Ryan is absolutely who you want to hire for a home inspection.
PHONE CONSULTATION: The first reason I knew he was the right choice was when I was shopping around for home inspectors for my historic home. Ryan looked up the listing of my property and gave me an in-depth and personalized consultation right then over the phone. From my experience that's rare and shows high integrity and good character.
PRICING: His prices were also right in the middle of the higher and lower estimates I received, with bundled savings for add-ons. The standard home inspection included the roof which is pretty much unheard of.
EXPERTISE: The home I'm buying was built in 1840 and Ryan's experience from working on historic homes in and around Annapolis was clearly evident throughout the entire inspection (he arrived about a half hour before we were scheduled to start). He was extremely thorough and knowledgable and on top of this he uses the latest technologies. A lot of inspectors I evaluated boasted cool gadgets, but I was wary they were compensating for lack of experience. Ryan marketed himself, never his tools. So it was a pleasant surprise to see his entire arsenal, but it was clear that his expertise is what led the inspection, with the tech used to support accurate documentation, never a crutch for a lack of skills.
INSIGHTS: By the end of the day I felt confident about my understanding of every inch of the property - top to bottom, inside out. Ryan was very even keel about balancing concerns/recommendations with the fact that naturally there is a lot of maintenance required for historic homes. I was never overwhelmed. Ryan was so thorough that he even gave me a tutorial for all of the appliances. It's super small to mention in a review, but I'm so relieved that I don't need to figure out how to operate things like the fancy oven on my own.
EXTRAS: I recommend the tamper-proof radon test for peace of mind. If you have a chimney, I 1,000% recommend the chimney inspection. Ryan had this crazy cool camera that provided photo evidence along the entire chimney of a lot of issues he uncovered within the fireplace. This documentation has been invaluable in negotiating with the seller.
REPORT: Just a few hours after the inspection, the report was delivered to my email. It was super thorough with annotated photo documentation. The radon results were prompt as well.
BEST EXPERIENCE: My dad came along, who is a master electrician, and he was also blown away by Ryan. In the purchase of my last home, I thought I had a great inspector, but I told Ryan that that guy pales in comparison to his work. I highly recommend Broadneck Home Inspections!