As a real estate agent, I have to make sure that I keep myself and clients informed, and I guide them throughout the entire journey of buying or selling their property and having a thorough inspection is a major part of the transaction. Susan and Chris are wonderful inspectors, they take their time to inspect the property section by section and their reports are easy to u understand, organized and to the point. Something anyone involved in the transaction can appreciate. Imperial home inspections are and will continue to be my go to team. Thank you, Susan and Chris! read more

Amazing inspection team that helped me make sound decisions in my home purchase journey. They have multiple credentials and a very thorough inspection process. Pricier than some inspectors and cheaper than others but the cost to value for their services are among the best. Would absolutely recommend Chris and Susan to anyone seeking as much information as possible in their home buying process. Chris and Susan are both very friendly, professional, and willing to take the time to explain their findings. 5/5 stars. read more

Great experience with scheduling and the actual inspection. They were detailed, clean and organized. Reasonably priced too that's why we went with them. Overall satisfied and happy we chose them. Would hire again. read more

Have used this home inspector on 6 different occasions over the past 7 years and he knows his trade. He discovered issues with homes I was buying and doesn't sugar coat a thing. The good thing about Chris is if the home does have problems, you know what you are getting into before you buy the home so there are no surprises after. I also hired Imperial when I was front loading my home. Chris did a presale inspection, from the attic to under the foundation and the entire property. After all the repairs work was completed Chris returned to inspect that the work was done correctly. He found one repair the contractor had done not to code and was able to get that corrected before listing my home for sale. Appreciate his honesty. read more

Chris and Susan are both friendly and thorough. They take the extra steps to make sure they get everything and explain well. I feel comfortable with the home inspection they performed and confident I can make a good decision on my home purchase read more

Chris is honestly the most thorough, knowledgeable, conscientious person I've seen in almost any field in LA. For our small home inspections Chris and Susan both spent hours at the properties and covered every inch. We've used them 3 times and nobody else comes close to their level of thoroughness and expertise. Great documentation with photos also. I feel bad they only get paid a bit more than others while doing far more and better work. I never skimp on a home inspection. In the rare event that your realtor recommends Imperial you have a realtor who is putting your interests first despite a much higher chance of catching issues rather than skimming over things. read more

Like a hunter you are on the search for the right home. Stalking Redfin, Zillow, driving to open house after open house, interacting with scrupulous and not so scrupulous real estate agents, dealing with emotional sellers who thinks their home is the Taj Mahal, falling into escrow, falling out of escrow, and of course making sure your prey... err home... is on the up and up and not a house that will fall over when the big bad wolf comes and bangs on the front door. But you are just one man / one woman you say... you're right which is why you need an ally in your corner. Enter Chris and Susan. I have used Chris about four times now and since I am not a masochist that is a good sign. There are some inspectors who do the bare minimum and appear to not have your best interests at heart. In fact, their primary motivation appears to be to not make too many waves and potentially scare you off the transaction so the real estate agents will continue to use them. These types of inspectors are great for real estate agents who are looking to close the deal but not so much for you as a potential buyer. In fact, as a general rule take any inspector that is recommended by your real estate agent with a grain of salt. Check out their reviews and make sure it is not full of glowing reviews by real estate agents. That is not what you want to see... you want to see actual home buyer reviews. Setting up a time with Chris is super easy because Susan who manages his schedule is all kinds of awesome. Chris is on time, professional, respectful, super detailed, allows me to pepper him with questions during inspections and provides a thorough detailed analysis. He takes his time so be prepared to spend about 4-6 hours for a 2500-3500 sq ft home. Then again this is what you want... painstaking detailed work. Did I mention drones? Yup, Chris deploys drones to make sure your potential home is not hiding any nasty surprises on the roof. Plus he has some nifty suits to crawl into all kinds of nooks and crannies like the crawl space under your foundation and attics. Now on the flip side Chris will find a lot of things during the course of his inspection but keep in mind the seller is not Santa Claus to deal with every single item. Some items maybe more of an upgrade item as opposed to one that requires immediate repair. So be reasonable in your request for repairs/credits with the sellers if you like the house. It is not worth losing a home you truly love over 5,000-8000 dollars. The hassle of going back on the hunt and doing all the inspections again should give you pause before you walk away from a home you love. I have used Chris' reports to basically create my initial request for repairs/credits to the sellers and then continued to use his report for various home projects I plan to tackle after I take ownership of the home. I have dealt with several home inspectors and you are in excellent hands if you have Chris in your corner. Good luck with your new home! read more

