Harmony Home Inspection

05/12/2007 Posted by limengtse

As a PHD student in medical science, I know nothing about home construction. But I do have the skills of hunting for a good home inspector. I looked up the webpages of all the ASHI certified inspectors in Worcester area and look at their inspection report. The report done by Paul from Harmony Home Inspection definitely stands out. I will say that nobody’s report is half as good as Paul’s report. But you get what you pay for. Paul charges more than other inspectors. I pay $600 to inspect a 1000 square feet house+ radon test and terminate test. Initially, I was a bit reluctant to employ Paul as I don’t have that much money. Then, I decided that if am spending so much money to buy a house, why not get a better inspector and get a better report. I am so glad that I make that choice. I actually get more than what I paid for. Not only was Paul very careful in the inspection, he is not afraid to offend the seller about all the problems that the house have. The seller reluctantly agreed to fix most of the problems that Paul pointed out to me and I feel very safe to live in that house. Also the report that I got is of the same quality as that I have seen on his website. Very detail and helpful to first time home buyer. Check the report out on his website yourself!

Cons: No

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful

03/17/2007 Posted by thundermom

In a time of drive-thru everything, you won’t get a drive-thru inspection from Harmony Home Inspection. You will get a thorough and honest assessment of the property, a comprehensive and coherent report with photographs, and a knowledgeable and experienced inspector who has YOUR best interests in mind. The home buying process can be overwhelming, especially for a first-timer. It is very difficult when you fall in love with a house and then upon inspection, have a number of things about the home pointed out to you that transform it from being “perfect” in your mind, to what it really is…perhaps the “perfect” house for you, but one that needs some repairs or some careful attention to potential problem areas. If you are looking for someone to “ooh” and “ahh” over the home you have chosen to purchase, bring along the seller’s agent. If you are looking for someone to show you what is working well in the house and what isn’t working well or what isn’t safe, call Paul Rogoshewski. A good inspector, like Paul, will point out and explain potential problem areas to you and may suggest you consult with another expert (electrician, roofer) to see how extensive the problem or issue is , and how much it will cost to fix. That way you can, in some cases, present the seller with an adjusted offer reflecting the unexpected costs for these repairs. He'll even point out things like an unsafe flagstone path that you would probably not bring up to the sellers as a negotiating point, but that you will put on your "home improvement" list. Paul schedules at least four hours for the inspection so that he may do a thorough and accurate inspection of the inside and outside of the house and the property. The sellers in our most recent purchase were difficult to deal with and were even confrontational with Paul. He was professional and level-headed, and continued to complete a thorough inspection to the satisfaction of us, his clients. Paul is the best and you’ll be glad you hired him.

Pros: experienced, knowledgeable, excellent report with photos, flexible, dependable

Cons: none

01/24/2007 Posted by talkingtree

I read an article that compared a home inspection to a physical at a doctor's office, and I think that's how it should be. You want to know every possible problem, as well as the severity and scope. Its a doctor's responsibility to provide comprehensive medical diagnoses and recommend treatments as appropriate. The same with a home inspector and the inspection report. We contracted Harmony Home Inspection for two home offers. I'm relieved that Harmony did a very thorough job. On the first home, our eyes were blinded by the home's general beauty and we became emotionally attached very quickly. Harmony discovered several important problems that the seller did not disclose correctly (termites within last 5yrs) or at all (water damaged roof found in attic). We never would have realized how bad the problems were if the inspector wasn't so complete. I don't think that an inspector that was just looking only for code violations would have found this. Had we completed the purchase, we would have needed to spend an additional $15-20,000 when the problems would have become obvious. For the second home, we were so pleased with Harmony that we contracted an inspection again. This house had fewer problems, but the inspector was just as thorough. We successfully renegotiated on many of the costs (fence, water damaged window, radon treatment). We close in a week! Harmony also helped us understand our home and the problems that exist, both large and small. As new home owners, we learned quite a lot from Harmony about maintenance and energy efficiency. I'm very happy with the service. As a home buyer I don't you should try to renegotiate every single item on the report. You have to pick and choose what matters the most and renegotiate just that. Don't go crazy and by trying to renegotiate on all the small items. The small items are in the report just to make you aware of them. You'll benefit from this when you get the home you want.

Pros: Thorough, complete, helpful, instructive, friendly

Cons: No cons

12/30/2006 Posted by lumbr

While definitely very comprehensive, Harmony Inspection was very negative and alarmist about the home we were buying. While there were a couple key things that needed to be repaired, most of the items in the report were not critical. The report however stated many 'recommendations' for correcting things that were not typical to be addressed by the seller before closing. When the seller was presented with several of the 'recommended' items in addition to the key items to fix, the total was not acceptable and the inclusion of these non-critical items was seen as inappropriate. It was interpreted as an attempt to renegotiate the home price based on a laundry list of inspection issues that were not safety or building code related. If you hire Harmony be aware that you will need to do more work to separate what is important versus 'nice to do' or things that the new homeowner should address after purchase. We would recommend finding an inspector that is also comprehensive, but more even-headed, especially during the inspection itself. It is always good to know what you are buying, but also important to separate the real problems from other improvements.

Pros: Very comprehensive

Cons: Alarmist during inspection, too many recommended changes