I lived in the landmark building for 1-1/2 years on a top floor unit. Roof leaks were prevalent during Nor' esters, and I was lucky there were not as bad as my neighbors. That's the reason I left otherwise it was pleasant.

I would advise to look at the quality of the building unit. Some like the office building are way better than others.

Hello there and welcome to Dixon Mills. I actually live in the A building on the top floor facing Wayne Street. I used Wayne Ratti for my inspection and he is great! I can not say enough to recommend him. My wife and I were about to close on an apartment on Brunswick, but Wayne discovered so many problems with the building that we got our of the deal. We liked him so much we used him again when we needed to get our Dixon Mills apartment inspected. His number is 201-280-5811.

I figure that once we start tearing our new place apart I'm gonna be checking this topic out quite a bit, so I'll offer what I can now.

Home inspector. Good one. He looked at two places for us and tore them apart. He analyzed all sorts of things that I would never think to look at, he was clear about what was a real problem as opposed to just a headache, he gave us a list of what sort of things the sellers should provide us with in terms of documentation, etc.

He does the big three- inspection, Radon and WDI. He gave us a gigantic report on both places, with tons of color pictures, recommendations about how to remedy any problems, etc. I really, really recommend him. His name is Robert Fico and he's at acehomeinspection.com or 908-232-8909.

Just want to second what Atticus said -- we also used Wayne Ratti and he was awesome. I can't imagine a more thorough and knowledgeable inspector.

Call Wayne Ratti at Statewide Home Inspections at 201-280-5811

He is insanely thorough. The first time I used him he pointed out major malfuntions with a unit that I ended up buying. He was great. I later used him again for another unit and he had such good advice. He was recommended to me by a friend and I now recommend him to everyone I know. He even got into a little spat with our first real estate agent because the agent thought he was being too picky. You wont be disappointed with this guy.

http://www.foresightengineering.biz/

Ask for Keith. He's extremely thorough. I got to know him very well after doing many home inspections in JC. The thing I like about him is in addition to being thorough, he tells you what repairs are minor, worth some concern and absolute deal breakers. He also takes the time to explain things during the inspection. If you're working w/ a realtor, make sure you are present during the inspection to hear it first hand.

We hired an inspector before buying. Althought the realtor said it's not really necessary with new construction. (golly gee, really? if we only knew...)

After we bought we realized we walked in to a code violation nightmare. The sellers created a cosmetically appealing home that albeit looked good would not last past the ink drying on the mortgage. The inspector was not only a city inspector for another township, but he decided on site to not give us a report, but instead was 'nice enough' to give us a verbal list where we took notes, he cut the cost in half and we thought, "gee whiz, it must be a great place for him to do THAT!". Well NO, he knew the realtor and he knew better than to put his name on something that was code violation after code violation...

Hard lesson to learn. But we didn't know what we didn't know. We hired a real inspector after we bought and realized - hmmmm, this punch list is growing rather than shrinking....it was at a cost of $1,200.00. But let me tell you - BUDGET IT IN PEOPLE. It's not a car you are buying here - if your home is a lemon, better know it NOW than after you buy. We are now living in a nightmare. Things are not to code and things that are to code are just barely there, other things look nice but are becoming hazards or very costly problems. HOW DO THESE THINGS GET PASSED IN JERSEY CITY? IT'S AN EPIDEMIC.

We used www.acehomeinspection.com and it helped us get a check list of items to feel protected in the long run.
I am learning you get what you pay for and he was worth every penny. Yes, often inspectors know a little bit about a lot - but what we did is take his report and from each item it brought up - we'd get a certified/licenced specialist from that field to come in and back up his claim with a diagnostic report and/or quote for the work to be done. He refused to recommend anyone so we had to do the research ourselves. Inspectors follow a code and it won't permit them to recommend anyone. They go by the book. A lesson the inspectors at the JC Building Department should follow.

