Our recent home buying experience was one filled with lots of research, paperwork, planning, and conversing. At times it seemed overwhelming, and my wife did a great job of managing things, especially during times that wore me down. However, among all my interactions with attorneys, real estate agents, insurance agents and such, my experience with the home inspector was the best. If you're in the market to purchase a house in Massachusetts, I highly recommend Paul Rogoshewski of Harmony Home Inspection.
We found Paul from the New England chapter of the American Society for Home Inspectors, better known as ASHI. Paul's website was very informative. It provided not only a detailed list of estimated costs for specific inspection services, but more importantly it provided an explanation of how an inspection is conducted and a discussion of the significant aspects to be evaluated such as electrical, water quality, foundation, heating, insulation, framing, drainage, roof condition and more. Not only is Paul certified by ASHI, he also sits on the Board of Directors for ASHI New England.
The first home we placed an offer on looked absolutely gorgeous to my wife and I, and our subjective impression of the house wowed us so much that we hadn't noticed any flaws at all. Paul arranged to meet us the following Monday, but since the weather report called for fair chance of snow, he called us to let us know he would take a look at the roof on Sunday since it may not have been visible the next day.
 Monday turned out free of snow, and we met Paul at the house promptly at 9am. After introductions, Paul's first words were, "You need a new roof. Let me show you why...". Those two short sentences summarize our experience with this fantastic home inspector. First, Paul is amazingly thorough and technically proficient. Secondly, his ethics extend beyond the technical to the educational. Paul treated us professionally, but also as students and friends. Throughout the entire day, a five hour inspection marathon, Paul prodded and probed every inch of the house in fine detail, while all the time explaining to us what he was doing and the relevant considerations. It was important to him that we, as new homeowners, would be knowledgeable about the mechanics of the home and aware of the risks both large and small. He was very patient and spent extra time with us to make sure we understood the important findings and recommended repairs.
The next day, we received a 29 page reporting that combined written status of each inspection focal area as well as supporting photographs annotated with arrows to highlight the issues discovered. Home inspectors are not permitted to provide cost estimates, so we spent a couple days speaking with contractors and gathering information from websites such as CostEstimator.com. Collectively, we arrived a figure of $35,000, where the most significant component was the roof at $15,000 which we had a local roofer corroborate that it was indeed in need of immediate repair.
As a buyer, the inspection results armed us with comprehensive, factual documentation to mount a re-negotiation with the seller. For this particular home, the sellers must have been in a very good position without immediate need to sell since they completely refused to renegotiate with us even though the house had already been on the market for over 250 days. The meticulous home inspection definitely saved us a bundle because it opened our eyes to all the additional costs for this house, removing all the subjective naiveté with which we first greeted it. Without the help of Harmony Home Inspection, we would have blindly walked into a money pit, but Paul saved us a bundle. When the sellers refused to negotiate the costs, we withdrew our offer and went back to the other houses on our short list of candidates.
Several weeks later we made an offer on a second house, and we chose Harmony Home Inspection again. This house was newer and required fewer repairs, but still Paul inspected this house every bit as thoroughly as he did the first one. Once again, he carefully reviewed the whole house interior and exterior as well as the other structures such as the fence and pool shed. Between the two home inspections Paul felt more like family than a third party contractor. He was always very friendly and considerate, and drilled us to make sure we understood every finding. With the new report in hand the next day, we successfully negotiated a short list of repairs with the property's seller, and we close on this house next week.
Paul told us he thinks the customer really does come first. He emphasized to us that a quality and carefulness are a very high priority in a home inspection, and its equally as important to empower the customer with knowledge about how to repair and maintain the home.
Spring will be approaching soon, and the real estate market will once again be in full swing. If you're searching for your next home in Massachusetts then my wife and I think you should use Harmony Home Inspection. I've not received any compensation or reward from Paul or Harmony for my recommendation. The time I spent writing this testimonial is a small way to say Thank You to Paul for really helping us understand how to be an informed and responsible home owner, ... oh yeah, and for saving us lots of money too! Thanks Paul! Thanks Harmony Home Inspection!!
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Feel free to contact me if you'd like more information. I'll be in my new house. Better yet, just call Paul!
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