Valueguard Home Inspections

The staff at Valueguard and the inspector, Mike Pisner, were incredibly professional and knowledgable. The inspector took his time and explained everything he found to me and my wife. The report included great detail and helped with our negotiation.

Quick call and appointment is being arranged

These guys are very helpful in answering any questions. They are very thorough and go above and beyond. I really appreciate their focus on customer satisfaction and quality.

Had an experience that was less than what we expected; but company went above and beyond any expectation to make it right.

My husband and I are 1^st time home buyers and we were lucky to have our Realtor recommend Valueguard. We were originally going to purchase a home listed as «move in ready». Brad L. conducted our inspection and outlined in great detail the many underlying issues with the property. We decided against purchasing the property based on this information. In Feb. 2015 we purchased are current home, after Brad conducted our second inspection. Since this time, everything listed in the inspection has held true. We have not had any unexpected problems and were able to prevent future roof and heating systems problems with the information provided. Great service!

Used them on 2 separate occasions and they were very easy to deal with. Would recommend.

The first plus with Valueguard Home Inspections is that the put the price on their website for a condo inspection! That saved me valuable time because every other website you had to fill out a form and have a rep call you back. I was on a very tight budget and cost of the inspection was important to me as well as quality. Scheduling was easy and everyone on the phone was very nice and polite.
Michael Kelley was my inspector and he was great! Prompt arrived on time. Very, very helpful and informative. He did not skimp on any part of the home inspection. Treated me with respect. I can not recommend him or this company enough!

Cannot emphasize this enough, if you need a home inspector, radon testing, etc., go to ValueGuard, and better yet, make sure you get MIKE KELLEY as your home inspector. He was incredibly thorough and our family couldn’t say enough about how meticulous he was during our home inspection. This was not our first experience with home inspections and Mike’s attention to detail was unparalleled to anything we’ve ever seen. Though we were told the home inspection would take 2 to 2.5 hours, Mike took 4 hours and walked us through everything with impeccable detail. This was the second time we’ve used ValueGuard having had a great experience with them the first time, and we will be sure to go back to them ASAP next time we purchase a home.

Mike B was my home inspector, and I really think he gets the mindset of a first time home buyer in the Philly proper. He arrived before I did, and started the roof inspection right away. He later explained that it was because «the buyer always wants to use my ladder to go on the roof, but it’s a liability.» Touché Mike, that was exactly what I was going to ask!
He sensed that my wife and I were both nervous, and he made very effort to explain and re-​explain everything including cost estimates that worked in our favor, lifespan of different parts of the home, the quality of work, and *wink wink* suggesting that I read between the lines at some points as he is not officially allowed to give opinions on certain things if they cannot be seen and verified.
Specifics: He spent at least an hour in the basement of a 100 year old row home. Gross AF, but totally necessary. He check the hot water heat, boiler, washer/​dryer, walls, joists, wiring, breaker panel (even removed the cover), plumbing, and crawlspace – yes, he actually got on his belly and crawled in there, which will be funnier to imagine if you meet him. He discovered a five foot crack in a waste drain, and another crack in the street plumbing line that was «encased» in concrete. Home inspectors are not really supposed to touch or move things, but he «suggested» that if I were to tap on the concrete over the street line, it would probably come off. Surprise surprise! The concrete disintegrated, and exposed a huge hole leaking sewer gas. Mike looked at me, smiling, and shouted «woops!»
He was really knowledgeable about these old homes, and has definitely seen all sorts of problems and half assed solutions. There was no fooling him. He checked everything upstairs as well: the windows, doors, façade, flooring, plumbing, appliances, everything. He definitely proved himself to be invaluable when he (along with another inspector) discovered active termite damage and extensive water damage along one entire side of the home. I didn’t even notice this, and I’m glad he found it. I mean, who wants to buy a home with termites and crazy water damage? Am I right? In addition, Mike had two colleagues conduct pest inspections and radon inspections. They were both nice guys, and they worked in concert together.
Input for others: If you’re suggesting that the inspector didn’t do enough, it’s probably because you aren’t «reading between the lines.» They are not allowed to give official opinions and estimates if they can’t see and verify the problem. Pay close attention to the language they use, and how much time they spend on a specific point of inspection. They want you to know as much as possible before purchasing. They’re already paid and have no vested interest in you buying or not. They can’t catch everything, but they will imply things based on what they see. YOU need to infer things, pay close attention, and piece the puzzles together yourself.
Thanks again, Mike!

