Hill Inspections
If you were ever on the fence about buying a home inspection, or needed a solid recommendation of a home inspector, THIS IS YOUR SIGN!
I was born and raised in Johnstown, but having left the area over 20 years ago, I had to opportunity to move back home to be closer to family to help with aging parents. Originally, when we drafted our sales agreement to purchase our home, an old Mid century Modern fixer in Westmont, my husband and I DID NOT want a home inspection. We knew the home was a fixer, being sold AS-IS, and NO repairs would be done by the seller. We decided to use Hill Inspections for our home inspector, as Steve came highly recommended, by our realtor Susan Raymore, for his acute attention to details and high level of experience . Susan talked us into getting the home inspection, and boy were we ever glad she did.
On the day of the home inspection, I showed up at the house, as we chose the "walk-thru" style of inspection. This type of inspection lets you go thru, with the inspector, as he points out his findings, and me as the homeowner write it down. This type of inspection is great for someone who is an experienced home buyer, that just needs an extra set of eyes to look for deficiencies . Steve has a very thorough checklist that he uses to make sure no area is missed.
Before Steve Started his checklist, I told him my areas of concern that I would like him to focus on , such as the roof condition, the siding, the moisture levels in the house (due to leaking roof) HVAC, and plumbing. Steve spent hours with me going thru his checklist and mine.
When we got to the plumbing issue, He checked all the faucets to make sure they worked and wouldn't spray water or had any plumbing leaks. What Steve did find was that some of the faucets only had a trickle of water coming out, where others had NO water at all. The toilets would flush and fill. He made sure the faucets weren't shutoff at the sink/fixture level. Although there was slight trickles coming out of some of the fixtures, it wasn't the pressure that we should have had. Steve was certain there was no water on at the house. He then searched for the main shutoff at the street level. That was not an easy find on a 1 acre lot that hasn't been mowed in quite some time! Steve had a conference call with the listing agent and my realtor, and was told the water old was on at the street level . Steve disagreed and requested the water company come out to do a locate on the water shutoff. The water company representitives came out much later in the day to verify the water was on at the street. I couldn't stay to wait for the water company, as I live in Clearfield, and needed to return home.
Steve returned to the house 4 additional times to troubleshoot why there was NO water even though the water company said the water is on. Steve then coordinated and met with the water company, at the house days later, all while I stayed in clearfield because I had to work. It was finally discovered by Steve and the water company that the back flow prevent shutoff was turned partially off at the street which allowed for only a trickle of water in the faucets in the house. The back flow preventer is on the homeowners side of the meter and our overall responsibility. Steve's amazing attention to detail and incredible work ethic went way above and beyond a "typical" home inspection. He troubleshot, coordinated, and worked to find the problem. He saved us multiple trips to Johnstown, and hundreds of dollars to avoid a plumber callout to find the issues. We are so grateful for the persistence of our realtor Susan Raymore and the tireless efforts of Steve Hill for ensuring there are no "secrets" or stones unturned in purchasing this house.
Steve also provided us with a well documented list of deficiencies, to include pictures, to provide to the seller. This ultimately allowed us to renegotiate the price of the home with the seller, since he would not fix any of the problems.
The couple of hundred dollars spent on the home inspection saved us, tens of thousands of dollars! Steve's experience, knowledge, attention to detail, and work ethic is why he is the best home inspector in the area. read more
