On August 16, 2016, I hired Joseph Damico of ACE Home Inspections to perform a complete home inspection at a cost of $525 on a single family residence in Medford NJ. At the time I was a prospective buyer of this residence. Upon completion of Mr. Damico's inspection. there were 77 items that he felt needed attention. These items ranged from fixtures missing light bulbs to much more serious issues such as leaking pipes and roof repairs. The only listed issue with the furnace was that the blower door shut off should be replaced. No other issues, including the extensive age of the furnace (24 years old), were brought to our attention. However, he stated that he performed a visual inspection. After consideration of the findings that were listed in his report, negotiations were undertaken with the seller for the seller to make repairs and/or concessions in order to complete my purchase of the property on September 30, 2016. After other renovations were completed, we moved into the home on November 22. 2016. At some point on the night of January 5. 2017 the furnace ceased operation. A repair technician from Horizon charged me $85 .07 and inspected the faulty furnace on Friday. January 6, 2017. The technician stated that to repair the furnace would cost in excess of $3,000 because the furnace is 24 years old. The replacement of the furnace was recommended at a cost of $10.018. On Fridav, Januarv 6, 2017. Sears was also contacted to obtain a second opinion and another quote. The Sears technician also recommended replacement of the furnace based on the projected cost of the repairs. After careful consideration, the determination was made to purchase a replacement furnace from Sears at a cost of $6, 148. The Horizon technician asked if a home inspection was completed prior to the purchase of the home, because the age of the furnace should have been brought to our attention. The opinion of the Horizon and Scars Technician was that a competent home inspection would have stated that the furnace was well beyond its expected lifetime. In the opinion of the Sears technician. the life expectancy of our furnace was typically no more than 15 years. The year stamped on our furnace was 1993, making it approximately 24 years old. The new furnace was installed by Sears on Monday. January 9, 2017 after more than 3 days with no heat. Mr. Damico was contacted on how such a crucial item was missed upon inspection. During this conversation, Mr. Damico acknowledged that the average furnace life expectancy is approximately 20 years. In Mr. Damico's opinion, he is not liable because the furnace "could last 30 years or 10 years" and thus could not predict the lifespan or a furnace, despite his own admission that the average lifespan of any furnace is usually around 20 years. It was Mr. Damico's stance that he was not responsible to report the age of the furnace, and he cannot be held liable in any way. Mr. Damico listed other items that would need to be repaired/replaced in the near future which would be deemed highly insignificant in comparison to a condition of a furnace. We attempted to resolve this with Mr. Damico directly, but he is unwilling to negotiate any resolution whatsoever. After several failed attempts to informally resolve the situation with Mr. Damico, I notified Mr. Damico that we would be filing a formal complaint with the NJ Board of Home Inspectors. His response was "Good luck with that. It won't go anywhere." Even after this brash statement I sent him a final email and certified letter requesting a resolution. My email and letter received no response. read more