You shouldn’t write a reviews of a home inspector until you’ve lived in the house for a little bit. Our inspector showed up a little late, but no big deal as the realtor was having trouble getting into the house anyway. We started on the outside and he did point out a multitude of problems that he noticed throughout, but things that were «easy fixes» and his suggestions for fixes were not based in truth. A lot of the issues were not simple fixes. At the time I wasn’t aware, but now that I’m more educated, I’m fully aware a lot of what we were told was just wrong or unsafe.
«You should install a bathroom exhaust fan in the guest bathroom.» — Solution: «Just tie into the existing exhaust ducting from the master.» Against code, doesn’t work.
«Crawl space has moisture.» –Solution «Registers up into the house.» This is a vented crawl space, that would just be letting in the outside air into the interior of the house.
There were a few other similar comments, but these were on the forefront of my mind.
The last piece was that they may test appliances, but we turn on the dryer to do a load of clothes and they come out wet. Heating element was burnt out, but it turned on and tumbled. Maybe the clothes lines in the house were a good indication that the dryer wasn’t working. So they may test devices that they «turn on,» but don’t necessarily test that they «function.» It’s possible it could have broken in the intermediate, but the dryer lines at the time of inspection lead me to believe it did not.
Just my objective review, it was a possible 3 star, but the dryer tipped them over to 2 stars.

Going to give them one star, considering we had an active gas leak in an empty property that the inspector (Brad L) didn’t feel the need to mention until we got the written report a few days later. Especially baffling considering that we were standing in the basement, where the leak was located, discussing anticipated repairs for 10 minutes and it was never even mentioned. When we called to complain, obviously annoyed for fairly common sense safety reasons, the staff was extremely rude and wouldn’t accept any responsibility that it was a safety hazard to not notify someone of a gas leak immediately. We’re pretty easy going, but not reporting a gas leak (and instead spending 10 minutes talking about width of deck railing)? That’s just negligent.
That said, there’s one inspector (Mike) people seem to like who was booked up and they were able to send someone out pretty quickly. Just maybe don’t get Brad.

This review is only for the radon services that Valueguard offers, as I needed a radon inspection at the last minute when I realized my inspector didn’t do those in PA. My realtor recommended Valueguard and was able to call them beforehand to get me an appointment immediately.
They were really helpful with all of my questions and were able to schedule me an appointment speedily. The report generated once the inspection was complete was clear, color-​coded, and easy to read (even without technical expertise). The best part about radon inspections is that you don’t need to be there (the sensor is placed and turned on, then is collected 48 hours later and the data is analyzed before a PDF report is emailed to the customer). The price was reasonable ($ 165).
A note about this inspection: they bill your credit card when they PLACE the sensor, not when they send the report.
A great experience with them and I am happy to report that the radon levels in my home are WELL below the allowed limit.

We were first time homebuyers and Mike Kelley was fantastic. He not only recognized the potential problems around our house but he took the time to explain all of the features of the home and what to look out for. They were a little pricier than some other options but it was definitely worth the cost for the peace of mind.

Used ValueGuard for our home inspection and are very happy we did. They were very helpful and friendly, scheduling was super easy and they were very informative in the review. It’s a family owned so it’s always great to support a local company. Prices were also reasonable.

