Advantage Inspection

Tommy Young exceeded my expectations. Not only did he cover the essential checklist items (structure, plumbing, electrical) but he coordinated the subcontractors for pests, radon and mold. When he published the report and answered my follow-up questions, I was able to get a complete picture of the house, including details of build quality and materials used, appliance and HVAC manufacturers reputation and quality. This was important to me as I had to depend on my realtor and Tommy to represent me for a house a could not see first-hand.

This company overlooked so many items .Lots of rot and water Damge .There were multiple other items .The sprinkler system wasn’t even inspected at all and I had to call him back out .

I first hired Advantage (in July 2016) based on the recommendation of my broker when I purchased 10 units in Spartanburg. Due to the number of units to be inspected in one day, Advantage gave me a volume discount, which I really appreciated, and two inspectors, Roan and Adrian came for the job. Roan was patient in answering my questions and their reports arrived quickly and were longer than the inspector's reports I've received for my SFRs in Columbia. For me it was a no brainer to re-hire them, and to request Roan specifically, in February of 2017 to inspect a SF foreclosure I purchased in Greenville county. The water could not be turned on for the inspection (due to the foreclosure company's policies) but the inspection was thorough. They did miss that the house is on a septic system ( we all did because the county lists it as having public water and sewer) but other than that everything was efficient and thorough. Due to Roan's background as a GC, he was able to answer my questions about repairing the smaller issues. Just as accountants can be aggressive, conservative, or moderate, I find home inspectors to be the same way. My impression is that Advantage Inspection is moderate - they may refer to mold as mildew or a stain for example, rather than set off the alarms for something small that can be easily remedied. I think it's important to find the inspector who is right for you (if you're hoping to negotiate for a steep discount, for example, you might hire a firm that is more aggressive) but I'm happy with a moderate inspection from a company that provides detailed, emailed reports quickly, arrives when scheduled, and is courteous enough to answer my questions. The cost below is for my SF.

This review is written 6 months after the fact - now that I have had ample time to reflect on the situation.

We purchased a home that was for sale by owner.  David from Advantage Inspection was the inspector that we hired based on our real estate agent's recommendation.  At the time, we knew that we were buying a bit of a fixer-upper, but there was a major issue that he missed - and that's the reason I'm writing this review.

The property we purchased has an outbuilding wired for ~100 amps with it's own breaker box and about a dozen circuits.  In the inspection, David noted that there was "apparent rodent damage" at the attic access point.  That much is true.  What he failed to notice was that the "apparent" rodent damage would be better described as "massive rodent damage that requires the entire outbuilding to be 100% rewired and until then is basically a fire trap."  (Or words to that effect)  It's going to cost thousands and thousands of dollars to repair.  There are hundreds of feet of chewed up wire - pretty much every wire that you can see in the attic is chewed through.

I can forgive an inspector for failing to notice hidden electrical issues.  But this damage is not hidden.  It's plainly obvious if you simply stick your head into the attic access point and use your eyeballs and a flashlight, instead of only looking at it from the outside.  Pure laziness as far as I'm concerned.

I can't put all the blame on David.  I admit some responsibility as well.  I knew full well that he was not being thorough with his inspection of the outbuilding - and I should have challenged him on it at the time.  My failure to force him to do his job right is why I have waited 6 months to write this review.  I'm only writing this now out of frustration at the fact that I still can't use my outbuilding, and in the hope that it will shame him into not letting this happen to someone else in the future.

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I liked ??the job.  He had a ‘B’ on the other list but I still used him anyway because my realtor recommended him.  Once I moved into the house I had two other leaks that popped up and he said our fireplace gas valves was not working and somebody came and turned them on.  I came across a few things and with the gas valves he didn’t take the time really to try to get them to turn on.  As soon as I moved in the furnace went out. It died almost the day we closed. But he was prompt and everything.  He was very professional.  I recommended him to somebody but I told him that he was really nice but missed a couple of things.  My friend just bought a house and they had an inspector that stayed like all day long at the house for six or eight hours and I don’t know if it is normal.  I liked the guy and I feel like because I have used him more I feel comfortable calling him again and I’ll still give him another shot.  His name was Adrian Smith.

It took him roughly an hour to do the inspection. He did a very thorough job. He went up in the attic, every room, the roof, and the outside too. It is a rental unit and he went through every unit as well. He gave me a very thorough written report. I dealt with Adrian for this inspection.

Very professional and thorough inspection. Definitely would recommend.

Very smooth and no surprises relative to inspection services. Easy to contact, set up appointment.Inspector was a bit late to site, but set to task when he arrived. Ae explained the process clearly and was methodical. Written report via email within 24 hours. My daughter purchased the home and after 4 months she has found nothing that was not noted from the inspection.

We called Advantage based on their rating on this site. The inspector came an hour early so we almost missed him. Instead of an experienced inspector we got a college student with a check list. He was a nice young man and he did go down his list. However, it was not a through inspection that we would have liked.

Since our home inspection we have found numerous major problems that if the home was inspected properly should have been found. One major area was under a bathroom sink when the water was turned on it just gushed out under the house not dripped but gushed.  The leak had completely rotted the wood and support beam.  The beam was visible under the house if it had been checked, and I would think a home inspector would look carefully under plumbing with the water running.

Excellent experience with this company from initial contact with Robin to follow- up with Adrian. Professional, punctual, personable. In the end, we walked away from buying the home Adrian inspected. Currently, we are under contract on another home and did not hesitate to call on their services again.

