Associated Master Inspectors LLC

Long story short...James Katen of AMI performed the second inspection that we had done on this pre-purchase of a home in Battle Ground, WA. This is one of those short sale scenarios, and we had to wait 10 months to get approval. The first inspection by another company was done in October 2009. Jim's inspection was much more thorough and uncovered many more issues, some of which are major, that were not reported in the first inspection by the company that was recommended by our Realtor. The inspection took 4 hours as anticipated, and Jim went over his findings with us at the end of the inspection. He also took a quick look at the barn and had suggestions regarding the wiring which was very helpful. Jim is very professional and knows his stuff!!! The only downside to the service, in this age of instant gratification, is that we had to wait a couple of days for the written report. However, we have had many, many inspections done over the years of buying and selling homes, and I have to say that his report is one of the best that we have ever received. I highly recommend Jim's services.

I have used ASSOCIATED MASTER INSPECTORS (AMI) twice. The first was on a bank-owned home. The inspection revealed things that neither I or the bank knew about. They saved me from making a huge mistake. Ultimately, I decided not to buy this home. The inspection was thorough and well explained - I knew that I would use AMI's services again. Two months later, I found another house and had AMI perform the inspection. This home was about 30 years newer and was in much better shape. They did find some stuff that needed to be updated and repaired, but nothing too alarming. One of the things I liked best about the home inspection by AMI was that they were able to explain the various issues associated with the house - and what I could do to fix them. They have tons of experience and are very professional.

I did not check around for prices so I am not sure how to grade them on price. The company did come highly recommended to my from a Realtor. Toby Demming showed up and did a great job inspecting my home. He was very through and engaged in his work. The next morning I received a very lengthy and detailed report on the inspection. I was pleased with the work and would use them again in the future.

Mark Lindgren did both inspections. It was easy to set up a time and Mark was punctual. He was extremely thorough. After he was done, he walked me through the house to show me the things that he had found. I received a detailed report with pictures, which included a list of contractors that could do any needed repairs. Mark was also very gracious and helpful when I called later with questions. We hired Mark to do an inspection before listing our house that we had owned for 20 years. I highly recommend doing this. It allowed us to find out about problems that a prospective buyer would be likely to be concerned about and to fix those issues before listing the house for sale. When we eventually sold the house and the buyers performed their own inspection, we were not asked to fix anything or lower the price. The inspection report on the house that I bought was equally thorough. I was able to use the information to negotiate on the price and am still using it to show contractors who have come to do some repairs.

Thorough and did good job at a good price.

This is a great company, really quick to schedule and everyone so nice.

We had worked with Toby Deming before as he had done a top to bottom inspection of our current 23-unit, 100 year old condo building. As before, Toby was thoroughly professional and offered helpful and concrete observations and suggestions as he inspected the 100 year house we were in the process of buying. We had a tight schedule and he made every effort to accommodate it. He arrived at the house at 1 pm and was ready to walk through it with our Realtor at 5 pm. He patiently answered all of our questions and we finished up around 6 pm. We also bought some radon tests from him which he had in his truck which another great time saver. We received a very comprehensive report 24 hours later that outlined in even greater detail the things he had observed and told us the day before. It will be a very valuable document as we do repairs. Moreover, Toby is very personable and helps to take the mystery and nerves out of the home inspection process. We thought AMI's pricing of $395 for an inspection and $50 for the radon canisters was exceptionally reasonable for the quality of service.

It went very smoothly. They were available for an appointment 2 days later to inspect a home we're purchasing. They spent an entire afternoon going over every inch of the home, and were very thorough in their report, which arrived in my inbox the next morning.

Mark & Lane did an extremely thorough job, checking all the home's systems, explaining what they found, in language I could understand. Their report, sent to me six hours after finishing the 4-hour inspection, was comprehensive and well illustrated with photographs of all items that needed repair.

We were very pleased with Mark Lindgren's assessment of our house. He and an asst. were here right on time. They spent close to 3 hours going over the house, yard, and garage thoroughly. They took photos of trouble spots and attached them to their comprehensive 36-page report, which was e-mailed to us 2 days later. They knew contractors to recommend for the work that needed to be done. The report was color coded, with items in red ink needing to be addressed immediately. Luckily, we didn't have too much red ink in our report. He was enthusiastic about the basic construction of our almost-100-year old house, and about most of the work we had had done on it. He could tell when certain work had been done poorly (we already knew). He was very positive and flexible about what our options were. In most cases, he thought our repairs would be minor and inexpensive. We ended up feeling very reassured. It was money and time well spent.

I heard about Toby Deming at AMI from a real estate agent. Toby arrived a couple of hours early and had done the outside of the house before I arrived. He then spent a number of hours on the inside going through everything. He was very thorough indeed. The thing I like most was that after the inspection he spent at least an hour walking me through the most important points in language I could understand. So by the time he left I felt like I really knew what was wrong with the house, and I was able to get a $7,000 purchase price adjustment based on his work. The next morning a full color, very long report of his inspection arrived via email with LOTS of detail. So I got both the summary and a full report to back it up.

Mark Lindgren and Lane Smith did an outstanding job on this inspection. They arrived right on time and were at the house for several hours and literally checked every nook and cranny! They were very respectful of the homeowners (wearing paper shoes so they didn't get the carpets dirty, turning off every light they turned on, etc.) When they were finished, they gave us a walk through and explained all of their findings, and what they would mean to us as new home owners. We had a complete report by email (including pictures of everything they found wrong) that same evening. They were very helpful and knowledgeable and took their time in explaining everything, as well as being able to answer all of our questions. This is a top notch company!

