BENCHMARK HOME INSPECTION SERVICES

Kyle was punctual, thorough, polite and articulate. He took the time to talk is through the unique aspects of the home and the maintenance requirements. The written reports were thorough and exceptionally well written.

Excellent job. Extremely thorough, knowledgeable, and personable. Kyle spent 3-4 hours inspecting a 1500 square foot home. He explained all the workings of the home as he went along. His report was VERY detailed, with photos and clear recommendations (giving me a handle on what my repair priorities should be), plus helpful info about furnace maintenance. Up on the roof, Kyle found chimney repairs were needed and I was able to negotiate a lower price on the house to account for that. He found things I wouldn't have thought of, such as the stove needing to be bracketed to the wall so it doesn't topple over. I am writing this review more than a year after my home purchase and have found no unexpected issues. Highly recommended.

Kyle performed a full inspection on our new home. He was extremely thorough and took the time to explain everything about the home. His report was detailed and thorough and included photos to clearly describe the issues he found. Kyle was responsive and easy to communicate with.
I rated a B on price because it was more than most other inspectors, but Angie's List is missing a "Value" rating because I would certainly rate Kyle A -- you get your money's worth - and it's worth every penny.
He will tell you to inform your Realtor that the inspection will take 3-4 hours, and he means it. We spent 5 hours at the home - this is a good thing if you want to know every possible issue your new home might have. Not a good thing if you don't care about the condition of your new home and/or have lunch plans.

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It went beyond amazing. We are first time home buyers, and this was our first ever inspection. Having no idea what to expect, this experience was well worth Kyle's fee. I learned more about our potential home in the 5 hours I spent worth Kyle, then I would have ever learned on my own if we went with a different inspector. Kyle wads punctual and thorough and professional through all aspects of our communication and the actual inspection. He is very verbal and actually cares about the client. He pointed out each and every potential issue and problem and also told me things to do (or not do to) in terms of fixing the issues. And he did find issues, but I am glad he did. I feel a buyer should know what is wrong with the house, so when you do buy it you know what to do to preserve and protect your investment. He explained everything he did, explained what he was looking for and explained the flaws when he found them. His report was detailed, filled with pictures and notes identifying what is wrong and what needs to be done to correct the issues. I would highly recommend Kyle to anybody who is serious about buying a house!

I thought their home inspection was very, very nice. He used pictures of everything that he commented on and inserted them into the report which I thought was nice because I had not seen it before. The one that I used that my realtor recommended last year did not do that either and I even said to them "Where are the pictures?" That was one of the things that I like about Benchmark. His report was very thorough and included pictures of all the areas that I would never see like the chimney, part of my roof, corners of my attic--things that I personally would just never been able to get to. The only thing I would give him a B on was punctuality because he was late and made a couple of excuses. They could have been legitimate but I just had the feeling they were not. They were nice. I think Benchmark maybe unique and in a minority for providing pictures.

We used this company earlier in 2013 for a home inspection of a large ranch in Mount Olive, which we did not purchase due to unrelated complications. In both instances, Kyle (the owner) conducted extremely thorough inspections. Kyle was very accommodating of our desire for a complete walk-through, to ask questions as we went, and to take notes on anything that might need attention, even down the road. 

The inspection in July was of a 3BR, 2BA ranch with full 2/3 finished walkout basement and attic. Kyle was slow, methodical, and paid close attention to details. He answered any questions I had to the best of his knowledge, and even gave advice on upkeep and maintenance as we were first-time homebuyers.

The inspection took 4+ hours, and covered every inch of the structure, inside and out. The report was just as thorough, delivered in a timely manner, easy to understand, included pictures to document specifics, and clearly distinguished "concerns" from "major conditions". Many of the issues noted were minor and of little immediate concern to us, but we wanted as much as possible brought to our attention before moving on in the purchasing process.

We always received a timely response from Kyle whether by email or returning a voice message. All-in-all we had some very pleasant experiences with a knowledgeable professional and would happily pay the somewhat higher cost for this superior product.

Great.

