Sold last house Bill inspected and bought a new house that needed inspected so I called "MY" inspector. I say "MY" inspector cuz Bill looks out for me and works for me. NEVER let your realtor pick your inspectors folks. It is in their interest to get inspections to pass. (though in many cases, I am sure that I know some very ethical realtors who would not) Still, I am sure many an agent does not like someone like Bill poking around their potential sale too deep.
That being said, Bill was prompt on this latest inspection. He showed up on time. He spent 2 1/2 hours going over our property with us and I had my report the next day via email. The seller and I agreed to the changes I thought were necessary to make me happy. I went into this "new" home knowing some of the repairs I would need to make and how to do them. It was a very satisfactory experience for all concerned in our transaction.
Please don't give alot of weight to the realtor's reviews here. I know they have their own transactions to worry about and that is why they like to work with "their" real estate approved inspectors, but my interest as a buyer is to have someone who does a very thorough inspection for ME . It may be stressful at the time but it is WAYYYYY more stressful when you find a problem with a house after you have sunk a great deal of money into the home. Like any inspector, he might miss something or be over cautionary at times, but I would rather proceed with a great deal of caution than having a cavalier inspection involving my hard earned bucks.
Give Bill at FYI a call and tell him Julie sent ya. Thanks again Bill!