Suzanne was easy to work with, very thorough, and incredibly helpful throughout. Her industry referrals for local repair companies also helped save me thousands on electrical and misc. issues compared to the quotes I received from bigger name companies! I trust her more than anyone else in the Home industry. read more

Suzanne genuinely cares about things done right. Her re-inspections are golden. She will always be my "go to" inspector. read more

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I found Sound Advice through an online search while looking for a qualified inspection on an older home I was considering buying--and I could NOT be happier with my choice. From start to finish, Suzanne was responsive, friendly, professional, and incredibly knowledgeable. If I could give 10 stars out of 5, I absolutely would. Her attention to detail and deep understanding of the unique challenges in older homes--both immediate issues and those that could arise 5-15 years down the road--helped me avoid taking on more than I could reasonably manage or afford. I especially valued the detailed report and illustrations showing not only what needed attention, but also how things should look. This made it easy to know what to ask for if I moved forward with contractors or service providers. Sound Advice also offers great value with two pricing options that can actually save you money in the long run. As long as they're in business in my area, they will always be my first and only choice for inspection services. read more

Sound Advice Home Inspection - Just one of many great examples of the detailed inspection conducted by Sound Advice Inspection - Home Inspectors Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Highly recommend Suzanne for your home inspection. She was extremely thorough during the inspection process and provided a very informative report that helped us understand the property's condition ! read more

I had an excellent experience with Suzanne! She was thorough and gave me a good idea of what needed to replace, timeline and cost. I felt confident in her review and she was delightful to be around. read more

I hired Suzanne from Sound Advice Home Inspection to inspect a new home. Suzanne was incredibly friendly, extremely knowledgeable, and overall did a wonderful job! Even for basic checks that I wouldn't have thought to perform, such as testing the microwave, Suzanne came prepared with the necessary tools and expert knowledge to verify the functionality. The final inspection report clearly outlined the issues that should be addressed immediately and also included curated recommendations for how to best maintain the new home over time. I highly recommend Sound Advice Home Inspection. Suzanne went above and beyond to not only perform the job but also demonstrate care for the client by educating me on the important details of the home and answering all my questions. The inspection experience was very much a conversation rather than simply a set of pass/fail results. I am very grateful to Suzanne and will definitely hire Sound Advice Home Inspection again in the future. read more

Have to say, I'm surprised at this given the high ratings of this business. I had a confirmed appointment which I made through their online system for yesterday at 2pm. 2pm came and went- no call/no show. We gave it half an hour and I called the number in the confirmation which instructs callers to text for an "immediate response". I texted that number and no one ever responded or called. I emailed them as well, also no response. Their work may be great if they show up, but this wasn't a professional experience at all. read more

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Like a previous reviewer, I had a "confirmed" appointment. Other than the confirmation email, I did not receive any further communications. I called about an hour before the scheduled time, got a message saying that I would get a quicker response by texting. I sent the text. The realtor and I waited, called after about 10 minutes, then 20 minutes. It's now been two days and I still haven't heard from anyone. Unreliable and unprofessional. read more

We originally scheduled an inspection for June 26, but needed to reschedule for the following week on July 2 due unexpected events. Given this was the week of a holiday, I emailed Suzanne to confirm that she would be available and received confirmation that would work. The appointment on July 2 came at 9am and and we wait 10 minutes, then texted to see if there was a delay. We had a sewer inspection at 9:30 and there was still no show. Both my agent and I texted and called with no response. We eventually gave up after waiting an hour. Luckily my agent was able to schedule another inspector for the next day in order to meet our inspection deadline. I received an email on July 5th with an invoice (I didn't prepay in order to allow payment by check). I replied same day hoping Suzanne was okay and explained we had gone with another inspector given the fast nature of real-estate transactions. Giving the benefit of the doubt, I waited a full week before sharing this no-show review in hopes there might have been some reason. However at this point I have yet to receive any communications and appear to have been ghosted. I cannot speak to the quality of the work since that didn't occur, but complete lack of communication and keeping appointments is unacceptable. read more

Absolutely phenomenal and thorough service! Worked with my significant other and me across the nation when we were planning to move to Seattle and were unable to view the apartment we were considering. She took numerous photos and videos that gave clear and concise issues and input. Spectacularly considerate and accommodating. I can not recommend her services enough. read more

We had a tight turnaround to meet the sellers inspection contingency timeline, and Suzanne was awesome! Our first time home inspection, and Suzanne was fantastic to answer all my questions and explain the inspection process from start to finish. Well prepared for inspecting. Promptly prepared a very thorough report which included recommendations and tips. Very assuring for a new homebuyer. Very pleased with the experience. read more

This person is literally everything you want in a home inspector. They are a experienced civil engineer, through, considerate, and damn good at their job. I wish I had gone to her first. If you want to have better information to make correct decisions and stop listening to sales people try and scare you into expensive fixes, this is who you want to go to. I was worried at first because of all the 5 star reviews, if anything it underrepresented the quality of work you will receive. You will receive an honest and blunt assessment of problems, potential problems, and big red flags. This is what a home owner, or future home owner should want. Their website is informative, operational, easy to use and schedule apointments from if you want to. They also return calls and text messages. read more

Wowza! What an excellent experience! If you're looking for a detailed and thoughtful inspection for your new or existing home, you cannot go wrong with Sound Advice Home Inspections! My partner and I were intentional when picking vendors to ensure we used minority and female owned businesses. We could not be happier with our experience! The inspector was patient, answered all our questions and spent extra time showing us additional details of the home that made us feel truly confident when submitting our offer. If you are looking for an inspector you can trust, you cannot go wrong with this company! read more

In short, the salesman for the roofing business we hired broke our trust and we didnt have the expertise to make sure the roofer did everything in the contract (Guess what? They didn't!). We hired Susan to translate the contract and inspect the roof. Susan walked us through the process, pointed out the missing contract items, highlighted areas of shoddy workmanship, and provided a thorough report. We sent the report to the roofing business and the company president emailed us the next day to get everything fixed. Susan went the extra mile and checked our attic as well. She found another unrelated issue and provided a recommendation. Susan is dynamite and passionate about helping homeowners make the best decision possible. She offers five star service and most importantly to us, we felt we could trust her. In my book, you can't out a price in that. read more

Had an inspection booked and confirmed, and prepaid. However, inspector never showed up on the day. Tried calling, texting and emailing for several days but the inspector completely ghosted me after failing to show up on the scheduled date. read more

Easy booking system. Fast electronic report and a hard copy for future reference. Clearly was knowledgeable about all the issues with our house. We've been living in the house for years so some things she found we already knew about and some we had no idea. Wore her mask and repeatedly washed her hands, so felt safe having her inspect our house in the middle of covid. read more

"Suzanne's the Shizzle in Seattle". Period. Full Stop. WORD. I don't know her, my realtor didn't know her and I booked her after checking the list of Seattle area home inspectors. After reading up on all the area inspectors, reading Suzanne's CV detailing all of her extensive professional credentials I gave her a call as my top choice. She showed up early (9am appt on a Saturday) and took us thoroughly over, around and through the entire property. She knows current and past building codes, best practices and requirements, what is required to bring a property current and whether or not doing so should be a priority. Her inspection report has photos from the roof/chimney to the basement and under decking. She described all the positives and any concerns as well as 'ballparking' estimated costs to address these. She prioritized the concerns she found which was also very helpful. We had the report (60+ pgs) by dinner time the same day as the inspection, complete with photos of every single inspection point. Later we received in the mail the same report (in color - incl photos) printed out in a folder with a thumb drive to share her report with any future contractor. My realtor and one of his colleagues were also present for this inspection. He remarked to me privately after Suzanne left that "I've been to hundreds of inspections and this one was by far the best, most thorough home inspection I have ever observed." He also exchanged information with Suzanne and told her he would be recommending her services to all future clients. I can not recommend Suzanne and Sound Advice Home Inspections highly enough based on this experience. I am a 50+ y.o. multiple time homebuyer and have paid for inspectors and inspections periodically over my adult life. This inspection and report from Sound Advice is without a doubt the very best I have ever received. Thank you Suzanne! read more