Become a project manager of your own home - it's the largest investment you will ever make. We got 3 quotes for each problem because each person that came out had a different variation of what was wrong - so we educated ourselves on each problem too so we could not only ask the right questions but we could become critical thinkers and not just take their diagnostic as gospel (i.e. this will cost you $15,000 to fix! Well, no, it won't and you need to get several quotes, we even got SIX...count 'em SIX quotes for the HVAC system because we wanted to be very certain we knew what was wrong). Now it's a legal matter between us and the sellers. You can't build a shack on an ant hill and sell it people. Not without consequences to your ignorant actions.

It's time for buyers to fight for their rights in this city. The city inspectors are so corrupt or dangerous in their complacency. The sellers hire General Contractors who are motivated by money, hire illegals and essentially have no ownership and pride in their workmanship. The sellers don't know what is happening between the walls of their construction and trust me, it ain't pretty in our place and that's just indicative of what is going on out there. No one is protecting the rights of buyers, particularly if it's 'new construction' in a renovated property. It is fraud to sell something that looks good but will need areas of the home replaced. You can't hope you 'fool' the sellers in to paying a fortune and walk away from your responsibility. You can't 'trust' your GC without scrutinizing the work and making sure the quality you profess in your sales and marketing tools is actually HAPPENING in the construction. It's pathetic that sellers can pocket our hard earned money for an illusion of a great place and we end up paying AGAIN for what we thought we bought in the first place. It's FRAUD. Also, if it's 'new construction' in a renovated property then the buyer is NOT covered under the New Jersey Warranty program. So make sure you have in your contract some sort of warranty that covers you. We did, so we are lucky there. But it still means we are going through the grief of having to get them to compensate us for things that will cost thousands and thousands of dollars to replace or re-do correctly. It's pathetic.

This scenario is happening over and over again in Jersey City. Sellers are paying off or knowing someone in city hall to expedite these Certificate's of Occupancy. Things are passing that SHOULD NOT. Regardless of how minor some of the things are - it sill should NOT be the problem of the buyer....you pay good money for a home that is done correctly. We trust the government looks after us - afterall, how much property tax are we paying in Jersey City?

When will sellers have pride in their work and make certain their GC's are doing the job right? Our place has become a money pit and it's making us broke to replace, repair and re-do areas of our home we already paid for in the purchase price. It's CRIMINAL!

I can tell you this much, the buck stops here for us. We are like pit bulls when it comes to the rights of consumers and once our jaws sink in to an issue, we won't let go until it's right. It's the principle here.

I hope more potential homeowners and owners in the JC area start to stand up to city hall and the sellers of these types of units. With so much for sale in this area, it's important to really scrutinize everything. Question the floors, the walls, how did they wire your property? Look in the electrical box. Look for 'illusions'. If things look good, make sure it works, turn on all the appliances - make sure the GC does a thorough walk through, have a list for yourself. Ask questions - 'did you flood during construction', 'how did you wire the phone lines', 'may we see all the warranty's for the items'......Don't be fooled. If you are in a basement, consider moisture issues. How did they seal the foundation? Did they put appropriate flooring down for the basement? It's not about looking good down there - it's about making sure things are moisture proof. Think of your insurance, if you are in a first floor unit - it's considered a basement in your insurance and nothing but the walls will be covered if it floods. Think about how they constructed the building - if the builders didn't insert windows for a long time and it was the rainy season - did they dehumidify the property properly before sealing with windows? (This can pose mold and mildew issues between the walls you'll never see). If they installed wood floors did they leave enough space between the walls for expansion. How did they protect the floor between the wood and the concrete? How are the walls insulated? Did they insulate the pipes? Look at your neighbors on either side. Did your contractors do anything to piss them off during construction that could end up being your problem once you buy? If something seems like a unique feature - perhaps it's just 'unique' because they are hiding some flaw, not because they wanted to build an original place. Ask why, why, why.

I hope this helps SOMEONE OUT THERE looking at a place. We wish we only knew this all before we entered a situation that is breaking us financially and spiritually.

