Above and beyond all expectations!

Ted Gilmour did a pre-purchase inspection of a house in Vancouver. I chose him because of his website and rave reviews on www.homestars.com. Those reviewers are all right on the money – Ted is extremely detailed, thorough, delivers on exactly what is advertised as per his website and then goes the extra mile with his post inspection follow up and help!

When I saw Ted’s website, an editorial of sorts on the home buying world – full of buyer bewares and cautionary tales – I could tell that he was candid, honest and not afraid to ruffle a few feathers and offend the whole real estate ‘system’. I knew that Ted was kind of guy that I wanted and MY side, and truly be my advocate. And wow – did Ted ever deliver! He completely exceeded our expectations. On inspection day my wife and I joined Ted as we literally went over every inch of the house and every inch inside. Those 8 hours were an eye-opener as he showed us the numerous issues with the house, which on its own is already great. But even more importantly, the time we spent with Ted was a course on how to maintain a home. He was pleasant and extremely patient with his explanation of the problems and possible remedies, as well as maintenance items that we would need to upkeep to prevent future problems. We could tell that he not only loves his job but that he genuinely loves helping people with their homes! We met him the next day where he presented his BINDER of a report, completely written in his own words, exactly as shown by the example report on his website. We sat over coffee as he went over EVERY SINGLE PAGE and PHOTO. He also reported on the maintenance items, so now we have a complete “owner’s guide and maintenance manual” for our house. (We have one for our car, it only makes sense to have one for the house!)

So, everything I’ve described up to this point is exactly what is advertised on his website, and thus Ted delivers exactly what you pay for. But actually there’s more than that. Ted then goes the extra mile with his follow up and keenness to continue helping after the initial inspection! In fact, it’s a been a year since he’s inspected the house that we did end up purchased (sorry for the delayed review Ted!) and he even emailed me to check up on how we were doing with the repair and maintenance and OFFER GUIDANCE on how to address any remaining issues. In fact, we asked for advice regarding re-roofing a few months after moving into the house and he responded within hours! WOW! That is service above and beyond. Ted Gilmour IS the complete homebuyer’s advocate, more so than your realtor, more so than your mortgage broker. I would never buy another home, do any major renos or let anybody else I know do the same, without having Ted Gilmour as the home inspector!

(Some advice to first time home buyers and especially house buyers: every house will need maintenance and every house will have issues – some can and some cannot be fixed. The important part is that you are able to make an informed decision and that’s where Ted’s expertise is so valuable.)

Abe