Wow, the complainers, I'm so surprised. I've used Ken for 25 years and he is bar none the BEST! He is the only inspector that takes apart the furnace to inspect and walks on roofs .ken knows all aspects of building and codes, Ken is calm, not alarming and super attentive!! Ken has never disappointed, he has killed some of my deals and rightfully so! As far as a well and septic you can count on him thoroughly poking the ground to find what he needs for a good inspection of septic. He is fair and I'll use and recommend Ken until I retire from real estate. read more

Moving across the Country is no easy task, especially when you have to rely on strangers regularly to assist you. We chose to reach out to Baker Inspections after asking in our new community's Facebook page for recommendations and it was practically unanimous that they were the ones to call. The response time was phenomenal from my very first inquiry, and Marshall was kind and professional every step of the way. When I spoke with him and explained our situation, that we were making this purchase from across the Country, he didn't view it as an obstacle but rather gave me several options for how to handle the Inspection and how to communicate during and after. The morning of the Inspection I received a text message along the lines of, focus on work and know I've got this covered. I almost cried with relief! Our Inspection report was timely and thorough including pictures and some video. Marshall walked through the entire report, made recommendations, and was patient while we asked a million questions. After the inspection we heard from Marshall congratulating us, wishing us luck, and asking how things ended up with certain items he'd identified. We're thrilled to move to our new community knowing we not only have a well inspected home but a great new neighbor! read more

Ken Baker is incompetent. He misrepresented the size of my parents septic tank by over 50% (it holds 1500 gallons and he told the buyer it was under 1000) and misidentified several trees in their yard (told the buyer that they were dead, which is not true) He also left the bathtub tap running for hours after he left which completely drained there tank. I wouldn't trust him to inspect a dog house. Check out this reddit post for more tales of his incompetence. https://www.reddit.com/r/AnnArbor/comments/uae9gz/terrible_home_inspector read more

Live and learn, right? I have learned that when I buy a piece of property, I should NOT use an inspector that the realtor suggests. If you're buying a home, do your own research and hire someone you trust. Realtors and home inspectors often have "behind the scenes" relationships and give each other cuts for helping the deal go through, much to the detriment of the unsuspecting buyer who may find thousands of dollars of problems in the future that could have been caught by a competent inspector. Better yet, hire two who don't know each other and then compare their reports. Be careful who you trust. Get things in writing and DON'T call Baker Inspections! He will trash the house and tick off the sellers... and that's never a good idea! read more

See all

First encounter with Ken Baker, He explained so much to me. He was on time and straight to the point. Ken Baker did an inspection of a home that I intended to purchase. After I closed on the home, I receive notification from the homeowner's insurance company stating that my roof was in horrible condition. I contacted Ken Baker and he sent a letter supporting his findings of the condition of the roof. Ken Baker stated the roof was good for " 6-10 years". The insurance company rejected the letter. I had 2 professional contractors assess the roof. Both companies revealed photos that showed shingles that were nailed and lifting and horrible water damage in the attic/crawl space. None of Ken Baker's photos in his report showed the vast amount of damage. I emailed Ken Baker to notify him of my disappointment of his work and received no response. I have also called him, and my call was sent to voice mail. The condition of a roof is something that I could have negotiated at or before the time of closing. Ken Baker took that privilege away from me. About a month after purchasing, I had to get my roof replaced for $11,500. My advice is do not hire Baker Inspection services. He is not honest and not thorough enough to ensure you are making a wise home purchase. My realtor will not be recommending his services either. read more

Our realtor recommended Marshall from Baker. We actually got outbid in the first house so we paid for two different inspections. not only he missed gross problems with the house, but when I called him right after the inspection, following his invitation to contact him, to ask what issues would be urgent, he never returned the calls. i will never hire an inspector who is in cahoots with the realtor, Baker cured me from that after I had to spend thousands to fix what he did not see in front of his eyes. read more

As indicated by another reviewer. He damaged the home left insulation mess everywhere. Would not return phone calls from me or the client or pay for damages. He took a second job to do a radon inspection knowing he still owed money from previous destruction of property. Do not let him in your home! He will file false claims. read more

I hired Ken Baker to inspect a house. I was not present for the inspection. In the inspection report, he stated that the drain was fine and `appeared serviceable'. However, I had multiple plumbers look at my drain and say how it was not up to code. This replacement will cost me upwards of $1,500. Furthermore, once I turned on the water main, it was clear that multiple pipes were leaking. It would have been obvious to anybody, so it is clear that Ken Baker did not even turn on the water for the inspection report. The worst violation, however, is the follow through. I have been trying to call/email him for a few weeks now and all I get is voicemail. He is clearly liable and I should receive a refund, but they are avoiding me. read more

Marshall from Baker inspections did our inspection before we purchased our home, he seemed really thorough acted like he knew what he was doing, even gave his cell incase I had questions about anything he showed me. Well that was all a fake act, we were in the house for 3 wks, and we had a major roof leak, the roof company that came out said we should have never been sold this house with the roof in that condition! I have called him several times along with voicemails to Ken the owner and no response from them, this also causing conflict because they were the realtor company's choice and our realtor is a close friend out who is new at this and had no idea how bad this company was. I just want to say Marshall you are as fake as they come and I hope you sleep well at night knowing what you do to peoples lives! read more

