Matika Home Inspections, Inc

The results were terrific.  I accompanied Mike on the Townhouse inspection where he carried on a stream of dialog noting what he was looking at, what items needed attention by the seller, and what items needed to be in the report, but in the main were not serious.   The process took 3 hours and we poked in every corner of the house.   The report was thorough, with pictures, and a sort of the items between defects (the most important to address) and lower categories of issues.  After his inspection was done I had a firm idea of the condition of the house and knew which issues were important and which were not.  Invaluable.
The second time was in January 2015 where I asked Mike to inspect my home for defects and issues that I could get a handle on and deal with before the house actually hit the market.   Again, I accompanied me on his tour over three hours.   He quickly located issues that I had no idea were there, and again put each issue in perspective - which demanded attention and which were of minor interest.  
It is very unsettling to have a critique of your own home, and his report was very objective and actually hard for me to read.  But I saw items that absolutely had to be attended to, and over the following months I arranged for the critical items to be addressed. 
When the house went on the market, the buyer conducted his own inspection.  When the report came in, I was already prepared for most items.  Interestingly there were a set of issues raised by the buyer that had not been addressed by Mike.   I called Mike (he is amazingly available) and discussed the issues.  He noted that he didn't include them because they all had to do with preventing moisture from getting into the walls (they are stucco).   But the house is 32 years old, and he had not detected any moisture in the walls, ceiling or attic, meaning the house was dry and had been for 32 years.   There was no reason to insist on preventive measures when there was no issue.  The preventive measures are more relevant for new construction.  
I was thrilled - it was a logical and compelling argument that helped me persuade the buyer to not insist on such remedies when the house has not needed such remedies for 32 years.   
I have now become a advocate for pre sale inspections.   This day and age, the seller needs to be knowledgeable about the condition of his home from an independent inspection before listing it so he can take action on key issues, and be armed with knowledge when the buyer's inspection report is produced. 

Mike met us at the property and was not only on time, but he began immediately and was on the roof within minutes.  He was extremely friendly and knowledgeable and treated the home inspection as a learning experience.  We are first time home buyers, so we were so grateful for his expertise and patience with us through the process.  He was very thorough and meticulous in the details.  He took photos and had the paperwork to us by the following day!  Even after the inspection, we had to call to review a few things and he took his time to go over everything and was always available to answer our calls.  We are so grateful to him for his work and we would absolutely recommend him in the future! 

Mike was very thorough.  He took the time to go through everything with us.  This was our first home purchase so he spent some extra time talking about maintenance items we may need to look into.  Items that needed to be fixed right away versus items that we should keep an eye on and replace as needed.  Mike was on time, friendly and knowledgeable.  We hope that we will not have to move anytime soon but would definitely use Mike for our next home inspection!

Mike came highly recommended both by our realtor as well as friends who have used him in the past.  He arrived early on both occasions, using the extra time to survey the property and take general notes before meeting with us.  The inspections took between 3-4 hours, and were detailed and thorough.  Mike was very patient with us -- first-time homebuyers about to buy a large long-term home who knew very little during the process.  He was able to explain in really clear terms exactly what he was looking for, what he saw that concerned him or satisfied him, remedies for various issues, etc.  Communication was excellent, really a wealth of knowledge.  He's extremely thorough -- has a reputation for it -- but is not alarmist and presents everything in a straightforward and balanced way.  We never felt rushed.  On both occasions, he turned around the reports to us in about 3 days (and the second time was right around the Thanksgiving holidays as well).  Both reports were similarly very clear and well-organized, outlining problems/concerns, their severity, potential remedies, etc.  We know we will be returning to his reports again and again in the future as homeowners.  And if we were ever to be in the market to purchase another home again, we would definitely use him.

Mike's price (first house was 3500 sq ft, second house was 3200 sq ft) is reasonable.  He definitely isn't the cheapest home inspector out there - but you pay for what you get, and his services were well worth it. 

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Close friends highly recommended Mike. He arrived fifteen minutes early. Prior to commencing the inspection, he explained in detail the process by which he conducts inspections and then gave us the opportunity to ask clarifying questions. He asked us to remain by his side throughout the inspection. As we walked with him he patiently contextualized and described each action he performed, using relatable metaphors and jargon-free language. Moreover, he took his time. He seemed sincerely interested in getting to know us and our desires and concerns regarding the property. Within the hours of the inspection's conclusion, he phoned us to share valuable thoughts that had occurred to him after he had left the property. He spent approximately 20 minutes on the phone with my wife answering follow-up questions. Mike was not only generous with his time, but also with humor. We are grateful to him.

Mike was truly outstanding. He spent over 2 hours will us on a 1450 sq. ft. house. As a first-time home buyer, I needed a lot of explanations and he was more than happy to provide them. He was extremely thorough and did a wonderful job of explaining exactly what was wrong, how to make it right (and how much it might cost) and whether the problem was a big deal or nothing to worry about. I felt like he was really on my side. He also did a great job explaining what kind of routine maintenance the house would require (such as explaining how to bleed the radiators). My parents and my boyfriend's parents were also at the inspections and commented that he was terrific - and collectively, they've seen a good number of inspectors. His report was timely, thorough, well-written, and clear. It made it very easy to prioritize what we wanted from the sellers and how we wanted them to fix things. Highly recommended.

Twice now I have spent three or four hours with Matika studying the structural makeup and condition of a house. Matika made sure that I understood what he was trying to explain, gave me an honest assessment, and prepared me for the final negotiations with the seller's agent. His report was delivered to me in a timely fashion, and it came complete with estimated costs on the items that would need to be taken care of to get the house up to standard. An invaluable source of information for someone whose profession is far removed from home inspections but who needs to make an important decision about purchasing a house.

Very well, the first house fell through for other various reasons so we had to call him a second time. He was complete, honest and professional. He was upfront about what things meant.

He was very thorough and was available repeatedly afterwards to answer questions. He spent a lot of time on the inspection.

Mike was on time. He was GREAT to work with! As first time home-buyers, he realized that we didn't know too much about some parts of the house. So, besides the actual inspection, he also tutored us in ways that we would have to maintain the home. He was very patient, and VERY thorough. We were buying a house that had been previously inspected by a relocation company, and Mike turned up MANY defects that the original company missed. I was completely impressed, and although his quote ($500) was a little higher than I wanted to pay, it was worth every cent. I felt like a learned a lot and feel infinitely more comfortable about spending so much money on a house. Mike sent us a lengthy report the following morning (this was after spending more than 4 hours with us in the house). I felt like we received valuable information that we could use to negotiate with the sellers (including written estimates to fix the defects). I would recommend Mike in a heartbeat! He was efficient and smart.