ATLAS Home Inspection

I have read numerous reviews about Atlas Home Inspection and inspector Ed Snope that suggest he does a great job for home buyers. While his aggressive approach may satisfy some buyers and provide them a negotiating tool, as the seller of a home that has been subjected to one of Ed’s inspections, I feel compelled to offer a very different assessment. Earlier this year Mr. Snope of Atlas inspected a home we were selling--a 40-year-old home my family and I lived in and maintained well for almost 14 years. When Mr. Snope left my home following his 3+ hour inspection, I found damage to a window shade, garage door openers that no longer operated properly, and a locked door handle that caused us to lock ourselves out of our bathroom in the middle of the night—and required that we remove the door knob to access the bathroom. We also found multiple surfaces defaced with stickers indicating very minor problems. Mr. Snope delivered a report that contained many inaccuracies, including an error on the first page that added years to the age of the home--a data point that is easily checked online via public records. He also recorded some features of our home as not working when the only problem seemed to be his inability to understand their basic operations. The inspection report also seemed to base its findings on arbitrary and highly questionable standards and judgements, including recommending changes that would violate HOA covenants. To be fair, the inspector did report that our dishwasher had been recalled, which I confirmed with the manufacturer and were repaired at no cost to us. However, my overall view is that this home inspector lack professional integrity and courtesy. In our case he provided a report that was in many respects inaccurate, misleading and grossly unfair. He also showed little respect for our home and its current owners. In short, this is not a home inspector I would ever choose to engage, even if I was a buyer.

This is the second time we've used Atlas Home Inspection/Ed Snopes, and like the first time, we were extremely pleased with his thoroughness, attention to detail, professionalism and quick response with a fully-detailed written report. Ed was particularly instructive to our son who is purchasing his first home, pointing out what he was seeing, giving guidance on what could be expected in the future, and demonstrating patience when we asked follow-up questions. His report included annotated photographs and comments that allowed us to go back to the Sellers with informed reasons for asking for repairs and/or a price reduction. We highly recommend Atlas Home Inspection and Ed.

ATLAS, Ed Snope, exceeded my expectations! I had some issues with basement waterproofing after the recent storm. I wasn't sure where to turn. A friend suggested that I seek a home inspector to provide an independent opinion. As a follow up, I chose ATLAS to provide me with an inspection specific to basement waterproofing and drainage. It was pouring rain the day of the inspection, this did not deter Ed from a thorough interior / exterior review. He was entirely open to me accompanying him during the inspection and he provided clarification along the way. This was a super learning experience. I promptly received a detailed report, along with recommendations and photos which allowed me to tune in to specific contractors in a more informed fashion. Ed has also been available to respond to follow up questions. I highly recommend ATLAS' services and not waiting until you're ready to sell your home to get a home inspection. I feel that my home will benefit from a higher attention to upkeep based on Ed's recommendations.

Ed was fantastic. This was our first home, so he took lots of time to walk us through the inspection room by room and explained to us not just what he found but also regular home maintenance and other pointers that were very helpful. He was incredibly thorough and very direct and professional in communication, which I appreciated.

Atlas Home Inspections was easy to contact and we were able to schedule an appointment quickly. They were the most reasonably priced of the companies we contacted to do the home inspection, with a base price and then additional fee based on square footage. Ed is extremely professional, very thorough and provided an extremely detailed report with photos and recommendations for repair. He did such a wonderful job, our real estate agent decided to recommend him to clients exclusively for home inspections. We will continue to recommend him to friends and would definitely use him again if needed.

Ed was excellent! He went above and beyond my expectations. From the beginning he was very responsive in him communication with getting me an estimate and just remaining in contact with me. Both before the inspection, and even after! He made sure that I understood everything he pointed out...he was very knowledgable and informative. One thing specifically that made Ed stand out was that he went up in the attic, came back down, put his ladder away but realized he forgot to take a picture...and without me saying anything, Ed went back to get his ladder, when all the way back in the attic, and took that picture that I needed. Another impressive thing was the home inspection report itself. It was extremely detailed and very well organized. There were plenty of pictures in the report and each picture had either an arrow, or a circle around the troubled area. At the end of the report was a summary page of all of the major discrepancies. Finally, Ed provided and with a very nice referral list to people who do various work that may need to be done on the home such as painters, HVAC repair companies, and roofing companies. This list is great! Well done Ed, Thank you!

Very well the report had a lot of description and photos and level of need to repair

Ed did a thorough inspection and took the time to explain observed and potential issues. He sent a comprehensive report the next day. He did an excellent job I will definitely work with him again. Nigus

We used Ed's services twice, and we would recommend him to anyone without hesitation. His attention to detail, thoroughness and honesty are exceptional. He tells it like it is, his final report is beautifully formatted and easy to read, and he goes above and beyond to include a wealth of information that would normally be very tedious to acquire. The first time around, due to the outcomes of the inspection, we were forced to rescind the offer, and we are very happy with that decision: Ed helped us stay away from what would have been a very troublesome and flawed home to own. After the inspections we have always been able to get in touch with him to ask questions and opinions, which he addressed with extreme grace and patience. We are still incredulous about how much value (for the money) Ed's services have provided us, and we are happy to have chosen us as our inspector.

