Home buyers inspection on Aug 13, 2013. I waited to post as I thought how could I evaluate the inspection immediately after without getting to know the house myself. But now, nearly 3 years later, I can confidently say that Vahn’s inspection back then was EXACTLY RIGHT. He knew the house inside and out and the potential concerns/areas for improvement within only a few hours.
I referenced his inspection report in the negotiation process and it ended up saving me $5k on my purchase price to get the 60amp electrical service and knob & tube wiring to a level that insurance and mortgage companies would accept (heads up that some insurance companies won’t insure you based on some details of the house and without an insurance guarantee some mortgage companies won’t honour your pre-approval). Since then, I use the report as a home maintenance checklist to get planned work done and not to be surprised by unplanned work (which has happened – water pipe froze, cast iron main stack cracked and water heater died, etc… but all were flagged by Vahn in his original report).
Since buying my house I’ve seen friends and even family members go with cheaper or agent recommended inspectors and then been completely surprised after buying the house by the condition and repairs required. There are much cheaper inspectors out there, but my experience with Vahn and actually more importantly the accuracy and thoroughness of his report, are absolutely unbeatable. I couldn’t imagine not having a good inspection given the costs of buying a house and potential surprise repair bills. A little delayed on my review, but thanks Vahn, in my opinion you are a very recommendable professional.