Love Love Love Kyle. He did the best home inspection EVER!!! Dont use anyone else. This is the most thorough Home Inspection you will get. Period.

He is reliable, punctual, and thorough. He has a quick turn around for necessary documents. He is easily available after the inspection for questions. He is also a great referral source and resource for other contractors. Well worth the money.

Kyle was detailed in his inspection. We are pretty certain that if we went with another inspector, they likely would not have uncovered some of the issues Kyle uncovered.  He was also responsive. Something came up and we had to call him during Memorial Day weekend. He promptly returned the call and answered the questions though he had already delivered the report and been paid.

Have used this company twice in the past 2 months.  Terrific, thorough reports.  So good that our real estate agent says she would cringe if she saw Benchmark coming to inspect a property she was trying to sell.  So good that a seller agent for one property we asked Benchmark to inspect asked for a business card.
Probably priced higher than others, a trait Benchmark does not refute .  My opinion: Worth every penny.  Inspections took 4-5 hours.  Inspection done by owner.  He encouraged my wife and me to accompoany him and ask questions.  We did, and he answered the questions in as much detail we wanted.  And gave limited but thoughtful opinions when asked.
Benchmark showed up on time, and delivered reports within the time periods as promised.

After doing some research on Angies's list we narrowed it down to Benchmark Inspection and another company.  However, after speaking with Kyle we felt that he would be the right person to hire for our home inspection and we were right.
Kyle hadn't been feeling very well but he showed up on time and was thoroughly professional.  The house we were interested in was a 4 bedroom 4-1/2 bath foreclosure with a finished basement and unfinished attic so we weren't sure what surprises we might find and wanted to make sure that we covered everything.  Well, Kyle spent close to 8 hours inspecting the house both inside and out and outside it was the COLDEST DAY OF THE YEAR. Yet Kyle went through everything and explained everything as we tagged along taking notes.
He pointed out the bad and the good points of the house and made recommendations as we went along. Being a city girl septic systems and well water was not something I was familiar with and my boyfriend and I both had alot of questions about them.  Kyle was patient and explained how they worked and arranged for a septic inspection at the same time he was there.  The septic system inspector also was very thorough.  We lucked out with both of these guys.  You can't go wrong with them.
The knowledge that Kyle has in electrical, plumbing and heating systems etc. was very impressive.  It took a little while to get the report as he had been sick but once we got it were even more impressed.
The detail of the report was remarkable and helped us to negotiate some more with the bank
We were very happy with the inspection that Kyle performed for us and you will be too.

Although I wish there were not the problems we found with the home, the service of this inspection was excellent. You do not leave any rocks unturned with Kyle. I  took three pages of notes and inspection took almost five hours. Acquaintances who have been helping me in my home search mentioned they never seen a more detailed/long home inspection report and were very impressed with it.  The advice and knowledge gained this day made this inspection a worthy investment, even if the purchase does fall through. I will definitely use this service again & recommend to others.

Kyle was simply amazing.  He was very meticulous throughout the process. He offered very detailed explanations to every single part of the house.  He even answered questions prior to me asking.
I watch a lot of HGTV so I have a little bit of knowledge.  I know that I can become very annoying. Kyle never became annoyed or irritated with my questions/input.
I highly recommend.

It was very well done.  Thorough and professional.