"This is one of the best inspections I've ever seen" - bf's contractor father and quickly seconded by our Redfin real estate agent. Susan got back to our voice mail in less time than it took to draft a follow up email with my contact info. Chris would be evaluating an 1880's 5 bedroom Victorian we were considering purchasing in Santa Ana. We knew we'd made the right choice when he pulled us aside about 10 minutes into the inspection to point out some serious foundation issues. He referred us to a foundation specialist he'd worked with in the past in case we wanted to get a specialist's opinion over the phone. He offered to stop the inspection then and there at no cost, or if we wanted him to stop later, pro-rate the price for a partial inspection. Chris made a day of the inspection, including changing into a jump suit to crawl around the subterranean dirt crawl space in the basement. We started at 2 and at 6 we debriefed and reviewed some of the pictures he had taken. Chris was very thorough without being alarmist. For every defect he found, he presented photographic evidence, gave us a sense for how urgent/optional, and provided clear next steps for remediation. By 9am the following morning (a Saturday!) we had a 35 page report complete with supporting images in our email. Bonus points to Chris for diplomatically routing requests from the seller's agent to see the report through our own agent. After all, we're paying for this! (Though for the service, his prices are more than reasonable). 5 stars! We should have asked for more business cards- we're recommending him to all my home buying colleagues, particularly folks considering "fixer uppers." read more

We are first time home-buyers.. and we've used Chris Lowe for TWO home inspections... and should we ever need another (fingers-crossed this is the last!) we would choose him in a heartbeat. For our first inspection he pointed out some items that needed further inspection by a specialist and we're so glad we listened.... there was a major mold issue lurking behind the walls. On the second house we received a report a previous buyer had completed, but Chris' report had found a plethora of other issues, some of them being minor but could turn major if uncorrected. First off, when calling Imperial Home Inspection you get to talk to Susan Lowe who is super sweet, professional, and knowledgeable. Secondly, home inspections are nerve wracking... you really don't know what you're getting yourself into, but Chris makes everything so clear and makes solid recommendations that it really eases the mind. Chris takes his time (which annoyed our realtor to no end; she said inspectors take half the time), but in all honesty... this is hopefully going to be OUR house and we really appreciated the time he took to inspect every nook and cranny. He also takes time at the end of the inspection to go over the findings which was super appreciated. We received our reports promptly, very detailed with tons of pictures to review. Seriously, all of his 5-star reviews don't lie.... he cares about his customers and their investment; he is extremely meticulous and will point out everything that is out of the norm and make simple recommendations or suggest further evaluation by a specialist. If I were you I would look no further and call Chris! read more

I cannot say enough good things about Chris! He is the real deal. We were able to close escrow and buy our first home knowing that Chris had inspected it from top to bottom and we knew what we were getting. Our house was built in 1957. We had an initial inspection arranged by our realtor, but there were some issues with that inspection so we requested a second inspection. I'm SO GLAD we did! First of all, Chris was willing to accommodate to the tenants in the house and do the inspection on a Saturday. Then, he was willing to go the extra mile when the tenants cut the inspection short -- he came back a second time to finish -- at no extra charge. Chris' inspection report included roughly 85-items, compared to about 20-items from our original inspection. It included photos and descriptions of everything that needed attention in each part of the house -- kitchen, bathrooms, electrical, garage, etc. This was great because we could email his report to the specialists he recommended -- when we requested estimates from them. And we have a list of repairs to make once we move in. Most of all, Chris was willing to take the time to patiently and thoroughly explain his findings, answer all our questions, and take our calls. He was supportive and kind and wanted to make sure we understood everything. He even called back the week after the inspection to see how things were going and to provide the name of a specialist he thought might be helpful and more affordable. We can't thank him enough for the peace of mind he gave us. We knew we were in good hands and that he was a man of integrity. So we felt like we could make an informed choice about buying our house. read more

