Tom Comer is a great guy.....and a very good friend of mine.....we helped each other out a lot. Tom Comer has since moved out of the area and is now retired. The same with Brian Harwood...another good inspector friend of mine.

As in any profession, there are good and bad. All I can say is that we stay very busy, and we love what we do. We currently do over 800 inspections a year in The villages, almost all of them one year old homes.

Obviously, if everyday we told folks, "we didn't find anything, I'll take my check now" we would be out of business. The reality is that most all of our customers are surprised at the issues we DO find, some serious, many costly. That in NO way is a knock on Villages homes.....they build a good home.....but let's just say we stay very busy. Folks generally do not give money away unless they see real value for what they are getting. There is a reason our reports are almost always over 30 pages.

We have been doing warranty inspections in The Villages for over 10 years and have done thousands of warranty inspections here. We know where to look and what to look for. We walk all over the roof, crawl all over the Attic...( some Inspectors do not). We are trained in using thermal imaging cameras, moisture meters and many other tools.

The cost of the repairs for the issues we find daily would cost hundreds more than the low cost of the inspection. Over 800 folks annually understand this and hire us.

Thank you for your time. Aren't we all so very blessed...!

Frank D.

Hi Frank - we will be buying a new villa shortly. We heard that inspections are not done on new houses until the 11th month. Is that true that we don't generally need an inspection on a new home?

we used a referral from Frank( Tom) as he was booked up @ the time however we shall next time his credentials are impressive &, his knowledge is extensive,

Like Frank D'Angelo I have a vested interest in readers getting home inspections as I am often called to repair them. In the anonymity of the web I can be honest.

The number one item is chalk. Chalk is code for nothing was found. The other common items include smoke detector batteries or GFCI/arc fault breakers. Any of those can be easily found by a buyer in minutes. Some inspectors come up with some bizarre items as in 'Arc fault breakers are code but I think combo GFCI/arc fault breakers are better, replace it'. (inspectors don't write code, I had this one last week).

What is more interesting, and my point, is what inspectors miss:

-Non functional lights
-Switches for nothing (switches used instead of blank wall plates)
-Outdoor lights not connected
-Switches that lead to exposed bare Romex not terminated in a box

By far and away electrical is missed. None of the faults I mentioned required opening the switch box. Just turning on switches and seeing what happens.

Other than electrical, turn on all the taps and see if the drains can handle the flow. Does the stove, fridge, water heater, dish washer, AC, work. How old is the roof. It's common in sense, yes I realize that is a super power...

Inspectors do a basic job, which is fine. I would have an hvac pro do a check up also.

Home inspector
 

I suggest you call April Couterier, Broker (and USAF Veteran) at RE/MAX FREEDOM. She is a very successful, knowledgeable REALTOR and very generous with her time. I suggest you contact her at her mobile # 352-430-9911 or email her at april-c@remax.net. I am sure she would be happy to give you a few reliable names.
Best of luck!
Greg

Yes, on a "pre-used" home HVAC is important. The two highest cost common items of concern in a Florida home is the HVAC and Roof. My one son, Eric, had over 13 years experience as a union HVAC specialist and Air Balancer before he came to work for me. He is TAB certified, etc. We do an extensive inspection on the HVAC system.

It should be noted that a warranty inspection is a deeper inspection than a "pre-sale" inspection, because in addition to focusing on the structural, mechanical and safety issues, we also check a large amount of cosmetic items like drywall cracks and screw pops, caulking issues, cabinet adjustments, tile cracks and chips, etc., etc.

We often find insulation issues and broken trusses in the attic, ductwork issues, window failures, exposed roof nails, etc.

Frank D.

It is important for EVERY new owner of a new home in The Villages to do a good "Check list" inspection within the first 30 days. The good news is that most folks, once they know what to look for, can easily do this themselves.

It is important to know what items are only warrantied for the first 30 days....and focus on those items before that 30 day warranty runs out.

When folks call us early to book their 11th month inspection we are happy to provide them with the 30 day items they should check on....

One of those many things are screens....damaged screens are only warrantied for 30 days...after that the damage could be blamed on landscapers, mowers or sand hill cranes.

It is sad when on the 11th month inspection we find a damaged screen, and we have to tell the homeowners that if it was on their 30 day checklist, it would have been fixed at no charge.....but not after 11 months....

Surprising that many folks never even turn in a check list in the first 30 days....

Frank D.

There are dozens of experienced, reputable, reasonably priced home inspection services here in The Villages. Do what you’re doing here online, but do it with people you know and trust — ask around.

I second Jeff. Just had him inspect my new home and found things I didn't see that are getting fixed and he will do it again before the end of my 1 year warranty and it will be less than others charge for a single inspection.

Two recommendations ...
 

We can recommend two home inspection companies in the area. Both were extraordinarily thorough, both prepared comprehensive reports, both made themselves freely available.

The only reason we can recommend both these companies is that when we needed inspections done on a second prospective purchase, the particular lead inspector of Neal Development, Ellen Yarckin, was not available, and we were dealing with time pressure.

Dennis Flanagan of Integrious Home Services proved to be equally competent. Both companies were recommended to us by local realtors. We would suggest calling both, interviewing them, and making a decision which based on whom you feel more comfortable with.

Home Inspections by Neal Development
29305 County Road 561
Tavares FL 32778
(352) 240-1360
Our contact person: Ellen Yarckin

Integrious Home Services
1500 N Croft Road
Inverness FL 34453
(352) 344-3370
Our contact person: Dennis Flanagan

[QUOTE=Quixote;2020734save yourself all that-bru-ha-ha. just call Frank & rest easy
(352) 344-3370
: no disrespect intended to poster

[QUOTE=stadry;2021466][QUOTE=Quixote;2020734save yourself all that-bru-ha-ha. just call Frank & rest easy
(352) 344-3370
: no disrespect intended to poster[/QUOTE]

No disrespect taken! But what is the 'bru-ha-ha'? The OP asked for recommendations of home inspection companies, and we are able to offer two from our own experience, both of whom did extremely competent inspections on a very timely basis. We don't know Frank, so obviously we can't recommend him. My post offers more of a choice, that's all.

PCS Home Inspections
 

I used John Waldrop at PCS Home Inspections in Leesburg on two occasions. I thought he was good and reasonable. 352-602-9819 j6881@yahool.com.

Costs?
 

What are typical costs of home inspections in The Villages? In the case of a buyer having severe allergies, are there separate in-depth inspections available for various kinds of mold? Are the costs different for new homes and preowned homes?