Aurora Home Inspections LLC

I hired Larry based on his reviews on Angies list. Larry was prompt and arrived on time. Larry talks a lot and missed on some crucial things like coding violations and blatantly wrong things that should have been caught by an experienced inspector. Here are the top things he missed which I had to painfully learn during the the last 2 years since I owned the home... - Poor shape of the roof. I noticed this during inspection and asked him about it to which he said they looked fine. But they were not fine and pieces of it has been blowing over during storms. - Gas connection in kitchen violates code. The inspection report he sent was a useless template and after inspection I was getting sales calls from home warranty services and other useless stuff.

Not sure how this company has so many good reviews. My guess is that people from his company (as he seems to have 3 or 4 people working for him) post on this site. The most frustrating thing is that it was impossible to get in contact with Larry. We would call and always be talking to someone else who said that Larry was unavailable. We had MAJOR issues with him getting the information we needed in a timely manner, and he was causing undue stress as the time he quoted us that he could get us things was off by a lot. On top of that his company get trying to sell us other products - my opinion is first get your job down that you were hired to do, then worry about selling us other things - very frustrating. On the inspection Larry talked a ton and had a lot of stories about things that didn't pertain to the job he was doing for us. He ended up missing a lot of things which cost us a thousands of dollars. I will say Larry is knowledgable when you do get to talk to him, but his business model really needs to be restructured. Also he needs to talk less and focus more on the job at hand - I would not recommend him at all.

unknown

Larry and his mentee met us on time at the home. From the start, they were both professional, yet personable. The inspection took 2.5 hours and Larry was extremely thorough, providing us with explanations, suggestions, and tips all along the way. He even had a plastic piece to cover the shut off valve so no one walks downstairs and switches it on/off. As a bonus, he also gave us a book that outlines how to "run a home". Although it was the weekend, he completed and sent the inspection report the next day. The report was comprehensive and aligned with what he mentioned throughout the inspection. We would definitely recommend him to others.

unknown

Larry was very thorough and spent almost 4 hours walking through the home with us and performing the inspection. His report was sent to us within a few days (over a holiday weekend) with various photos, tips, and valuable information. He answered all of our questions and continued to do so over email after he had provided us with the report. I would definitely recommend Larry and would use him again in the future.

Simply put, Larry is great when he responds - He's extremely knowledgeable, wrote a great thorough and comprehensive report. Pricing was also fair, right around the middle of the quotes I received. Overall I was very satisfied with his knowledge and provided home inspection report.
What stops me from giving him an A is that there was a period over a week after the inspection where we couldn't get in contact with him at all - and it almost caused a hiccup in the close. Myself and both agents probably emailed and called almost every day, and both agents mentioned this was very unusual.
To be fair Larry apologized and said he had a family emergency - which a couple reviews also seemed to face. So I would say it's a bit of a hit or miss on responsiveness with Larry. If he's responsive, then he's great. If he's not, then it can be frustrating.

Larry was great throughout the process. His reports were thorough and you can tell he knows a ton about home construction and maintenance. We loved working with him on the inspection, hearing his anecdotes, and learning about our future home. We got a terrific, detailed report full of data, information and useful pictures. We could not be happier with the serviced we received. A+ review!

He showed up, but he missed some key things. He pointed things out that weren't really a problem. He gave us some misinformation.

Wonderfully.

I contacted Aurora services on a thursday and booked the house inspection for saturday afternoon. Larry was extremely pontual and did the inspection in 45 minutes. In less then 24 hours he sent me his final report which was effective and didactic.

He performed test in my attic, living space and outdoors. During this time he explained all about mold and what makes it grow along with how the tests are performed. He is very knowledgeable in his profession and you can tell that he enjoys his job. During his testing I had mentioned that I was selling my house. So after he performed the mold testing he asked if I would like for him to look around the house (basement and furnace area) and give me some possible problems. He did not charge me any extra for looking
around my basement and furnace. He spend 90 minutes with me, the mold test only took 30 minutes. I never did sell my house but when I do I will definitely hire Larry to inspect my new home.

