OHIO PROPERTY INSPECTION SERVICES

I should have trusted the reviews instead of my realtor on this. It's easy money for the home inspector. My opinion of his contract is I'm taking your money, I'll give you a report that may or may not be accurate, and you can't hold me liable for anything I miss or get wrong. I knew my home would need work, but I keep finding more and more. Just for example, the report states he tested "a representative sample of wall receptacles, light fixtures, and wall switches..." I would guess that sample was one or two from the number of inoperative/faulty switches and outlets. Light fixtures in one closet don't work and found we'll have to cut out sections of the wall to trace the wiring to find out why (hopefully not cutting out the wall all the way to the panel). The master closet switch sparks when flipped. One kitchen circuit trips when anything is plugged in. Already replaced all the kitchen outlets and sparking switch. Easy fixes, but should have been caught in the inspection.

John and his company (OPIS) was recommended to us by our realtor; I wish I would have been an Angie's list member to read other reviews and not have relied upon my realtor's recommendation.
OPIS provided a lovely report and a cd with pictures; however, they missed several things on our home inspection. OPIS did not know this prior to their inspection, but a previous potential buyer of this home backed out of their contract after their own home inspection due to an attached sunroom; the room did not have a proper foundation - this was quite obvious when you walked into the room. OPIS did not disclose this in the home inspection. This was a major problem - the quote we received to demolish the room that was not up to code was over $5,000. When we mentioned this finding to OPIS, and questioned it not being documented in the home inspection, their response was: "It has come to our attention that the seller disclosed some known items about this room and the foundation.  We noted in our report that the foundation of the area under the floor system in this room was not visible.  For the foundation (or what may be lack thereof) to be visible, some surfaces would have to either be dismantled or removed which is beyond the scope of a normal home inspection unless specific requests and permissions have been granted by the owner.  That is why we could not speak more directly to this issue that you apparently were already aware of." To be more clear, it is obvious upon looking at the inside and outside of this structure that it does not have a proper foundation - walls/ceiling/floor are not level; and the stucco that's meant to look like the room has a concrete foundation was chipping off in large chunks on the outside of the structure. The home inspection also did not locate the bathroom exhaust vents; it's obvious that these do not terminate above the roof line, their response to this inquiry: "we may not have been able to determine the EXACT termination points for some due to insulation covering." After moving into the home, we discovered several issues with water pipes - the washer hook-up's were leaking down into the wall; we were unable to hook-up our washer until plumbing and the wall was repaired. This was also the case with the water hook-up for our refrigerator. There were also several electrical outlets that did not work and required an electrician to fix. 
Another major problem that we encountered with OPIS' service was the chimney inspections. For one, I did not know nor was it made known to me by OPIS that a third party would be completing the chimney inspection. I was provided a $10,000 quote for repairs with one lousy picture; an actual inspection report was not provided. When I asked for additional information and a detailed report, after several days of not getting a response, I was sent a few more pictures. 
Overall, this was the worst experience that I've had with a business. As a first time homebuyer, I felt deceived out of $425 by OPIS. The owner was arrogant and pompous in all of his contact with us regarding our concerns. I'm not a qualified professional, but could have done a better home inspection on my own.

See above

The roof on the home we were purchasing had been replaced in Nov. 2011.  OPIS's report stated the roof was original from when the home was built in 1994.  When I asked them to confirm the seller was providing misleading information about the age of the roof, OPIS revised the report to state the roof was new and stated a mistake had been made. 

Besides that oversight, we found later that OPIS missed (3) leaky faucets, (2) water damaged doors, and visible mold in the crawl space. 

We received a refund of our inspection fee.

It was a very good experience and they gave an overall good inspection. They were accurate, responsible and knowledgeable. I will use them again in the future.

We were at a big disadvantage due to relocating from another state - we knew no one and were dependant on the realtor to guide us.  I have a big problem with the contract wording absolving OPIS from anything they may miss.  An example is on the insect report:  "This report is not a guarantee or warranty as to the absence of wood destroying insects nor is it a structural integrity report.  The inspector's training and experience do not qualify the inspector in damage evaluation or any other building construction technology and/or repair." 

They made our job easy - they contacted the other realtor to obtain access, completed a full inspection and provided a detailed report with pictures to support any issues. This helped us to make recommendations of the seller prior to closing. They worked on a short timeframe and were very thorough. My father-in-law, a former electrical engineer, was extremely impressed. I think they also won awards from the Springfield Board of Realtors. Excellent value for the price.