We purchased a house earlier this year, and the inspection was arranged by our realtor…read more
On the day of, the inspector seemed friendly and efficient, but he also seemed more concerned about getting through his checklist as quickly as possible than performing a thorough inspection. For example, when I asked him whether the foundation had been seismically retrofitted with anchor bolts, he said there wasn't easy enough access in the crawlspace to be able to tell. And in the report he just assumed, "Anchor Bolts: None - typical for homes built prior to 1935." First, our house was built in 1938. Second, it's been renovated extensively, so it's not unreasonable to think the foundation might be retrofitted. And third, isn't it your job to confirm this?
A couple months later, we got an unusually heavy week of rain, and we noticed a couple leaks coming through the ceiling--every homeowner's nightmare. We called a handful of contractors to take a look, and they all immediately identified cracks on the inside corners of the roof where it was missing flashing.
We filed a claim with Elite Inspection, and initially they argued that the inspection could not attest to the maintenance of the roof. Fair, but this had nothing to do with the maintenance; it was a case of improper installation, something that every contractor noticed immediately.
Finally they agreed to send their own contractor (who identified the same issue). They provided a quote to have the flashing installed, which we were OK with. But when when we asked to just have the amount reimbursed to us, so that we could choose a contractor we liked, Elite Inspection refused. Instead, they told us that we had to go with the contractor that they chose, even though other people had bad experiences with them based on the reviews we read. If it's the same amount, it's bewildering why Elite Inspection couldn't give us the reimbursement. Maybe they have a special arrangement with that specific contractor, which would be disconcerting.
Shortly after, they sent us another message saying that they would actually only refund the inspection fee--as a "gesture of goodwill," but only if we signed an indemnification agreement (which we decided not to).
All of this points to hasty work and questionable business practices. On the surface, they seem like an efficient and professional company--they have nice uniforms, professional business cards, and a flashy-looking report. But their inspection is only cursory and fails to identify any issues of which you should actually be aware. I wouldn't trust them again, especially with something as important as this.
