Property Inspection Services

Property Inspections

Residential Inspections

Standard Home Inspection & Report for Buyers and Sellers.

Sherlock Homes Inspections' Standard Home Inspection is a comprehensive evaluation of the interior and exterior systems and components of your home. I will check the visible and accessible areas of your home that are listed below for defects that can be seen at the time of your inspection.​

After the inspection I will promptly provide you with a detailed home inspection report, which will contain expanding, high-resolution images and detailed information about defective elements, as well as recommendations regarding what may need to be repaired or replaced. I will then go over the report with you, either in person or over the phone.

Standard Home Inspection & Report
I use the industry's leading Home Inspection Software because of its confidential online delivery system, mobile friendliness, and because once you have received your password, your home inspection report can be easily accessed at any time.

The systems and sub systems covered in your General Home Inspection will include:

• The building’s exterior
  

• The building’s interior

• The foundation

• The heating system
  

• The cooling system

• The plumbing system

• The electrical system
  

• The roof

• Attics
  

• Insulation
  

• Doors
  

• Windows
  

• Fireplaces

Commercial Inspections

We focus on helping you assess the risks and costs of commercial and high-end residential properties. All inspections are carried out in accordance with the International Standards of Practice for Inspecting Commercial Properties​

Types of properties we regularly inspect: Restaurants, storage facilities, industrial properties, manufacturing facilities, retail stores, churches, warehouses, medical centers, schools, office buildings, apartment buildings, strip malls, motels, shopping malls, hotels, long-term care facilities, vacant properties, and high-end residential estates.

Our clients include: Investors, banks, landlords, tenants, property managers, building owners, government agencies, homeowner associations, insurance companies, absentee owners, celebrities, sports figures and executives.

Every project is different. Let me help you determine exactly what inspection package would best serve your needs.

Thermal Imaging (IR) Mold and Radon Inspections can also be added to any commercial inspection.

Thermographic Inspection

Thermal imaging produces images of invisible heat energy emitted from objects and systems in the home and allows us to measure it. Thermal imaging helps to diagnose the problem rather than merely identify symptoms and can sometimes, but not always, identify and document: Electrical faults before they cause a fire, overloaded and undersized circuits, circuit breakers in need of immediate replacement, missing, damaged, and/or wet insulation, heat loss and air infiltration in walls, ceilings, floors, windows and doors, water and moisture intrusion that could lead to mold, possible pest infestation, hidden roof leaks, before they cause serious damage, air conditioner compressor leaks, under fastening and/or missing framing members, structural defects, broken seals in double pane windows, energy loss and efficiency, dangerous flue leaks, damaged and/or malfunctioning radiant heating systems, unknown plumbing leaks, overheated equipment.

These color images can then be included in the inspection report providing supporting documentation to the report. A picture is worth a thousand words to the purchaser or seller of either an established or new property and to give you the information needed for an informed transaction.

Mold Inspection

How do molds affect people?

Molds are usually not a problem indoors, unless mold spores land on a wet or damp spot and begin growing. Molds have the potential to cause health problems. Molds produce allergens (substances that can cause allergic reactions) and irritants. Inhaling or touching mold or mold spores may cause allergic reactions in sensitive individuals. Allergic responses include hay fever-type symptoms, such as sneezing, runny nose, red eyes, and skin rash.

Allergic reactions to mold are common. They can be immediate or delayed. Molds can also cause asthma attacks in people with asthma who are allergic to mold. In addition, mold exposure can irritate the eyes, skin, nose, throat, and lungs of both mold-allergic and non-allergic people. Symptoms other than the allergic and irritant types are not commonly reported as a result of inhaling mold. Research on mold and health effects is ongoing.

The above does not describe all potential health effects related to mold exposure. For more detailed information consult a health professional, your state or local health department.

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Infra Red Thermography (or IR) is a technology that allows the Sherlock Homes Inspector to show you things about your home that no one can show you using other visual inspection methods!

Sherlock Homes Inspection's Mold Inspection can be provided as a stand alone product or added to the Standard Property Inspection. As a member of the International Association of Certified Air Consultants (IAC2), the non-profit, certifying body for home and building inspectors who have fulfilled certain educational requirements including those in the areas of indoor air quality and water testing, I provide specialist laboratory based mold sampling and reporting to identify the presence of elevated mold concentrations within the property.

Radon Inspection

You cannot see, smell or taste radon... but it may be a problem in your home.

Although radon is a naturally occurring gas in our environment, it is a cancer-causing, radioactive gas, and the second leading cause of lung cancer deaths in the U.S., according to the U.S. Surgeon General. Nearly one out of every 15 homes is estimated to have elevated radon levels. The Surgeon General and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recommend testing all houses. Millions of Americans have already had their homes tested for radon, and you should, too.

Testing is the only way to find out what your home’s radon level is.

