I had Whitetail Home Inspections do an inspection on a home that I was looking to buy. They were…read moreincredibly thorough and came back to me with a 63 page report that included pictures, details, and even what kind of specialist I should contact to help me with each of the issues that were found in the home. Great work, great price, highly recommend!

Matt was hired by the buyers of our home to complete our house inspection. After the inspection,…read moreMatt stated something to the fact that the blinds in our infant daughters room were broken but that he "put it back." I glanced in there and didn't see anything out of place and got side tracked with other things. A couple days went by and we got the report. I find by reviewing this that he had broke the bracket to my infant daughters blinds and put it back; not telling me or pointing out what he in fact did. Matt then proceeded to put it in the report with a picture of the blinds laying on the ground and a picture of the bracket he had broke stating it was insufficient. I know for a fact this bracket was NOT broken prior to him coming as we had the room professionally painted and had removed the blinds (not broken at the time). Additionally, it was obvious upon our arrival (after inspection) that all the windows were checked as all the window cranks were moved and now in an up position. There was no bother to put any of them back to the way they originally were. It was getting colder and colder by the day in our 5 month old daughters room and I couldn't figure out why all of a sudden this was happening. We were SHOCKED to find out today (3 days after the inspection) that Matt had opened the window in her room and left it unlocked letting in the freezing cold air. ITS THE END OF NOVEMBER in Iowa with temperatures dropping in the 30s during the nighttime hours. Leaving my daughters windows unsealed/unlocked is pure carelessness and sloppiness.

There are many apartments, duplexes and house available for rent on the East side of town. However,…read moreit is my duty to warn those who are considering renting about one Landlord in particular - Kenneth 'Ken' Thompson. Most of you know recently my little brother, Roosevelt 'Keon' Dale died. He rented from Ken whose company is called Thompson Holdings LLC. I cleaned out his apartment and noticed many things which caused concern. Not on Roosevelt's part but Ken's. The apartment, located on Quincy Street, is close to being what, according to Iowa Fire Code, should be condemned. However, Roosevelt was a 'neat freak' (much more than I) and the apartment was clean. Further, the windows on the front porch were covered in plastic. When I looked at his electric bill and for an apartment that small, I was BLOWN AWAY! For those who may not know, a small apartment even somewhat (not well) insulated should run about $125 per month and with energy efficient windows, that number drops. His bill was several hundred which is outrageous. The health and safety issues were numerous and I remember thinking - "How could someone treat others so?" I left the apartment clean (I am a landlord in Colorado and understand what that means from a tenant deposit reimbursement standpoint). When Roosevelt's next of kin attempted to retrieve the deposit, Ken, the landlord said "He broke his lease". How? Well, apparently and even though the law states 'spouses' (he wasn't married) can be held accountable but next of kin, non-spouse can not, Kenneth believed someone no longer living was still obligated to him. Roosevelt was killed and Ken had someone in the place (entered with no money down by the way). Just some brief research (and more to come) reveals Ken owns many properties, most of which are barely liveable. Some of you may have heard about the fire on Boston Street recently. This was caused by a space heater which shouldn't even be necessary IF a landlord abides by the Iowa law which decrees habitation heating requirements. A black family could have been killed for trying to keep warm. Roosevelt also had a small space heater. Here is the story - http://goo.gl/PjcWC - So why did Roosevelt live there? For those of us who grew up and are now, on the East Side, you know housing is difficult to obtain for many reasons none of which need be listed here. This isn't restricted to Waterloo, Iowa either because my family and I, in 2004, with great credit, no evictions were almost forced out of Fort Collins, Colorado by, well, you know the type. Believe me, my wife and would've stood pat had we not had two teenage children to be concerned with. Safe to say, we moved to Denver, around our own. My point is - I don't know how long this will be up and not 'flagged' by other 'slum lords' or Mr. Thompson but for those of you currently living in his properties or considering renting from him, HUD (Housing and Urban Development) responsible for assuring adequate protections for you against serpents like Ken, provides rights for you as a tenant! Whether, veteran, disabled (or having a disabled child), minority, senior citizen or other categories, make sure Ken or any of the others including those who are among us and VICTIMIZE us in housing in like manner, GIVE YOU WHAT YOU PAY FOR. These sorts will make all sorts of threats about evicting you IF you try and press the issue for better housing, maintenance etc but they CAN NOT do so! If they do and you are educated on your tenant rights, I can say with some surety, working in the industry, you will be well compensated from these vultures and may end up owning the property where the victimization occurred. Don't be fooled by the fact they OWN property. The truth is, they own the debt and like many on the East Side, are a few paychecks away from being 'on the street'. I am going to post a few links so that you may understand legal remedies available. If there is ANY issue which threatens your safety (like no hot water, heat, non-functioning doors, abestos etc), make a written request for these issue to be fixed by the landlord, keep a copy and then follow the process in the below links. Let me be clear - when you demand safe housing and these slum lords threaten you in anyway, whatever their color and disposition, immediately determine which of the below agencies is best for your circumstance.

