Villages Inspection Service Twice the price??

[bjansson]

New Dabney new resident here. Before my years warranty is up I'd like to get a home inspection. I called Frank D'Angelo, because he specializes on the villages, and was given a quote of $575 for a 1500 square foot home which is twice what it would have been back in Idaho. I know everything here is more expensive, but this seems excessive to me. Is he really worth that much? Or does somebody have a home inspector that does just as good of a job for a more reasonable price. Seems like every time I turn around somebody is charging me $500 here…

[Stu from NYC]

Do not know what most charge but he does have a very good reputation here

[Papa_lecki]

New Dabney new resident here. Before my years warranty is up I'd like to get a home inspection. I called Frank D'Angelo, because he specializes on the villages, and was given a quote of $575 for a 1500 square foot home which is twice what it would have been back in Idaho. I know everything here is more expensive, but this seems excessive to me. Is he really worth that much? Or does somebody have a home inspector that does just as good of a job for a more reasonable price. Seems like every time I turn around somebody is charging me $500 here…

$575 sounds reasonable. I guess he will be at your property for a few hours, has to drive there.
He has the best reputation around.
For a couple hundred thousand dollar investment, another 575 isn’t too bad.

[npwalters]

We paid half that about 6 years ago. He has a good reputation so maybe the premium price is worth it. You are correct in your assertion that everything is more expensive in TV. Lawn care is the only exception I can think of.

[villagetinker]

Frank does a very complete inspection, he found items in our house I know we would have never discovered until there were problems. He did a complete inspection including the attic, on a hot day, and gave us a copy of the full report with photographs and made contact with the warranty department to have corrections made. He was well worth the price.

[dewilson58]

On the other side of the fence.................Do a walk-thru yourself.

:popcorn:

[retiredguy123]

OP, you can shop around and probably find a lower price, or you can even skip the inspection altogether. But, if you hire an inspector, make sure it is one who has done a lot of inspections in The Villages, so they are familiar with Villages construction and typical issues. Also, there are some inspectors who will do a mostly cosmetic inspection, which will be worthless. This is one case where you really do get what you pay for. Also, most home inspection contracts provide no liability of the inspector, unless you pay a lot extra for "error and omissions" insurance. It is not included in their basic contract.

[asianthree]

Frank, then his sons has inspected 3 out of 4 homes.

the preowned we didn’t use him, was very costly in repairers within 30 days that was missed not by trying to save money, but Frank wasn’t available.

So use someone who will save you money upfront, then find out what would have been fixed for free, is coming out of your pocket.

Due to SF our inspection was $650

[vintageogauge]

I just had a home inspection in Ohio today on a 3,000 ft. home including radon and wood pests, $1,050.00.

[Papa_lecki]

We paid half that about 6 years ago. He has a good reputation so maybe the premium price is worth it. You are correct in your assertion that everything is more expensive in TV. Lawn care is the only exception I can think of.

6 years ago…. Hmmmm.
Was bacon $8 a pound in 2018?

[LeRoySmith]

He is too busy to do ours

[CarlR33]

Yes, that’s about what we paid recently. Piece of mind comes at a cost?

[asianthree]

He is too busy to do ours

Frank is usually booked 4-6 months out. We booked all our inspection date 10 months ahead to make sure a good date.

[scubawva]

Everything isn’t more expensive in TV, depends on to what area you are comparing.

Does that matter? You’re not in Idaho. The best guy here is price X. Don’t compare to Idaho, compare to other inspectors here.

[npwalters]

Everything isn’t more expensive in TV, depends on to what area you are comparing.

Does that matter? You’re not in Idaho. The best guy here is price X. Don’t compare to Idaho, compare to other inspectors here.

Things are more expensive in TV. The same service you pay for here is less in Ocala or Orlando.

[jimdecastro]

If Frank is busy I recommend Jess Asbach. Tell him I recommended him. He does the same report. He did both our homes and saved us $20,000 in repairs. (352) 748-2008

[Rainger99]

New Dabney new resident here. Before my years warranty is up I'd like to get a home inspection. I called Frank D'Angelo, because he specializes on the villages, and was given a quote of $575 for a 1500 square foot home which is twice what it would have been back in Idaho. I know everything here is more expensive, but this seems excessive to me. Is he really worth that much? Or does somebody have a home inspector that does just as good of a job for a more reasonable price. Seems like every time I turn around somebody is charging me $500 here…

Used him two years ago. He found some things that I never would have found on my own including one defect that was worth well more than the cost of the inspection. I would not skimp on the inspector. It is better to have the Villages pay for the repairs rather than paying it yourself! Then you will think the Villages is expensive.

[FredMitchell]

Yes.
Here he found that there was a cold spot in the main bath ceiling. There should have been an A/C duct there!

[maggie1]

6 years ago…. Hmmmm.
Was bacon $8 a pound in 2018?

Maybe I'm misunderstanding your post, but where in the heck is bacon $8 a pound? Aldi's has it for a little over $3.00 a pound. If I was having a BLT, and bacon was $8 a pound, I'm afraid the sandwich would just be an LT.