Basically I signed up with Angie's List and I was able to view some good reviews and some negative reviews. There was a little bit of both. I went for it anyway. I know there is a better one out there but I was in a rush. I could not get to wait for the other one. For me, it was mostly positive. The negative part was that I would give him a push if he could give me more input of what he thinks. Due to inspection, I would not waste so much money on something else. I know he was saying he was not doing that anymore but I suggested an estimation of assessing the top. Basically we found out so many issues: some of the issues he addressed really well and some of the issues he kind of brushed over until I spoke to other people and realized that they were big issues with them to. I may use them in the future.

I researched and spoke with 6 or 7 home inspectors before deciding to go with Larry Smyj at Aurora Home Inspections. Unfortunately I didn't join Angie's list until I had this experience. Larry sells himself as an and quot;Angie's List Top 10%and quot; or something, but I don't see how that is possible now that I see all these and quot;Fand quot; reviews about him. Do NOT go with this guy.
Reasons I went with Larry:
1) He was more expensive than all other inspectors, and from my conversations with him, he seemed to have good reason to be. He said that he teaches inspection classes to others. My thinking was to pay more money to have what I thought was the best.
2) Before doing the inspection, he was extremely responsive and had a very caring personality. Being a first time home buyer with a 100 year old house, I was very paranoid and I thought he would be a guy who would really follow through with everything.
3) His sample inspection report was extremely thorough, exactly what I wanted.
My experience with Larry:
Before my actual home inspection, he was extremely responsive. He showed up on time to the inspection, and I spent about 3 hours with him doing the inspection. I paid extra for a termite inspection and a radon inspection.
I have to say that he did a great job with the inspection. He was thorough, and he labeled all the basement pipes so we would know what a particular valve was meant for and how to turn it on or off. He took lots of pictures and explained everything as we went through the inspection. He also did a and quot;termiteand quot; inspection. If that wasn't a waste of $75 I don't know what is. He saw one piece of wood that looked like it might have had some damage, and he told me to call a termite company to do a termite inspection. The termite company came for free and said there was no damage. I don't know why I would have had to pay him extra money for that.. Shouldn't that be included in a regular inspection if he's not actually going to do a thorough termite inspection? After we were done with the home inspection, he put a radon canister in the basement and said he would be back in two days to pick it up. This is when the problems started.
After the inspection, my realtor and I specifically asked him how long it would take to get the inspection report. He said two days. Two days went by, three days, then four days. At this point I REALLY needed the report because my attorney review time period was running out. I called him at least twice a day and emailed him at least twice a day, and my realtor called him every day as well. We could not get hold of him... the previously responsive Larry was nowhere to be found. I don't know if it was just coincidence, but his website with the great sample report and everything else, wasn't up anymore either. It was expired because the bill hadn't been paid. Anyway, after a few more days and after writing him a threatening email with my attorney, he emailed me an inspection report.
He had also never picked up the radon canister. When I finally got hold of him to send the inspection report, he claimed he was sick for a few days. Any true professional would have at least sent a one line email saying sorry but the report will be delayed, rather than just not picking up phone calls or returning emails. When I got hold of him, he said he would go to the house the next day and put a new radon canister in to do the radon test again.
It is now two months later, we've purchased the house anyway without a radon report, and he never actually came again to drop off a new radon canister or pick up the old one.
In all fairness, I must say that his inspection report was pretty good and thorough (41 pages). However, I have to rate him an F, because this was one of the worst experiences I've ever been through. Its my first time buying a house, time runs out really fast with inspection reports, and this guy cashed my check the second I gave it to him and just disappeared.
Judging from his other reviews, he either gets and quot;Aand quot;s or and quot;Fand quot;s. Larry does good work when he actually does it, but if he decides to go AWOL you can just forget about him. I would never recommend him to anyone or use him again. Stay away from him, and go with someone with a more professional work ethic.

unknown

I paid them up front. I never got a report. They did not even do work. I tried to contact them multiple times with no response.

