JW Home Inspections

The day of the inspection, inspector made repeated comments about how the house was in great condition, a real quality home. Since this was not the first home I've purchased, I inquired on the questionable areas of the house such as the water stains on garage wall, settled cement slab in garage, the connection of the sump pump, mismatched ceiling tiles, peeling paint in another room, etc.
I was told the water stains were old (on the report photographed and labeled as such), the peeling paint looked old, not to worry about the ceiling tiles because it looked like the sellers had replaced the tiles when they installed the new light fixture, etc. and I believed him. He inspects houses for a living, I don't. I simply figured he saw something I didn't, especially since he had an answer for everything. He told me the electrical was all updated and the only red flags were a few random switch plate covers I would need to replace, the two furnaces were old (I kept in mind the owners wintered elsewhere the past 10-12 years so I thought I would have at least a few years left on each - never mind he skipped inspecting one furnace assuming it had been disconnected even though gas and electrical we're running to it), have at least 5-10 years left on the roof, the sump pump didn't work, the water heater would need to be replaced, etc.
I thought based on the price of the home and the market at the time, I felt silly asking for another reduction in price over a water heater and some switch plates. I could not have been more wrong and it truly is buyer beware. It is as though I received an opposite inspection.
Within the first three months of ownership, I had to replace the water heater and bring that up to code (a point never mentioned during inspection), I had to repair a leak in some flashing when rainwater leaked in through the exact same spot the paint was peeling on the ceiling where I had asked about it and he said that too was old, one furnace needed to be replaced so it made sense to combine the two systems and while new ductwork was being installed, I relied heavily on the second furnace to supply heat during this nasty winter and that was the same furnace he had overlooked during the inspection. Even though he had returned to look at it when the oversight was discovered, it is more to the point he should have inspected it the first time.
Throughout the water heater and furnace replacement fiasco, it was pointed out to me by an electrician and a City inspector that not only is my electrical not updated (unless 40yr+ panel is considered up-to-date...I guess it is compared to matches and a candle) but also it is an electrical panel with a well-known failure problem.
All the while, the sump pump purred like a kitten while the "old" water stains made an appearance nearly every single day.
When I complained to the owner of the company and suggested HE come out to take a look when he would rather gave dismissed me to his lawyer, he reluctantly agreed. While he was out, he admitted his employee made a mistake on the electrical portion of the report and offered to give me a $1000 toward the panel replacement but unfortunately there are more obvious issues with the electrical work in other areas so that would not cover even half of what needs to be done. He stood by his employee which doesn't surprise me. My point is whether or not his inspector is a great one or not, he botched the inspection on my house that day and I am paying for it dearly. The inspector took away all of my bargaining power with the sellers - I didn't have anything definitive to negotiate aside from the water heater.
Never mind the owner of the inspection company kindly reminded me of any slab leveling or garage wall footing insertion I would care to do to alleviate the drainage issue in the garage would require a permit and a subsequent code inspection where anything outstanding in the garage area would need to be brought up to code! My point? That would have been nice to know when we were discussing various options the day of inspection and to this day I am not sure why his employee would not tell his customer about that. It doesn't matter if JW Home Inspections is a code inspection company or not - they are aware of the rules and how it works.
I won't get into the huge conflict of interest that reared its ugly head when I found out my realtor that recommended my inspector was actually his second choice inspector because his first choice inspector was booked for two weeks. Silly me, at the time I assumed he was talking about two different companies. You got it - his second choice is the sole employee of the owner (his first choice inspector)! I would never take a recommendation for an inspector from a realtor - I found out after the fact my realtor advertises on the inspection company's email news blasts. Seems to me it only benefits the realtor for the inspector to give the house a two thumbs-up rating. Makes you wonder what the kickback rate is. This makes me sad since my own mother sold real estate for over 25 years and never behaved in this manner. In fact, she was appalled my realtor had not offered to help compensate me in any way especially since he sold my old house and helped me find this gem. To date, he still hasn't offered. Guess I'll have to write a review on #stevekaterberg too.
The way the laws are written, a buyer is technically only allowed to receive the inspection fee less termite inspection fee be returned. The fact that the inspection company owner knows this and still offered a small portion tells me he knows the whole thing is a mess. Lesson learned, I will pay extra to have the plumbing and electrical inspected by a reputable, licensed contractor. My realtor explained they are there to sell you something. Well then, I would always rather have too much information over this mess of an inspection but I had to consider the source of that comment. I just don't know how hundreds of thousands of dollars are riding on an inspector's assessment and if they have a bad day, there is no recourse for a bad inspection except the return of the inspection fee? That's a drop in a bucket comparatively. He didn't even flag anything to even prompt me to get an additional, more extensive inspection.
I'm not unreasonable and based on the sample reports on JW's website - I wished I could have waited for the JW owner to inspect my house, not his employee. I don't know if he had a bad day that day or what but he sure caused a huge financial nightmare for me and now I am stuck living in it and paying for the mess I am in and who knows what is around the corner.
I so wanted to love it here but I'm experiencing every home buyer's worst fear. Be very, very careful all you purchasers out there this home buying season!
In summary: George at JW Home Inspections = horrible experience; Jon at JW Home Inspections= probably good or at least probably a lot better.

The inspector I had was very professional and detailed he answered all my questions very professionally I would recommend this company to anyone

They were very prompt and exactly on time. They were friendly and nice. They left the meter for about 5 or 6 days and came back promptly to remove it. They were very professional during the whole ordeal. They emailed me the results so I could see everything online.