This inspection went better than I ever expected or had experienced in the past with a home purchase.  I contacted Dale by phone after getting his recommendation from my realtor and also after seeing his excellent rating on Angie's List. . .  thank you.  Dale and I then corresponded via email to set up and confirm the appointment (since I was flying in from out of state for the home inspection).  He had no problem scheduling the inspection on a Saturday.  Dale was right on time and allowed me to follow him throughout the whole house for the 3 or so hours.  He set up a radon measuring device and explained that it would take a reading for a day or so and he would retreive the machine and its readings and collect a water sample at that time so that the lab could perform a test on the water during business hours.  He explained that we would receive those two reports separately as the results came in.  During the home inspection, Dale answered all of my questions and explained the appliances, hvac, water, everything in detail.  He also gave me advice on things to keep on eye on in the future.   He was extremely thorough in looking over everything inside and outside of the home, including the roof, porch supports, property drainage around the home.  He took pictures of everthing, including every item that may need repair and every appliance label.  He climbed and crawled up in the attic to inspect the heat exchanger and air vents.   At the end of the inspection, he stayed around and answered any questions I had and also offered to answer any more I might come up with in the future via email. The next evening we received via email an extremely detailed, 31-page home inspection report, including a report summary which listed items that needed repair or further inspection and color photos of each item that was noted, including nail pops on the roof shingles, gutter downspouts that needed better connection, etc.  The rest of the report contained a line-by-line report of everything, inside and out, from appliances and mechanicals, electric system, and from the foundation and structure, exterior grounds up through the roof.  Within a few days, we received the readings from the Radon and Water testing.  Dale's thorough inspection report with pictures and notations of things that needed repair was extremely helpful in negotiating the fixes with the Seller, and his things to look for and documentation of the electrical system and appliances will be invaluable during our ownership of the property.  Dale has also followed up with emails asking if we have any further questions, or if we are interested in purchasing a home warranty.  He has also followed up with coupon offers from vendors and with links to moving advice, such as Postal change of address forms, IRS moving tax forms, etc.

Mr. Hansen was our home inspector.  He was one I picked on a list my realtor gave me, inspectors she frequently uses.  He was easy to get on the phone, flexible schedule, very nice.  With the first house, he set the pest inspection and the radon inspection for me.  Within 24hrs your very detailed inspection report is emailed to you.  The first inspection report made us terminate the contract (41 problems big and small, including structural).  The 2nd house he inspected, the report was emailed to me that night.  We are set to close on this house in a week or so.  Again, very detailed, we know all the problems we will be facing.  With the 2nd house he set up the pest inspection for me (no radon inspection this time, I didn't want to waste another $100 again, just in case this house was another disaster).  I've called him after inspections and asked questions, he took the time to answer them all.  Also, the 2nd inspection he went back and re-inspected (the water lines had been cut and after repair, he came back).  If we were not buying the 2nd house, I would gladly use this company's services again.

He was really good. I would recommend him.

I will have to say that Mr. Smith was wonderful. I was in need of an inspection to a home I am attempting to purchase. Not only were they agreeable and professional, they were able to come out within just a few days. Starting with initiating a wash cycle on the dishwasher, Mr Smith went over all the systems in the home beginning with the exterior and working his way through every nook and cranny, structural integrity, and everything else, but a special thanks has to be given for the information and knowledge both my son and myself obtained in such a short period of time. The only thing that wasn't inspected was the water heater, but that was because, for some odd reason, the builder put it behind a wall panel that we could not get to; however, Mr Smith was courteous enough to say that as soon as the panel is removed, he will come back out and complete that as well!!

I'm not sure I received a true inspector and not an employee with a checklist.  I had questions about several issues that til this day I have yet to get an answer for even though the inspector told me he would follow up with an answer after checking code requirements.  I even contacted him and he never returned my calls. I think the inspector was out of his comfort zone, and I don't think the inspector was prepared to do pre-drywall inspections.  My guess is he was accustomed to doing final inspections.  The inspector did offer to return the money paid.  I declined to accept it at the time; however, had I known he wouldn't follow up with the answers to the issues as he said he would  I would have done otherwise.  In knowing he wouldn't contact me with the answers I was asking for he should have insisted  returning the money paid.  The point of hiring an inspector is to get answers.  One of the issues I wanted follow up for was whether or not the material being used behind the showers was the appropriate type of material to be used.  The concern over the foundation crack left me with more questions than answers as well.    You would think that would be a fairly easy task for an home inspector.  I have to give this company a failing grade based on the fact they didn't deliver answers, and follow up after receiving phone calls.

Inspector was on time and very professional.  He walked me throughout the house explaining what he was looking for as well as the cause of any deficiencies that he noted.  The inspection lasted around 3 hours and every corner of the home, attic, and crawlspace was looked at.  I was very happy with the process and would be happy to business with them again.

I highly recommend them.  They were absolutely fantastic.  I had a five star experience.  I was more impressed with them than the inspections we have had before.  The qualities that most impressed me were their professionalism and expertise.  They were good at what they did.  I will definitely use them again in the future.

Overall, we were extremely pleased.

I was very pleased with the inspection.  I will recommend and use them again.

Very professional staff on the phone who were extremely helpful. I am going to use them again when I need my Final Inspection right before we close. This is a great Co in Greenville, SC!

PERFORMED A COMPLETE HOME INSPECTION AND A MOLD/SPORE AIR CHECK INSIDE AND OUTSIDE HOUSE  

I chose this company from Angie's List. Thank you to the other reviewer for pointing me in the direction of Advantage Inspection. I walked-through the house with the inspector and also walked around the house. I would've walked under the house, except I'm scared of spiders, so I let him do that. Adrian Smith is a professional, genial guy. I just received the official report from him which includes an itemized list of repairs to be made, pictures of the house, an offer on a home warranty, and a coupon for Lowe's. Overall: Great service, great people.

Great. Inspector showed up the same day, completed a very thorough inspection and found multiple defects I was unaware of.