Buying one's first home is a scary process and the amount of research that goes with it is sometimes daunting. Thankfully, Chris at Imperial Home Inspection made this part very easy and smooth. Via email and in person, the whole process was quite easy. Chris went all over, around, and in the house. From the attic to the under the house, to the roof to the garage, Chris went everywhere and anywhere he could. One the great features that Chris does is create a PDF report filled with pictures and his comments. These pictures help illustrate any upcoming problems or major issues. Not only does he give you these pictures (from multiple angles) but he also gives a severity of the issue and how soon it should be with dealt with. Overall, you can't go wrong with Imperial Home Inspection. Communication is quick and informative. The information that you have at the end will not only help one make a good decision but ultimately make the right one. read more

Very professional business. Susan was quick to reply to emails and phone calls and Chris was punctual, thorough, organized, systematic. He takes time to explain his findings and answer questions during the inspection and afterwards on the phone. His report is long, and he'll explain which findings require immediate attention. He'll crawl up more places than usual and clearly takes pride in his work. My real estate agent usually does his own visual inspection and brings up anything he finds to the home inspector, but he said that he didn't even need to do that for Chris because he's so thorough. Sure enough everything he brought up to Chris were already noted. They take credit card through a mobile swiper which was nice. read more

In all honesty, this is the most professional home inspector you will ever find at a competitive price. Chris is extremely thorough and honest. His report that he provides (got it to me in less than 24 hours) is meticulously detailed with tons of pictures that he takes and further recommendations for corrections. We are first time home buyers, and he was more than willing to speak with our fathers (retired plumber and contractor) about the house and the work that needs to be done. Chris and Susan truly go above and beyond, and we will be recommending them to anyone we know buying a home around Ventura for years to come. You'll notice Chris has all 5 star reviews, that's because he's the best. You will not be disappointed. read more

Purchasing a home is a big ordeal and you knowing what you're about to inherit is just as big. In search of a quality home inspector, we ran across Chris at Imperial Home Inspection. This is a top notch business that is based on integrity and honesty, which made us feel good about working with this local company. Chris and Susan answered all of my PRE-Inspection questions promptly and were on site to complete our home inspection 2 days later. Chris was very knowledgeable and provided an overview of his result following his Inspection. We received a very detailed and thorough report within 24 hours that included recommendations. We are highly satisfied and would recommend Chris without reservation. With our big investment, we wanted an experienced inspector and we're fortunate to have found Chris! If you want the best, don't settle for less! Contact Imperial and you won't be stressed. P.S. He has a drown to inspect those hard to reach places!!! read more

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When he arrived he smelled like weed. Very unprofessional. His eye blood shoot red and found him sitting on my bed making a person phone call. Stated lights didn't work. Bulbs weren't screwed in all the way da are you qualified. This man was sneaky and I wouldn't have back in my home. read more

Chris and Susan were great to work with! As first time home buyers it really put us at ease to know we had someone who was thorough and transparent. Chris did a great job of explaining things after the inspection and looked out for details we wouldn't have even thought to ask. He also provided tips and advice for maintenance moving forward. Highly recommend! read more

I've worked with Chris on a few inspections. He is by far the best physical inspector whom I've met. There are several really good inspectors in my usual service area however I've just wished that my service area is close enough to Chris' so my clients can all benefit from the kind of outstanding work Chris provides. Several years ago, one transaction I had with Chris. The first Buyer was not able to purchase. We were given the first inspection report, which I was informed done by a reputable inspector in the local areas. When we had Chris inspected the home, not only was it thorough! He also discovered a major structural issue, that both the termite company and the first inspection company have missed. It ended up being in the low five figures. I'm so grateful for Chris' work ethic and he really takes his work seriously. We were able to get it property corrected and resolved for my clients. Susan who works with Chris is extremely helpful too. They responds promptly inside their business hours. Thank you so much, Chris and Susan for what you do! read more

