Inspect-It 1st

We had an inspection done in May 2013. I have overlooked several errors from our inspection report after living in the house for two years. We have just come to find out that our heating system needs to be replaced, not a huge deal since these things happen. The one star review is because Inspect It 1^st said our heating system was TWO years old. There is a label on the system saying it was installed in 1987. Noted in the report:
«Brand Name & Age: Trane. Estimated age is 2 years. The design
life is typically 20 years.»
«Operation of the heating system is satisfactory with acceptable wear and still within its useful life.»
Our furnace tech showed us the install/​manufacture date listed right above the serial number that the home inspector copied into our report. Age of the heating system factored into our decision to purchase the property. I hire home inspectors to inform me on the systems/​condition of the home I am purchasing. Inspect It 1^st didn’t provide me a reliable inspection, I’d steer clear.

We used these guys for our home inspection. They seemed knowledgable and competent. Unfortunately we learned about an $ 800.00 issue with our heater that should have been found during inspection. When I reached out to them they referenced a small disclaimer they put in that they couldn’t be sure about the heat exchange but the crack was very visible. If this was not caught our home could have caught on fire. When I reached out to them to see if there was any compensation we were told to bad and the reviewed the home to legal standings. Save yourself the money and DO NOT USE THEM. They do not care that they totally dropped the ball and cost us hundreds of dollars. They are wolves in sheep clothing!

Overall pretty poor. Tom K was my inspector. He is a nice guy and moved through the inspection of my 3000sqft 1940s house within 2 hours. I chose this company because they were top rated on Angie’s list and this was my first home buy, but turns out they’re not worth the $ 700 fee. He missed several big items such as corroded plumbing throughout the house. At the time of inspection most pipes had clearly visible green corrosion and at least 10 hose clamps to stop pin hole leaks. I have had three more leaks since living here and will need to replace all the copper eventually. Another big miss was the application of underground pesticides on a well water property. This is something most pest companies would not risk for liability reasons. So I found out after the inspection and I asked for a full water test, they agreed to run it, but weeks later near closing date they said the test was never ordered and «sorry». Another big miss is that my house has ¹⁄₃ of the plumbing as poly butylene (the grey banned pipe that is known to burst). The inspection report mentions none of these things. So as a first time buyer who wanted to higher the best to avoid a mess, I got the short end big time. On the plus side I’m learning a lot about home repairs (all kinds), but it’s costing me. The list goes on, my fire place has a missing damper, I have many spots of my attic with zero insulation, mice, rats, cracked bath tile leading to big leakage, all my 3 bath fans exhaust inside the attic, etc. I know they can’t see behind walls or predict the future, but these things were all easily detectable if he simply took his time and observed. I think he figured it’s an old house, so I’ll find this buyer 1 – 3 things to go back to the seller with and then I’m done. That’s the service I would expect for $ 100, not $ 700. Never again.

Unilocal flagged my prior review since it actually included a rebuttal to the owners attempt at a response. The below was my original reply to his note…
Chris, Thank you for not addressing the removal of my Facebook review and for essentially posting a copy of the letter you sent to us a month after you promised it. Perhaps it took that long to carefully craft every reason as to why you have no responsibility. Your inability and inaction caused a family with a baby and no air conditioning/​in a heat wave into a repair before you could conduct your inspection and based on your denial letter we both know how that inspection would’ve gone right?
Here is where you and I differ. Two of the pictures below are where you removed the front access panel. There was rust inside and more to my point there was rust on the outside of the unit. So the horror show that was lurking in my unit aside, these are two very large red flags you missed. I know you like to think that this was not existing when you did your inspection but it was. Five different contractors with no vested interest in making you look bad all independently said so. By definition, Iron and steel rust when they come into contact with water and oxygen. Both water and oxygen are needed for rusting to occur. Given SUFFiCIENT TIME oxygen, and water, any iron mass will eventually convert entirely to rust and disintegrate. The key here is water Chris, water that was coming from the unit. Apparently my home must exist in some water soaked time warp where things rust at rapid speed. FYI, my basement is bone dry, well except where we have water damage now from the unit failing.
So here we are, you refusing to accept even the smallest bit of responsibility except to tell us that we should’ve had a fund set aside for such issues. I’ve purchased numerous homes over the years, never had an issue like this.

Chris was very professional and took him time to go over everything with myself and my wife. He made us feel at ease with our large purchase. Thank you Chris.
Would highly recommend.