The Company

• Are you a franchise?

  • NO, we are a locally created and locally owned business serving the Hampton Roads area.

  • We are only in the business of property inspections and not in the franchising business.

   

• Do you subcontract your inspections?

  • NO, All inspectors are direct payroll employees and work only for Final Analysis property Inspections.

  • We do not farm out our inspections to independent contractors.  Companies who subcontract can not guarantee quality of service or protection of their customers because it is no longer their customer once they subcontract the work.

• What is your experience?

  • The company has been in the business solely of property inspections for 30+ years.

  • We have carved out a niche in the market that represents buyers and sellers directly as opposed to sponsorships, partnerships or affiliations with real estate companies.

  • You have our full staff to bear on your inspection which includes the Owner, office manager and all inspectors. Everyone is fully cross trained and can help you with your questions.

  • Each inspector is fully trained and certified to include the following;

    • All inspectors hold degrees in higher education in related trades.

    • All inspectors must pass the National Inspection Examination.

    • All inspectors are certified nationally and at the state level.

    • All inspectors are VA state licensed.

    • All inspectors are ASHI certified (American Society of Home Inspectors).

    • All inspectors have minimum 5 years experience in the building trades

    • All inspectors have undergone a rigorous 1 year apprenticeship.

    • All inspectors go through a mentoring process with a master inspector for a minimum of 250 inspections

    • All inspectors have full background investigations

We take property inspections serious and believe that the home inspector should be a thoroughly trained, technically competent, experienced practitioner and not just some handy man, part timer.
 

• Are you insured?

  • YES, We carry:

    • Errors and Omissions (E&O)/Professional Liability Insurance which

      • provides protection against inspector negligence.

    • General Liability

      • Provides protection when someone or something is broken or injured.

    • Our insurance also protects or indemnifies other parties such as clients and agents

    • We also carry major medical and dental for all employees.

• Do you have guarantees or warranties?

• YES we have 2 guarantees and a warranty available.

  • Satisfaction Guarantee - States if you are not happy upon completion of  the inspection you don't have to pay us.

  • Performance Guarantee - States that if we missed a defect during the inspection we'll pay for it.

  • We offer a limited warranty by a 3rd party company that protects against something that passed inspection but failed after the inspection. An example would be a water heater leak. The warranty is an additional cost of $25. There is a fee for the warranty because it covers unpredictable defects future failures that we do not have control over.  Please order the warranty when booking the inspection.

   

• What is the difference between a Guarantee and a warranty?

  • the home warranty covers things that break after the inspection, the guarantees insure against the quality of our work and covers defects that we should have found within the scope of a home inspection, but didn't.

   

• Are your guarantees and warranties just a way to limit your liability?

  • No. We still maintain a solid Professional Errors and Omissions (E&O) and general liability (GL) policy for unthinkable situations. An example would be a fire caused by something we didn't report. The Guarantee programs are simply to give you the confidence that we will do a good job as promised, or we will fix it at our expense. The Warranty program just provides extra protection for a couple months after you take possession of the property.

• What is your service coverage area?

  • We cover all of Greater Hampton roads

    • Southside and the Peninsula as far up as Richmond.

    • We are not licensed in, and do not inspect in  North Carolina.

    • We do not go to the eastern shore or Smithfield areas

    • This a travel fee for some outlying areas.

• Do you provide repair or replacement estimates?

  • NO, we aren't contractors, there are too many variables and we do not have the resources to provide accurate and reasonable estimates.

  • Inspectors only report on symptoms of problems and can't always know the extent of a repair or latent damage. Is it a bad bulb or a bad circuit?  Is it a clogged drain or a collapsed pipe? We don't do any troubleshooting which is needed to provide an accurate estimate.
  • We recommend the website homewyse for DIY repair/replacement estimates.
  • Some clients use Repair Pricier which is a paid service that prepares a professional estimate from the actual inspection report. 

• How soon can you do the inspection?

