I was referred to Brandon and Brian from another top producing Realtor and have never stopped using them since. Here is what I like about them. 1. They treat my client with respect and walk them thru at the end at everything they discover. 2. They order the roof inspection for me, taking on more thing off mt to-do list. 3. They have found termites-- when my termite inspector did not! 4. They give my military and 1st responder clients discounts and more importantly thank them for their sacrifice and service! read more

Wonderful Company. They really care about their service. Very honest. They are my go to company

This duo rocks! Brian and Brandon equally good at their work and at clients I had use their services and got answers to all my questions during inspection. Scheduling was easy and Brian made it working as per my availability They provide professional detail report post completion of inspection and their services are reasonably priced read more

Sentinel Inspection Services - At work - Home Inspectors Near Me

We had Brian come out for our initial Inspection before we purchased the house, and we were so impressed with his detailed report and advice. Over the past 12 we made minor changes & wanted to reevaluate some home improvement projects. Brandon came out and did a thorough job. He inspected every electrical outlet & door and walked us through installation of drainage systems, retaining walls to water heaters, and insulation both historically and modern day upgrades. He was courteous and offered new innovative and cost saving suggestions without increasing our homeowner fears & anxiety. Highly recommended! Thank you Sentinel team! read more

In the real estate industry a good inspection company is imperative . Been using Sentinal for years. Always my first call. Great honest relatable dependable service. read more

Hands down, Brandon and Brian are the best. I have used them multiple times for inspections ranging from selling our home to purchasing a new home. Their attention to detail is second to none. Things that you would never think of or see, they will find and call out. Their inspection reports are clear, concise and meticulous. They are very professional and take the time to explain areas of concern. If you are thinking about selling your home or purchasing a new home I highly recommend Sentinel. read more

Loved that they are punctual, in compliance with COVID 19 guidelines for inspections, and thoroughly explained the inspection process and findings in detail with our client. Both Brian and Brandon are exceptional professionals that provide an excellent. read more

As a prospective first time homebuyer, I did all my homework and due diligence in regards to my agent, broker, and what not. However, when it came time for the general home inspection, I hit a dead end. Nobody had a trusted and honest general home inspector to recommend, so naturally I turned to yelp. Based solely on one 5-star review by Carson below, I called Sentinel and scheduled an appointment with Brian. Brian spent a total of 4 hours inspecting the home and he was extremely thorough, explaining everything to us in detail. He used to be a pest inspector as well, so imagine our reaction when he told us there were active colonies of termites in the home! Without Brian, we wouldn't have know that the home we were about to purchase was being chewed away at little by little. The report was promptly sent to us within a day as promised. It was easy to read and understand, including photos of certain parts of the house and color coded. We also called him (while he was on vacation!) to ask him questions and he answered them patiently and gave us his suggestions. All in all - this is the best investment I made into the home so far and I highly recommend Sentinel (Brian). read more

I am thoroughly impressed by the inspection performed by Brian Handy, from Sentinel Inspection Service. He was prompt, friendly, very professional, meticulous & focused on his work. As we waited for the home owners to unlock the house, he was already walking the parameter of the house & gathering data. Wasting no time, he even had the roof inspected the day before. Although he was busy with the inspection he patiently answered all our questions. His report clearly displayed all his findings, very organized & easy to comprehend. (there was a table of content, combined with photographs & color coded.) S.I.S joined forces with Patrick Glennen of Greater Bay Area Termite & Pest Control (800-640-8527). Patrick began his detailed inspection immediately. He clearly explained all the potential "troubled" areas. It was a pleasure working with both companies & I would definitely recommend them to anyone looking for a home inspection. read more

Buying a home is a nerve wracking process and among the top priorities to me was finding home inspectors I could have confidence in and trust. Thankfully my mom is in the real estate industry and had worked with Sentinel Inspection many times and enthusiastically recommended them. Brandon and Brian were great to work with. The electricity had unexpectedly been turned off at the townhome I am buying and they were able to do much of the inspection anyway and offered to come back and test the electrical when it is turned back on. They also walked through what they found with me at the end of the inspection and answered all my questions. They are professional, accomodating and most importantly, I feel confident in their work. With a purchase as important as buying a home it was comforting to know I got the best home inspection possible! read more

We liked Brian and his son. They showed up on time and returned calls. The issues I have with them are: they were more responsive to our Realtor when it came down to getting the report. I suppose they could get business that way, but I wonder why not also make the paying customer fully satisfied? Also, I did notice that they are not thorough with their inspection. They didn't point out the crack on the 2nd floor near our sliding door which was due to water leaking in from the arbor bolt that is attached to the exterior wall. Also, there are many outlets in the new house that are not working which are not mentioned in the report. Again, I think they do not put too much discouraging findings on the report so both Realtors would be impressed by them. If I need to sell my house, I may want to hire them, since they are not that thorough. =) but for buying purposes, then I would go with another company or really make sure you go through your house with them every step of the way. So overall, they get three stars (OK) for being punctual, easy to schedule appointments and reasonable pricing. Minus two stars for not being responsive regarding the report until our Realtor asked for it and for not being thorough enough. read more

I feel horrible that I didn't get to this review sooner, as Brian and Brandon (and crew) did a home inspection for me back in October, but since then I've had the pleasure to work with them AGAIN, and am still THOROUGHLY impressed with their service!! Back in Oct. I was under contract for a house and had no idea where to turn. My realtor was a snake who only wanted me to work with his guys, who of course charged $250 more, and because I'm on a budget and trust YELP, I turned here for advice. I found their website and called Brian, and was impressed that he called me back right away, and was able to come out and do the inspection w/only 2 days notice. I was trying to buy a house while on my way out of the country (yeah, bad idea) so I was in a rush, and thankfully my lack of planning was treated with respect and also became their emergency. I was able to get the reports before I left and chose, based on their findings (and my lack of trust in my pushy realtor) to not go through with the deal. Having never had a home inspection, I didn't know what to expect, but Brian and his son came out, donned protective gear and crawled under and around the house, in every creepy, spidery nook and cranny, took pictures of everything and then proceeded to explain their findings to me in detail. They also answered questions as to what they thought the repairs would involve and whether THEY would buy the house themselves, which I thought was really cool. It was like having a trusted friend with experience come out and look at your house. When I got the written report, I was blown away again at the thoroughness and the easy read--everything had photos and a detailed explanation and was really created for the lay person like myself. Fast forward to this month, when I'm again under contract for a second house. I again called Sentinel and they again came with very little notice, and again did a stellar job. Oh, and did I mention that their services are BUNDLED so that for one price, you get a termite, roof AND home inspection, and Brian coordinates all that for you so you don't have to chase around 3 separate people? Yeah, it's awesome. I also feel better about 3 specialists doing what they do best, rather than 1 or 2 guys who are *jack of all trades* telling me their impressions of the termite, roof and home situation. You really CANNOT go wrong with Sentinel!! read more

If you're looking for an experienced and knowledgeable contractor to conduct a thorough inspection of your home, I would seriously consider Brian Handy of Sentinel Inspections. I would also encourage you to be present for the inspection, so that Brian can walk you through his findings, and you may learn a few new things about your home. read more

Brian and Brandon were as professional as it gets during the entire inspection process. Starting off with getting back to me with a very competitive quote within an hour of sending them a note to responding back to me with any questions/requests about our home inspection. When Brian and Brandon arrived on time to the property, both were very courteous and got to work right away. The total inspection for the home, roof, chimney, and pests took approximately three hours to complete and it was as thorough of an inspection as our realtor had seen for a home. The walk through after the inspection was very thorough and helpful as well as the team provided some recommendations on how to repair certain items. Within 24 hours, the completed inspection report was emailed complete with photos and a detailed summary of each item. My wife and I highly recommend using Sentinel for your inspection! read more

Sentinel Home Inspection was recommended to us by our realtor (specifically Brian Handi) and I can't even begin to tell you how wonderful he was. Although Sentinel is technically located in Livermore, they did our home inspection in Atherton. Brian came and was like a secret agent with his tape recorder recording all his notes and taking pictures of everything. He was so incredibly thorough! Less than 24 hours later, we received his home inspection report. It is literally a work of art. He took pictures of the areas of concern, and color coded his comments on everything. Green for A-Okay, Blue for may need attention, and Red for recommended immediate attention. He even took pics of the crawl space! We were having a hard time deciding on someone to undertake what I think is a very, very important part of the home buying process. And Brian exceeded our expectations in every way. The prices vary based on the size of the home, but they have a list on their website. I thought they were very reasonable and I feel confident that we are getting a solid home! A+++++!!! read more

