My commitment as an inspector is to provide an accurate, extremely thorough inspection with a very easy to understand report at a reasonable rate: not the cheapest, but the extra tens of dollars you invest in a truly thorough inspection could save you from dealing with thousands of dollars of undiscovered issues. For more detailed rates click the link to the Services and Fees page.

Many of my clients who have bought homes before have told me they were amazed at the difference between my inspection and the prior inspections that were done for them. This has usually been followed by a discussion about all the problems they've been dealing with in their house their prior inspector who was "in and out in about an hour and a half" failed to mention.

I enjoy doing property inspections. Every building is an adventure in itself, especially the older homes. This enthusiasm translates into a good inspection.

Qualifications: Michigan has no licensing of home inspectors, so it is important that you check out the credentials of any home inspector you wish to hire. While credentials certainly don't guarantee the quality of someone's work, they're a good place to start.

Here are some of my qualifications:

1) Certified by InterNACHI (ID# 04081281). The International Association of Certified Home Inspectors (InterNACHI, formerly known as “NACHI” before it went international) "front ends" its strict membership requirements, including the InterNACHI home inspector exam, which InterNACHI members must pass, which you can take yourself at no cost. InterNACHI provides extensive support, including a message board on which any member can get expert input on the most unusual and puzzling inspection findings, and has an honor guarantee. So when you hire an InterNACHI inspector, you're hiring a team of hundreds of experts! InterNACHI: "Inspected once, inspected right."

2) Licensed builder (Michigan builder's license # 2101157200). Trained at Middleton Real Estate Training, and passed the Michigan licensing exam to get the license.

3) Home renovation experience since 1989, full-time from 1997 to 2004, including maintenance of numerous residential rental properties. This experience has taught me about older systems and construction practices, and has given me a great deal of practical knowledge of what is expected in the normal aging of buildings and systems, as opposed to which conditions really need attention. Most Detroit, Pontiac and Ann Arbor area homes were built before 1970, and many still have older systems. I've also learned many low-cost property repair and maintenance techniques, which I'll pass on to you.

4) Insured. Though I don't ever expect to have to use it, Evergreen Home Inspections is insured for all typical liabilities a home inspector may face. I will answer any questions you might have about the policy and/or provide a certificate or copy thereof upon request. Furthermore, no client or agent shall be liable for any incidental loss or injury I may incur during a home inspection.

5) Licensed Real Estate Agent. This can help with scheduling and property access, especially with unoccupied properties, as the agent may not need to be available for the inspection.

There is virtually no difference between the standards of practice for the organizations who certify home inspectors, such as InterNACHI, ASHI, and NAHI, but none of them are up to my standards of practice: they only require an inspector to test "a representative number" of electrical outlets, probe "a representative number" of structural components where deterioration is suspected, etc. Testing a "representative number" of electrical outlets, structurally questionable areas, etc. just will not do for my building inspections: I check out everything that is accessible and safe to inspect. Everything. My property inspections don't just meet InterNACHI, ASHI, or NAHI standards of practice; they go well above and beyond these standards!

For example, occasionally electrical outlets are found in the course of a property inspection that look perfectly OK, but are dangerously improperly wired, sometimes with “bootlegged” false grounding, a "hot" ground wire, or other problems that can cause an electric shock, damage electrical equipment, and/or even burn a house down! Chances are most of these would not even have been found had only a "representative number" of outlets been tested.

Very few inspectors will ever open up an electrical outlet when there is reason to think something is amiss, such as “bootlegged” false grounding, which I typically find once in about every 50 houses I inspect. But this practice, which is intended to fool inspectors to pass city certifications, because the outlet appears grounded with a typical tester, can cause a very serious hazard, because exposed parts of the equipment could be energized and pose a potentially very serious electric shock hazard if the “neutral” wire becomes disconnected!

 I also take ambient readings when testing a furnace for dangerous carbon monoxide (CO) levels. That is because elevated CO can be caused by external sources, such as a vehicle idling, lawn mowing or snow blower use upwind when the furnace is functioning properly, contributing no CO of its own. I do not want to kill a purchase due to a non-issue.

I inspect all "built-in" features of the house that are accessible and safe to inspect for safety, structural soundness, and functionality. I do not cut corners. My aim is also to put our findings in perspective: to give important matters their due consideration, but also not to overstate conditions that are unlikely to affect your enjoyment of your future home.

I will report every visible defect, point out positive attributes of the house, and will always emphasize the distinction between major safety issues and matters of little consequence, costly necessary repairs and easy, inexpensive fixes, and will give you a straight and honest call as to what to expect and prepare for in the future. A vast majority of the serious safety issues that are found in most inspections, such as incorrectly rated circuit breakers or fuses, are very easy and inexpensive to correct.

My objective is to tell it like it is, not to make mountains out of molehills. I've been a buyer, seller, and agent, so I know how important it is for an inspection to be accurate and balanced. My inspection of a 1500 square foot house in typical condition is likely to take about 3-4 hours or more, depending upon the property characteristics, what is found, and how much of the report is done on site.

It does not make sense to cut corners on evaluation of the biggest investment you are likely to make, upon which your life and health may depend. You and any interested parties are encouraged to accompany me during the inspection, and record the inspection in any way you wish, subject to the current owner and/or their agent's approval. I will answer any questions you have and explain what needs to be done to keep your home in good condition.