The guy above is not telling the truth. He just didn't get what he wanted. He was an excellent…read moreLandlord. Considering there has only been one complaint. Can't win with everyone. Hey this man cared deeply for his tenets. He often would let people who were short on money get away without paying the full amount.

Responsiveness: 5 stars Scheduling: 5 stars…read moreProfessionalism: 5 stars Quality of Inspection Report: 5+ stars From start to finish, I don't have enough good things to say about my experience with Mike over at Eastern Iowa Inspection Services. After sending my initial inquiry by e-mail, I received a phone call back from Mike within the hour. He was friendly and professional, and was able to schedule our inspection for a date that was only 4 days away from the date that I contacted him. Setting up the inspection was incredibly simple, and I really liked that all the pricing was clearly laid out on the website, so there were no surprises when he sent me the invoice. The inspection itself was extremely thorough, and the report was well-organized with all issues categorized by level of severity and accompanied by digital photos that clearly demonstrate exactly what was going on. Despite including an impressive level of detail, Mike had the report in my inbox within hours of leaving the property. To top it all off, 5 days later I checked my mail and was surprised to find a thank you card from Mike, letting me know that he appreciated our business and hoped we were happy with his service. Needless to say, this was an understatement.

called Mike to get information on an inspection. He was very helpful. Then when called him back to…read moreconfirm, was able to set up date to inspect within days. Did a very detailed inspection and was also very helpful when I called him to go over the results. Would recommend his services to everyone!!

We had a leaky roof. Izzy came over to check it out and actually fixed it on the spot and in…read moresweltering heat. He has also completely roofed and sided my daughter's house and turned it into the most beautiful home in the neighborhood. Superb work!! Highly recommended!

They seem to be good at the basics of what they do. But you should ask them to provide proof of…read moreinsurance at least, since there's no record of them on Iowa Business Entities Search or the Iowa Division of Labor Contractor Registration website. Also, they may not be a good choice if you know or reasonably suspect you have lead-based paint. They don't understand, or don't care about, the connection between exposure to lead dust (e.g. from home renovation) and brain damage to children under age 6 and fetuses (through a pregnant woman's exposure to lead dust). The outermost coat of paint on your walls, or on wood siding that might be underneath vinyl siding, might not be lead-based. But there are often older layers of lead-based paint on these surfaces. If you cut into the house to widen a window opening without wetting down the area first (or at least putting up a plastic containment area inside the house) you will definitely generate dust from that paint, even if it doesn't look like much.

Christopher with Be Valuable Asset Resales was just that- an invaluable asset in my journey of…read moreselling a family home. He and his people are polite, responsive, attentive to details and I never had to worry about the items being in safe hands. I found out Be Valuable serves a unique niche in Asset Sales in the Cedar Valley. They will effectively and privately sell items directly from where they are without the publicity and anxiety of a large auction where unvetted treasure seekers are trampling through your property. Be Valuable's respectful values show up in who they allow to visit your property; all at a very reasonable commission- they only get paid if you get paid. I'd highly recommend Be Valuable Asset Resales to anyone looking to take the stress and worry out of downsizing, estate liquidation, or really any journey you find yourself on that may require effective Asset Sales.

Quegg did the exterior trim on our wood windows. From start to finish, they were among the best…read morecontractors that we've ever hired. I wanted to hire a local contractor, knew good things about them, so that part was easy. Bruce Quegg came over promptly to give the estimate and was super helpful throughout, including a very reasonable estimate. By the time the crew came, led by Will Quegg, they were prompt and kept me continually informed. When finished, they cleaned everything spotless, and, perhaps, best of all, didn't damage one of my wife's precious flower garden. Yes, hire Quegg for your needs. One of my best experiences.

My daughter hired Quegg to complete much needed maintenance on her home. They did a great job with…read moresiding, new windows, capping all the old wood around the windows, new soffit, trim, gutters and downspouts. It looks great and turned out way better than she anticipated. She was on a long waiting list but by the time they were ready to go, the communication was great and the job moved very quickly! Very pleased!

Amazing they can do it same day I purchased desk from Restore and the desk very heavy they can do…read moreit

Family owned and trustworthy business. Great small town feel and they were very thorough. They have…read morea huge selection of flooring and bathroom remodeling ideas. Really enjoyed working with them.

Kitchen and bathroom floor both done poorly! Ended up having a leak underneath floor from them…read moreputting the toilet back in incorrectly . Ended up with a lot of water damage that they never bothered taking care of.