We decided to try these guys out during a rather rushed inspection period on a house we were looking to buy. Another reviewer mentioned they do a package deal (roof, termite, and home) for inspections so we were really hoping we could get them since many of the individual inspectors we called weren't available on the days we wanted (Thursday and Friday) and were pricier combined. Brian returned my call later on in the day (around 6pm) and he was able to schedule an inspection for us on a Friday at 2pm for $595 which we thought was a good price. Mind you, we called him on Tuesday so we were happy to get a time this week at all. He also said he can get the reports completed by the weekend, which was critical for us. Around 5 to 10 minutes before the scheduled time, Brian and Brandon arrived and went to work right away. Seeing as this was our first inspection, we took the more cautious approach and waited in the house until they were done. They were professional throughout the entire process and were still approachable. When they were done, they went through what they inspected in great detail and we thought they covered everything we needed them to cover. Paying them was super easy and like what Brian said in our initial call, we got all three reports by Sunday mid-afternoon (actually, that was the just the termite inspection report; we got the home and roof report Saturday night) which was just excellent. We read through the reports and were very satisfied compared to the reports we checked out from other inspection services that our agent recommended. Brian and Brandon's reports were easier to read, had more detail, had more pictures, and were overall simpler (but in a good way). We won't hesitate to schedule another inspection with these guys in the future. They got one satisfied customer. read more

I was fortunate to work with this fantastic company over the past week. They are the definition of professional in every way. Their reports are extremely detailed and thorough, delivering exactly what was needed. Thank you Brandon for your hard work and kind demeanor. I will definitely be working with them again in the future. read more

My fiancée and I just got an acceptance for the offer of a house we both loved. Before officially removing the contingencies, we decided to ask professionals to inspect the house first. Having researched on inspection companies on Yelp, we decided to hire Sentinel Inspection Services which has a high review score. The house is kind of far from the Sentinel Inspection Services, so before we called them we were not sure if they were willing to drive this far to inspect the house. Luckily, they accepted our request with no hesitation. Two inspectors came to the house, Brain and Brandon, both of whom are highly experienced and nice. They carefully checked almost every little thing in and near the house using various special tools. They even checked the stability of the soil and rocks on the mountain slope behind the house, and climbed on the roof of this three-storied house to check the chimney, wear condition and so on. For some important areas, such as roof, drainage, firewall, etc., they also took pictures. After they were done with the inspection, they showed us all the minor and major problems/potential harms one by one and recommended us solutions to resolve these problems. The analysis was thorough which made us understand the house at a whole new level. After the on-site inspection, they sent us a very professional report (43 pages!) two days after, including detailed statements of the house condition and suggestions on how to improve the house safety and quality. We will definitely recommend our friends to hire Sentinel Inspection Services for their house inspection in the future. read more

This was my first experience with a home inspection, and it was a great one. Both Brian and Brandon were very thorough and friendly. They clearly have a lot of experience between the two of them and I would definitely recommend them to anyone needing an inspection done (seller or buyer). I wanted to be able to walk through the house with them as they inspected so they could point things out as we went and they were happy to have me do so. They took time to explain why things may have become damaged and what I can do in the future to prevent those things from happening. The report was timely, complete, clear, and thorough with pictures and simple explanations. read more

I was very happy with the service I'd received! The inspectors were professional, and took the time to walk me through the property to show me each item. Once their report was compiled, I received a detail report through email. I would definitely recommend their service to all my clients. read more

I would not recommend this service. They didn't disclose the existence of FRIABLE ASBESTOS in my attic, which was easily airborne. Furthermore, the asbestos containing object was directly connected to the vent of the house. The friable asbestos was in a very obvious spot in our attic. As soon as you opened the attic cover, you could see 6 register boots covered with asbestos. They either had a conflict of interest with my realtor (who recommended them) or weren't inexperienced inspectors who didn't even know what to look for. Due to their oversight, our family was exposed to asbestos for two years. If this issue had been discovered or disclosed during the inspection, we would have done abatement prior to moving into the house. I would NOT recommend them!!! Pictures are available. read more

We had our home/termite inspection in the summer of 2012. Right after moving in we had a TON of expensive fixes that the home inspector did not notice...plumbing, duct work, electrical, etc....but I'm not quite sure that the "home inspection" should cover that - what we just found out was that we have TERMITES! Now, our house has to get tented, to the tune of $4000. We also found out when the termite inspector came out, the termites have been there for an extremely long time, at least 7 years. He said the inspector should have gone under the house (which he did not) and there was no way he would have missed it. He said for any home inspections for termites, always call a termite company, not a home inspection company. the same goes for plumbing. This house has cost us thousands over the past few years, due to the realtor who sold the house who had her husband "the contractor" with a different last name, who flipped the house and did such shady things, like, lay down tarp and put sod on it, only to find a few weeks in, we had no landscaping! None of the bathroom fans were hooked up, we had to get an electrician out....none of the plumbing was hooked up correctly, which led to flooding...the roof was not new, as stated, we had to buy a new one last winter. All in all, what a disappointing experience from the realtor Anastasia Martin and her contractor husband Scott Williams - and it's really a shame the home inspection company didn't catch all their shady work. read more

You won't get a better inspection anywhere else! Brian is trustworthy, knowledgable and does superior work. I'm utterly impressed.

