AMERISPEC HOME INSPECTION

The biggest mistake I made when buying a home was to hire AmeriSpec for a home inspection. At first, I thought they were great, but the warning signs began before I closed on the house. The garbage disposal that supposedly didn’t work (which I stipulated the seller fix) was actually a faulty outlet. Then the day I moved in, I had the master bedroom light on for 10 minutes & it started to flash like a strobe light. I had an electrician come in. It was a $220 fix that I was told should have been caught in a basic home inspection. Now, less than a month in the house, I turned a hose on. Water began to pour out rapidly from inside & under the siding of the house. I called the inspector, he said he checked it & it was fine. That made no sense, so I called the company. The owner responded in an email denying responsibility & saying protocol was followed & included a photo of a running spigot —but it was of my backyard hose, not the one that doesn’t work. And when I looked back into the paperwork, it said the front hose bib was “inoperable” but I was never told that when the technician walked through the house with me, explaining any defects. It is an estimated $300-$400 to fix. This is not to mention a broken evaporator fan motor in the refrigerator, a leaking toilet, and totally clogged gutters & drain spouts that I also knew nothing about. I don’t think I’ve ever written a negative review for any company, but if you need a home inspection, please stay clear of AmeriSpec.

I have had many home inspections over my lifetime, and for the first time, I felt like it was worth the money.

unknown

This was our first home inspection and wasn't sure what to expect. Kevin Wiley was very knowledgable and really took the time to show us everything that was a concern for us. He made sure to point out the shut off valves. I really feel like I know my new home so much better now. Would recommend Amerispec to any new or experienced home buyer.

They were very thorough. Found minor issues and explained tHings in detail.

Everything was smooth from the very beginning. Inspection was done on time, Inspector took me and my Realtor through the home and went over everything that was covered during the inspection.
In the end I got a dvd with pictures of everything found that was deficient along with a notebook describing the deficiencies. And recommendations for needed actions.
Very professional and courteous.

My primary source for evaluating/selecting this vendor was Angie's List.  I tend to be most influenced by ratings (and # of ratings).  In this case, I found several different vendors to choose from (a good problem to have, methinks).  As a first-time home buyer, I had lots of questions.  I had two colleagues who just recently purchased homes and I reviewed the packets they received from their home inspectors.  This was helpful for me in terms of identifying those "features" that I found useful in a home inspection.  Two features I found important were (1) pictures associated w/the narratives; and (2) both digital and hard-copy versions of the inspection report.
When I called AmeriSpec, I was pleased to speak w/a knowledgeable, professional (and surprisingly affable) woman.  She was patient, answered all of my questions, and had a terrific sense of humor.  Exactly the type of employee I'd want for customer management.  
The inspector showed-up on time, introduced himself, and I remember thinking that he was a trainee that would accompany a more seasoned inspector (which was not the case).  He appeared very young, nervous, albeit professional.  Upon finishing the inspection, he printed the inspection report, bound in a 3-ring binder, and included a digital copy on DVD.  The report included a high-level (3-page) summary, as well as a more detailed (50+ page) report.  As he started reviewing the results, there were no pictures.  When asked, he said that he took pictures and directed my attention to his laptop screen.  At this point, he stopped referring to the narrative and instead started reviewing the pictures, one-by-one.  The order of the pictures didn't correspond to the report, which made it more difficult in discerning his findings.  Moreover, he had some difficulty using the Windows Picture Viewer app on his laptop (zooming in/out, escaping back to thumbnail view, etc.).  At this point, we were jumping back and forth from pictures on his laptop to various pages in his binder, further exacerbating my confusion - and his nervousness.  He managed to answer most of my questions, but at one point, he stopped and said he remembered that he found 2 items that needed "special attention" that weren't included in his report.  He concluded our discussion, returned to his printer, and printed 2 complete reports (both the full and summary reports).  Instead of replacing the erroneous sheets, he handed me two stacks of paper (loose-leaf), thanked me for using AmeriSpec, and left.  It took some time to find/replace the 3 sheets in my binder (at least he didn't staple them).  After thinking about this, I decided to contact their office - not to complain, but rather - to share my observations.  If this were my company, I would be interested in the opinions of my customers.  In this case, I thought these issues could be corrected with training and/or spending time shadowing a more experienced home inspector.
It took several calls to finally speak w/a manager, and when I did, he was very patient, understanding, and professional.  I ended the call satisfied that I adequately shared my concerns and assured him I wasn't looking for a refund; rather, I simply wanted to share my observations.

unknown

.They set up the furnace inspection by Capital and termite inspection by TNT. They spend plenty of time going over items that need attention. I'm very happy, would definitely call again

Excellent service! Gave a detailed report with pictures about what they recommend we ask of our seller before closing! Walked me through the entire house to explain what he looked at and what he was looking for. Definitely recommend them!

unknown

Thoroughly checked the property and gave submitted results with noted issues.