Overall, Larry was extremely thorough and detailed. The report had pictures next to each item which was helpful when looking back at the issues to see what the area he was referring to looked like. He explained in detail what he was looking for when assessing the condition and made suggestions for maintenance. He showed up on time on the day of the inspection and again 2 days later when he was picking up the radon test kit. My only minor issue was Larry's responsiveness. I think his business has grown so much that he is not able to handle the workload. The terms of our contract required the inspection to be performed and the report to be final within 7 business days, which was very aggressive. Larry delivered the report on time, but it required some follow up on our end. He returned our call usually the next day or by email but when you need an answer to a question immediately, it was difficult to get him on the phone. His voice mail even said it was full and we couldn't leave a message. He did always return our call or responded via email but in a situation when you need to get that person on the phone immediately, it was more difficult to get an immediate response.

n July 2011 I hired Larry to do the home inspection for my first home. The inspection it self was very detailed. Larry gave us a book to read detailing and quot;if you have this problem, this is how you fix itand quot; after you are in your home. The inspection report came back via email and included pictures (which is helpful so you know exactly what and where a repair needs to be done) and detailed summaries of what the problem is/was/or could be.My biggest problem is I had paid for a radon test to be conducted. Larry used a machine instead of the standard tin process. The machine malfunctioned and he came back and did the tin. He NEVER contacted us with the results. I closed on my home despite not getting these results and continued to contact Larry and Aurora leaving messages and emails. In February 2012 is when Larry finally contacted me. I gave him a second chance to make good on his services. He came back and performed the radon test again and refunded the original $75.00 I had paid. He gave me a pre-paid envelope to mail the tin back to the company who in turn would mail him the results. It is now September 2012 and I have never heard back from Larry in regards to the 3rd test despite sending more emails.

I had a home inspection done by Aurora and was very happy with Larry. He was very professional and detailed. He explained both the very good things he saw and also the problematic ones. I received the very quickly!I would use him again or recommend him to a friend.

Larry is tops! He knows his work, and he cares.

Larry was responsive during the scheduling phase and would return my calls the same day. On the day of the Inspection, Larry was on time and greeted me with a smile. His home inspection was far more detailed then I had imagined it would be. I'm not the most handy guy; I think Larry realized this and labeled the important machines, meters and pipes in the basement, so I knew what everything was. He covered every detail in a 3 hour inspection.
Best part, he sent me a 38 page report with pictures THE NEXT DAY!
Larry, Thanks again!
Brett

As usual it was again a very positive experience using Aurora Home Inspections. Larry is very professional in his work and explains various aspects of his findings as the inspection is in progress. This is the third time we have used Aurora, twice in home purchasing situations and once in a preparing to sell situation. We would definitely utilize Aurora again and would recommend Larry to anyone in need of home inspection services.

Early conversations with Larry with very positive, with him going through in detail all that he would review. He told me that he provides and quot;the most comprehensive reportsand quot; in the business, and assured me that his report would be available 2 days after the inspection. We scheduled the home inspection for Saturday, which gave us 6 full days (out of 10, total) in which to get the report and provide it to the sellers under the contract.

During the inspection, I followed close behind Larry so that I could learn from him as he reviewed the house, as he suggested. My husband also joined us at times (when he was not assisting my father-in-law with watching our infant daughter), as did our realtor. Noticeably, Larry didn't take any notes. When I asked him about this, he told me that he has a and quot;systemand quot; of hand signals that he captures when he takes pictures. Well, apparently that system only works when he is timely in getting the report out.

Major points that stuck out in my mind, and my husband's, and my realtor's, during and after the inspection: 1. The roof of the house was in bad shape, with evidence of leaks, and out of code because there was no plywood under the singles. 2. The roof of the garage was, in Larry's words, and quot;completely shotand quot; and would need to be torn off and replaced, as evidenced by all of the visible plant growth. 3. The electric wiring was not great, and should be upgraded to 200 AMP service. 4. The chimney needed to be cleaned. We also spent a lot of time discussing the lack of a door to the basement, and he assured us he would mention that as it posed a safety hazard. Finally, when we asked Larry what he thought the biggest concerns were with respect to the house, he told us that in his opinion the number one issue with the house that needed to be addressed was the roof, and the wiring was number two.

On Monday, we waited for the report. On Tuesday, when we hadn't received it, I called his office to ask where it was - no response. On Wednesday, the sellers' lawyer called our lawyer demanding a copy and making clear that the deadline for them to receive the report would not be extended past Friday, so I reached out again - also, no response, and my husband also spoke to his office asking where our report was, as it was now 2 days later than promised. On Thursday, I called and e-mailed, as did my realtor, as did my lawyer. Guess what? No response. Finally, we received the report via e-mail at 3:00 Friday afternoon - 2 hours before it was due the sellers - with a note from Larry that he would be out of the country and unable to answer any questions! Needless to say, we didn't have any opporunity to review the report in depth before getting it to the sellers' attorney, or to identify and address the myriad issues (which ultimately ended up costing us TENS OF THOUSANDS of dollars).