[Rainger99]

Maybe I'm misunderstanding your post, but where in the heck is bacon $8 a pound? Aldi's has it for a little over $3.00 a pound. If I was having a BLT, and bacon was $8 a pound, I'm afraid the sandwich would just be an LT.

At Publix, Hormel bacon is $9.99 a pound. However, if you wait for a BOGO, it will be half price.

[Norge]

We used D’Angelo on our first home about four years ago and our home had an outdoor kitchen and 500 sq. ft. larger and we paided $350.
We sold that home and was contracting D’Angelo to do our 500sq.ft.smaller home
inspection.After setting up a date for the inspection later I got a email stating the inspection is $600.I immediately pick the phone up and canceled.
I hired Tom. Stevens from Surf&Turf inspection for $325.
He was great,very thorough friendly and asked a lot of questions.
He has done inspections in 3 states.His # is 352-448-5567

[dewilson58]

I'll inspect your house for $500.

I'll give you a report of findings, but I'm NOT financially responsible for anything I miss.

I find what I find.

:pepper2:

[NoMo50]

D'Angelo & Sons has a sterling reputation, not just with their customers, but with the Villages Warranty department as well. A copy of their report (which is quite detailed and comprehensive) is sent to Warranty usually the same day as the inspection. The folks at Warranty know that D'Angelo provides an honest report, and they use his findings as a punch list for items that need attention. Pay the man...the rate he quoted you is not excessive in light of the value received. Far better to cry once, than save a few bucks and wind up crying later when you are out of pocket for repairs beyond the warranty expiration.

[Nana2Teddy]

If Frank is busy I recommend Jess Asbach. Tell him I recommended him. He does the same report. He did both our homes and saved us $20,000 in repairs. (352) 748-2008
We used Jeff (not Jess) Asbach too last October, but weren’t highly impressed. Took him maybe an hour for a 2700 sf house. Didn’t ask us any questions, wasn’t friendly. $350. Only hired him because we couldn’t get Frank even booking 3 months ahead.

[retiredguy123]

The problem with hiring a home inspector is that, if you don't like the service you get, you really have no recourse, except to not hire them again.

[SusanStCatherine]

We had our inspection done by Frank's D'Angelo's two sons two years ago.
2501-2750 sq.ft. Warranty Inspection $500.00
Inspection Total: $500.00 (Cash or Check)
for credit cards a minimum $10.00 convenience fee will apply.
The inspectors said they would concentrate on what they knew The Villages will fix. They also said with a Villages house you are paying for a lifestyle. They found a lot of defects we did not find ourselves. They submitted their report directly to warranty without our review so you may want to ask to see it first. They know people in the warranty department so actually helped us get something repaired warranty was stalling on us.
Many Villagers us Asbach for inspection who also directly reports to warranty. I have heard good things about Askew but don't know much about him.
BTW, several items on our list never got fixed by warranty so there is no guarantee there either. Good luck!

[Loug56]

New Dabney new resident here. Before my years warranty is up I'd like to get a home inspection. I called Frank D'Angelo, because he specializes on the villages, and was given a quote of $575 for a 1500 square foot home which is twice what it would have been back in Idaho. I know everything here is more expensive, but this seems excessive to me. Is he really worth that much? Or does somebody have a home inspector that does just as good of a job for a more reasonable price. Seems like every time I turn around somebody is charging me $500 here…

You can shop around but we used them and were totally satisfied.

[arbajeda]

You get what you pay for and Frank is supposedly the best. Can't say because he's booked up so far in advance that you have to schedule six months in advance. He recommended, and we used, Brian Harwood. And he wasn't cheap either. But we were very surprised at the thoroughness of his inspection. Several of the businesses that remediated his findings told us that they preferred working his inspections because he marks the defects he finds with blue masking tape so they don't have to hunt to find the item to fix. You only have one shot at this and should consider competence over price. www.harwoodinspections.com

[Indydealmaker]

New Dabney new resident here. Before my years warranty is up I'd like to get a home inspection. I called Frank D'Angelo, because he specializes on the villages, and was given a quote of $575 for a 1500 square foot home which is twice what it would have been back in Idaho. I know everything here is more expensive, but this seems excessive to me. Is he really worth that much? Or does somebody have a home inspector that does just as good of a job for a more reasonable price. Seems like every time I turn around somebody is charging me $500 here…

Frank did ours and you get what you pay for.

[jjalex]

We used D’Angelo on our first home about four years ago and our home had an outdoor kitchen and 500 sq. ft. larger and we paided $350.
We sold that home and was contracting D’Angelo to do our 500sq.ft.smaller home
inspection.After setting up a date for the inspection later I got a email stating the inspection is $600.I immediately pick the phone up and canceled.
I hired Tom. Stevens from Surf&Turf inspection for $325.
He was great,very thorough friendly and asked a lot of questions.
He has done inspections in 3 states.His # is 352-448-5567

I’ve heard great things about Tom and plan to get a quote from him.