I am so glad I found them to complete the home inspection on our new home! Chris even made himself available to chat about the findings. He was honest, professional, and provided a very detailed report with a ton of photos. (While it probably varies - the report was available within 24 hours; he spent 4 hours on the inspection). read more

Wow, What can I say about Chris Lowe? Well everything was good. He showed up on time for the inspection for our Pre-listing of our home. Was very professional, took his time going through and documenting items that he felt needed repair. At the end of the inspection he took his time to review withus the items found and even pointed them out. Next day we recieved an email of the report and photos showing the items he found. I would not hesitate referring Chris to others and I hope I have enough cards to cover everyone who may be purchasing that I know.. Very professional!!!! Because of Chris's expertise we expect to get full asking price for our home without having to negoiate price reductions for any repairs. Thanks again Chris for a job well worth your inspection fee. read more

As a first time home buyer I was very nervous about the inspection piece of the sale. After searching google/yelp I came across Chris and Imperial Inspection. Not only were they less expensive to hire then others I received quotes from, Chris held the Master CREIA certification. His credentials and positive reviews convinced me to schedule with Imperial. It turned out to be a great decision! Chris was THOROUGH and explained everything in great detail. The report was fantastic and I'm still amazed at how he was able to turn it around so quickly (considering how many specifics items were mentioned/photographed). Thanks Chris and Susan!!!! Save your time and schedule with Imperial today. Mike L. read more

I used this company to inspect a fixer condominium. Chris Lowe, owner and Master Inspector, was very thorough and his written report was clearly marked, had good photos, and was easy to understand. In addition, he spends time verbally going over the important aspects. Both friendly and professional, Chris just might be the perfect inspector. I will definitely use him again, as I tend to purchase fixers, so a good home inspection is vital. read more

Chris was a great guy and provided a very professional and thorough inspection of a condo I'm buying. I found him via the reviews on this site and can definitely echo all the positive reviews. He finished up the inspection with a nice verbal overview, showing pictures and highlights, and then his report arrived the following day. Overall great quality and value, I'll be recommending him to all my friends! read more

I called Imperial based on Yelp reviews, and I'm glad I did. Chris Lowe inspected the older home I wanted to buy, and even though I didn't know what the inspection would entail, the realtor who was present, who'd been in the business a long time, remarked on how unusually thorough it was. I really appreciated Chris' professional demeanor and his willingness to answer all of my questions. His report was very detailed, and on the basis of his findings, the sellers made a lot of improvements prior to closing. Thanks to Chris' excellent inspection, I felt confident that I wasn't going to get any unpleasant surprises after taking ownership of the home. read more

A fantastic experience for a stressed first time home buyer! I choose Chris because of the reviews I saw on Yelp and I was not disappointed. He was extremely thorough, easy to talk to, and you could tell he enjoyed his work. My agent, who is seasoned, even commented on how good the inspection was and noted his efforts were above and beyond her expectations. He is also well known in the inspection community as even my agents go to guy said he was a good choice. Not only was the inspection thorough, but his recommendations were fully substantiated. We ended the inspection at 5:30 PM and THE NEXT DAY he had sent a well organized 36 page report. It detailed everything we discussed and also had reference images for how standards have changed (e.g. for dryer plugs). I was so stressed about making sure I get all of my inspections done on time (contingency removal is quick folks!). But after having such a good initial inspection only 2 days in I feel much better about the biggest purchase of my life. If you want a job well done and some piece of mind at a reasonable fee. Book this guy. read more

