It 's more than A home inspection. It's a Plan.

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Many licensed NYS Home Inspectors come to this industry as just that - "Home Inspectors" - with no prior building maintenance or management experience.   Then there are the rest of us, those of us who have spent our lives working in this industry and as we have aged, we have realized we want to do something a little less taxing on our bodies.    Hiring a Home Inspector who has performed and managed maintenance  and construction projects in professionally run buildings and historic homes and has the education to go with that experience brings a serious level of expertise to the home buying process.   People from the industry view buildings and the problems they present in a completely different manner than do industry outsiders.   We spot issues faster, know the severity of them, and can offer advice on how to approach problems and in truth, we know a lot more than many of the contractors running around this city at the present time.   As someone who represents you and not a contracting firm, we are in a better position to prioritize problems - making safety paramount while determining  in what order repair and maintenance issues must be addressed.     By hiring a professional home inspector,  all of this will get recorded in a report full of written commentary and suggestions along with photographs documenting the findings in a language you can understand.

Keep one thing in mind when buying a house:  Aside from your attorney (who does not visit the property), no one but the Home Inspector has your back.   The sales agent is bound to the the seller and the buyer's rep is bound to you but both the sales agent and buyer's rep want the sale to go through fast because that is how they get paid.   The only person who will have your back and does not care if the sale does or does not go through is the home inspector.   The home inspector gets paid either way.

Buying a Flip?

A "flip" is a house purchased by a developer for the express purpose of fixing it up and reselling it for a profit.   Money is the motivating factor and as a result, keeping costs down and speed often take priority over quality.   In circumstances like this, developers often use the least experienced labor and purchase the cheapest materials while pushing people to move faster, all the while encouraging them to skip steps or use unapproved or incompatible materials.    It is not always easy to spot the misdeeds of contractors and trades people, but when I know I am working in flip, I make every effort to uncover the poor workmanship.   Sometimes we can find it, other times we cannot.   Either way, know that professional industry insiders like me dislike people who attempt to take advantage of people because it gives the industry a bad name and makes it harder for the honest people to do their jobs.    In an environment where so much is not being done to professional standards, homeowners often do not know who and what to believe.   Trust me, I have worked in this industry since I was in high School in 1981 and I have seen a lot of changes in the attitudes and the commitment (or lack thereof) people have to their work and what outcomes they deem acceptable and I am not afraid to put my findings in writing for others to see and challenge if they think they can.    Click the button below to see my qualifications:

In the 2000's I left building management and became a full time residential restoration contractor focused on interior renovation, cabinetry, and high end wood work.    Often while working in houses, customers would tell me about other issues they were having and would ask me if I had ideas on how to fix them.   Sometimes I would look at something and adjust or fix it right there in front of them, as a favor, with a tool I still wear on my belt- kitchen cabinet door hinges or commercial entry door closers come to mind.   Sometimes I found myself telling them how to adjust a replacement window sash that would not remain in place.   Eventually, customers in the city began calling me to fix or restore things that they sometimes swore they could not find anyone else to fix.   Often, because of insurance regulations or undo risk with irreplaceable building elements or risk of harm to myself, I had to draw a line in what I would attempt, but along the way it had become apparent that homeowners needed someone to guide them as they attempted to prioritize maintenance items and repairs and seek contractors to do the same.   At the same time, many of the items I was seeing were things customers can do themselves with a little coaching:  Adjusting kitchen cabinet door hinges, a commercial door closer, changing a lock cylinder, or patching a failing flashing around a skylight and I began coaching these people into doing things themselves.   

All of this finally came to a head during Covid when I was working on a home in Brooklyn for a couple much younger than I.   They understood that they themselves did not know a lot about buildings but they were willing to listen.   The challenges they faced were made worse because some of the contractors they had been using appeared to lack experience and professionalism in their own trades.   After going over a lot of issues in their house and quickly finding a roof leak that the roofing contractor had failed to find after two visits, they sat me down and said "you have to become a home inspector" (see "testimonials"; this is true).   Within the month, I was in school to become a licensed NYS Home Inspector.   As soon as I had my license and put my name out there as a home inspector, my old and unfailing customer base in Brooklyn began calling me asking me to visit as a consultant, helping with preconstruction planning, prioritizing maintenance and repairs, and in many cases, coaching on how to do some "handymanish" things themselves, including maintaining roofs.    Not only had I become a Home Inspector, I had become a much needed Building Consultant to homeowners in NYC. 

Call me to walk your house with you and as we do, I will be looking for the items I consider serious such as safety concerns or things that can lead to serious property damage if not addressed (water intrusion for instance) and you can point out all of the annoyances that you are trying to figure out who to have fix.   I will be able to coach you if you wish to do some things on your own or dissuade you if I think it is too risky and I will guide you on what to look for in contractors to decide if they are who they say they are.    I promise you one thing:  If I do not know something, I will not BS you, I will look you in the eye and tell you, "I do not know and will have to look that up".   And we will get the answer.   

With each consultation or home inspection, I provide a written report documenting the findings and offering suggestions on needed materials and trades people and how something should be approached.      

To see my education, qualifications, and high lights of my experience, click below:

In the early 1990's, I had worked at a luxury, resort condominium complex having four large buildings and an indoor heated swimming pool and spa.   I was the site superintendent for the firm that managed the property.   The property had some major "issues" because the developer had abandoned the project and passed the property off to the owners too soon, leaving the board of directors with unfinished work and challenges that no property owners should ever have to face.  By the time I was hired, the board had come to the realization that they needed an outside management firm to guide them and along the way, they realized they had to listen to someone else; someone who represented them and not some other entity.    They found that person in the man I reported to, a very well respected property manager and the owner of the management company.   The board was very active.  While working at this site, I maintained direct communication with them - often because each of them brought some knowledge or skill to the conversation that benefited me - while reporting to the manager for professional guidance.   I was at every board meeting and the annual meetings.   

Something I had realized after listening to the complaints from that board of directors and many boards and homeowners since, is that people often do not know where to find good advice - or even someone who will simply have the guts to stop talking and look each board member or owner in the eye and admit when they do not know something (and know how to get the answer fast).   Sometimes it takes them years of listening to poor advice from  contractors with varying levels of knowledge as well as wasted money through failed projects and do-overs and unhappy owners as well as dissension on the board to realize that their has to be a better way.     The truth is, boards in this situation need an unbiased third party who has not been subject to the building politics and who will represent them and give them unbiased truth - at all costs.  

Maybe your circumstances are different.  Maybe you are a member of a new condo board or an active president of a condo board that is quite happy to let you take on all of the projects - but you realize there is a lot you do not know and prioritizing maintenance on a limited budget is overwhelming.    Or, maybe you are part of an active board and everyone is interested in the care and maintenance of the building and would like to meet with someone as a group.    

No matter your situation, bring me into your building and allow me to walk around with the board as I find the issues that I know are or will become problems and ask me questions about things you are not sure of and I will record all this in a written report with photographs documenting the concerns.   

To see my education, qualifications, and high lights of my experience, please click below: