A good home inspection is essential when buying a home. But how do you choose the right home inspector for you? Different inspectors have different specialties. I suggest you look at the background and experience of the different home inspectors and decide what is most important to you. My specialties are water damage and honesty.

“He treated the inspection like he was the one investing in the property & that alone is hard to come by. A true honest man. Great guy & great professional. Highly recommend using Paul.” Justina J.   More Home Inspection Reviews

Water – The leading cause of damage to a home

Did you know that the most common cause of damage to a home is water? Leaking roofs or plumbing, damaged siding and poor window or door installation are all common causes of water damage in a home. Recognizing the small, easy to miss signs of hidden water damage is my specialty. I’ve inspected so many homes for water damage, I can almost tell if a house has problems before I even walk in the front door.

Often I’ll find problems that other inspectors have missed because I know what to look for and I use infrared on every inspection. Unlike most home inspectors, I don’t charge extra for infrared. You get an infrared inspection free as part of your home inspection. I wouldn’t buy a home without an infrared inspection so I don’t expect you to. Here’s the big difference between me and most other home inspectors. All home inspectors have some training in how to detect water damage. I have that training, AND industry certifications and experience in water damage repair and advanced structural drying. In my previous career I not only inspected homes for water damage, I also repaired them.  After my initial inspection I would create estimates for the repairs using the same software the insurance companies use to calculate their pay outs. I then managed the project until the house was safe and dry. This means that when you hire me for your home inspection, you not only know about all the hidden water damage, you also know how much time and money it will take to repair it. This is important for you as a home buyer because sometimes the damage you can see is just the tip of the iceberg and because it looks like nothing, you might not request the repair on your contract addendum. So, one of my specialties is finding hidden water damage, which I believe is VERY important.

Honesty

The other part of a 360 Inspection that might be different from other home inspectors is honesty. I inspect every house as if my mother was going to buy it. This means I’m going to be totally honest about the condition of the house. If there’s a problem, you’re going to know about it. And you’ll also know if it’s an expensive problem or a cheap problem, a difficult problem or an easy problem. Most defects that show up on a home inspection are easy, cheap fixes. A missing or malfunctioning GFCI outlet, or a crack in a wall. It’s easy and simple to fix. Nothing to get excited about. But sometimes what looks like a small problem, for example slightly buckled siding, can actually be a big and expensive problem.

An Example of Hidden Water Damage

I recently inspected a renovated (flip) house. It looked great outside and inside. But, it was a quick flip from some local investors, and they had covered over a lot of cheap and expensive issues. For example, the house had an enclosed porch. However, the foundation of the porch was not designed to be closed in, and the siding was starting to rot, and there were water and insect problems. At first glance you probably wouldn’t notice it. But it’s there lurking beneath the surface and in a few years they’ll probably have to replace all the lower siding and provide special water proofing to prevent the problem from re-occurring.

The other big problem with the house was that it had the old composite T1-11 siding. Basically this is siding made from sawdust and glue. It is very sensitive to water, especially if installed incorrectly. The damage to this siding wasn’t easily visible at first, but with my water damage training, I discovered it was in poor condition and will probably need to be replaced around the entire house before the water intrusion starts to damage the framing of the house itself. Sometimes finding out what condition a house is really in is a surprise to buyers, especially first time buyers. It’s a big decision buying a house, and it can get quite scary and overwhelming with all the contracts and inspections and mortgages, etc.

My Job

My job as a home inspector is to give you a realistic health check on the property you are looking to buy. If the house is really sick, I’m going to tell you. And you might decide it’s not the house you want to buy. You are my client, and it’s my job to tell you the truth about the home you hired me to inspect.

Small Problems / Big Problems

If the house has real, expensive problems, I’ll tell you about every problem that matters. I’m not going to point out small cosmetic issues, like a crack in an electrical outlet cover, or a stain on a carpet,  unless it’s a symptom of a larger problem. Some defects may seem really small, like a stain on a wall, but they’re actually a really big problem. I’ll tell you about those too. I’ve worked in Property Restoration for over 7 years so I know what it takes to repair property damage from water, mold and fire.

I work for you

I never forget that I work for you, the buyer. I’ll do everything I can to present a fair and accurate home inspection report that helps you, the buyer, make an informed decision.

Are You Ready?

If you are willing to know the truth about the home you are looking to buy, give me a call or book your home inspection online now. Since I would not let my mother buy a home without a moisture survey or InfraRed inspection, I won’t let you buy a house without it either. Moisture survey and Infrared inspections are included with your home inspection. If your house is over 2000 square foot, it’s $50 for each extra 500 square foot. You can book your Home Inspection online here right now You can also have a look at my Sample Home Inspection Reports or read more about How to Choose a Home Inspector.

  Certified Professional Home Inspector