We had a fantastic experience working with Matt Cantor of Cantor Inspections. The level of detail and depth of knowledge he provides easily justify the cost of the inspection, which pays for itself several times over when deciding who and what work to do. Matt conducted a very thorough inspection and, more importantly, helped my family understand how to prioritize the work our home needed. His report gave us the knowledge and confidence to speak with contractors and make sure we were focusing on the right repairs rather than unnecessary work. What really stood out was that Matt didn't disappear after the inspection. He remained available for follow-up questions and was incredibly generous with his time and advice as we evaluated contractor proposals. His insight helped us navigate some very expensive recommendations and focus on practical, staged solutions instead. If you want a home inspector who is thoughtful, knowledgeable, and genuinely invested in helping homeowners make smart decisions, I can't recommend Matt highly enough. Working with him was invaluable for our family. read more

TL;DR - I had a wonderful experience with Matt and highly recommend Cantor Inspections. He is warm, gracious with his time, and incredibly knowledgeable. He wears many hats--part inspector, part anthropologist, part design historian, and so much more. Matt was communicative and able to fit in an inspection of my home almost immediately. I also found his rate to be very affordable, especially given the quality of work and his attention to detail. Long Form Review - I live in Oakland and have a craftsman style house built in 1913. My wife and I bought the house in 2022 as first time homebuyers. We have been so happy in the home, but it has a range of issues and quirks, as I imagine all century-old buildings do. We have done several repairs and renovations on the home already and have many more projects planned. From the initial inspection report and after having lived in the home for 3 years, we thought we had a pretty good idea of what projects and repairs needed to come next. However, before committing any more time and money to any future projects, we felt that we needed an expert, third-party source to help us reevaluate the home, prioritize future work, and identify urgent repairs. This was the context with which I reached out to Matt at Cantor Inspections. I initially messaged Matt via Yelp, and he got back to me almost immediately. Even though he was traveling internationally at the time, he was incredibly communicative and was able to schedule me as soon as he got back from his trip. On the day of the inspection, Matt arrived on time and was more than happy to have me shadow him. The inspection took about 6 hours and I was probably able to follow Matt around for 80-90% of it, observing, taking notes, and picking his brain over a myriad of different issues. Matt is warm, kind, and patient. He answered all of my questions and provided me with quite the history lesson regarding Craftsmen style homes, as well as lessons on construction techniques, material science, engineering, and much, much more. I also found Matt to be empathetic and understanding of my unique situation, more than willing to talk through the issues that were most salient to me. In terms of the report itself and Matt's work, I found it to be very in-depth and comprehensive. In the Recommendations section, Matt does a great job of identifying an issue, describing why that issue is a problem, and outlining steps to fixing said issue. Overall, Cantor Inspections went above and beyond in helping my wife and I reevaluate our home, prioritize future work, and identify urgent repairs. Lastly, I'll add that Matt was great with our dog and cat, who also followed Matt around for most of the day. read more

Cantor Inspections is our go to for a professional Bay Area inspection. We run an independent insurance agency based out of El Cerrito, and refer Cantor Inspections regularly. Many of our clients have hired them over the years, and the feedback we get is they are responsive, polite, and get the job done right. Sometimes the need for an inspection is time sensitive, so I really appreciate that Matt, the owner, responds quickly to requests, shows up on time, and treats our clients with courtesy. When I make a referral, my reputation is on the line. Matt always comes through and makes my clients happy. If you are looking for an inspector, look no further, Cantor Inspections is my #1 choice! read more

I cannot say enough positive things about working with Matt. Our appointment with him was easily the best money I have spent this year (maybe this decade) and saved us from getting into a very expensive situation where we would have been in way over our heads. Matt was prompt, polite, incredibly thorough, and very knowledgeable. He provided the right amount of context to paint a full picture. He did not mince his words and provided all of the information we needed to plan our next steps with the utmost level of confidence. He is direct without being abrasive and has a wealth of knowledge which was very much appreciated. I highly recommend working with Matt. read more