I had awful experience with baker inspections. I was the seller of the property - Ken, the owner of Baker Inspections, inspected my property. He documented that my property had vermiculite contaminated with asbestos in the attic. The buyers backed out of the sale. We later found out after spending $500 to have it thoroughly tested by environmental testing agency it was negative for asbestos. The ETC testing agency was confused why the inspector did not know better due to my home was built 10 years after the ban of using vermiculite asbestos for residential use in 1978. He tripped the furnace so we went without heat in our home for 9 days. The furnace repair man said it was an easy fix - the inspector tripped it during his inspection and he didn't didn't reset it - that was $110. He also broke the component in the microwave when testing the wattage another $15 (I know only $15 but speakers to the point he was just going through and knowingly ruining my property) Ultimately he ruined the sale of my condo due to falsely identifying asbestos which we learned can only be seen under a microscope. I contacted Ken - he was very argumentative told me that there is no home that is bought or sold with vermiculite asbestos and all vermiculite IS asbestos. Which both are complete false statements. There are many homes that are still bought and sold with asbestos - you just don't disturb it and that is irregardless of the fact that my home did NOT have asbestos! Vermiculite still exists today and is used in brake linings of cars, to a safety packaging hazardous material, fire protection products and high-rise construction projects to increase fire safety in the building, used to insulate high temperature Kilns/furnaces and in commercial buildings under "modern vermiculite" which is asbestos free. He did not have a microscope to certify that it was indeed asbestos. His reply was that in 2011 the EPA banned vermiculite being in all attics and needed to be removed. In that case every attic in homes built from 1920 - 1978 needs to have their vermiculite installation removed - Which is false. On the EPA website states: "removal of the vermiculite insulation may not be necessary if it is confined in a manner where it will be left undisturbed" - I told him about the furnace if he would pay the $110 service call for not resetting it when he was done testing - he said he would think about it and hung up on me. Please to do use Baker inspection company! read more

One thing I have to say is Baker inspections does not honor their refund policy. I contacted them within the allowed time frame for their policy. And I have not had the proper response to process a refund. You see Baker Inspections missed black mold and a roof vent that was out of code. We suffered health issues, evacuation and a major remodel. Had I been given proper service on a refund of service I would not be writing this, it is very unfortunate that we have had this experience. read more

I have recommended Ken Baker for the past few years to my clients who are purchasing homes. I have found Ken to be very knowledgeable, practical and does an excellent job of sorting through what are serious concerns regarding a property and what can be expected based on age etc. Very professional, reliable and they try hard to accommodate buyers' schedules! read more

Great company. Ken and his team do an excellent job.

First day Carl Baker showed up 45 minutes late. Results came back that bacteria was still in the well and Carl needed to return again. This time he was 2 hours and 45 minutes late. I called after an hour to see if I misunderstood the time or appointment date. I did not have the wrong day or time. He said he was ending a job and would be there shortly. Again, 2 hours and 45 minutes after the scheduled appointment he shows up and dumped 2 gallons of bleach down my well where my water still smells 13 days later of strong bleach even after running the water for several hours. Additionally, I have asked Carl several times for the results and was told he would be sending them to me and I still have not received anything from him. I would not recommend him. read more

Had Ken inspect my home being the seller. He left a massive mess. He left the sump pump cover off and my child fell into the sump pump. HE IS HORRIBLE! NOT PROFESSIONAL! DIRTY! As an inspector your supposed to leave the home that way you found it. He obviously does not care and it shows. I hope no one uses this inspector. read more

Absolutely DO NOT hire Ken Baker. We did, to inspect a home we were purchasing, and we could only stay on site for downstairs half of the inspection, which seemed to proceed as it should. In the full report we later received, Ken indicated that all of the drains were operational. However, it turns out the upstairs drains were not--running the water for 20 seconds made it obvious there were serious clogs and a single upstairs toilet flush also made it clear there were problems. It's pretty obvious Ken did not complete the most cursory of inspections of the two upstairs bathrooms. Three emergency plumbing visits and a ripped out kitchen ceiling later, we are now out 2K and counting (plus the added stress and mess of having massive plumbing problems during a move, during a pandemic). The worst part, however, is that after four unreturned phone calls, we finally reached Ken, who promised to 'consult his notes' but he hasn't returned a single call since, either to us or to our realtor. Clearly he was negligent; if his inspection was above board, he wouldn't have to duck our calls. He owes us the cost of inspection and then some. Our relator said he will never work with him again, and we'd advise you to do the same. read more

