DOBIASH & ASSOC HOME INSPECTIONS

Mr. Dobiash has inspected two properties for us and in the first instance, saved us from a bidding war on an older historic property with hidden and costly repairs, namely a ruptured fuel line in the basement. As our first home purchase, we would've negotiated in good faith, perhaps closed, and then faced thousands of additional dollars to repair and remediate. He provided a detailed spec list so we knew ahead of time what to expect and spent time with us showing us deficiencies, pointing out potential repairs, estimating costs, and even explaining industry standards and requirements. The few hundred we paid for this service was money spent wisely. I wouldn't purchase a home without consulting him and have and would recommend his company without hesitation. Thank you so much for everything!

First I find it odd that this company is listed 3 times in Angie's List with slightly different names. Two of them have the same phone number, but different addresses (both in Milwaukee). Of those 2, one has been on Angie's List since Jan. 2003 and the other since July 2010. The 3rd company with this name is in Dousman, WI with a different phone number and has been on Angie's List since June 2010. Can't tell if that one is related. So, here is my story: My husband and I bought a house in Sept 2016. Our realtor from Shorewest - Mequon office - recommended this company or "we could choose whoever we'd like." We now have regrets and would advise anyone not to go with who your realtor suggests. it COULD BE a "good old boy network." I'm not saying it is in our case. When the inspector was at our house, I was present. He refused to actually go up in the attic. He only looked around from the ladder and said it was too low to go up there and didn't want to risk going through the ceiling as there is no floor. He said a chair(s) were blocking his view to see everything up there. Later, after being in our house for awhile, we found out that the exhaust fan in the bathroom was "jerry rigged" and not vented properly. Our biggest compliant, though, is that the gutters were installed completely wrong and the apron was too far back. We had ice dams in 2016 - 2017 and in Fall 2017 we finally had several quotes to "repair" the gutters. These companies could clearly see that the gutters were all wrong. Why didn't the home inspector see this? Turned out the gutters were not repairable and has cost us about $4,000 to replace them. We also had mice and squirrel issues because of gutter gaps - another expense! The wildlife control person had no problem walking around in our attic to check for animal activity. In addition, some of our electric was messed up. I thought each outlet was supposed to be tested to see if it worked properly. That didn't happen. My husband and I are not happy with this inspector and feel it was unfair that we had to spend so much money to fix what he should have found as unsatisfactory. We could have negotiated with the sellers if we would have known about these problems.

Buyer Beware! Learn from my mistake. I used this company for an inspection when I purchased my home. I discovered, after a bout of attic rain, that the dryer in my new home was vented directly into my attic. This contributed greatly to my attic rain problem. This is neither to code nor clean (lint by the ton, extra humidity/moisture). There is a giant vent crossing over half of my attic. I pulled out my home inspection report to find that all attic items were marked as "good. " Being disappointed, I contacted the inspector via email. I was disappointed because this inspector was referred to me by the realtor. To the inspectors credit, he offered to pay me a visit in case he made a human mistake. I now feel that he was trying to placate me. I did not get the sense that he had any intention of really addressing the problem but wanted me to be aware that he "does not go into attics that do not have a floor." He doesn't want the liability. He somehow found enough that he could "see" in my attic to rate the condition. He even rated insulation as "good" but without taking a look, could not tell that some areas had less than an inch. He could have listed in his report that he did not rate 90 % of my attic because he couldn't see it. That would have been helpful. Jim was neither understanding of my plight nor showing a willingness to rectify the problem. I found him more willing to be condescending than to actually be concerned enough to find a solution. He wanted to tell me how my email to him was "harsh." He stated that " no one" would go up in my attic because there wasn't a floor. That is not true. I contacted 3 other home inspectors to find that their standards are a bit higher. They are not obligated to go on a roof or attic that they feel is unsafe. It is a personal decision. My attic is only a few years old, nothing obstructing the entrance, nothing stored up there and no infestations. Again, inspectors walk the roof and attic "whenever they can" even though they are not "required" to. The regs call for an inspector to give a "reasonably competent and diligent inspection." Those are pretty loose terms. In my opinion, this inspection did not demonstrate either. In such cases where access is limited, binoculars and a camera are used.. but not in this case. The Standards of practice for the InterNACHI, the ASHI and the NAHI do not require the inspector actually walk on the roof or the attic, however, most home inspectors walk whenever they can. I guess it just speaks to ones work ethic and if concern is given to code violations or the satisfaction of the customer who you are collecting a fee from. So, if you are in the market for a new home and you elect to get a home inspection, learn from my mistake. It is Jim's prerogative not to go into the attic, just as it is ours as consumers to select a company we are comfortable with. Ask questions of the inspector before you actually engage him. This will now be a repair for me that I could have had the seller pay for before closing. There are plenty of Inspectors with 4 and 5 star ratings who will do a thorough job because their standards and conscience dictate. Buyer Beware!

GAVE A WRITTEN REPORT AND SHOWED ME HOW TO FIX THINGS MYSELF.