Matt is very knowledgeable. I really appreciated how responsive he was. He spent time informing me about his process and sharing his wealth of knowledge. He made me feel comfortable and answered all of my questions. Scheduling was a breeze and he even allowed us to follow him around during the inspection. Don't hesitate to hire him. He's clear about his pricing and certainly worth it. read more

I contacted Matt about an issue in our home and he was very helpful. He actually steered us away from using his services as he knew it wouldn't address our problem. He also stayed in communication and throughly answered all my follow up questions, even though we weren't going to become clients. 5 stars for integrity and being generous with his time and expertise. read more

When people say "my only regret is I wish we had worked together sooner" this is what they mean. TLDR: 10/10. Tons of knowledge with the bed side manner, candor, and consultative approach that left us feeling surprisingly optimistic and well informed about the work we could do to improve our 1950s build (And first home). My wife and I put off an inspection of our house after purchasing last year (bought with contingency waived) and after a few surprises in the first year and plenty of anxiety and conflicting quotes from vendors... we decided to connect with Matt Cantor given the great reviews on his consultative approach. He spent over an hour discussing with us his observations, the historical context of why particular fixes/builds were likely done in a certain way, and areas of concern/prioritization. With all the information out there, having someone we could trust with his amount of experience was huge for peace of mind and making sense of it all. He also offered to connect us with local vendors we trust as options for remediating some of the items, which is a huge help as we're new to the area. Thanks again for everything Matt! read more

As a home buyer, hiring Matt for your inspection is the smartest thing to do. His breadth of experience and knowledge is essential when evaluating an investment as significant as a home. Matt was very easy to schedule with and clear about his pricing, which is a very good value for what you receive. I really enjoyed my time accompanying him on the inspection for 3+ hours and I learned a lot. We had a sit down talk at the end of it, with Matt offering professional guidance with an element of fatherly wisdom that I really appreciated. The resulting inspection report was thorough and clear, and was critical in helping us determine our next steps on the prospective home. Be sure to hire your own inspector, not just whomever your realtor recommends! Hire Cantor Inspections and don't miss the opportunity to attend the inspection, learn a ton, and meet a cool guy! read more

We hired Matt to inspect our recently purchased home in Berkeley. He was incredibly helpful and patient, answering our questions and walking us through his preliminary report until we felt comfortable. I would highly recommend him and found the fee to be more than worth having an honest, unbiased inspector. read more

Matt responded to our email message within a few hours, and we scheduled an inspection within a week. He arrived on time with the gear he needed to inspect the place. Matt clearly explained what he would do to inspect the home and then allowed my partner to accompany him while he inspect the home. He took about 3 hours to inspect the historic home, which was partially due to my partner asking qualifying & follow-up questions during the inspection. We then checked back in later that evening and went over a few things, which was very helpful in our decision making process. Matt explained everything clearly and answered all my questions. He was very knowledgeable & very straightforward in explanations. Matt also invited me to email and/or text him for recommendations for reliable professionals to get started on the repair of my home (plumbers, electricians, and arborists). A few days later, I received a thorough report via email that is easy to understand and has all the information Matt told me would be there. We are so glad that we went with Matt for our home inspection prior to purchasing our historic home. read more

I am so glad that we hired Matt. We are first time homeowners who bought an old and complicated home in North Oakland. We don't really have people in our lives who could come by and give us advice or let us know what we don't know about the house. In comes Matt. He is thorough, interested and totally knowledgeable. He takes the time to really understand all aspects of the home and makes sure you see what he sees. He was patient, answering all of our questions, and really helped us understand what to pay attention to, what was a potential hazard and what wasn't and how to prioritize. Once you buy his service, he's not there to sell you anything, just to be an extremely experienced advocate for you and your home. I feel so much better after getting his assessment of the ins and outs of the building, and empowered to make decisions about what needs to be addressed today, later on, and some day. In a world that is often totally impersonal, it was really nice to be able to work with a person who cares about our relationship with our home. read more

Matt is absolutely fantastic! I purchased my first home; a home that's construction dates back to the 1940s in the North Bay. Matt allowed me to follow him around and did an incredible job explaining everything he was looking at from roof-to-foundation and everything in between. He was patient and explained the history behind some of the materials/construction. He also did a great job explaining what issues were critical to address and what maybe "issues," but could be triaged for a later date. He offered me a lot of reassurance about the house and the quality of the work the previous owner did. He also followed up about some questions he had but didn't have the answer right away. Best yet, he kept communication wide-open for any future questions or concerns I may have. He's the best and I would pay his expertise, skills, and experience any day! read more