We opened escrow on a lovely little home in Ventura that was built in 1929 last month. Knowing that historic homes were not our area of experience, we decided to search for a master CREIA home inspector with just that experience. Chris Lowe was just the person to carefully and thoroughly inspect this older home for us. Chris met us at the property at the agreed upon time and patiently answered all of our questions. As a matter of fact, he welcomed them. Chris spent 4 1/2 hours inspecting the property! He crawled up in the attic, which was no small feat (the clearance was 18 inches at most). He inspected the roof and crawl space carefully, turned on every appliance, tested plumbing, heating,electrical and all other operating features in the home. I appreciated the way Chris revealed major structural challenges at this property in a clam and non-alarming manner. He is a true professional. Chris authored the most complete inspection report listing of both small and, in this case, large deficiencies on the property. It was 38 pages in length complete with photographs and commentary on each area that needed remediation. Further, he recommended we hire a foundation specialist contractor to evaluate the work required and the cost to complete the work both on the foundation and the other significant work necessary. We feel that Chris' knowledge and experience saved us from making a disastrous $80,000 - $100,000 mistake! The foundation, plumbing, wiring, and site drainage on the property were in need of significant repairs. Needless to say, we canceled our escrow and will continue to look for another property to purchase. You can be sure that we will ha read more

Chris was the best inspector I've ever met. He is thorough, patient, really knows his stuff. I'm so glad we hired him to inspect the 1905 farmhouse we're buying. He found several issues and had recommendations for the types of other specialists we should have take a look as well. The report was comprehensive, the photos clear and explanations easy to understand. Thank you. read more

Amazing work by Chris. Super patient and articulate. Great at summarizing at putting things in perspective which is what you want from an inspector. Super thorough, spent about 3.5 hours going over the house, noticed some uneven tile that was about 2 millimeters off in the shower, noticed the garage door opener eye was 2 inches two high, etc. This guy is amazing, you won't be sorry using him. read more

Prompt, professional and personable with obvious years of experience! He was communicative during the process and very diligent. Turn around time on the detailed (pdf) inspection report within 48 hrs. Thank you Chris! read more

We needed an objective look at our foundation, which was showing signs of deterioration. Chris did an extremely thorough examination, spending the better part of an hour in the crawl space taking photos and notes. He was very generous with his time, answering all my questions and providing advice based on his long experience. Finally, his written report, complete with photos and detailed evaluation of each part of the foundation, has been a great help in our arranging the foundation work. All this at a very reasonable price. Highly recommend! read more

Chris is knowledgable, professional and thorough. A huge change from the inspector we used at our previous home purchase! The result of his inspection was that the seller made all major corrections needed in the home (and even some of the minor ones!) Bottom line : you want to be fully informed about potential issues before you buy a home and Chris did that for us. Thanks for the great work! read more

Chris is the best! We are buying a house bulit in 2000. Chris spent 4+ hours on this 2800 sqft house! He inspected every every corner,answered all our questions very professionally and patiently. He is very experienced and sensitive to suspicious spots,we think. We thought a 14 year old house would be quite new in thousand oaks, and there should not be big issues. Chris found a window with new seal, he was able to quickly notice there might be a problem. Then he found mold in the corner inside the window wall!! OMG! This can save hundreds and thousands of dollars, and even our health! We are first time home buyers and never thought about mold problem in this dry california! Thank you,Chris! Thanks! I would highly recommend Chris to everypne! read more

Found this inspector on Yelp because of his great reviews and he did not disappoint. His inspection of our new house was very thorough, he was friendly and prompt. His report (which was return exactly 24 hours later) was meticulously detailed with images that featured each item. The buyers of our condo did an inspection that gave me a comparison point- let's just say it validated how great our inspector was. Thank you!! read more

Chris was amazing and extremely thorough with our home inspection. He is a super friendly guy and literally went through every detail with me on site, explaining every little thing. We would definitely use him again and we're recommending him to all friends. read more

Chris has conducted 2 home inspections for me in the Ventura area. I would recommend him over anyone if you're buying a home. For my first home inspection, he managed to fit himself into the crawl space of a house that didn't have adequate access in order to inspect and provide recommendations about the foundation. Many other inspectors just said, "sorry, space is too small" but not Chris! He always goes above and beyond. His reports are timely and include details, repair urgency, and photos. read more

Fantastic inspection! Very detailed and thorough. Easy to work with and reasonably priced. I highly recommend.