This review is long overdue. Brian and Brandon performed a home inspection for me for a fixer upper investment property last summer. I have worked with other inspection companies in the area before. I would sum up my experience with Sentinel as complete satisfaction of work from true blue professionals. They were very methodical and very detailed in all aspects of their report. They pointed out many problems with the house that I had not anticipated- unexpected dry rot, plumbing problems, electrical code violations, etc. All masterfully reported, section-by-section on a PDF file with photos. On top of everything, they are really down to earth fellas, with excellent communication, responsiveness, and punctuality. The overall experience was like having a very good, vastly experienced friend, making it very clear what you are/were getting yourself into with a potential home purchase. On this same property, I needed them to return a couple more times to re-inspect, subcontracted repair work done by the seller. And Sentinels quality and professionalism shined with each encounter- masters of their craft. I highly recommend Brian and his team for any home inspection. You can't go wrong with Sentinel. Thanks again fellas! read more

Brian is a stand up guy and it shows with his reputation on Yelp. I would recommend Brian to anyone looking to have their home inspected in the East Bay. Not only was he reliable and thorough, Brian was also very accommodating to the demands and lack of planning involved in the, all too common, short sale negotiations. The dates were moved around at least twice. Thanks for your flexibility and service. read more

We worked with Brian when we were purchasing our new home. He was friendly, professional, knowledgeable, and extremely detailed oriented...which is of course priceless for an inspector. He was very quick to respond to our emails and calls. He sent us the inspection report within 24 hours, we thought at the time we could not have been more appreciative. However, Brian did something for us that we could never repay him for. Our lender (http://www.yelp.com/biz/crossline-capital-lake-forest) really put us in a horrible position at the very last minute. Brian came to our rescue and did a last minute inspection AND turned in the necessary report back to us...within 12 hours....on a WEEKEND! If it wasn't for Brian I am sure we would have lost our loan rate lock. He really came through for us and there are no words to express how grateful we are. Brian is a true professional who honestly cares about his clients. We are so thankful that Sentinel made this portion of our home buying process so smooth. read more

I contacted and done home inspection through them. They are very punctual and were on time. They had separate roofing company for roof accommodation. They are very reasonable in cost and professional to work with. Only thing I was concerned regarding was even after asking they did not open electrical panel to check circuits so that means that area is still gray for me. I was expecting them to open electrical panel and check for any unusual connections. Other than that all looks fine. They are responsive when you ask question. I would recommend them again to contact. read more

The Good - After looking at all the positive reviews on yelp I decided to go with Sentinel for the home inspection on a house I was buying in Mountain House. It is a father and son team that were nice and friendly. They were very prompt and completed the inspection in a timely manner. They include a roof inspection, but since it started to rain that day they got someone to come out the next day to complete that. As promised, I got the complete report with pictures within 2 days. I was able to get the Seller to do some repairs based on the report. The Not So Good - After receiving the report, I had some questions that I needed some clarifications on. I called the Son the next day after receiving the report, and left a message to call back. I never got a call back. Now that we have moved into the house, I am finding that there are a few things that they missed out on the report and now I have to fix those myself. And these are pretty visible things for example two screen doors getting jammed, bathroom light fixture that was hanging loose. Overall, their service was just about okay for me personally. read more

I had Brian and his team come out and do the pre-purchase inspection on my home. It was a thorough inspection and did not feel rushed at all. I felt like no stone was left unturned, and I have pictures of all issues big and small (mostly small). Brian went through and showed me anything he felt was even slightly more significant than "minor". All in all very pleased and would recommend them. Very much wanted to keep the work I needed on my house inspection, painting, hardwood floor refinishing all with local and small businesses. read more