Matt provided the most thorough home inspection. I learned so much from him. He knows his stuff and has a way of explaining things that easy to follow. This was so worth the it! I highly recommend his services. : ) read more

We bought a new construction home and had a 1 year warranty. We hired Matt for a 11th month inspection to help us identify the issues to be fixed as part of the warranty. Matt did a very thorough job and helped us distinguish between legitimate concerns and minor issues. He also identified a major issue that wasn't even on our radar and educated us about our rights as buyers of a new construction. He followed that up with great recommendations for fixes and specialists. We highly recommend Matt and will definitely rely on him again the next time we buy a house (hopefully not for a very long time!) read more

Matt is very knowledgeable and thorough with his inspection. I like that he will explain how he will do his work and the step by step process of his job. He is also very approachable and will take the time to answer any questions you may have. He made us feel confident in the house that we live in. I felt that getting inspection from him was like having an ally looking after you and your house. You will absolutely get a good value of the service that is done. It's definitely worth hiring Matt! Thank you Matt! read more

Matt inspected one of my properties 3 years ago and did such a great job, and was so valuable that I hired him again to inspect another house a couple months ago. I now feel confident about what condition my properties are in and what should be done immediately, soon and further down the road to keep these assets safe and in great condition for years to come. Worth every penny. Thanks Matt! read more

Just want to say Thank you to Matt for taking the time to discuss the issues at my home. I'm hoping to deal with my home's issues on my own but if it goes beyond my capabilities, Matt will be the first person I call. Thanks Matt! read more

We had Matt complete an inspection for an older house we considered purchasing in Oakland. We were extremely pleased with his services! He spent around 4 hours with us, walking around the home and answering any and all questions about the repairs needed to the house. He was clearly knowledgeable about houses from our era (over 100 years old) and as such could give us a great sense of the costs involved to make repairs, and also could make many referrals for companies that could do the work for us. He told us everything that could go wrong with the house, and advised on how we might prioritize the repairs. His report was delivered on time and was extremely thorough. We would not hesitate to hire Matt again for a home inspection! read more

1. Super quick response to my inquiry. 2. Transparent and reasonable pricing. 3. Thorough, trustworthy, professional, super knowledgeable and compassionate. Those are my top line favorite things about working with Matt recently. I came across his name from a number of glowing reviews and recommendations on Berkeley Parent's Network. I'm really thankful I found Matt after decades of my mother working with unscrupulous corner cutting contractors, plumbers, electricians and more. Knowing that Matt as an impartial party could give me a really honest assessment of our home and help me prioritize what needs to get done first really calmed my anxiety about the whole endeavor (long story short, it's kind of a disaster). I will keep using his services to check the work of anyone I hire in the future. Just a really good guy. I wish there were a hundred more like him in every area of home maintenance and improvement. read more

Worth every penny. Matt did a thorough and very useful inspection of our house. He clearly knows his stuff. He pointed out some important things in need of repair that we had no idea needed our attention. He also reassured us that other things we thought were a big deal were nothing to worry about. Very professional. He took the time to answer all our questions. And we had many. We highly recommend Matt. read more

We are so happy we hired Matt to conduct an inspection on the home we are looking to purchase. He was incredibly thorough, transparent and provided my partner and I with an abundance of education and knowledge on our home. Following his inspection, he took the time to sit down with us (45 mins+) and talk through his findings, as well as gave immediate recommendations. Matt has extensive expertise and knowledge that we found to be invaluable, and likely would have not received from other home inspectors. We would hire Matt again in a heart beat! read more

