BUCKLEY'S HOME INSPECTIONS

We chose Nathan out of several home inspectors in Klamath Falls after doing some on-line research and checking with people we knew around Klamath Falls.  His licenses were up-to-date (not true of all the home inspectors in Klamath Falls), and his insurance coverage was among the highest.  We were a little concerned about the one other review on Angie's list, but it was several years old, and it did not make much sense.  We heard good things about Nathan from several people around town.  Nathan was willing to come out on fairly short notice, close to the holidays.  He was on-time, and I felt his inspection was very thorough.  When I showed up at the property to go over his inspection, he took all the time needed to go over everything he'd seen, walking through each room, and to answer all the questions I had.  We have owned a couple of older homes and have done extensive maintenance and remodeling on them in the past, so I had a lot of questions.  He explained any technical issues I wasn't familiar with (aluminum electrical wiring, heat pumps, water heater venting and gas fireplaces).  I especially appreciated his ability and willingness to put his findings into context, emphasizing those things he thought were more significant/concerning.  He also came back at a later date, after some recent snow had melted, to inspect the roof more thoroughly.  It was his inspection that caught a couple of serious issues (roof, venting of the hot water heater, aluminum electrical wiring, and faulty gas line installation in the gas fireplaces) with the home we were considering purchasing.  As a result, we were able to successfully negotiate a reduction in the price of the home.  Ultimately, the inspection probably saved us $500, because we decided not to proceed with a home loan application and appraisal fee, due to the state of the roof and the unlikely prospects of a bank appraiser allowing a loan.  When I had to correct him on a question of the payment at the end of the inspection, he took my word for it, and called the realtor to resolve it.  I felt he listened carefully to my questions, had the expertise and took the time to answer them.  He delivered his written report promptly (within the next day or two), and was available for any further questions we had. 

I hired this company on the advise of my relator. The inspection was complete and I though everything was ok because that's what his report said. A few months later my electric bill was $500! I climbed under the house and found that my ducts were hanging by duct tape and not connected.. Apparently I was heating the neighborhood.. I called several AC/Duct companies and got estimates. They ranged from $3,500 to $6,500 and everyone of them said that the ducts had been like that for a long time and should not have passed any inspection. I called the inspector back and asked him to come over and look at them. He did and we talked. First he tried to say that it was recent and he couldn't have known. I called him on it and showed him the estimates. After a long drawn out conversation he stomped out of the house and I was calling my attorney and the licensing board to file a complaint against his license. He refused to accept responsibility but offered to pay half the costs which was unacceptable to me seeing as how I wouldn't have bought the house if I knew if needed 5k worth of work. About 20min later (apparently after a call to his attorney and realizing fault) he called me back and said that he would have it taken care because his friend was an installer and it wouldn't cost me anything. He came over himself and ripped out the ducts with my help and hauled them away. It took his fired (who was a piece of work) months to get the job done. Neither of them would return my calls and didn't even come back over to see if the ducts had been installed correctly as an x-employee of the company had been paid under the table to complete the job.  I should have just sued him as it would have been easier than dealing with him and his back door dealings. He obviously wasn't very good at his job or he wouldn't have missed ducts falling apart. Even if he had made a mistake and owned up to it that would have been better then denying that anything was wrong with his work. At least if he had been professional enough to return my calls or follow through with cleaning up his mess.. Overall I would rather pay someone from out of town twice as much for an inspection then to pay this incompetent, unprofessional excuse for an inspector anywhere near a house I want to purchase.