Dear Jill,
Sorry you had a bad experience! Just so everyone knows, I do not recognize the name, so it was not me who did this inspection....
That being said, you are correct that all inspections and inspectors are not the same. I recently saw another home inspector in my neighborhood inspecting a home for an out of state buyer. He arrived in an old beat up truck and was dressed in a dirty t-shirt and jeans. He was at the residence about 45 minutes. He did have a ladder, but I did not see him with any other inspection tools....just a clipboard, no computer or palm pilot, etc.
I am an ASHI Home Inspector. ASHI stands for American Society of Home Inspectors. It is a difficult certification to earn. Many Home Inspectors are not ASHI Inspectors.
While no Inspector is perfect, including myself, I make every effort to check everything I can. I am usually at the home between 3-4 hours, then work out of my office another 1-2 hours on the report itself. It does take that long, especially when the Inspector walks the roof, crawls through the attic, checks all systems, etc. The end result is a professional looking, easy to read full color report complete with many pictures, etc.
I have inspected homes where there were huge wall entertainment systems, credenzas, etc., where it is impossible to move the unit. I try to use an inspection mirror, expensive flashlights, etc to see behind these items. In some cases it is just impossible. In these rare cases I always put in my report what I could not inspect, and strongly advise that this area be checked after the items are out of there usually during the MUCH NEEDED "just before closing walk through". If the buyer could not be there for this it is not unreasonable to have the realtor to send you pictures of this area prior to the closing. I have also returned if needed to do this, although it is uncommon.
What folks should know is that as the potential buyer you have the right to hire any Home Inspector you want, and that Home Inspector works for YOU, not the Agent, seller or anyone else.
It pains me to hear when anyone has a bad inspector experience, as it hurts the profession I take great pride in. If anyone has any questions on any type of inspections, new buyer, one year warranty inspections, etc,etc. Please feel free to ask. I am always happy to help.
Frank D'Angelo
www. Dangeloinspections .com
D'Angelo Inspections LLC | Serving The Villages, Leesburg, Clermont, and Surrounding Areas 352-250-7818