We hired Cantor Inspections to do a thorough home inspection so that we would know what house maintenance tasks to prioritize for our 1920s construction home. Matt's architectural and engineering and building code expertise was invaluable. He did the inspection while I was partly present (I opened up all the access doors so he could come and go through all parts of the house, including the basement, and the attic, and advised him on the best approach to get up on the roof). He took several hours to carefully look at all the items on this checklist. After he was done, he talked with us about his major findings, and promised a written report, which he delivered a few days later. It was lengthy and detailed and will help us prioritize work well into the future. Highly recommended. Good service, good ethics, careful work, detailed and useful, informative report. read more

Matt is extremely professional and thorough. He's also a really nice guy. You can tell he loves his work and is hugely knowledgeable. He was at our house for 3-3.5 hrs and walked around the entire place. Went up in the attic and the crawl space. He then sat me and my wife down for 45 mins and talked us through his findings. We were concerned with some large cracks that were increasing in size and number throughout the house. Matt didn't just look at those, he looked at our trees surrounding the house for fire risk and also what might be causing our drainage issues in our garage. We felt a lot more informed following his visit and what we should concentrate on by way of next steps. Totally recommend his services. read more

I spoke with (I believe it was Matt) and he was SO incredibly generous and kind in sharing his immense knowledge and suggestions regarding my issues about EMFs on a home I am in the process of buying. I would absolutely trust him with any job and have peace of mind that I would be in great hands!! read more

This is a long-overdue review for Matt Cantor of Cantor Inspections. He inspected our house back in 2017 and returned to advise about our foundation a couple of years later. I don't know what I would have done without his advice about what needed doing to the house; I knew very little about construction and really needed someone knowledgeable to advise me about what needed doing, what didn't need doing, what was advisable but could be delayed. Additionally, he has provided multiple recommendations for good people to do the work, usually with a number of choices so that we can get estimates, and we have been quite pleased with his recommendations. Matt has also been EXTREMELY kind to answer questions since then about house-related matters that I don't know how to address, such as an overflowing washing machine drain or whether some cracks in the tile need replacing. Matt is an absolute fount of knowledge about all things house-related! I HIGHLY recommend Cantor Inspections to anyone needing a home inspection. read more

I recently hired Matt for a home inspection and had a good experience. He was knowledgeable and explained things in layperson's terms as I followed him around the house. The report was very detailed and nuanced--it was clear that he wasn't just going through the motions. read more

I couldn't be happier with Cantor Inspections. Matt was flexible with scheduling, very thorough with the inspection, and patient and detailed in explaining his findings. I reached out to request an inspection, and less then 24 hours later it was performed. Then Matt spent approximately 2 hours on a Saturday meeting with me, answering my many questions, including things not part of the inspection per se, but rather how to maintain and restore several different elements of the house. The actual findings from the inspection were also detailed, as he noted many things missed by my agent and the seller's inspector. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Cantor Inspections to a friend. read more

Hire Cantor Inspections! I will hire Matt again for future inspections! Matt responded to my Yelp message within a few hours, and we scheduled an inspection the next day (so quick!). He arrived on time with all the gear he needed to inspect the place. Matt clearly explained what he will do to inspect the home and then off he went! He took about 2 hours (just like he said) and then sat down with me to explain his findings. Matt explained everything clearly and answered all my questions. He shared some history behind why parts of my home were built the way it is, which I found fascinating. Matt also invited me to email and/or text him for recommendations for reliable professionals to get started on the repair of my home (plumbers, electricians, and arborists). A few days later, I received a thorough report via email that is easy to understand and has all the information Matt told me would be there. Again, I can't say enough how much I recommend Matt! HIRE HIM! read more

Matt was very personal and easy to work with. His price was reasonable, and he had a good eye for detail. He pointed out many different issues in our home that were missed by the first home inspection, one of which being a potential safety hazard! I highly recommend Matt for home inspection. He is a nice guy and has an eagle's eye for details! read more

Several weeks ago a pinhole to the outside was discovered by painting contractors I was interviewing. When that pinhole turned out to be a much more extensive and pricey fix than I'd expected, I began to panic about what else I might not know about the house I'd recently inherited. I had heard of Matt Cantor previously, primarily from my partner who read his Daily Planet columns regularly. When I read through his YELP reviews I immediately knew I was on the right track. Matt inspected my smallish (828 sq ft) house over roughly 2-3 hours, including interim and follow up discussions as he progressed from one area to another. He was thorough and detailed, and provided a well written report that will be extremely useful as I move forward making decisions as to what to address and when. Hiring Matt to do a thorough inspection of this 1941 house was one of the best decisions I've ever made. read more