  • We can schedule most inspections within 3 days. Sometimes sooner if we have a cancellation.

  • We can also do evening, weekend and holiday inspection for an added fee.

The Inspection
 

• What is a Home Inspection?

  • A home inspection is a systematic examination the home's primary systems and components by a professional practitioner in order to determines the general condition of the home. Home inspectors are concerned with system performances, costly repairs or replacements needed and safety issues.  It is based on a visual inspection of accessible features. It focuses on the performance of the home, rather than cosmetic, building code or design issues.

  • Our primary concern is to protect the client against serious defects that can have an adverse impact on the value off a property or the safety of it's occupants.

   

• What do you inspect?

  • All the major systems and components of the property are examined in great detail from the roof to the foundation and everything in between.

  • Major systems including; Roof, Exterior, Interior, Structural components, Electrical, Plumbing, Appliances, Heat and Air Conditioning, Exterior lot grading and drainage.

  • We report on safety and hazard issues such as missing handrails, non-tempered glass, fire egress, trip and fall hazards, Electrical hazards, Gas equipment hazards, etc.

   

• How do you inspect?

  • We walk all roofs that are safe and possible.

  • We access all areas of a crawlspace.

  • We open and inspect inside all panels including the electric service.

  • We use a telescopic camera pole to get close ups of things that are not physically possible to reach such as the top of a steep pitched slate roof or the top of a chimney.

  • We systematically check 100% of every window, outlet, faucet, pipe, switch, door, etc. We do not rely on random sampling of components.

  • We test all GFCI and AFCI devices with a circuit tester.

  • We do performance and operation test on HVAC

  • We turn on all faucets and check water pressure, flow rate and plumbing leaks.

  • We scan all wall and ceiling surfaces using the infrared camera to detect air or water leaks and missing insulation.  Any suspect areas are tested with probe and surface testing moisture meter.

  • We check all gas pipes, fittings and equipment for gas leaks using combustible gas leak tester.

  • We examine and scan duct work for air leaks with thermal imaging camera.

  • We report any limitations or restrictions we may encounter on the inspection.

   

• How long does a home inspection take?

  • The average inspection takes about 2-3 hours to complete but is subjective to size and complexity of systems.

   

• We don't want to disrespect or disrupt the sellers who are in the home. How do you handle that?

  • We introduce ourselves, give them a business card and thank them for allowing inspection access.

  • Let them know what to expect during the inspection and the approximate time needed for completion.

  • Put on shoe covers to protect their floors and carpets.

  • We cover clothing in closets from falling insulation with a clean white hospital sheet.

  • We don't move or disturb personal property without their permission and help.

  • We leave everything exactly the way we found it ie; reset GFCI's, lock windows, close access panels, clean up insulation that may fall from the attic, return thermostats to their original setting.

• What equipment do you use?

  • Besides the most effective tool that God placed between our ears, each inspector carries; Tablet/laptops, Thermal cameras, Remote cameras with telescopic pole, Combustible gas sniffer,  Hi density flashlights, amp meters, voltage tickers and electrical testers, water pressure gauges, Infrared thermometers, Screw guns for access to panels, Assorted hand tools.

• The house is new or recently remodeled and the city inspected it. Why would I need an        inspection?

• The problems we see on new homes, remodeled or flipped homes are;

  • defects in workmanship

  • Improper design

  • Sub-standard installation and workmanship

• The city does not inspect or regulate the things a buyer is concerned about such as things that can affect the value of a property and your peace of mind such as a poorly installed roof or undersized HVAC system.

• We do "build fax" permit research on the properties we inspect and often times on remodeled homes or DYI's we find no permit applications or no inspections applied for.

• I’m selling my house. Why should I get an inspection when I can just let the buyers pay for it.

  • Whomever get the inspection first, wins because a good inspection by either party pays for itself.

  • A seller's inspection is proactive and can give the upper hand on invaluable knowledge about the house's condition. Adverse findings can be controlled by the seller in advance and quash potential re-negotiation exploits of a buyer's inspection.