Very well, thorough

Very impressed. New home construction project where the PMs are so busy, they can't possibly review the work of every sub contractor. I had a list of 5 things I thought needed to be addressed, but decided to call in AHI for a sanity check. He found pages of issues. I sent the report off to the prime contractor, who was shocked and, after review, said this is all valid and that they would address 90% of the issues (the rest being out of scope). Honestly, this inspection paid for itself 10 times over, and frankly I went with a decent builder who has high ratings and also with whom I have a good relationship. So if you hate your builder, this might be even more useful. AHI were really helpful throughout and answered follow questions.

Overall I can't say enough good things about working with Atlas. Ed was so great to work with. The process of setting up an appointment was easy and clear and he was able to meet our scheduling needs. The inspection was thorough and Ed took the time to point out how to work some of the equipment in the home as well as provide guidance on recommended maintenance schedules (something our builder didn't provide). That was unexpected and a very appreciated surprise. Deficient areas were marked with blue tape and Ed took the time to explain why the item was deficient. He also worked with a running list of issues we were tracking and made sure all those were addressed as well. The inspection report was provided less than 24 hours after the inspection and included photos, a description of the problem, the severity of the problem, and recommendations on the repair needed. Additionally, Ed provided a list of referrals who can assist us with the repairs our builder will not agree to make. It was a great experience and I would unequivocally recommend Atlas to anyone needing a home inspection.

I have some construction experience and have walked through 4 home inspections in the area for friends buying houses/town homes. Ed is the most thorough and experienced inspector I have worked with. His report to me was incredibly detailed not just with photos and notes on issues, but also with photos of things homeowners should know like shutoff locations, things you may want to take care of in a few years, and areas to monitor. To give you an idea, his report was 50 pages with annotated photos - the last inspection I was on was 8 pages... During the walk through, he was very descriptive in problem areas. While this can be scary for new homeowners, Ed called out estimated costs on fixes not just for areas that may require action from the seller, but also for areas the buyer may be able to save money on to help put things in perspective. The roof was accessible, so he made a roof walk. The crawl space looked to be a disaster zone that I wouldn't send my worst enemy into, but he got changed and spent 20 minutes down there. My detailed 50-page report was a 1 day turnaround for him. Highly recommended!

Ed is extremely knowledgeable and patient! I have learned a lot from this home inspection. Even my realtor, who has been professional for 30 years, said she also learned something new. I strongly recommend you considering the professional service by Ed Snope!

It went very well.

Great! Very thorough! Ten Stars Very Highley Recommend! We got our written report by 7PM of the same day of Inspection which ended around 12 noon.

We loved working with Ed. Very nice and knowledgeable. We would definitely recommend Ed for your Home Inspection needs.

If I could give 10 stars, I would. Ed was fantastic. He caught a lot of items that another inspector missed. He also took the time to answer my many questions. 
Hire Ed. You won't regret it.

Ed has it down - everything from the initial call to the appointment setup on short notice to the inspection itself to the final report went great. Highly recommend. Very reasonable price as well.

If you are considering a number of possible home inspectors as you go about buying a new home, stop searching. Atlas Home Inspection is the one you want to retain to review your prospective new home.  Ed Snope performed a pre-purchase home inspection for us that was methodical, thorough, comprehensive, and insightful.  He asked that we join him for the inspection and he patiently walked us through every aspect of the items he inspected.  Nothing escapes his review.  He points out major and minor issues, and matters that are simply FYI.  His on site presentation is incorporated into an extensive written report that contains pictures of items reviewed during the inspection.  I was very pleased with his work and would recommend him highly.

Ed was systematic and thorough in his approach to the inspection. He went through each room inspecting and taking photos of the items he felt were lacking. We followed along, and he patiently explained everything he was seeing, and he outlined the issues he observed. Observations and photos were included in a very detailed 53-page report (as I said, the house needed everything) he emailed us the next day.
Despite County and Town stickers on electrical boxes that said the panels had passed inspection, Ed found a number of unsafe issues with the boxes (unsafe grounding, wrong breakers in the boxes, incorrect connection of the main panel to a supplemental panel.) He tested a number of outlets and found them to be not working, loose, or improperly grounded. Plumbing connections were faulty as well and a number of leaks were noted. Ed went onto the 1st level roof for a close inspection of that roof as well as a good look at the 2nd level roof and chimneys, all in bad shape. He went into the attic through a very small scuttle hole and looked closely at insulation, roofing materials and structure, evidence of pests and rodents, etc.. Again, he took a lot of photos that gave us a clear picture of what he was seeing and describing in his report. He then did an inspection of the grounds and area around the exterior of the house finding grading issues and faulty siding and decking. Suggestions were made for ways to improve all deficiencies, and he included a list of resources and referrals in his report to remediate the issues. His final act was to inspect a crawl space that was mostly inaccessible. Though he could not get fully beneath the house, he crawled in on his belly as far as he could and took a number of photos while talking us through what he was seeing (evidence of board beetles, mortar breakdown between all bricks in the foundation and chimney walls, a main beam that was sagging and resting atop the ground in some places but was above ground in others.)
The report was well-organized with levels of deficiencies noted in different colors. A general summary was provided at the beginning, followed by pages and pages of detail and photos. The photos were appropriately placed in each section of the report as evidence to support the text and notes he provided.
Over the years we have used many home inspectors, but Ed is the absolute best we've come across. He was pleasant, professional, thorough and well-informed. We additionally liked the ease of scheduling and quick turnaround with the report. We highly recommend Ed Snope and Atlas Home Inspection.

