To be blunt, your blind grandmother would probably do a better job. So here is what All Star home inspections says in the contract. You really need to pay attention to this part, it's important.
The home inspection report is an "opinion" of All Star. Our interpretation of what is good or fair condition, may be different than yours. The client is encouraged to be present at the time of inspection so the client will have a better understanding of our opinion on conditions of the premises. The client accepts responsibility for incomplete information if the Client did not attend the inspection. Our purpose is to determine whether a system or
component (electrical, heating, visible structure etc) is functioning for which it was intended. We are not responsible to
determine all that may be wrong with that system or component, just whether a second opinion is needed, such as a
licensed electrician or HVAC contractor, or any specialist for that field or trade. Said specialist for that field or trade
shall determine what steps are necessary to correct any problems. Troubleshooting by said specialist may reveal
additional items not mentioned in this report. Any item mentioned in the report may need additional inspections by other
qualified specialists. It is up to the Client who will be the person signing this contract to seek qualified specialists to
investigate further any item or component that is commented on in the inspection report before closing. We are not
responsible for items mentioned in this report. We are not a guarantee, nor do we guarantee, any items or opinions
described on this report. The purpose of this inspection is to reduce the risk of finding a potential problem, not to
eliminate them. We are not a home warranty company nor do we carry insurance on warranty claims.
In short, if we screwed up and didn't note the obvious it's not our problem and you should have been here looking too. Makes a person wonder just what the point of paying these people was. The "incomplete information" is on me, because I wasn't here to do it myself. Some of what was missed isn't an "opinion", it's incompetence. He noted the broken brick step but not the three bricks missing from the corner of my house. Or the large cracks in the brick walls. Didn't note the long obsolete breaker panel. FFE boxes haven't been used since the late 80's, for good reason. Noted the back door had an issue, not that it appears someone tried to drive the deadbolt through the door from the outside and the entire door needs replaced. That's not an "opinion", it's a fact. Cracked kitchen tile didn't make the list of notes. Didn't notice the scorched outlet in the garage that jumps out at you. Or that the front door handle and lock weren't installed properly. The garage door "needs addressed" does not come close to describing the issues with it. Or that the bathroom toilet wobbles because they did a horrible tile job. Made a note that the oven didn't function but overlooked the fact that the control panel for the gas stove had been dismantled. Damage to the living room floor? Nope, nothing. You would think that a home inspector would test the smoke alarms and at least note that they weren't functioning. Turn on the hot water in the bathroom and it comes out brown, not sure how that got missed, especially since there are pictures of him testing the water temperature. The average Home Depot employee could have conducted a more thorough inspection.
Save your money and your sanity, find someone else. If you don't know what you're looking at, or like me, are 3k miles away, hire someone's drunk uncle to walk through the house, they'll still do a better job. How this company has such great reviews in other places I don't really understand. You truly are paying for an "opinion", a bad one. Seems this company is more interested in helping sell homes than it is protecting the buyer. That so many realtors seem enamored with Chuck should have been a clue. Granted, it was also the other employee that conducted my "inspection" and it seems he has a rather poor record here but you would think the man in charge would address that issue. I don't expect a home inspector to notice every little thing or spend 4 hours crawling through my house but the things he missed are obvious. Bedroom and bathroom doors that won't close properly. Cracks is floor tile. Broken doors. Bad electrical. Damaged exterior walls. The only bright side here is that all the issues can be fixed. Down side is there are some expensive issues that need fixed. Had they conducted an actual thorough home inspection and not an "opinion" I would have offered significantly less for the property or kept looking. Now I own it and it's on me to fix and pay for issues I should have known about. Apparently I should have been here to hold his hand and since I wasn't it's on me to be responsible for that "incomplete information". read more
