Looking for a reputable Home Inspector for a pre-buy inspection
 

To all,
I am going to buy my first "used" home. It was built in 2015
I went to the Forums and most of the home inspector posts are old.
Can anyone recommend a reputable inspector they have recently used?
Thanks!!

Frank DeAngelo, he is an advertiser on this site, but we and several neighbors have used him and he is very good.

Thank you VT for the kind words....while we would love to do the pre-buy inspection on that 2015 home, typically those type of inspections need to be done within 7-10 days. Currently we are booked solid for the next two months with 11th month Warranty inspections, so it is rare that we can schedule the much easier to do pre-sale inspections.

I suggest that the potential buyer look on the electrical panel box to see if the original owner may have had us do the warranty inspection....if so, you will se our sticker on the panel box....then at least you know it was inspected very well 3 years ago.

Good luck and congratulations on your potential purchase!

Frank D'Angelo

I second that my whole family used him and I’ve told endless amounts of people to use him. Solid guy meticulous work Family business and retired fireman!!

My two cents worth. Hopefully you have an attorney. Reminder the real estate sales person works for the seller-not for you. You want to be sure you have a binding contract saying subject to inspection. There will of course be a time restriction-fair to all-whatever that means. You do not want to pay for a home inspection and discover the home is sold. The seller is of course aware that a home inspector will likely find something and the buyer will expect the seller to pay to correct it.

I'm not an attorney and frankly I do not like attorneys. However, real estate is more money than most people are used to dealing with. My understanding the law is only what is in writing is enforceable. Stuff like the seller must disclose.......... It is very difficult to prove anyone knows anything.

Thank you all for the kind words....the original poster here reached out to us and after comparing timelines and schedules we found that we will be able to do his inspection. We are honored to do so. Thanks again! Respectfully, Frank D'Angelo

Try Jeff Asbach 352-748-2008. Many here use Jeff. He’s reasonable and use to be a builder.

I'll be the one to bring up the obvious counter point.

Don't inspect, you will be wasting your money.

I've sold two homes in the past 14 months. I also do handyman work to repair items that inspectors miss.

On one the inspector wanted a sprinkler replaced. On another they wanted a GFCI breaker replaced.

Inspectors will find something, buyers want and expect this. The problem is nearly all homes in TV are either so new or so well maintained that there simply is not anything wrong (of significance) with them.

In my case the cost of repairs (to hire someone) was 75.00 and 200.00 respectively. The cost for the inspections were 350.00 each.

As far as repairing defects not annotated by home inspection in my handyman business: Inspectors have missed inoperable overhead lights, defective water heater expansion tanks and similar defects. The cost of these repairs was again less than the cost of inspection.

Now if the home is over ten years old I believe an inspection should be considered, otherwise you're wasting your home money on inspection (apologies to Mr. D'Angelo).

Inspector
 

Ask your realtor. I asked my Villages realtor and got a good inspector. I'd expect the same from an MLS realtor.

Good luck.

Your realtor should be able to assist with house inspection. House Master did the inspection on my home in 2019. Also, I know that an attorney is not required in Florida however in the Northeast we are required to have an attorney. I hired a real estate attorney and he was excellent. It was well worth the money to have an attorney. A house is probably the most excellent purchase for the majority of people.

Good luck with your purchase.

We hired Frank D'Angelo to do an inspection for our punch list before we moved into our brand new house. Best money we ever spent. He found multiple major problems which The Villages promptly addressed. We never would have found these issues and if they were not fixed, they would have led to further problems down the road.

Good luck. I have found over the years that most of these so called inspectors really do not know what they are doing or what to look for as I always have had to add major defects to their list once they are done. The last one we hired here in The Villages we got all of our money back since he missed so many defects. Whether you hire one or not I would highly recommend you inspect the house yourself, top to bottom. If you are not very handy try to bring a friend with you who is handy and knowledgeable.

I used him and was happy too!

We used Comer Inspection Services and were very happy. Very thorough, professional and prepared a great report with pictures and recommendations.

Captain Obvious here. The OP is not buying a new home but rather a used home. There are important differences, the original owner would of had this new home punch list inspection done as well as a pre-warranty expiration inspection, or at the very least would have experienced problems which required repairs. In this case, in the SIX YEARS since construction.

I've had experience with the one-year warranty check, two items found, scant chalk on a weather protected window and the roof pipe vent lead shielding wasn't folded enough in the inspector's opinion, here again the guy had to find 'something'. Cost of inspection 350, value of repairs zero.