I-SPY HOME INSPECTION

They were very accommodating to my schedule as well as a last minute change due to needing access to a neighbors unit. He arrived promptly. I got the report promptly and it was detailed 10 plus pages. It was also my first home inspection so I didn't know what to expect. But what really impressed me was when I read a friends home inspection report. Ispys was 10 times better- there was no comparison. Ispy was more thorough and better written. Example would be ispy had a paragraph with photos about the fuse box and what was wrong and why it had to be redone. Theirs had one sentence saying the fuse box needs upgraded. That was it. Ispys had great pictures and pointed out nuance things a homeowner would like to know such as outlets are tired or bathroom fan needs cleaned. I have lived here for months now and I have yet to find something ispy did not find. The nuance things were right as well. I had to replace all the tired outlets as stuff wouldn't stay plugged in. I'm more impressed now than I knew I should be at the time.

Overall the inspection was useful, however he missed a few HUGE issues.
What was good: He found termite damage in the addition and we were able to go back to the old owners and ask for compensation.
What was bad: First, He made no effort to go into the attic. The house has drop ceilings throughout and he didn't bother to find the entry space to the attic behind the tiles. Had he done this, he would have noticed that there is ZERO insulation in the house. This is pretty uncommon due to the fact that the house is in New England and it is literally 10 degrees out right now.
Second, under the ceiling tiles there were several wire and quot;rats nests.and quot; These were old junctions that were no where near code and could have caused a fire. There is no mention of any of these in his report, and so far I have found 6 of them.
Third, he did not really check the structure of the house. It is very obvious in the basement that one of the main support beams runs through the center of the house using the chimney as a support column. This may have been acceptable 100 years ago when the house was built, but the chimney was modified by the old homeowners to take a gas furnace in the basement (from coal on the floors above). Now, the gas furnace and water heater vent out the chimney in the exact spot the support beam crosses. This has rendered the chimney virtually useless as there is not enough space to vent properly. Again, no mention.
As a first time home buyer I was putting a fair amount of faith that I-Spy would have my best interests at heart..clearly not that case, he just collect the inspection fee and move on to the next house.

They were recommended by a friend and I checked their ratings online as well. Their service was very good. They were on time. They were very professional and responsive in the short time turnaround for the report that I received. They were easy to work with on a short notice. I paid $450 for their services and their price was competitive.

This inspection missed a glaring structural problem. It was not obvious to an untrained eye like mine, but after moving in and talking to contractors who could remedy the problem, I learned that the issue would have been obvious to the naked (but trained) eye. That's why I hired a professional home inspector. My share of the cost to repair this structural issue was well over $10,000, and I-Spy refused to share in the cost or liability and didn't even over to refund the $350 I spent on the home inspection. Big lesson learned for me.

Hired this company on reco from my realtor. Richard was punctual and easy to talk to. He took the time to explain what he's looking at and maintanence issues in the beginning, but after awhile, I felt his attention span started to shorten and he started to chit-chat to my realtor a little too much (it's apparent they are very familiar with each other). As a paying customer, I'd rather see all the time spent on the inspection and not on casual conversation, but that's just me. I felt he did not do as thorough a job as I've heard others do (did not inspect each window, electric outlet, look into stains closely, etc.) He did point out things that I wouldn't have found myself, but I also had to push him to look at a few things more closely. His report was quick and contained pictures for each item he discussed.

He is thorough professional and gives the best reports in pdf with explanatory photos. Clearly the best I have seen

We called Richard because he was recommended by our Realtor. On the phone Richard was helpful giving a good description of the services he can provide. He was also flexible in arranging a good time for the inspection as we had to coordinate with third parties. During the actual inspection, he explained very well what he is looking at and why, and gave us good advice about different appliances and house issues. At the end of the day he sent us a detailed, professional looking report in PDF format with the results of the inspection that contained close-up pictures of inspected items. He was meticulous in writing down any potential problem with the house.

Rich was very thorough in his inspection despite the fact that the home is winterized. He was very honest, prompt, and all around a nice guy. He knocked a few dollars off the price since the house was small and the winterization kept him from performing some of the tests he usually does.

We were very pleased with the thoroughness of Rich's work. He took the time to explain what he was looking for and if there was a problem, what he thought needed to be done about it. He was very polite and helpful, answering all of our questions. The report he sent was extensive and we received it very quickly. I would highly recommend Rich to anyone, he was a pleasure to work with and we felt confident in the accuracy of the report and in the condition of our new home.