After doing some research here on Angie?s list and on the American Society of Home Inspectors website, my wife and I narrowed our search for the company that was going to do the home inspection on the property we were thinking of purchasing.
We interviewed 4 companies and decided on Benchmark Home Inspection Services.  Now just to give a little lead in on our issues, I called Kyle and left a message on his voicemail. I didn?t hear back from him and after a couple of days I called and left another message. He responded a little while later. That kind of put up a red flag for me but being that the reviews were so stellar we let it go.
In any case, we spoke, he was very helpful, answered all our questions, he gave us a quote and we decided to go with him. All the follow up after that was normal and on a timely basis. He sent us a copy of the contract for us to review and make sure everything was covered and correct.
The day of the inspection he arrived on time, and got right to work. Mind you it was the first day that we experienced real cold weather, but he was enthusiastic and didn?t skimp on the time we spent outdoors.
I have to say that his knowledge and thoroughness is quite impressive. The whole experience of the inspection was quite insightful.
After the inspection was done, he informed us that the report would be in our hands with-in 2-3 days. This was a Tuesday. We were at the tail end of our time limit to get the inspection done, so receiving the report that Thursday or Friday would of worked fine for us. Thursday came and went and we didn?t receive the report.
On Friday after not hearing or receiving the report I decided to call and check in. I was at the office and didn?t see that he had called me back, so I had no idea that he had returned my call. Saturday came, still no report, we called again and left a message. Finally at the end of the day we get a call from him apologizing for the miscommunication and to inform us that he had been quite ill and that?s why he had not responded in timely manner, he did mention that he returned my call on friday. He let us know that he would have the report to us that night. The report never came. On Sunday we expected to have something in our email in the morning, nothing. The day went on no call no report. Finally early that evening I called again, this time quite flustered and left a stern message. He called right back. He again apologized and told us we?d have the report that night. We finally did get the report after 9:00pm.
Now I have to say that after all that grief, when we finally did get the report, we were very impressed. It was as thorough and detailed as the inspection. And actually because of it we backed out of the deal. I?m sure that it saved us quite a lot of money and frustration.
We decided to give him the benefit of the doubt, there was a nasty bug going around and I knew of quite a few people that were sick with the flu.
After receiving the report we emailed him thanking him and letting him know that we were going to use his services again. We were in the process of looking at some more homes and would reach out once we were going to need inspection services again.
We spoke after all this, he mentioned he had gotten sick again and had to cancel some of his appointments, so to please give him as much advance notice as possible once we were ready to get the inspection done. A week later I emailed letting him know that we had identified two properties, which we would know by the end of the week which one we were going with and requested availability for 4 dates. The first being almost two weeks from the day I sent the email. It?s been over a week since I sent that email and haven?t heard back.
Needless to say, we will not be using his services again.
Kyle, we understand people get sick and things happen. But not communicating or letting people know what?s going on is just unacceptable. Not sure if you?re the only person running the company but I would advise you to at least get someone to help you with bookings, phone calls and follow up.

He was great and extremely thorough. I was extremely happy.

I was interviewing several home inspectors around mid-October. I found Benchmark info on Angies List and gave Kyle a call. I started asking all kinds of questions from his professional experience, to what was included in the inspection, to if he carried E&O insurance. He was impressed with my questions and even said so during our phone conversation. I was very pleased with his responses and enjoyed the conversation. I asked him to send me a sample report and would get back to him. He sent me the sample and I read it thoroughly. After seeing his report I called him back and scheduled the inspection.
We had scheduled it for Monday, October 29th - which was the same day that Hurricane Sandy was to make landfall in New Jersey. I called him the Friday before to confirm he was still doing the inspection and we even spoke the night before. He said we are still on - I was impressed that he was keeping the appointment.
He arrived with all his equipment in hand and got straight to work. We spent just under 4 hours inspecting a 1914 colonial 2 story house with a partially finished basement and an unfinished attic. He was extremely thorough - explained everything in detail. I took notes and followed him around asking questions. He took his time inspecting the house and answering all my questions. He is knowledgeable on every aspect of construction and renovation. He knew all about the brands used from the boiler to the furnace, to the kitchen appliances. He has a great appreciation for old homes (this house was built in 1914) and even gave me a website on where to find guides on preserving and restoring older homes. He red flagged several things for us which had we not known we would have been in way over our heads if we had continued with the purchase. He provided a very detailed inspection report. We tried negotiating the repairs and/or credit but the homeowners refused. We walked away.
I knew that we would call upon Kyle again if and when we find another house which we did about a month later. We had the 2nd home inspection on Dec 18. Once again Kyle did a fantastic job, spending 5 hours inspecting a 1890 colonial 2 story house with an unfinished basement and a partially finished attic.
I am incredibly impressed with his diligence and professionalism. He is very knowledgeable and definitely knows what he is talking about. I have personal experience with construction, renovations and design so I had high expectations for Kyle. He went beyond all of my expectations with these home inspections. Without hesitation, I would highly recommend Benchmark to everyone buying a home.

