Paul Galvin Residential Home Inspections

Missed glaring issues with the property that, in the opinion of a carpenter/contractor we later had to hire, simply could not have been missed unless willfully. The ultimate cost to us was nearly $20,000 in repairs. We would not have bought the property had we known, or we would have made an offer for it conditional on the repairs being made first.
Later we discovered that the namesake owner's brother is (or was) an agent with the agency representing us in the purchase (which would stand to lose thousands of $ in commission if we didn't make the purchase). When this home inspector individual (HomeStars won't let him be named in the review - but his name is in the title of his business) was recommended to us by the real estate agent that was representing us one would think she would have mentioned, as full disclosure, that the inspector's brother works with her at the same agency. If it isn't an outright conflict of interest, it certainly doesn't look good when something goes wrong, as it did here.

Paul inspected house before we purchased so there was no hidden items that needed repair afterwards. Paul was able to show us the furnace filter was plugged with dust and dirt when the homeowner had a bill showing he had just paid to have it serviced. We changed oil companies.

Used Paul Galvin's services in 2014. While he is certainly very friendly and pleasant, his failure to detect a a variety of problems with the house have led to what will ultimately be $15,000 - $20,000 in repairs. Within weeks of moving into the house we discovered that much of the upper floor of the house was serviced by old knob and tube wiring. While, true, this was not easily detectable on the upper floor of the house without removing ceiling fixtures or lifting insulation in the attic, it was immediately evident - when pointed out to us - that you can see the very old wire coming into the breaker panel in the basement AND that a home inspector SHOULD have noticed this during his inspection of the breaker panel.

Mr. Galvin's report states that "attic insulation appears adequate and well placed." In fact, I have now had three contractors who confirm that there is a fraction of the insulation that SHOULD be installed AND it has NOT been properly placed - having been blown in around and blocking all the soffit ventilation.

The most critical flaw missed was a structural roof issue that, in the word's of one contractor/carpenter is "carpentry 101" and that he would "expect a first year apprentice to immediately identify the problem" - even upon the "limited visual inspection" Mr. Galvin performed. Particularly as Mr. Galvin advertises that he is a carpenter with 10+ years of experience "in all aspects of residential home construction" my contractors, and I, remain dumbfounded that he failed to see the sagging roof (visible from within the attic), the improperly joined roof structures (old part of house and newer addition) that are now coming apart causing the roof to sag. There's also visible daylight coming through holes in the roof AND through a makeshift ventilation hole (which was presumably opened up when whomever put in the insulation blocked all the soffit ventilation holes).NONE of this was in Mr. Galvin's report to us, and ALL of it would have been evident to him upon his attic inspection (even the "limited" inspection that he conducted).

Subsequently I have attempted to contact Mr. Galvin, and he has ignored by attempts to contact him by refusing to accept/sign for a letter which was mailed to him. We will now be seeking redress through Small Claims Court as a result of what I believe can only be described as total ineptitude, professional negligence and/or willful blindness.

If Mr. Galvin has caused you a financial loss I encourage you to make use of Small Claims Court - even if you bought the house years ago, you have two years "from the time that you became aware of the problem" within which to bring an action. If your damages are higher than the Small Claims Court limit then I recommend that you consult with an attorney outside of Peterborough - as too many local lawyers deal with Mr. Galvin on a professional basis (i.e., real estate transactions) and because "he's a nice guy" are loath to become involved. Indeed Mr. Galvin may be very nice, but nice is not what one is paying for when hiring a Home Inspector - you are paying for competence and professionalism.

I also note that our real estate agency (RE/MAX Eastern Realty of Peterborough) lists one and only one Home Inspector on Broker Dan Grady's website ... and that inspector is Paul Galvin. Our specific real estate agent, Debbie Foley, did not suggest any other inspector and, indeed, made the arrangements with Paul Galvin directly herself and we met him at the property. I also find it deeply concerning to see that a Mr. ANDREW Galvin (who happens to look very similar to PAUL Galvin - like he was Paul's brother) is a Broker with the same RE/MAX office.

I chose Mr Galvin because he is highly regarded and well-reviewed. I certainly found him pleasant, patient and approachable when I asked a few questions about his report. The report identified some seemingly minor items that needed attention and my decision to purchase this house, despite misgivings about the previous owner, was somewhat mitigated by his inspection. However, after closing, I have been left with over 20K worth of repairs, including a 50" square rotting wood window, located behind the siding and apparently producing the mildew Mr Galvin himself identified in the closet that had been built on the inside. Broken roof trusses in the attic cavity, and improperly installed vinyl siding around all 3 walls. These are only a few examples of expensive repairs that were not revealed in his report. Recently retired, I have now spent almost all my savings trying to fix up a lemon I would probably never have purchased with more diligent advice from all parties involved. While I understand there are many things that a simple home inspection cannot reveal, there are some significant issues that arose after closing which I feel should have been highlighted; others that went completely undiscovered. Perhaps these could at least have lead to a credit on the purchase price.

Paul did a thorough and professional inspection of our cottage prior to listing it with Remax. He was up on the roof, in the crawlspace and checked every electrical outlet etc... He only found a few minor issues for us to fix. He give us a full report, including pictures he took while performing the inspection. Paul is a very friendly and professional guy and I highly recommend him for your home inspection needs.

We are new to Peterborough and not accustomed to this level of service.Paul WAS exceptonal.We never expected that the after market help was his norm.Usually our experience was,inspect,give a report ,leave and we never heard from the guy again.Paul inspected,explained,charmed and became part of our process, that day and in the future.You really can't go wrong with this guy.

I recently had Paul Galvin do a home inspection on a rental property I was interested in buying. He did a fantastic and thorough job on the house and talked me through every step as he went. He explained what he was looking for and then what he found. He then told me if it was good and why or if it was bad and what I should do about it. I had his report the same day and it was also very detailed and well laid out. I bought the house and have since recommended Paul to others and will continue to do so.

Paul was on time and very thorough. Even though it was winter when he did the inspection we was able to catch things that were very hard for me to see. He presented my wife and I with a printed report complete with photos the next day. He did everything with no surprise fees and very professionally. If you are reading this take my advice and hire Paul.