[Markus]

Frank does a very complete inspection, he found items in our house I know we would have never discovered until there were problems. He did a complete inspection including the attic, on a hot day, and gave us a copy of the full report with photographs and made contact with the warranty department to have corrections made. He was well worth the price.

what issues did he find?

[dadoiron]

Missed lack of insulation it was bare over one bedroom easily seen from where you walk up. Roof shingles not properly adhering found loose nails but not a leak. Use at your own risk.New Dabney new resident here. Before my years warranty is up I'd like to get a home inspection. I called Frank D'Angelo, because he specializes on the villages, and was given a quote of $575 for a 1500 square foot home which is twice what it would have been back in Idaho. I know everything here is more expensive, but this seems excessive to me. Is he really worth that much? Or does somebody have a home inspector that does just as good of a job for a more reasonable price. Seems like every time I turn around somebody is charging me $500 here…

[bjansson]

If Frank is busy I recommend Jess Asbach. Tell him I recommended him. He does the same report. He did both our homes and saved us $20,000 in repairs. (352) 748-2008

Thank you, i'll give him a call

[bjansson]

Thank you I'm going to use Tom :)

[pb45gramps]

Check out D &P is a Certified Master Inspector CMI, over 100 Certifications.
D&P Home Inspection LLC
352-580-0224
5 Star rating

[HORNET]

First home in The Villages, I got sucked into a home inspector. Waste of my money. Second house here, started having The Villages repair or replace problems once we closed! The rumor in The Villages that you have to wait and have an Inspector prior the first year is not true. Did my own before the first year and am glad that I did it that way! I got my way on ALL items that I reported.

[SusanStCatherine]

I'll inspect your house for $500.

I'll give you a report of findings, but I'm NOT financially responsible for anything I miss.

I find what I find.

:pepper2:

D'Angelo is not responsible for missing anything either. It is in the contract. You can get your money back at most. If you are not happy before they leave your house, you can ask for a refund as well.

[SusanStCatherine]

The problem with hiring a home inspector is that, if you don't like the service you get, you really have no recourse, except to not hire them again.

D'Angelo will give you a refund if you ask for it before they leave your house. Also if they miss something big, their liability ends with the inspection fee you paid.

[Pegdentoby]

105048TLC HOME INSPECTIONS IS OWNED BY A VILLAGE RESIDENT HIS NAME IS KEVIN HE DOES A FANTASTIC AND THOROUGH INSPECTION INCLUDES A CARBON MONOXIDE DETECTOR INSTALLED IN YOUR GARAGE.CERTIFIED INSPECTOR,DOWNLOADS YOUR INSPECTION REPORT DIRECTLY TO THE VILLAGES WARRANTY DEPARTMENT MAKING IT SUPER CONVENIENT 352-825-9222. TLC home inspection.com

[MrChip72]

Frank found a structural issue with our home during the one year inspection. Resolving it involved getting an engineer and a work crew involved for multiple days. I can't imagine what the cost would have been if we had to pay out of pocket for that.

He also pointed out some issues in his report that we knew about but didn't think they would fix because they were minor, but they did fix them.

[Villager-2024]

First home in The Villages, I got sucked into a home inspector. Waste of my money. Second house here, started having The Villages repair or replace problems once we closed! The rumor in The Villages that you have to wait and have an Inspector prior the first year is not true. Did my own before the first year and am glad that I did it that way! I got my way on ALL items that I reported.

The question is what did you miss in that report you made yourself? Did you crawl in the attic, climb on the roof? Check foundation that's covered?

Good you're happy, most would not think they are suckered into an inspection.

[asianthree]

The rumor in The Villages that you have to wait and have an Inspector prior the first year is not true. Did my own before the first year and am glad that I did it that way! I got my way on ALL items that I reported.

There is no rumor you Have to wait for one year. In fact you have 7 days for lawn/landscaping. You have 30 days to dispute window issues such as scratching.

Punch list is due in 7 days ( used to be 30). You signed that at walkthrough, along with receiving copies the builder gives you for your home.

Since this was a build not spec, we took picks at each stage, our punch list had 27 items, some minor, some major such as sliders had to be replaced. Punch list repairs along with adding new items found submitted for 9 months.

At 10 months yearly inspection, with 6 pages some due to the pictures we had of initial build.

[Hudson9650]

New Dabney new resident here. Before my years warranty is up I'd like to get a home inspection. I called Frank D'Angelo, because he specializes on the villages, and was given a quote of $575 for a 1500 square foot home which is twice what it would have been back in Idaho. I know everything here is more expensive, but this seems excessive to me. Is he really worth that much? Or does somebody have a home inspector that does just as good of a job for a more reasonable price. Seems like every time I turn around somebody is charging me $500 here…

We just closed on our home in The Villages the beginning of July the realtor recommended grants home inspection services and family owned company. I was very satisfied. I want to say the initial inspection is $375. Of course there are add-ons if you need termite and mitigation, but overall, we were very satisfied

[mrf6969]

I guess home inspection has really gone up in price. A few years back the going rate was around $250.00 for most of the inspectors in our area. Like everything in the past almost 4 years, prices have gone crazy.