Not enough good things can be said about Matt's professionalism, communication, amicability and of course, his vast knowledge and expertise. I needed a thorough combing over of my 110 year old duplex and Matt delivered exactly what I was looking for. From the roof, down to the crawl space, I got a detailed assessment of what my problems were, why they were and what was exacerbating them , and in what order to tackle these. Matt was very friendly and made for great conversation as well, we enjoyed working with him. read more

I learned so much from Matt as he was sharing tips and recommendations during his walkthrough even before sitting down for the final report review. He is clearly top notch in his field and well worth the cost. read more

Matt is a patient and thorough inspector that made sure we made our home purchase with our eyes wide open to the seismic and other updates needed for a mid century house. We really appreciated his willingness to help us in any way he could. Thanks, Matt! read more

Extremely thorough report, very knowledgeable, great to work with. Matt clearly is the one you want to hire as a purchaser (maybe not as a seller : ). read more

On the one year anniversary of owning our house this week, we realized we never posted a review we wrote for Matt! Hopefully our willingness to still post this so delayed speaks well to our experience with him: I was recommended Matt from a friend who had him come and inspect the house they were in escrow in. Matt quickly responded to our outreach and was able to come by within the same week. As many other reviews mention, he is very thorough in both his in person inspection and in the report he follows up with. The day he looked over the house, he dedicated several hours after to go over his notes, share his recommendations, and answer all of the questions we had. As first time homebuyers and first time landlords, we appreciated all of the tidbits of advice he gave to us. Matt was not the cheapest quote we got for a home inspection but we decided it was competitive and ultimately provided the best balance of cost to benefit. We highly recommend Matt to anyone who wants a detailed inspection of a home. read more

Matt performed an incredibly thorough and detailed inspection of a house that I was considering purchasing. I wanted to be as well-informed as possible about the building, and he was not only totally open to me shadowing him through the process, but was happy to talk me through many aspects of the building and how they compared to typical standards. He's clearly very knowledgeable and experienced in his field, and proved to be an incredible educator as well. I feel far more confident now in making my purchase and planning for the future of the building. I also received a clean and detailed report following his visit which aided me in appraising the property and negotiating a buying price, but also serves as an excellent reference for me as a homeowner. I can't thank Matt enough for his top-tier and reasonably priced services. read more

Matt assisted me with my first home inspection and I couldn't be happier with my choice. Matt's knowledge, professionalism and ability to explain all aspects of the inspection thoroughly was greatly appreciated! Additionally, his recommendations for DIY/ contractors was an added benefit! Cantor inspections is pure quality! read more

Matt Cantor and his wealth of knowledge (especially of older Bay Area homes) is priceless. We were extremely grateful with the thoroughness and the time he took to inspect all aspects of a 100 year old house we were in contract to buy. Matt provided us with a great basic education in foundations, electrical systems, plumbing, and he even gave great advice about how to bring more natural light into some cave-like parts of the house. Other specialists confirmed Matt's observations and recommendations, and in every way, I found him to be wonderfully trustworthy, generous with information, and able to give clear explanations of unfamiliar concepts. Matt's communication before the inspection, during, and afterward was super, and I was so grateful to be able to follow up with a few more questions after reading the inspection report. Matt is a consummate professional, and I would absolutely hire him again to inspect houses for our family or any friends. His fee might seem a bit expensive, but for us it was very worthwhile and gave me a great peace of mind and confidence in navigating this tough housing market. Thank you again, Matt! read more

Matt was extremely thorough in my home inspection and did an amazing job explaining what work was a urgent and important and what could be done over time. I learned a lot from his inspection and feel confident to tackle these projects. read more

Easy to schedule, very thorough thoughts on the initial phone call (which is why I went with Cantor), and the inspection itself was equally if not more thorough. Matt went through all his recommendations and findings with me immediately after the inspection, and was incredibly helpful in my assessing the purchase of the home. Very pleased; highly recommended. read more