I hired Catalyst Inspections and worked directly with Paul Malson prior to purchasing my home. I ultimately had to spend approximately $13,000 on repairs related to issues that were not identified or fully communicated during the inspection.
In hindsight, I should have reviewed the inspection agreement more carefully, as it contains extensive exclusions. For transparency, I am including those exclusions, which cover items such as property boundaries, inaccessible areas, system performance and life expectancy, causes of defects, future conditions, code compliance, as well as environmental concerns including rodents, mold, air quality, asbestos, hazardous materials, and other related conditions.
That said, my concerns go beyond the standard exclusions. During the inspection, Paul pointed out droppings around the HVAC system and made me aware of that specific area. However, after moving into the home, I discovered there was extensive rodent contamination throughout the attic that was far more significant than what was communicated at the time.
The situation required a professional remediation company to remove all attic insulation, and I have had to tear out portions of walls due to the odor from rodent urine. This was clearly not a minor or isolated issue.
In addition, I later discovered damage to the HVAC system that was not included in the inspection report. When my realtor raised this concern, Paul stated that the damage must have occurred after his inspection. However, I had multiple professionals evaluate the attic and HVAC area, and they indicated the damage was not recent and had existed well before my purchase.
I also reached out directly via email to address these concerns and did not receive a response, which was disappointing.
Overall, I would strongly encourage future clients to carefully review the inspection contract, including the exclusions, and consider obtaining specialized inspections (such as pest or HVAC) in addition to a general home inspection. read more