  • A seller's inspection can be a powerful tool in showing good faith in preparing your home for a potential buyer.

  • Most buyers will accept a thorough and professional sellers inspection report and waive the buyer's inspection contingency.

  • I seller's inspection put you one more step ahead of other houses on the market.

  • Our Sellers inspection comes with a FREE 120 day house warranty, FREE termite / moisture inspection and WDI report.

   

• My agent says I should not get a sellers inspection because it's better to not have any knowledge about the condition of my home.

  • Most people want an honorable sale and claiming ignorance is disingenuous and can undermine a positive selling experience

  • You're going to get informed anyway when the buyer counteracts with their inspector's written report.

   

Termite Moisture (WDO)
 

• What is the Termite and Moisture inspection?

  • These are the specific inspection inspections and documents (aka TERMITE LETTER) that may be required by the lender to get a mortgage on the property.

  • Termite / Moisture inspections are not part of a regular home inspection and not provided by most home inspectors.

  • Final Analysis Property inspections does provide this service for a small additional fee but only when combined with a home inspection.  We are not exterminators and do not do individual termite inspections.

  • The inspection looks for and reports on any wood destroying organisms (WDO) such as termites, powder post beetles and fungi or those conditions that foster WDO such as high moisture or water vapor levels in the crawlspace or wood framing.

   

• Do you provide the documents that the bank needs for closing?

  • YES. We provide the NPMA-33, a standardized form required by mortgage companies and banks at closing. Note: the bank requires a "clear letter" meaning No Wood destroying organisms. If we find WDO you will have to get a "clear letter" from the exterminating company that provides the treatment.

   

• My agent says is illegal and not allowed for the buyer to get their own WDO inspections and only the seller can pay for it?

  • Not true. Many agents are misinformed and mistake inspection fees with closing cost. On some loans such as Veterans Administration, the veteran is not allowed to pay for closing cost so often times those cost are packaged back into the loan to give the appearance that the seller is paying those cost. However, Inspection fees are not part of the closing cost and can be paid by the buyer. Many times the contract is written so that the seller pays for the termite inspection at closing.

   

• Do you accept escrow payments for WDO inspections at closing?

  • No - All inspection payments are due when the inspection is complete. The only reason exterminators accept settlement payments is because often there is a 1% cap for repairs or treatment built into the contract and most exterminators know this and being in the business of selling services, don't mind getting paid at settlement.

   

• Do you treat for WDO or repair wood rot?

  • No -  Many exterminators double as repair contractors and they use their "free" inspection to go in and sell services.  We do note have a stake in the game and therefore can provide pure and truthful information.

• If it fails your WDO inspection, How do we get a "clear letter " ?

  • The extermination company who provides the required treatment should provide the clear letter.

Reports

• What kind of reports do you use?

  • We do not use "cookie cutter" checklist or reports full of general house fluff and disclaimers.

  • Reports are a combination of materials and equipment identification and narrative descriptions of defects or deficiencies with approximately 80-100 annotated photos and videos inserted with the comments.

  • Reports are approximately 60 pages long and are broken down by the home's systems.

  • Reports contain a summary list of defects and deficiencies.

  • Reports are delivered online and can be viewed on any device.

  • Reports can be forwarded, downloaded, saved, printed, PDF'd

• How soon do I get the report?

  • All inspection reports are delivered by the end of business same day, usually in a 2-3 hours after the inspection is completed.

   

• What kind of reports do you deliver?

  • Reports are cloud based and accessed by assigned username.

  • They can be downloaded, PDF'd, or printed from your computer.

Inspectors
 

• What are your certifications?

  • Each inspector is ASHI and Va DPOR licensed and certified.

  • Some have additional certs as well, such as NAHI and InterNACHI.

   

• What is your training and experience?

  • Our company has been the business of solely inspecting homes since 1991 and you have the full experience of all company staff backing your inspection.