The inspector was there early, he asked if there was anything we had already noticed so he could be sure to check it out, he described his style (he preferred to do the whole inspection on his own and then walk the property with us to review his findings), then he got right to work. We found the review very helpful as it showed the inspector's knowledge and the detail he went into. He even offered some hints on how to fix things. By 9am the next morning we had the report via e-mail and the inspector was quite willing to discuss anything in the report over the phone. The report itself was very detailed and easy to read (once you know the coding system.) Overall we felt the inspector did an extremely thorough job and are very pleased with the information we received.

It went very well. They responded to my request for services very quickly and arrived on time for the inspection. It took most of an afternoon. They walked us through the house to point out problem areas and by 7:00 am the next morning we had our written report.

Toby was very friendly and accommodating. We had scheduled a complete inspection prior to buying an old run down house whose previous owners had had some work done, but a lot had been left unfinished. Since we were well aware of a lot of the issues already, Toby suggested we didn't really need the more expensive inspection, but could do a slightly more limited one and he would let us know if he felt we needed anything investigated further. He was knowledgeable, respectful, and a good sport. A lot of contractors just gasp when they see this place, but Toby took everything in stride and made us feel well-informed and plucky, not foolish!

Mark Lindgren was competent and efficient and focused. He went out of his way to be helpful.

Went very well. Very thorough and took pictures of many items. Report was clear and detailed.

Charlie was our home inspector. We had used his services several years ago when we purchased our first home. During our most recent home inspection, as with the first one he did for us years ago, Charlie was very professional and thorough. He went over everything with us and sent us a copy of the report the same evening. We would definitely use Charlie's services again in the future.

Mark Lindgren did an outstanding job with the inspection. He spent about 4 hrs going over everything and explaining what he was doing as he worked. He carries a moisture meter which determines if there has been water intrusion in walls, etc. This company is very professional and is a pleasure to deal with.

Charlie was articulate and very good at his job, performed a complete inspection and had good equipment (e.g. digital camera and computer to compile report). I don't know if the price was competitive, but I do feel he did an excellent assessment of the property.

AMI sent two guys out: Mark Lindgren and Lane Smith. They were well-prepared with equipment, cameras and computers, and did a great job going through the house. They had a "tag team" operation going: while one was inspecting some area of the house, the other would report on what he'd found. I was also invited to accompany them in, under, and around the house to actually watch what they were doing. They put together a printable (PDF) report and emailed it to me a couple of hours after they left. I also emailed Mark some questions a few days later, and he responded within a few hours (I think this might have been after business hours, too.) AMI charges about $100 more than the competition, but I think I got my money's worth. I'll use them again if I buy another house.

This was my second home inspection process. They both were there 10 minute early. I really liked the way they let me be involved in the whole process as a peer rather than taking a ''let me do my job and I'll explain it to you at the end'' approach. Both Mark and Lane were professional, friendly, and offered great advice. It takes a few minutes to understand the key on the report, but the details the report conveys are excellent. It captures notes, photos, and levels of concern. The explanation of the key is on the form, but Mark spent some time explaining how to best read it. I really like this format over my previous inspection's handwritten-on-triplicate form format where you get one of the copies. At the end, they also provided a list of house service companies (i.e. roofing, plumbing, etc.) that their company recommends. Their price is a little bit higher than some other inspectors, but it was well worth it. I highly recommend them.

Toby was an absolute delight to work with. He was so kind and thorough on the first inspection that I requested him for the 2nd inspection. It was clear that he was working for my interest, and it made no difference to him if the house sold or not. He was on time, professional, meticulous, and submitted a report to me and my realtor the next day. I would definitely hire Toby again and unless he retires, I won't use any other inspector but Toby!

I NEEDED AN INSPECTION IN A SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME, AND CONSIDERED THE ELEVATED COST OF THIS COMPANY TO BE REASONABLE AT THE TIME. MR. SMITH WAS VERY POLITE, AND FRIENDLY IN PERSON. HE PROMISED TO HAVE THE REPORT COMPLETED, AND E-MAILED TO ME BY THE FOLLOWING MORNING. THIS DID NOT HAPPEN. HIS BUSINESS CARD DID NOT HAVE A CELL NUMBER TO CONTACT HIM DIRECTLY. REPEATED CALLS TO HIS OFFICE, HIS CELL, AND HOME PHONE NUMBERS (GARNERED FROM THE OFFICE ASSISTANT) RARELY MET WITH AN ANSWER. THOSE TIMES I WAS ABLE TO CONTACT HIM RESULTED IN PROMISES TO GET ME THE REPORT. END STORY: I SPENT HOURS AND HOURS DOGGING HIM, AND FINALLY GOT THE REPORT FOUR DAYS AFTER THE INSPECTION. TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE DURING A PENDING SALE PERIOD. I KNOW OTHER PEOPLE THAT HAVE RECOMMENDED THIS COMPANY (THEY HAVE FIVE INSPECTORS), BUT HAVE USED ONE OF THE OTHER INSPECTORS. IF YOU DO CONTACT THIS COMPANY, MY RECOMMENDATION IS TO AVOID LANE SMITH AT ALL COSTS.

WE WOULD RECOMMEND AMI INSPECTORS TO ALL OF OUR FRIENDS. OUR INSPECTOR WAS VERY GOOD AND EXPLAINED IN DETAILED THINGS WE SHOULD CONSIDER BEFORE WE BUY THE HOUSE. HE EVEN SHOWED US HOW TO FIX ANYTHING THAT WAS BROKEN OR NEEDED WORK.