Recommendations for house inspection companies

January 17, 2007 2:22 PM

InspectionFilter : we just had an offer accepted for a house in Westchester, NY, and we need to get a house inspection done quickly. Does anybody have a recommendation for an inspection company in Westchester, and is there anything I should know going in (questions to ask etc?)
posted by ny_scotsman to Home & Garden (10 answers total)

I would ask the realtor who brokered the deal. I will check tonight from home for the name of the person/firm that did mine 8 years ago. I live in Westchester above 287.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 2:28 PM on January 17, 2007

Call up the local BBB. They should be able to provide you with a list of reputable companies from which to choose.
posted by JJ86 at 2:32 PM on January 17, 2007

I don't have recommendations for an actual inspection company, but I wouldn't use your realtor for a recommendation -- they don't want the inspector to find something wrong that might break the deal. My friend got burned by a lax inspector recommended by his realtor.
Perhaps the mortgage company or a co-worker/friend can recommend someone?
Do go to the inspection with them and follow them around. If they note something not up to code about the house, ask. Ask coworkers/friends about common problems in the area (eg, termites, foundation shifting) and make sure the inspector addresses those issues. It'll probably take a couple hours.
posted by j at 2:45 PM on January 17, 2007

Do not ask the realtor.

http://www.ashi.org/homeinspectors/NewYork/
posted by jerseygirl at 2:48 PM on January 17, 2007

On the flip side, I used a Monk-like obsessive inspector on a recent offer and it really saved my butt. I knew the place would need work but not that much work.

Get somebody with lots of experience, who knows the specs on siding, zoning, heating, the whole works. Don't hire some kid who did framing a few summers.
posted by trinity8-director at 2:57 PM on January 17, 2007

We had an engineering firm do ours ( Maine). It was more expensive than a run of the mill inspector ( I think it was $800 vs. $350), but paid for itself many times over. I second the "don't ask the realtor" theme. You want that person to report to you, and only you. I was even able to accompany the inspector when he was at the property, and quizzed him the whole time I was there. YMMV.
posted by lobstah at 4:04 PM on January 17, 2007

I used Heimer Engineering for mine. It was, like lobstah said, a little more expensive than a non-engineer inspection, but it was very thorough. My place is in NYC, but they serve Westchester too.
posted by bedhead at 4:11 PM on January 17, 2007

Just to elaborate a bit on my experience using an engineer: We made an offer on a 150 year old farmhouse pending inspection. The engineer found a problem with the foundation that probably would have slipped by someone less trained. I asked him what needed to be done, got an estimate, and reduced my offer by that estimate plus 20%. I saved 29.2K with an $800 investment.
posted by lobstah at 4:37 PM on January 17, 2007

American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI) has recommendations for your area/zip code.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 5:41 PM on January 17, 2007

Response by poster: Thank you everybody - we went with an inspector from ProChek, and did the inspection today. The engineer was pretty thorough and did (I think) a good job.
posted by ny_scotsman at 12:52 PM on January 18, 2007