Cooper Home Inspections

Steve did an amazingly thorough job.  He did more than I?ve seen other home inspectors do.  His reporting was very objective, and he took time to explain until everything was understood.  I really felt that he went the extra mile, and it was evident that he cared about the service he delivered.  His background in contracting gave him more ability to pass on deeper insight to us.

I noticed, immediately, that Steve left muddy foot prints all over hard wood floor next to the patio door which seemed unprofessional.

Steve explained the problems he noticed on the home which prompted us to get an inspection from another company for potential water issues in the crawl-space.  Trouble is, the water abatement company sent me pictures of an obvious duct issue.  The duct was full off water and Steve made no mention of this.  This issue was revealed to be even larger than the water abatement company revealed when (after the purchase) the heating company revealed that not one but two ducts were full of water.  Steve's explanation of why he failed to detect these issues was because once he detected water in the crawlspace he stopped inspecting the rest of the crawlspace.

After the purchase of the home, we tried turning on the ceiling fan in the master bedroom.  It was non-functional.  Steve's explanation was that he had noticed the non-working fan but the extent of his responsibility was that he flipped switches and determined the switches worked (?).  He was not interested in providing any apology or any concessions.

The day before we move in to the place, I needed to use the faucet in the front property and when I turned it on, I was drenched with water because the faucet leaks severely.  Again, Steve never mentioned this issue and thus he must not have inspected it.  I did not ask him why this issue wasn't reported as I predicted he would tell us that he was only required to see if the knob turned.

From the start of our experience with Steve, the taste was not good.  Before he shows you the inspection report, he requires you sign an agreement that states he will be responsible for no more than $500 if a person is successful in getting a judgement against him for gross negligence.  This is not something he tells you at the time you schedule the inspection and it seems consistent with the level of service he provides.

I would not recommend his service.  I wish I would have used the inspector the buyers used on the property we sold before the one we purchased.  That inspector was very thorough and the report he provided was leaps and bounds beyond the simplistic report Steve provided.  The realtor hated that inspector (of course) and referred us to Steve.  On that note, it was an insult how generalized and cookie cuter Steve's report was.  Amazing anybody would ever have considered him "the best."  I suspect the review is from his good friend's Angie's List account.  

Finally, his prices seem to be on the rise and he refuses to take credit cards because he doesn't want to "pay $30" for the service.  The service to accept credit cards on $365 is not $30...I suppose that should have clued me in to the integrity of the service he intended to provide.

I've used Cooper Home Inspections in 2006 and wanted the Best again. Steve is very thorough with many years of experience. He does not sugar-coat what he sees, but tells it the way it is. You can't go wrong if you hire Steve Cooper.

He actually answers his cell phone. Responded to all of my phone calls.