Specialty Inspections Specialty Termite, IncHomespec typical "escrow scammers" Pleasanton, California
16 false reports and 14 questionable reports on 40 points inspection can't be honest error.
REALLY !!!
1 point goes to Brian who corrected part of his false reports.
Ken admitted that he reported not existing water stains becouse buyer or agent told him so.
Specialty Inspections were called by buyer's agent Ruth Eddy who would not allow my realtor to be present.
House was recently build and all inspected by Building Dept just months ago, yet those guys "managed" to come with several 5-digits proposals for "necessary repairs"
Unfortunately with California not requiring licencing anybody can become home inspector overnight. All it takes is to print bussines card and next morning you are home inspector.
REALLY.
I can only partly blame Brian and partly system that he doesn't know what is firewall, or sheating, that he can't tell the difference between tile and slab or between masonry siding and tiled foundation,
but he claims to be expert in plumbing, yet he could not tell steel pipe from flexible gas connector. REALLY ???
But after meeting Mark, who "loves to lie" it become clear that it was him who pushes for false inspections. That allows him to follow with 5-digits proposals and life is good.
He does bussines under several names at the same address and some of his inspectors/contractors operate without valid licence, typical for construction scams.
High priced contracts sure can give lot of "arguments" to "motivate" realtors for referral on properties with open escrow, where the seller has no time for 2nd opinions.
Problem as old as the RE.
caveat emptor
2 Updates & Rebuttals
THEY MAKE UP IF THEY DON'T SEE ENOUGH
#3Author of original report
Wed, March 23, 2016
Following state investigator request, I hired another, Diamond Certified inspector (thanks yelp)
for 2nd opinion. He confirmed that 88% problems reported by Ken Browning don't exist.
In final point, I got clear inspection after doing about $200 of repairs.
Mark Kearns tried to make about $30,000 on the scam
Specialty Inspections
Pleasanton,California,
USA
We report what we see
#3UPDATE Employee
Sat, February 13, 2016
Our company, Specialty Inspections, was hired by a potential buyer to inspect the property owned by Kris from Orinda CA. Our services are to provide an unbiased report as to the condition of the home on the date of inspection. The report, per the terms of our agreement with the client, is confidential and intended for the clients sole use and benefit.
It is a Home Inspectors job to identify the current condition of a property, note any questionable items and make recommendations for further evaluation and/or repair as necessary by the appropriate licensed tradesperson. After further evaluation by the specific tradesperson, if the questionable item(s) are in fact acceptable, we recommend obtaining documentation to this fact and attaching the it to the home inspection report.
Unfortunately for a “newer” home, as it was in this case, several questionable items were found. It should be noted that this is not common for a “newer” home unless the work that appears to be incorrect was performed by a “nonprofessional” which was evident in this case.
We highly recommend contacting the original contractor who built the home to have them make all necessary repairs. This way there should be no out of pocket expenses for the homeowner, provided the work is under warranty, which is true of most reputable contractors.
Please see below for a few picture with explanations of our findings:
Above:Evidence of leakage and/or excessive condensation with damage sheathing in attic
Above: Large unsealed gaps around windows, no trim installed to help prevent moisture entry
Above: (1) No trim and/or unsealed siding at corners which is conducive to moisture penetration. (2) No water table installed between simulated stone “tile” veneer and upper siding, which is again conducive to moisture penetration.
Above: Substandard drain line installation (picture #1)
Above: Substandard drain line installation (picture #2)
Above: Evidence of leakage and/or mildew under several sections of eves