Beware Baker Inspections! His incompetence cost me tens of thousands of dollars $$$ on the house resale! In August 2017, Laura Detwyler, my Reinhart realtor, arranged a pre-purchase home inspection for me with Baker Inspections of Dexter, MI. I trusted her completely and thought I could trust Ken also, which was incorrect. Ken Baker's report failed to call attention to basement wall cracks, buckling, broken drywall, exterior foundation cracks and bowed walls - damage that occurs over many years' time indicating an unstable foundation. He gave the house a healthy report, which I trusted, so bought it. However, by summer 2019, two basement walls were even weaker from the diagonal wall cracks and required $15,000 - $20,000 in supports, anchors, or I-beams to stabilize them from complete collapse! Had I known about the shaky foundation, I would not have purchased the property. (NEVER let your realtor provide the inspector!) Throughout July 2019, Ken did not respond to my eleven phone calls or several emails. In August, after viewing the foundation damages, Baker's indifferent response was that no cracks were visible when he conducted the 2017 inspection and these had only appeared in the last two years, which was preposterous! (The previous owner testified that wall cracks had been there for over ten years and I'd seen them too.) Ken denied all responsibility and showed no concern whatsoever for my plight. I fault Ken Baker's negligence for not initially calling out these serious issues during his inspection which would have protected me from buying the house at all, but the realtor made her sale. Ultimately, in August 2019, his oversights have cost me tens of thousands of dollars in losses on the home's re-sale due to collapsing foundation walls. Trying to get compensation from him in small claims court is even more prolonged stress. There's little I can do now but take the financial losses and write this review, which he already knew. I cannot - and do not - recommend Baker Inspections. Kay F. read more

Ken Baker inspected our current home before we purchased it. After entering all three attics, he failed to report significant bat and mouse droppings, as well as signs of infestation. Within a week of moving in, we discovered mice and bats living in our attic. I contacted Ken by email notifying him of the problem and sending a quote for bat and pest removal, hoping he would rectify the situation. His response was rude and condescending, stating that he saw the droppings but chose not to tell us, because, "Having dog droppings in your yard does not mean you have a dog." Avoid this inspector. read more

Considerate, explained everything! Took his time and evaluated all kitchen appliances, furnace, air conditioner, etc. Detailed report that is easy to follow. Would definitely use him again read more

Ken Baker has inspected a total of 6 houses for me and for my family. He is incredibly thorough and professional. He has found issues I would have never noticed. For example, he got on the steep roof of an older house I purchased and saw some cracks on the chimney. I was able to use this to negotiate the seller to repair it before I moved in. I also like his website, it makes scheduling your inspection a breeze. He covers a large area of Southeast Michigan, and he even comes to Lansing. read more

We bought a home and our inspector found bacteria in the well. The sellers hired Baker inspections to treat the well. First day Carl Baker showed up 45 minutes late. Results came back that bacteria was still in the well and Carl needed to return again. This time he was 2 hours and 45 minutes late. I called after an hour to see if I misunderstood the time or appointment date. I did not have the wrong day or time. He said he was ending a job and would be there shortly. Again, 2 hours and 45 minutes after the scheduled appointment he shows up and dumped 2 gallons of bleach down my well. Carl returned again (a scheduled appointment) two hours late. He ran the water for 2 hours to run bleach out and retest the water. I had to call to find out results even after he said he would send them to me, which he has not. Poor communication and not sticking to appointment times. I would not recommend. read more

This was the worst excuse for a home inspection I've ever seen. And we've bought and sold about a dozen houses over the years. He missed faulty wiring, an ugly broken ceramic soap holder in the shower that'll be very difficult to replace, a shower drain that didn't work, broken window openers, oven doesn't work. His job is to protect my investment. All he did was protect the realtor's deal -- even though I'm out about $900 for all the parts of the inspection. I would give him 0 stars if I could. I agree with Robert F. -- do NOT use an inspector your realtor recommends. Find your own. You could save yourself a lot of headaches and grief. And at a minimum, you'd know what you were getting into and have the option of asking the seller to fix stuff. read more

While I was not a direct client of Baker Inspections, they did inspect our house when we were selling. They left a radon detector at our house and never called to pick it up - they just let themselves in when we were at work! This made me VERY uncomfortable that a time was not scheduled and a stranger just let themselves into our home. The inspector also broke our shower, so I called to have them fix it. I never received a call back or an apology. My husband and I had to fix it ourselves. Not very professional. read more

First time home buyer. Wasnt sure who to go with. So took a recommendation from my realtor. My initial thought is that he was thorough and he explained alot to me. I felt pretty confident he did a good job. And paid him for his services. Then almost 2 weeks goes by and no report. Multiple calls from the realtor and myself. Unable to contact. Then finally do, and its like nothing was wrong. Wow. First time experience is great one so far! Smh. Then a couple months goes by and he says my check bounced. And I need to pay him more money. Weird?! Ive never had one bounce before. And why are you contacting me months later? Well luckily enough I am not an idiot and can read a bank statement. And looky there! A week after the inspection, the check was cashed. Twice for that matter. And my bank only let 1 transaction go through. And here he is trying to get more out of me, saying it bounced twice. So I did some digging and talked to my bank, and they say "it did come out twice, but we caught it and only cleared it once." "And you can go up to $1000 in the negative and it would still clear." Hmmm thats nice to know! Well considering I am in the positive, why are we in this position? Jump to 4 months after the initial problem, and hes still trying to get money from me. Lol wth man?! Sorry not happening! Everything points to you being shady and trying to get more money from me. Or someone is stealing from you. And its not me! GTFOH. read more