Very thorough

We were very impressed with the quality of the work. For the deck they used rollers to paint between the boards. This is a level of detail that we hadn't expected. In general they did a great job, worked hard and the finished job looks great.

Fancy Wrapping for a Lousy Product. AmeriSpec inspected the home I was planning to buy. They use a computer for digital

pictures and a to print a final report in a binder, so they LOOK professional. However, their work is very poor. It is now eight months later and I think you should know the aftermath of their inspection. Since the inspection, I've spent hundreds of dollars repairing things they should have caught or for which they made up excuses for the problems. Some examples:

1) Attached to the back of the house, the main power line from the meter to the basement circuit box was buried. This is totally against code! Once I dug it out, I found most of it was almost rusted through. Cost me almost $500 to repair. The inspector

couldn't have missed this! No, there wasn't any snow hiding the problem.

2) I questioned the inspector about the living room and bedroom windows opening so hard. He said they were “frozen.” No, they were broken! The spiral guides on the sides are all missing or broken.

3) My realtor and I both questioned the fog on the master bedroom window. He said “that’s on the outside.” No, it was definitely on the inside. The entire window is still foggy.

4) The basement window did not lock, and therefore did not seal. I had to replace it right away.

5) He said the electrical outlet by the patio door just needed a GFI outlet. No, it wasn’t even wired correctly to the main box so it was dead.

6) The lights below the microwave never worked, yet his report said they did.

This inspector was very crafty in the way he wrote the report so as to cover his behind. I admit that the fancy report, being in a rush to finish because I was here from out-of-state, and the fact I was not allowed to accompany the inspector during the inspection, confused me. Note: I have always been able to go step-by-step with every inspector for all the other homes I purchased. DO NOT hire these guys or you will regret it!



UPDATE on 12-19-2013

After seeing my review on Google, the owner contacted me. He tried very nicely and diligently to help me. However, since I already fixed the issues, it was too late. He sent me a check, refunding the total cost of the inspection. Of course, it didn't come close to what I spent fixing problems which the inspector misled me on.

Great, on time, explained everything, familiar with neighborhood

Very helpful and did a complete job.

Great detail in report, professional service. Inspector was familiar with homes in the area and we felt he did a very thorough inspection and explained each issue to our satisfaction.

The water well sampling provided clues that industrial groundwater contamination was present. Potential liabilities of even an innocent land purchaser related to ground water clean-up was a factor in our decision not to complete the transaction.

Prior to buying our first home, we hired Amerispec to complete our home inspection. I was completely satisfied. Our inspector Aaron did an excellent job of explaining everything to me that he had found on the inspection. Amerispec provides a guide to all clients which includes the detail of the report, a CD of all the images of everything they inspected AND a home repair guide. Aaron was thorough yet quick when reviewing our inspection results! Keep up the great work!

I was very pleased with Amerispec from start to finish. It was very easy to schedule an appointment. I was able to do a walk through with the inspector where he could point out things he saw. He also offered some advice/suggestions about how to fix things. He also took a lot of pictures of everything so I could see what was tested. I had to call with questions a few days after the inspection, and he was more than happy to answer them. The company was recommended by my real estate agent and friends who recently purchased homes, and I would use them again.

Overall I thought they did a good job. The seller was mad because the were actually so detail din their inspection. They were thorough and very professional. They presented the information in a very professional way to us and the seller. They pointed out an issue with grounding on a gas line that I never would have thought of. I would recommend them to anyone in the future for the same job.

I don't have any dislikes. They were quick, thorough, accurate, friendly and knowledgeable. The price was par for the industry standard around here.

Very satisfied. They showed up for bid and treatment ahead of the scheduled time. The bid was not the cheapest nor the most expensive. The workers were very professional and thorough. They seemed very knowledgable and willing to answer all my questions and concerns. I was very satisfied and would call them again for termite treatment or pest control.

I felt that the inspector was very thorough and professional. Buying a home for the first time can be very stressful and the home inspector did a very good job of explaining everything about his report and telling me what was normal for the age of a house. He also had worked in construction so I felt he had a very good understanding of building codes and how things should be done. He very patiently answered all of the questions I had and addressed my concerns. I would definitely recommend him to any home buyer.