  • Our inspectors have -

    • a minimum of 5 years experience in the buildings trades

    • And AS or BS degree in an associated curriculum

    • Go through an apprenticeship and mentoring process with an experienced inspector

    • DPOR ( Dept of Professional Occupation and Regulation) VA certified and licensed

    • ASHI (American Society of Home Inspectors) certification

    • Have completed a minimum of 250 inspections (most inspectors have well over 1000 documented inspections)

    • Maintain 40 credit hours of annual continuing education

     

• Do you do repairs?

No, We are full time inspection practitioners and besides not having time, it would be a conflict of interest to find things wrong and then offer repairs. We recommend repairs be completed by independent licensed contractors.
 

• Do you do E.I.F.S inspections (Exterior Insulation and Finishing Systems) aka..effises, synthetic stucco.

  • We do the preliminary EIFS inspections and report problems that causes EIFS to fail such as improper sealants, damaged kickout flashings, missing weep system, soft walls, etc.

  • We do not do the destructive or invasive testing on EIFS. Should we find or suspect problems we would recommend the destructive / invasive inspection be completed by an engineering firm that is licensed and certified in that specialty.

   

• Do you test for Mould, Lead or asbestos?

  • No we don't do any scientific testing.

  • If suspected, we report the possible presence of these environmental hazards and would recommend specialist such as industrial hygienist and specialty testing companies.

   

• Do you test for Radon?

  • No. Radon gas levels in Greater Hampton Roads and Williamsburg are in Zone 3 with predicted indoor Radon levels of less than 2 pCi/L. The EPA has identified Radon levels of 4 pCi/L or more as a health hazard. You can view the EPA's Virginia Radon Map along with links to get free or low costs radon test kits

Fees and Payments
 

• Why do you charge more for older homes?

  • Some companies pad this into all their inspections but in the interest of fairness and low competitive fees we treat each home and it's pricing individually.

  • When a home surpassed 20 years of age it represents much more work on the inspection and report.  It's all about time. Time is not the best friend of a home and the older it is, the more time is required of the inspector. Typically we find maintenance neglect, improper updates and repairs, amateur alterations and we have to report on outdated standards such as poor insulation, missing AFCI's, non-tempered glass, etc.

  • We charge $10 per decade for any house over 20 years old. 

   

• How can we pay?

  • We accept all major debit and credit cards including AMEX at the inspection.

  • You can pay by Check, Cash or Money order, we provide receipts.

  • You can pay online at our website "make payment" link.

  • We can click and pay the online invoice.

   

• I don't have the money for an inspection right now. Can we delay payment or pay at close of escrow?

  • We are not equipped to provide delayed payment or financing.

  • We recommend PayPal Bill-Me-later option which allows you 6 months to pay however you like with no fees and no interest.

  • Inspections must be paid at the completion of the inspection.

   

• Do you offer discounts for second inspections if the first purchase falls through?

  • Typically no, because the inspections are separate yet equally involved, we don't have a way to offer any substantial discount on the second inspection without compromising quality and level of service.

  • The true value of a home inspection is in the savings of a comprehensive inspection that will reveal expensive deficiencies and repair cost.

  • We can however offer added free services such as termite/moisture inspections or Build Fax which typically has more value than a discount.

   

• Do you offer Military, First responder, Hero discounts

  • We are committed to keeping our prices reasonable, honest and fair to all of our clients.

  • From time to time we offer discounts that are available to all our customers.

  • Everyone knows military discounts are a sales tactic and those so called discounts are pre-packed into the true cost.  False discounts are an insult our military.

  • A discount on a stove is one thing, but a discount on services usually means discounted results.

  • Although we have the greatest respect and honor our military and other heroic protectors we do not patronize or insult them with false discounts designed to capture  business or market share.  In fact, We are a veteran owned company ourselves.

  • Companies that offer discounts typically are not very busy and use this as a marketing ploy which is an insult to the heroic and dedicated members of our society.