Had an inspection done by Chris and he did a wonderful job. He was thorough and caught a lot of things that we were unaware of. (We ended up changing the whole house transaction because of his findings.) Susan was great on the phone and answered my many questions. They both went above and beyond. They are local and take pride in their work. I would definitely recommend! read more

This is a long overdue review but I haven't forgotten the excellent experience I had with Chris. He inspected 2 houses for me about a year ago and was great to work with. He was very generous in taking the time to explain things to me and I received his written report very quickly. He is truly an excellent communicator, a very nice guy to be around, and seems to have real enthusiasm for the home inspection process, which comes across as you deal with him. read more

Having Chris as a referral from a friend of ours who couldn't say enough great things about him was one of the most fortunate experiences of our buying process! Being first time buyers, it was great to have someone like Chris who was truly there to work on our behalf. He was so thorough, detailed and really dedicated his time to us during the inspection so much that even all the agents and sellers were impressed with his level of knowledge and service. He even recommended an excellent gen contractor to accompany us on our final walk through who was also a great and very professional reference! When so many items get missed on inspections (which I hear happens all the time esp when they're from major companies or ppl hired by agents/interested 3nrd parties) this is when you want someone like Chris who isn't there to blow through as many inspections in one day and it really shows. We hope to have the pleasure of working with him again! read more

This will be my third time with using Chris. He has saved me from mid to high 5-figure repairs with 2 other houses recently. I backed out of both escrows due to his feedback. On the first house, he found 3 areas where there was structural issues, and a host of other issues including water intrusion due to improper drainage. My broker said he's never seen more hidden damage in his 30 years in the biz. I am pretty knowledgeable in the trades but Chris blew me away with his dedication, knowledge and keen eye. Moreover, he knows all the best specialists, which is extremely helpful if there is an issue that needs more investigation. Chris is incredibly dedicated and detail oriented. He is also highly collaborative and appreciates feedback. H'e averaged around 6 1/2 hours on each of the 2 inspections, not including any writeups! Also pay attention to credentials - he has "advanced degrees" in the inspection business. Great guy..... read more

We just entered Escrow on an older house in Ventura. Although I think the world of my Realtor (this will be the third house I have purchased from him), I also know that most Realtors want the sale to go smoothly, so they tend to use inspectors that breeze through the property. This helps the Realtor but it does not help the home buyer at all. As I've learned from years of watching "Holmes on Homes" a good home inspection is an investment that should pay for itself every time, and could save you from a financial disaster so you don't want someone that just "pencil-whips" a generic checklist. So I did my homework, found my own inspector and am delighted that I found Imperial Home Inspections. Chris Lowe blows away any home inspection I have had on my previous two properties. His level of thoroughness is hard to believe. He spent hours in the house going through a detailed checklist and taking pictures of every single discrepancy he found. Then he went into both the attic and the crawlspace for another hour. His level of knowledge is huge. Although he did not need me to be there, I was interested in the process and he was happy to show me the items he was looking at and what gave him concern. He took the time to answer ever single question I had about items in the house. I am happy to say that by the time he was finished he had found a long list of small discrepancies but luckily the house was in pretty good shape all things considered. By the following morning he had emailed me a PDF report full of all the pictures he took and accompanying notes. I have asked for a repair credit from the seller of the estimated amount that I think it will take to fix the issues that Chris uncovered, and even if they don't give me all of the repair credit I am positive that I will get back substantially more than the home inspection cost. I am absolutely confident that if there had been any major defects in the house (like the foundation) that Chris would have discovered them. Now I have his nice report which will serve as my punch-list of projects and honey-do items that need to be addressed over the next year after we move into the house! I recommend Imperial Home Inspections without reservation. read more