York Associates

This home inspection was the best investment weve ever made. Alexs extremely thorough report and photos helps us negotiate tens of thousands of dollars off the asking price of the home we were purchasing.

Alex inspected our 1920's semi-detached house for us before we bought it in the spring of 2014. The interiors had not been updated since the 1960s, and clearly needed work. Looking beyond the shabby finishes, Alex saw a fundamentally sound house with no termite damage, rot or structural problems, a dry basement, reasonable windows, and a recent heating system. His accurate assessment made it possible for us to plan and complete major renovations on time and on budget, without any nasty surprises. Others in the neighborhood have been surprised after buying by severe termite damage and unsafe wiring, leading to major unexpected costs and stress. Clearly, a good home inspector is worth every penny, and Alex is among the best. Thanks.

When we bought a house recently, our R/E agent recommended Alex to do an inspection for us. The service he provided was exceptional. He spent more than four hours going over every detail of our two-story, 1300 sq ft house. At his suggestion I joined him for this process, so he could explain all issues and features as he found them. He did this patiently and in detail, answering my often naive questions with good humour. He was very thorough, even climbing a ladder in the biting cold and snow to inspect the roof, something I suspect very few inspectors would bother to do. The rate was competitive with those of inspectors who provide much less, and the result is that we got, not just a bill of health for our house, but a detailed understanding of its systems and construction -something of considerable value.

Alex was recommended by my real state agent, who I know for several years and trust fully. He has over 10000 home inspections in his career, since 1988. Alex wasn't happy with the amount of time he was given to inspect the property by the current owners but did his best and did an amazing work. He went through the roof, attic, inside, outside, everything. He took over 100 pictures (sent all those electronically next day) and provided a detailed report indicating all concerns (none really major). I was able to get the current owners to fix a couple of things due to Alex's report. Totally recommended!!!

Alex spent almost 8 hours with us - he climbed on the roof, scrutinized the exterior of the house in great, great detail and methodically went through every room on every floor. His report was nothing short of amazing in its attention to detail and its usefulness to us in making our purchasing decision. I can't imagine ever purchasing a property again without asking him to inspect it.

My home inspection from Alex was nothing short of amazing. He spent over 6 hours going up and down the house, crawling through crawlspaces, climbing on to the roof. He removed electrical panels to examine wiring, and inspected every potentially water damaged spot with a moisture meter. He had a very detailed answer to every single question I came up with (and there were quite a few).

The most impressive aspect of working with Alex was his willingness to teach on top of his detailed inspection. He had information on how to maintain the AC unit, and the furnace. He pointed out amongst the neighbors' roofs what a professional job looks like compared to an amateur one. When there was an issue, instead of just quoting an approximate price to repair it, he also showed the impact on other parts of the house and explained the trade-offs regarding fixing it, which made me much more confident in the purchase and my ability to maintain the house going forward with minimal surprises.

Alex is absolutely the guy to come to when you need a home inspection done, especially on an older house.

A home inspection by Alex Welsh is unlike any other home inspection. His background as an engineer gives him the expertise to delve into areas other inspectors are neither qualified nor mandated to investigate. He recently helped us troubleshoot a mysterious odor which was preventing us from moving into our 3 year old condominium. He spoke with me on the phone at 7pm for half an hour and again the next morning, telling me he was up all night working on the problem. I don't know many people who would be that generous with their time. It was something of an emergency because our moving day was 2 days away, and Alex responded accordingly, coming over that very afternoon. He was detailed in his questions and thorough in his investigation. After he had finished his inspection, he gave both an oral and printed report with clearly detailed observations and recommendations, followed up by an email with photos he had taken. We had spent a lot of money on so-called experts which we could have saved had I only thought of calling Alex first. My suggestion to anyone looking for the very best in home inspection services.....call Alex first.

Alex (pronouced Alec for those in the know) Welsh of York Associates is the most incredible inspector in the GTA, in my opinion. He is so thorough, it makes real estate agents quake in their boots. (Agents will also complain about the length of the inspection because they have to sit around personally and wait while the work is being done, but on completion mine said Alex would be the guy he would call for HIS next purchase!).

So bottom line, if you're investing in buying a house, you owe it to yourself to have a proper inspection done. The previous time, we used one of the major inspection companies, who took all of 1.5 hours to breeze through the house with a bunch of disclaimers. Alex, on the other hand, patiently removes all panels (electrical, crawlspace etc.) to see what's behind. He runs all of the systems to check safety and operation. He found things like a coolant leak on an air conditioner, a weak membrane hiding beneath a gravel roof, even a faulty safety switch on a garage door opener. He also posesses excellent judgement on the many unusual situations he encounters on a job, especially for very old homes and even new builds.

Last but not least, Alex gives you a killer report on the house, with photos documenting all the issues, recommended follow-ups, highly relevant links to handy references with more information and preventive maintenance, and finally his famour 'contractor list' of guys that have proven themselves to his clients over the years on everything from buried oil tank investigations to drain plumbing and flat roof replacements. As some of these companies handle very specialized requests, it's a great supplement to what you might find on Homestars. We also found Alex accessible for the inevitable tricky situations that come up post-purchase - he even remembers the details of the house (photographic memory). So overall, he's a fantastic ally for home owners from start to finish!

We’ve used Alex services twice in the last 5 years and we would call him again if the time comes with no hesitation. In the second year inspection Alex went above and beyond to help us have the issues found solved in our favor. The support documents and guidance provided by Alex, even a few months after the inspection, were instrumental to have the builder agree to fix it. Jan and he have a sound knowledge of what they do and both are very customer focused.

Alex Welsh inspected our house before we purchased it several years ago. We were very pleased with his recommendations, which we followed closely with subsequent improvements and repairs. Recently, after experiencing a disaster with a roofer working on our small 12’ x 12’ rear flat roof, we contacted Alex. We expected him to conduct a formal inspection but he generously helped us out free of charge. This is not something I would have expected, and I hope that by writing this I am not encouraging others to expect it, but I just want to share my awareness that Alex is a kind and generous man, to be trusted. I have complete confidence in his knowledge, advice, and professionalism. Sheila, Toronto