My husband and I are first time home buyers with 3 boys. I will start off by saying all of them have chronic asthma. We bought our home in November after a passing inspection done by Brandon. Well, we have actually only been able to be in our home maybe 7-10 days since we got the keys! 1. We had the termite treatment done and ok. 2.The report stated no pest issues. There were old rat droppings in the garage we saw right away when we were moving in. We also found a dead rat in the garage and a set rat trap on the shelf in the garage. Don't forget they did the termite treatment before we moved in and the old rat droppings were in the garage right where we can see the holes were made for the termite treatment (hmmm they didn't see them)! 3. We painted the entire house when we bought it and replaced the kitchen floor. Not even days after replacing and painting we can see the wall in the kitchen was wet and New floor was lifting! We called our warranty insurance (First American Home Warranty) and when they sent a plumber in to check, he said there was a pipe leak that was preexisting because they found black mold as well as a lot of old rat droppings ( remember the report said no pets). We called our home insurance (Allstate) and they don't cover it either. 4. It was noted in the report there was a roof inspector that inspected for them and ok'd it but we have no report on what the roofer said. We have at least two leaks in the roof that we can see now that its raining and had the walls with mold removed. We called the inspectors multiple times and so has my realtor and neither of us get a response. Today we had Joe from AdvantaClean come out and remove the mold and thanks to Joe we were able to Come back home. I do NOT recommend using this company at All! read more

I had the home I am purchasing inspected by Brian Handy of Sentinel Inspection Services. Brian was very professional - arriving promptly on time and going about his work quickly. He was extremely thorough. He explained what he was doing periodically as he progressed and at the end, verbally told me his impression of the property along with recommendations on key things that I should have corrected immediately as well as those that could be done over time. This was really helpful to me so I knew what I was getting into. Finally, his inspection report was provided quickly and was very complete covering the roof, chimney, structure and surrounds for safety and function. I am extremely pleased with his service. read more

I hired Sentinel based on the above reviews and they definitely held up to my standards. I also dealth with Brian- he was great. He was able to accomodate me during a Holiday week (Thanksgiving) which was impressive. He was thorough, professional, very informational and pleasant. I thought the price was very fair, and I feel he was honest which is important in my book. I would hire them again. read more

Brian did a great job on his inspection for a residence we are looking at in September 2013. We were very impressed with his knowledge, care and how he explained the importance of the issues he felt needing to be addressed. We never felt rushed or that he was doing it quickly - it was a job well done. We used his services for another home in October as well - and really appreciated the issues he brought to our attention. read more

Purchased a home in Livermore. Brian and his colleague Brandon did such a phenomenal job! Extremely thorough and quite friendly. At the end of inspection, we received such a wonderful and comprehensive summary of items that needed attention. These guys are the absolute BEST. I'd go with them all the time and would recommend to all my friends and clients as an agent. You guys rock! read more

That right Sentinel Inspection Services is as good as it gets! After inspecting my new home in Tracy CA. I received an email with the inspection report. The report was very detailed and consisted of several pages. The inspector Brandon was very courteous and very helpful as I was able to be present during the inspection. This really set my mind at ease as to know what I was getting into with our new purchase. Thank you for creating a stress free inspection and such a detailed inspection too. Sentinel spent close to 3 hours performing all areas regarding inspection scope to our new home. Thank you Sentinel for your quality service! I would highly recommend Sentinel Inspection Services to anyone! They Inspect it right the first time every time! Sincerely Rusty Floris read more

After reading all of the reviews on yelp, I decided to make an appt with Brian for my home inspection. We had scheduled and confirmed a time for my appt. The hour before my appt time, I received a call from Brian telling me he was unable to make it to the appt and that he had to go to his doctor's appt. I thought this was very unprofessional of him to cancel my appt at the very last minute. I would not recommend him to anyone. read more

Brian and Brandon's home inspections were very thorough and uncovered a lot of problems with the house which at first sight we didn't notice. They went through the attics, crawlspaces, rooms, exterior, and grounds with careful inspection. The report they provided was very detailed with well-angled photographs and in a very readable and understandable format which was excellent. As a prospective buyer, this is exactly what I wanted. Brian was very knowledgeable and very courteous in explaining all of the details and answering all of my questions. For home buyers, I highly recommend Brian and his team! read more

Needed a house inspection for a house I was listing in Dublin, called about 4 different places and decided to go with Sentinel. Sentinel was very responsive and also had the best price quote. Brian (owner maybe?) was very easy to get a hold of (not like the other places I called), they called me back in a timely matter. Every time I left a message I got a call back within the hour. They had 2 people inspecting the house, Brian and Brandon, both very professional, on time, thorough, informative and clean. I would use them again and I would recommend them. If you need a house inspection report done, call these guys! read more

Brian and his crew are very professional. Three-in-one service is what I like most. Save your time by one phone call and one visit to complete the property, termite, and roof inspection done. The key they are nice and efficient. Although you might need wait a few days for the Inspection reports, it's worthy. read more

Very professional team. Brian come with his son for my home inspection. Brian pointed out a lot of details which we wouldn't know as a buyer. I have learned a lot from the inspection and the home condition. The price is a little expensive though, it cost about $400 as some other inspector charge $275. read more