Let me test your home for radon.
You cannot predict your home’s radon level based on state or local radon measurements or on test results taken in other homes in your neighborhood. Testing is the only way to find out what your home’s radon level is. I use state-of-the-art Continuous Radon Monitors (CRM) that can measure the radon levels in real time. These CRM measurements are taken for a brief and limited time, usually a minimum of 48 hours, after which a detailed data report is issued, which may be especially important if you are buying or selling the home.

You can fix a radon problem.
If your home has high radon levels, there are ways to fix it. Even very high levels can be reduced to acceptable and healthier levels. I can help you explore your options of radon mitigation systems and explain how they work.

Phased Inspections

Having performed thousands of residential and commercial construction inspections, I can testify that all new homes need an experienced and qualified 3rd party inspector for a full assessment.

I bring thousands of dollars worth of state-of-the-art tools on every inspection to help ensure I gather as much data about your home as I can. Without these tools, I would not have been able to detect a jaw-dropping number of previous defects - I spend the money on these tools to save you thousands in potential repairs.

Phased Inspections consist of:

1. Pre-Pour Foundation Inspection

As an inspector, my primary concern when performing a foundation inspection for my clients is to ensure that the work conducted to build the foundation was conducted in accordance with typical installation protocols.

The pre-pour foundation inspection is conducted when the home’s foundation make-up has been completed and the builder is ready to pour concrete.

The primary reason for an inspection at this stage is to ensure that the work done on your home’s foundation was conducted in a professional manner; before some of the vital in-slab components are completely covered by concrete.

2. Framing Inspection

The framing inspection (pre-cover) is a vital 3rd party assessment that helps you ensure that there are no major red flags with some of the soon to be “covered” systems & components that were installed during the construction of your home.

There are multiple vital systems, including the wood-frame structure, window installation, & water-resistive barrier (exterior house-wrap or paneling installed to provide the critical water-shedding layer).

Each of these core systems plays a significant role in the long-term performance of your home, and when improperly configured, can lead to substantial mid to long-term failure, costing new homeowners thousands of dollars in repairs.

3. Full Home Inspection.

The final home inspection should be scheduled a few days before your scheduled walk-through with your builder. This will ensure that the building process is near completion so systems can be inspected. Because this final inspection is conducted as part of a real estate transaction, this inspection incorporates all the major systems in the home and is the most time consuming of the 3 phases.

AND YES...YOU REALLY DO NEED A FULL HOME INSPECTION BEFORE YOU PURCHASE YOUR NEW HOME FROM A BUILDER!

The Annual Inspection is an optional add-on to the original inspection providing the owner with a full inspection of the property during the month of the one-year anniversary of the original inspection. The follow on inspection will be governed by the same terms and provisions set out in the original inspection. This inspection provides a cost effective review of the property systems to ensure continued well being, at a pre-agreed fee. The annual inspection must be contracted at the same time as the original inspection. This annual inspection can be renewed annually by prior agreement.

Are you selling your home? Let Sherlock Homes Inspections inspect it before you even list it. A Move-In Certified™ home has been pre-inspected, which means that the seller can confirm that there are no major systems in need of immediate repair or replacement and no known safety hazards.

A Move-In Certified™ Seller Inspection informs you of any defects or problems with your home so that you can address them before prospective buyers discover them. You can then take the time you need to obtain reasonable repair estimates. Show prospective buyers that you are dealing in good faith.

Avoid 11th-hour negotiations and delays, and justify your full asking price by having your home pre-inspected now.

Move-In Certified Sellers Inspection

Pool and Spa Inspections

A pool and/or spa inspection is a visual examination of the pool and spa components, conditions, and safety features.

This type of inspection evaluates:

• Pool and Spa placement and protection
  Fences, gates, safety barriers, clearance of electrical wires and location of electrical outlets.

• Pool and Spa vessel and coping

  Examination of pool and spa, pool and spa surface and surrounding deck and coping for discoloration, pitting, and cracking

• Pool and Spa Equipment

  Examines pool lights, subpanel and junction box for location and condition, pumps, visible piping, timers, skimmers, and GFCI and electrical bonding.

• Pool and Spa Equipment Operation

  Examines operation of pump, inspects for leakage, proper skimming and filtration, heater activation, filter pressure and operation of spa blower

Protect your dream home with an 11th Month Warranty Inspection

Most builders offer a one-year warranty on a new home. We’ll come out during the 11th month and perform a full home inspection before the builder’s warranty expires. Our non-invasive inspection is based on observations of the visible and apparent condition of the interior and exterior of the structure, including its major systems and components. Following your inspection, you will receive a comprehensive report, complete with photos, that includes information on any material defects observed on the date of the inspection.

Armed with this information, you can take any necessary steps to hold your builder and his subcontractors to their warranties while they’re still in force.

11th Month Warranty Inspection

Annual Inspection