. Would never recommend.

Chad E.
Sep 2016
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$360
Experience was great! Carol in the office was great and was very informative. Set up time and Jim Sodo handled the inspection and gave me very detailed information for the house. 1 hour after the inspection I had all the detailed information and there follow up was excellent and even offered me discounts towards my move. This company is top notch from beginning to end. Highly recommend this company!

Courtney H.
Mar 2016
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$390
Shane completed an inspection for the house I'm in the process of buying. I was amazed at how thorough Shane was. He spotted several things I never would have noticed. He took the time to explain the process and answers all of our questions. I wouldn't hesitate to refer HouseMaster of Carmel to anyone.

JIM S.
Nov 2015
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$350
Excellent service and very professional.  We ended up buying this house after it was thoroughly inspected.

Chris W.
May 2015
1.0
see above. Do not hire. If things go wrong, he refuses to use his insurance to correct.

Tyler K.
Apr 2015
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
unknown

Scott H.
Aug 2014
4.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$295
unknown

Shannon C.
Jul 2014
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$485
The inspector, Ben, was great! He was extremely professional, arrived on time, and was very thorough with his report. His meticulous efforts were really revealed through the final report he presented to us. The entire process took around 2-3 hours for the 1,500 square footage home. The organization of this company made our evaluation of the home simple and more effortless than I imagined it being. I highly recommend this company to anyone in the area who is looking for a straightforward approach to the home inspection process!

Sudhakar S.
Apr 2014
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$450
I purchased newly constructed home from builder. Housemaster inspected the house during pre-drywall and near completion (before Closing) and provided some valuable information.
Shane was doing the inspection both the time. He was always on time. He explained all necessary details and suggestion which is really great source for first time home buyers.

David M.
Sep 2013
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$300
Trent was wonderful. Very nice and very knowledgable. He showed up early and started inspecting before we got there and went through everything with us. He showed us the problems and answered every question we could ask. He knew we were first time homeowners and he showed us the basics on everything we should know. The full report was sent us within 24 hours just lie he said it would. We also received a packet from housemaster with a lot of information. They took all the model numbers from the appliances and signed us up for a recall check. The overall experience with them was just amazing. I would recommend them to anyone, anytime.

Kristina L.
Apr 2013
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$300
Shane came and inspected the home we were looking at to buy. We could not be there but he called immediately after and emailed me the report and walked through it. Very professional and awesome! We still get emails from them with home update info.

Sean P.
Mar 2013
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$325
From my first interaction with the company to set up the appointment to the very last email sent about the results, the company was very friendly and professional. I was a few moments late to the inspection appointment and Shane was already there conducting his inspection. I walked throughout the property with him, which he welcomed me to do as I was going to be the new home owner for this particular property. He was very thorough in his work and he did a great job explaining to me all of his findings good or bad, great or small, significant or insignificant. Since he knew I was the buyer for the house he also gave me some pointers in maintenance and also insights on how to be energy efficient. Highly recommend!

Bob R.
Nov 2012
2.0
$460
Confusion with price of what was quoted by office and what was given at time of inspection caused my client to come up with more $ out of pocket at the inspection even t. It left a sour note in my clients mind. Inspection was not as thorough as we would've liked. We had taken several quotes for this property which has 2 structures on it and had informed each company that there were 2 simple structures on the property. We selected the inspector based on the quotes and scheduled the inspection leaving enough time to file an inspection response. Upon arriving at the property we were told that the price would be more than what we were quoted and we negotiated a new price that was more than what my client expected because we had no time to reschedule with another inspector.
This was further exacerbated by the fact my client did not receive a receipt until a month later when we had to call to get a copy which did not reflect the additional amount he had to pay. We finally received a corrected copy after calling and reminding HouseMaster that my client paid more than the quoted price.
Response from HouseMaster-Carmel
"customer called our office to schedule an inspection, stating that we are inspecting one house and an out-building. He was given appropriate pricing of $65 additional. When the inspector arrived, it was determined that there were two houses on the property. The rear building was an occupied rental house, with kitchen, furnace and A/C. The inspector reached a compromise of pricing the second house at our minimum rate of $275 less $100. The doctor purchasing the property had no issue with the cost and paid cash he had on him. The customer appeared embarrassed to be caught in a lie in front of his client and wrote this negative report."

Licensing

State Contractor License Requirements

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FAQ

HouseMaster-Carmel is currently rated 3.8 overall out of 5.

HouseMaster-Carmel accepts the following forms of payment: CreditCard

Yes, HouseMaster-Carmel offers free project estimates.

No, HouseMaster-Carmel does not offer eco-friendly accreditations.

No, HouseMaster-Carmel does not offer a senior discount.

No, HouseMaster-Carmel does not offer emergency services.

No, HouseMaster-Carmel does not offer warranties.