Recommendation for an inspector for Manhattan condo

Hi Newlooking,
It's funny how you don't hear much about inspections on these boards. I'm curious to hear any responses.

I think inspecting things like the boiler room, roof, and mechanicals of the building is probably more important that having the apartment inspected. After all you can generally see with your own eye what is going on with the apartment.

yes Ir, things that all of a sudden need repair after you buy the place and jack up your CC. I bought a condo and their was a special assessment added to the cc for facade and roof repair. CC went up 10% for 18 months right after I bought it.

You know an inspector is not going to be able to go up on the building's roof or get access to all its mechanicals, right?

That said, I find most New York City apartment buyers have never owned houses, and therefore don't know what they're looking at, so using one is better than nothing. The last inspector that my clients used was Dennis Kanakis

665 88th street. Brooklyn, NY 11228. Phone: 866-476-2056,

and he was fine.

ali r.
{downtown broker}

If the board of managers of the building is on top of things, the minutes of the board meeting will be more important than any inspection of building systems (boiler, roof, etc) by a buyer. The financials will also show if the building has a reserve fund to handle repairs. SteveF, did you or your attorney study the board minutes for the year preceding, and the building financials? Things like facade and roof repair are rarely last minute type repairs- would have shown up in the minutes before you bought.

Additionally, most building systems (plumbing, heating, etc) are the responsibilty of the coop or condo, not of the owner (things within the walls), so don't know if you really need an inspector. The state of the apartment is something you can see for yourself.

"I bought a condo and their was a special assessment added to the cc for facade and roof repair. CC went up 10% for 18 months right after I bought it."

... whoever is made sad by this sort of thing would be much happier renting rather than owning. Especially in a falling market like this one.

We just used Tom Walsh of All Aspects Home Inspection (516)731-7213
Quick response, inspected thoroughly, sent a CD with photos of the apartment as well as mechanicals. Answered questions promptly.
www.artofinspection.com

This relates to co-ops (not condos) that have an underlying mortgage, but everytime the mortgage gets refinanced the bank will require a Property Condition Assessment to be performed. These include all those "big ticket" items that can be expected over the next 10 years. Things such as the roof, facade, mechanicals, etc...so this may or may not be available during the due diligence process and also it will depend on how long ago the mortgage was refinanced as to whether the information is current or not.

Thank you for the helpful responses. We will try Tom Walsh or Dennis Kanakis and will let you know how it goes.

Thanks, LookPied. We used Tom Walsh and had the same positive experience. He picked up the phone both times we called; once on Labor Day to schedule, the other time to let him know the super pushed back the inspection by an hour to 1pm (which he was understanding about). Tom arrived early, seemed knowledgeable, and was professional. The inspection lasted 2 hours and he gave us feedback along the way. He also checked the boiler and the roof. He e-mailed us before noon the next day with 4 attachments of clear pictures, reports, and recommendations. He also is sending us a hard-copy by mail. His website is: www.TheArtofInspection.com. The seller's broker had told us the apt was inspected before and the only thing the previous inspector found was some polarity issues with the electricity, while Tom found additional problems (i.e., plumbing). We had called Dennis Kanakis also and left a message with his secretary on Labor Day, but he never called us back. Thanks again for the suggestions.

Thank you for your updates, NewLooking. We will give Tom Walsh a ring once our offer is accepted. I don't know if this is appropriate, May I ask you how much does Tom Walsh charged you for the inspection? Again, thank you for the updates!

Hi Nancee. I'm not sure if it varies by size. When I first called Tom, I asked him how much it would cost. He asked how many bedrooms and bathrooms (I had already told him it was a condo in Manhattan). I told him 3 beds, 3 baths and he told me $590. I wanted to price it, but the other inspector did not call me back and the broker pushed for it to be done that day (and I did not have any other recommended inspectors). FYI: We received the hardcopy with additional info on the history of the building, the 35 page write-up, and a CD with more than 100 photos today. He seemed thorough for what there was to do, but since it is an apt there was not that much to be revealed.

Thank you very much for your info, NewLooking. Enjoy your new home! :-)

One more name: Dennis Douglas in Mount Vernon did a nice job for a buyer in the East Village (I was the seller's broker). He's at dennisdouglas.com

ali r.
{downtown broker}

Thank you Ali r. for your info.

Why can't the inspector go up on the roof, if there are stairs and a door?

I'm buying in a relatively small prewar building (35 units). I'm substantially renovating my own unit, and my contractor has already looked it over in detail, so I'm not sure how much more an inspector would tell me there. But I was hoping that the inspector would look at the elevator mechanicals, the boiler, the HVAC, the roof, the brick and foundation. The building (being small) doesn't have millions in reserve, and if my maintenance will really be 10%-20% higher every year because of assessments for long-overdue major repairs, I'd like to know that before I commit.

Suzanne, the one time I hired an inspector he went everywhere, and actually said "why would you want to buy into a building that's uncooperative?" when I asked if gaining access would be a problem. It was my one and only such experience, so take it FWIW, but I think a lot has to do with the willingness of the super to provide said access. If the seller knows that this is important or even essential to you, perhaps (s)he'll help motivate the super.

BTW, he found corroded plumbing joints on the boiler where asbestos had been improperly removed, standing water in the pumping system where components had failed, cheap patchups on the roof, issues with the brickwork where the buildings touched... The irony is, the biggest deal-breaker came from something I asked the super myself.

tenemental, just curious what question(s) did you ask the super?

thanks for yr time!

nancee, there was an electrical panel in the unit that was for building systems. The super would have needed access to the apartment on occasion, letting himself in for emergencies, etc. Would have loved for the broker to disclose that small detail before I sprung for the inspector.

The inspector did go on the roof. We took the elevator, but I do not think anything was said about the mechanicals of the elevator. He checked the voltage as well as the boiler. I am not sure why he did not run the air, but we put it on while we were waiting. The previous owners had left dishes in the dishwasher and clothes in the laundry in the apt, so he said he could not run it because their belongings were inside. As mentioned above, you can learn a lot from the minutes. We read them the other day and learned when the roof was redone and other info. As you probably already know, you could call the inspector and ask him what info he could add to what your contractor already told you and see if it is worth it for you.

tenemental and NewLooking, thank you once again for your info. These info are priceless, very useful. Thank you once again for yr time!

A condo is not a house. You think the building is just going to provide blanket access. And the whole idea is preposterous. A good engineering study costs big bucks.