Mr. Snope was very professional, informative, prompt, and patient.  He took the time to explain what I didn't know, and sent me a contractor referral list for other services I need.  He followed up with a detailed report, that included pictures, of my inspection.
I will definitely use Atlas again and refer him to others.

Atlas Home Inspection was prompt, and did a thorough job of the inspection.  We were very pleased with the quick inspection results provided in writing.  The report was well organized and easy to read.  It was provided earlier than promised!  We plan to use Atlas again as we have not made a purchase yet, in part due to the helpful results of the inspection done on the condo we had a contract on.

Mr. Snopes was on time, extremely thorough, and provided a robust and detailed report with pictures, notes, and urgency of correction required for any identified faults. We provided his report to another home inspector for an independent review, and he commended the quality of Mr. Snopes' work. 

He was equally punctual and thorough with the radon testing.

Amazingly well.  Ed Snope did a comprehensive home inspection on a single family house that my wife and I intended to purchase.  We knew ahead of time that the house was being flipped, that the current owner had only owned the home for about 3 months and was doing considerable work on the house.  We knew there would be issues with the house, including grading and water drainage issues and some HVAC issues.  However, Ed found numerous other issues, some that the seller's home inspector missed.  The seller of the house provided his inspection report that was completed just three months prior and Ed's report was substantially more detailed, comprehensive, better written and caught many more issues.  Ed was professional:  He answered all of my numerous questions; He was extremely patient; He took the time to explain things to me (I was present for the inspection); He gave advice too such as what type of caulking to use, what type of weather-stripping, paint, etc... while we went through the house.  He invited me up on the roof with him (I declined) and up in the attic (I accepted, and I'm glad I did) where he showed me improper and inadequate insulation, pointed out potential issues with HVAC registers and recessed lighting that wasn't IC approved.  He showed me how some of the wiring on the newly installed electrical panel was incorrect.  I have a very basic knowledge of electrical issues, and Ed explained them to me at a level where I could appreciate and understand how the panel was done incorrectly in areas.  Ed found many issues with the HVAC system--it had rust on the ducts, improper sealant through the floors, etc.  How newly added returns and ducts in the basement may have improperly balanced the system.  There was barely any airflow coming out of the registers on the upper floors.  He found numerous grading issues outside of the house, along with potential water infiltration points where the bricks were missing mortar, where the lintel above the windows was improperly caulked.  How the downspout extensions were improperly graded away from the house.  How the HVAC system used older refrigerant.  Also, Ed tested every single electrical outlet in the house.  Many were bad, painted over, etc.  He found mold in the washing machine and in a few basement closets.  The previous inspection didn't find any mold.  The house had its previous bathrooms and kitchens gutted and new cabinets, tile, and counter-tops installed.  Ed found cabinets and drawers installed poorly (out of level or plump), incorrect exhaust vents, no caulking, and a shower head and diverter installed incorrectly.  All things I would have assumed were done correctly, because they were newly installed.  All in all, Ed found many, many issues with this house that I never expected, didn't see through my multiple previous visits, and the previous inspection missed.
Ed spend well over four hours at the house conducting the inspection.  He arrived early, too.  What's even more impressive is that he emailed to me a comprehensive, well-written, detailed report the very next day, less than 24 hours after finishing the walk-through.  The report was 50 pages.  It had multiple pictures with red arrows highlighting issues.  It was easy to read, well-organized and broken down into several categories: Major concerns (in red), minor concerns (in blue), FYI (information), OK (in lighter blue) and safety hazards (in yellow). 
Ultimately, because of Ed's amazing inspection and thorough report, my wife and I decided not to buy the house.  Although we were disappointed because the house was in a great location, near great schools and came with a membership to the pool just a few minutes away, we knew that it was the right decision. 
I will definitely hire Ed again when we find another house.  He was top notch.  A+.
Oh, and one other thing.  At the end of the inspection, I inquired about a radon test, and paid Ed to come back to do the test; however, once I got home, I told Ed to hold off on the radon test, and ultimately cancelled it once we declined on the house.  Ed, without asking, sent me a check back, within days, for the portion covering the radon test.  That's called professionalism. 
Thanks again, Ed, for giving me the guidance to make an informed decision.