Just a tip - if you do get a home inspector, make sure the 'common' areas and the WHOLE building is inspected, not just your apartment / condo.

Your home might be fine, but it will be YOUR money (%) on the line if the rest of the building is crap.

John Moss is good. I hired him for my condo inspection.

I've recommended Sergio Angione to my clients.

Phone: 973-299-1808

You can also visit his website

http://housemaster.com/

He's pretty thorough and will answer all of your questions.

Quote:
We used him, too. I agree that he is a very nice guy and was good about explaining everything he found. However, he did miss something kind of crucial, and that was that there was concrete on the vent damper of our boiler (rendering it inoperable). He did get the owner to put in some new grounded outlets for us, however. And he offered to come back a second time for free to check the heat since the boiler was off the first time he came and he said it is not his policy to turn them on when they're off in case they're off for a reason. It was kind of our fault, however, that he didn't try to turn on the heat that 2nd time because we were so annoyed to find out that one of the new outlets had been installed (for an a/c) underneath the only window with a fire escape and it had become apparent that the hot water was not working. So, I would definitely still recommend him. And he did get us those new outlets.

I also used John Moss. He identified a couple of potential problems and created a nice report. I remember he blasted the heat (it was mid summer), turned on all the faucets, checked all the outlets, checked the appliances, got up on the roof. I had the report via pdf in a day or so, and a nice color copy in the mail.

It is well worth it to get a good inspector for a big purchase. I think it was about $400 or $500 (a few years ago), which is not a lot in the grand scheme of things, plus he did a pest inspection (termites), required by the mortgage company. An excellent report may help you negotiate the price down based on latent defects, such as faulty wiring or plumbing. Not to mention that it can help you avoid buying a house that's gonna fall down.

Good luck, and let us know how your experience was.

I used Roots Home Inspection for the inspection of my new home. He did a great job, brought his own ladder, was extremely thorough. He took time to explain pretty much everything he was doing and he did this all with the seller conspicuously hanging around. He is also very reasonably priced.

http://www.rootshomeinspection.com/

The owner's name is Bill Root.

Good Luck.

We used John Moss five years ago. He was really hard core- imagine the green beret of home inspection. He brought his own ladder, was up on the roof, ran all of the taps in the house at once, and even showed the then current homeowner some serious electrical issues that needed immediate attention. We were very impressed with his thoroughness and no nonsense approach.

http://www.inspex1.com/

Check him out.

We used:

lmarquez@mrhomeinspector.net
201-888-5427cell
www.mrhomeinspector.net

Luciano was prompt to the inspection, uncovered things we were looking at but didn't see, and has been used by several friends with the same positive results. He also sent us our inspection report by e-mail in one day.

Quote:I can highly recommend John Estes who does complete home inspections and specializes in finding and repairing water leaks in roofing and stone. He can be reached at 201 954-9894. Really nice guy too.

We used A to Z Home Inspection approx 2 years ago.
The Inspector was very thorough and detail oriented. I would recommend based on my experience.

http://www.atozhomeinspection.com/

I used USA Home Inspections to find inspectors in Jersey City, and then did research on those listed, and then called the ones we liked, and would have loved to go with:
Pinpoint Engineering, but he wasn\'t available when we were, so we went with Edgar Woodson of Anchor Inspection and thought he was really good.

You might want to go with an inspector that is a member of the "American Society of Home Inspectors" (ASHI).

"They are some of the most qualified home inspectors."
Ilyce R Glink
"100 Questions Every Homebuyer Should Ask"

My sister and I recently purchased our first home in Jersey City. No more renting! Yeah. I'm wondering if anyone here could recommend a good, reputable home inspector. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Any other suggestions anyone might have regarding Jersey City and our new home would be great. I have lived here since 2000, but as a renter. I don?t know if there are any special interests that I should know about.

Any and all suggestions are appreciated! Thanks.