I needed an inspector, any inspector so I called everywhere, on a weekend. Out of 15 companies only 3 called back. ValueGuard was one of them. Or shall I say luckily ValueGuard was one of them. I highly recommend ValueGuard and Bradley L.
Bradley L was awesome. He was very friendly and explained everything he was doing and why. He wasn’t afraid of getting dirty or climbing into small spaces.
Being from out of town there were a few things I wasn’t used to that we’re specific to the Philly area. He took the time to explain it all.
The termite company had given our soon to be home the all clear, but Bradley found something hidden way back in an access panel. He immediately called the termite company for a second look.
When I got his final report it was detailed and categorized based on severity. He also included things to just keep an eye on over the years. All of the issues he found he took photos of and attached them to the report.

I choose ValueGuard, because they have great reviews and also they were Military Friendly to my husband and I. The price was Fair and the quality of Work was superb. I appreciated my timely inspector Mike Bluestein. He was knowledgeable, courteous and personable. My husband and I felt very comfortable with Mike. Mike throughly explained the condition of the home we are interested in purchasing. He even suggested company’s that could help us as new home buyers improve and maintain or future home. He explained the roof’s condition to us and how many years we would have until needing to replace it, which was one of my concerns. Mike is the type of inspector you will feel secure calling back to your house for advice, as a new home buyer my husband and I are grateful and happy we had him as our home inspector. The home owner process is already stressful it was nice to have Mike answer all our questions and put my nerves at ease.
Thanks again Mike :)

Excellent company, excellent experience, worth the money.
I found ValueGuard right here on Unilocal and decided to go with them after researching a few other companies. Granted, they were on the more expensive side — but a home inspection is not something I felt I should discount. And I’m glad I didn’t.
My inspector, Mike showed up before my 9 am appt and had already inspected the entire outside of the house I purchased (roof, deck, driveway, etc…). He took his time explaining every little detail to me, what it would take /​cost to repair or replace, and how critical it was. Very calm, VERY knowledgeable, and very thorough. The entire inspection took close to 3 hrs (and that’s with Mike’s head start!) but I’m grateful that he took his time and did a great job.
I also scheduled a termite inspection, which was done by a knowledgeable outside extermination company booked by ValueGuard. That right there is an example of how thorough ValueGuard is as a company.
I received my full report less than 24 hrs later. Again, couldn’t be happier. I am going to recommend ValueGuard to anyone in need of a home inspection.

We found ValueGuard on Unilocal and were very pleased with our inspection. Mike was at the home before us and scoped everything out ahead of time in order to give us as much detail and information as possible about any holes, cracks, and missing elements of our future property. He was detailed and stayed with us for several hours while answering all of our questions. His report was thorough and helped us to work out a few issues with our seller before settlement.
We also completed a radon test with ValueGuard and received yet another detailed report. I have nothing but good things to say about this company and I would absolutely recommend them to a friend. The entire process was easy, from scheduling the appointment to processing the payment.
Thanks to you, Mike!

Michael Bluestein from ValueGuard is the man. Just had my inspection this past Saturday for a foreclosure home that obiovusly needs a lot of work. Michael took the same care and attention to going over everything in the house with me that I would expect my own father to. He was on time, patient, and hugely detailed. I have absolutely no idea what I’m doing or what anything is and Michael answered everyone of my questions and encouraged me to ask more. If I want anyone to be anal retentive and OCD, I’d want my home inspector to be and Michael was no exception. Hugely detailed, I received my report at 7 am the MONDAY right after the Saturday inspection! It was organized and completely comprehensive.
I have absolutely no complaints and would recommend Michael at ValueGuard to anyone. Thanks!

Michael Pistor was my home inspector, and he was fantastic. He showed up on time and checked out EVERYTHING that you could possibly check for in the house. He even stood in the shower and sprayed around– which was good because he found that part of the shower was not sealed properly. He also gave me good advice on what to do to maintain my home and what to keep my eye out for which was great since I don’t know much about home ownership.
The prices for the home inspection were also cheaper than the other places, and they resopnded to my inquiry immediately and were able to send out a person the following day. They are also highly rated on Angie’s List. I will definitely be using ValueGuard in the future for home inspections and will be recommending them to other people.