For example, in the report, despite his numerous statements to us to the contrary, he noted that the roof and quot;was near the end of its useful lifeand quot; and should be and quot;monitored.and quot; Thank goodness we had followed up on our conversations with him and gotten a roofing contractor in to give us an estimate on repair (the roof turned out to be irreparable, and needed to be replaced). However, when we tried to negotiate the issue with the seller, they pointed to our own report which did not indicate that the roof needed to be repaired or replaced, just monitored. The deal actually fell through for a while on this point, and the discussions back and forth to get the deal re-opened cost us more in attorneys fees. When we actually did come to a resolution, it was for significantly less than half the cost of a new roof.

Also in the report, Larry noted for the first time a very strong recommendation that we have the chimney examined by a specialist BEFORE closing (caps, his). However, his delay in providing us the report and failure to raise this concern directly to us in the hours he was in the house negated our opportunity to procure this inspection (our window for inspections having expired 2 hours after we finally received the report). Now, as homeowners, we've learned that the chimney requires significant repair costing well over five thousand dollars, some of which should have been spotted from the ground (our chimney is much shorter than those of all of our neighbors, obviously violating the 3-2-10 rule), but of course we were unable to address this during our negotiations of the sale price.

Please note that in a desire to be fair to Larry, I wrote to him with these concerns, asking him to respond or address them. Once again...no response. Did Larry do a thorough inspection? Somewhat, although he missed some key points that were obvious to other professionals at first glance. Most importantly, the report didn't do us much good as buyers, because of its delays, omissions and inaccuracies.

Follow up: We've now been living in the house for about 3 months. Turns out that 3 of the 5 toilets in the house were completely calcified and need to be replaced- according to our plumber, this could have been idenitified if Larry had bothered to watch the water refill after flushing each toilet (he would have noticed that it didn't refill). Also, the 2nd floor of the house turned out to have significant water damage so bad it posed a safety hazard (spotted by 3 separate contractors brought in to give us estimates on another project) that necessitated complete replacement of hardwood floor throughout. Do not use Larry!!!

I reached out to Larry after reading all of his positive reviews on Angie's List. I filled out an inquiry form on his website and he called me back later that date. His availability was extremely flexible offering both early morning, evening and weekend hours. He was also able to schedule something relatively soon. Larry showed up to our appointment early, which was great, because it allowed me to get to work on time. He performed an inspection of our condo with an assistant. By the end of that week he provided us a report. I cannot really compare Larry against any other home inspectors because this is my first time purchasing. I really appreciated that as a first time buyer he really took the time to explain everything about the inspection process, what to look out for in the future. This was extremely valuable to me. He was also very patient with me as I made a lot of phone calls and sent him a lot of emails. Overall the process was good and I would highly recommend him to first time buyers.

The following is what I wrote to Larry yesterday after he had done my parents' home inspection. Following that is the context for this message.

and quot;Thanks so much for all your help today - the open and thoughtful manner in which you deducted the possibilities (of the cause of the water leaks) and the beyond-necessary inspection you did of my parents' basement. You were incredibly kind, honest, and persistent and it is much more than I could possibly have asked for in a home inspection.and quot;

My parents' home had 2 large and persistently spreading water leaks on the 1st floor ceiling; we (my wife and I) asked Larry to come to investigate the cause of the leaks. He did a superb job helping us explore the causes of the leaks - and additionally, he helped us locate a small gas leak in the basement laundry/boiler room!!!! This is obviously the most important thing and it only resulted because Larry offered to look at it since he was already there (the basemen I mean - he didn't know a leak would be found of course). He does what both my wife and I appreciate most in an inspector, contractor, or anyone else we hire to investigate a problem - he articulated his thinking behind what he thought the possible causes were to both my wife and me while he was investigating. This was most appreciated and especially thorough.

PS - He alerted us of the $25 discount and gave it to us before we paid. Otherwise, it would have been $300. I can't say enough about his enthusiasm for the job and his concern not to overcharge us. And certainly notwithstanding, his ability to perform an excellent inspection.