It was a really thorough inspection; nothing was missed. They were professional and I was comfortable having them come into my home.

.Kyle was great. He was thorough, detailed and very patient. He insected every facet of the house and gave me an education as well.He came back to the house twice to complete the inspection because the water hadn't been turned on. His $750 charge saved me $7000. Thanks Kyle

He was very good. His prices were quite reasonable. He was punctual and professional. His reports were very detailed, and included pictures of everything, with little arrows on it. He did radon testing, and was very good about follow-up.  He was there for about 4 hours total.  It was much more than I expected.  I could not have been happier with him, and I just can't say enough good things about this gentleman. I would highly recommend him to anybody.

Kyle performed the first inspection for us on July 17.  He spent a good 6 hours going through both the inside & outside of the home.  We didn't expect even half of the problems that he found (it's only a 10 year old house) & estimated that it would cost close to $30K to perform all necessary fixes. Asked the seller for a credit & he balked immediately.  Kyle saved us from spending a lot of money on a newer home and then having to spend a ton more to fix it.
The second inspection that he performed was on Sept. 4.  This is also a newer home (8 years old) and there were far less issues, thankfully.
I would recommend Kyle's services as a home inspector 100%.  He is extremely knowledgable, professional, friendly, & courteous.  And to say he's thorough is a gross understatement.  He doesn't just give a cursory look to the home and call it a day.  He looks inside, above, behind & underneath everything as much as he possibly can.  What's also important is that he explains everything he's looking at as he goes along and answers any questions you may have.  We learned so much about how things work and how to maintain them, which is necessary if you're going to own the home.
The cost of service is pricey but we definitely got our money's worth considering how thorough & competent the inspections were.  It's worth spending more to ensure that you're not buying a lemon - it's where you're going to live so it's worth it!  Other inspectors may charge less but I know that they probably miss at least half of what Kyle catches.  We had that experience with our first home.
The inspection will also take a good amount of time depending on the size of the home.  Again, important & well worth it.  Just make sure to bring some bottles of water and snacks with you!
As I said, I would highly recommend Kyle to anyone I know.

Kyle Kubs is the most thorough home inspector I or my realtor has ever used. He spent nearly 7 hours (a record for him and my realtor) going over an 8 acre farm, which included the 3 bedroom main house, a 1 bedroom carriage house and a two story barn. He checked everything imaginable and then some, explained all of his findings as he went through each building and provided a detailed report with photos and comments. Kyle put on coveralls and went where I am sure no-one else would gone. This was a tight crawl space with very limited access.  In his report, he cataloged his findings by area and what was wrong and should be addressed at some point and then listed the major concerns in red. Benchmark’s fee was higher than any other firm I researched but absolutely well worth the added cost. He was twice as good as any other home inspector I had ever seen. His report was instrumental in negotiating with the seller for repairs and a reduction in the contract price. Kyle also stood behind his work, was available for consultation after the report and actually assisted in resolving some problems after the inspection.I highly recommend Benchmark and if he is available, do not hesitate to book him.

Kyle spent over 5 hours with us during his inspection in Glen Ridge and patiently answered every single question we had for him.  We were first time home buyers, but had done considerable research on what to look for during an inspection - so, we had plenty of questions for him along the way which he welcomed.  He wasn't afraid to get dirty and spent much time under the porches and on the roof looking for signs of concern, and gave us a thorough education on all that he found inside and out. 
He was punctual and we could tell that he wasn't someone who cuts corners, but rather takes pride in doing his job very well.  We felt as though he left no stone unturned.  We were able to negotiate a very meaningful sum off the home purchase price as a result of his work so he certainly paid for himself and more, not to mention the peace of mind he provided us.
We can't say enough good things about Kyle - we certainly would use him again and recommend him highly to anyone.  It's rare to find an individual who's passionate about his work.