Review of Spradling Home Inspections, LLC.
by Amanda Oleiro
on 6/15/2019
Would not recommend for first-time homebuyers or those looking for honest guidance on purchasing a home. My husband and I had Stuart inspect our home and asked about specific cracks in our garage and outside wall. Stuart said they were cosmetic and normal and gave us a report saying the house was sound to purchase (with unrelated marginal repairs). With the years of experience Stuart says he has, and the amount of homes he says he inspects, we took him at his word.
Within less than six months, we started to see a lot of cracks appear internally that had been painted over before with tape and a door that started to jam. It made us nervous, so we called a foundation company to see if there were any issues. Lo and behold, we’re now facing 18-24k in foundation repairs. While it’s debatable on whether Stuart should have seen the 20+ painted over cracks (they’re easily seen with a flashlight against the wall – something we learned from the foundation specialists), two of the three issues we’re facing relate directly back to the cracks Stuart said were cosmetic– according to one structural engineer and four foundation specialists.
Since finding out these repairs, we’ve contacted Melanie and Stuart. They blew us and our realtor off for about two weeks as she tried to schedule a time for Stuart to come look at the house – per his request. Then when Stuart finally did come to the house, his response was “well I’m not a foundation expert”. My husband then asked “if you were us, would you have purchased this home based on what you saw?” And Stuart said “I don’t know”. He couldn’t say he’d purchase it, but showed zero hesitation during our inspection. Not once did he ever say, “I’m not a foundation expert, maybe you should have someone come out to be safe.”
Because Pablo and I were waiting for the structural engineer report and had an upcoming trip, the conversation ended with Stuart saying let's continue the conversation after we return and discuss “in a perfect world, what would happen”.
I reached out to Stuart and Melanie on May 31 with three repair estimates and the findings from the structural engineer report. An hour and 52 minutes later, I received an “auto reply” out of office saying they’d be out of the office and reply to emails on June 10. I followed up on June 11. My husband called June 13 and left a voicemail. My husband called again June 14 and left another voicemail. They refuse to get back in contact with us and are making zero effort to put closure on this situation.
I guess in their perfect world, they ignore the customers asking them for some sort of accountability.
They say they’re committed to the customer, but their actions clearly say otherwise.
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Comments for this review
Spradling Home Inspections, LLC. on 2/26/2020
This post is in response to Amanda Bruns post about the cosmetic cracks in her garage floor and cracks in drywall. They contacted us a year later from the time of their home inspection. Our first reply was hidden so we needed to let our public know about how we professionally respond.
Unfortunately, our first reply to this customer has been blocked. So here is our final comments on this situation: We stand by our comprehensive inspections and we believe in customer service as a number One priority!
We also understand that other companies are out there to sell their products and sometimes throw inspectors under the bus.
We are more than willing to help our customers even after a year when they see things that they do not understand. When Stuart was able to get back to this particular home a year after the inspection; which meant he was there to help with the customers understanding of the situation. He explained to the customers his findings during the home inspection. He was not there to pay for or throw the company where they got their bids from to get rid of the cosmetic cracks that were notated during the inspection a year earlier.
We stand by the fact that at the time of the inspection that the cracks in the concrete floor and drywall of the garage were cosmetic and not a structural issue. As time passes due to environmental changes a house can move and shift. That is why our inspections are valid only on the day of the inspection. We cannot foresee future damage. Weather changes, such as hail damage, excessive rain, etc and can and will effect homes. We are sorry that the customers had to go through these issues after their inspection.
Spradling Home Inspections, LLC has been in business 21 years this year and we tell every customer that we want them to always ask questions and we want them to clearly understand the process. We are always accessible and we are always here to discuss issues.
"We love helping you discover the health of your home!"
Melanie
Spradling Home Inspections, LLC
ASHI #259803