We were able to get Sound Advice on short notice for a pre-purchase inspection of a beautiful house on a hill, and oh my goodness I am grateful. We met Suzanne at the property and just a few moments after she arrived she called us down to show us very significant concerns about movement of the hillside and some insufficient repairs that were made by a previous owner. She gave a master class in soils and how that house was sitting on that hillside, pointed out all kinds of nuance that we would not have known to look for, pest damage, drainage issues, and even drew upon her own construction and engineering experience to hypothesize about what it would take to make that house as safe and secure as we would want. In just moments her sober assessment helped us see the reality of the situation through our otherwise starry eyes. I am so grateful to my agent for finding an inspector who can speak to the connection between the house and the ground underneath as well as to the structure itself. We could have been out hundreds of thousands of dollars and had to live through some very challenging inspections, permits, and repairs had we not hired Suzanne. read more

I'm not going to lie; I color code my calendar. And I have files for all of my old taxes back to, like, 1998. I get mad at my family members when they move the hand soap to the wrong side of the bathroom sink. I also believe that there is a correct way to load the dishwasher, and nobody knows it except me. This is why Suzanne is my new favorite person. In her own words, she's a double threat: German and an engineer. She's more type A than I am. She's like... type A+ or something. She has some very serious systems in place to keep track of all the messed up stuff going on with your house. Hand signals in photos, walking clockwise then counterclockwise, checking All The Things. She explained them all to us, entertained my very talkative son with some witty banter, and then set off into the dusty recesses of our house. Her report was thorough, included photos, and was emailed the same day with a hard copy arriving in the mail a few days later. I mean... seriously! Five stars for doing an excellent job helping us find new and boring ways to spend a lot of money on invisible fire hazards and a whole new roof. Also, five stars for being a woman owned business. Can't say enough nice things. Oh! Here's one! I'd let Suzanne load the dishwasher. She'd probably get it right. read more

The best inspector I've had the pleasure of working with and hiring. She is worth her price. If you want to know what maintenance items to focus on in your home, or you're preparing to sell, Sound Advice is a perfect fit. I hired her after purchasing my home, even though I was provided an inspection by the seller. 100% glad I did. Sound advice gave me most of the same data, but presented it in a very easy to understand way, and printed the results in a binder for future reference. I've been selling homes for 7 years, and Sound stands out as my favorite. read more

Suzanne is a kind, friendly, detail-orientated, attractive person. Every house should need a Suzanne. She is the best inspector I have ever met. Actually, my agent was highly recommended her to us. When she inspected our new home, she actively told us what we need to know and how to maintain the house. We learn a lot from her. Suzanne is responsive. I need some consultation and/or asking for referrals after 2 years of the inspection. She emailed back to me within a day. I really appreciated her help. ANd we already lived in the house for 2 years without any issue. read more

Suzanne is excellent and very professional. I would highly recommend her to anybody wanting a home inspection. She is the best home inspector I have experienced. read more

*Update* Suzanne responded to my post saying she was reaching out to help. I gave her my information and never heard back. Review from after living in home 2 years: I loved working with Suzanne when buying our home. She seemed well informed and had a lot of attention to detail. She was on time, provided a lovely report, and even brought snacks to the inspection. However, we have so many issues come up since owning our home in the past 2 years. Something as little as replacing our dryer (the heat setting was off, not broken) to a dangerous furnace and extensive water damage. There were obvious signs throughout our downstairs of a leak and previous water damage that she missed. When replacing our floors after closing, they found actual water on the floor from a loose water spout on an outside wall. Painters mentioned the soot next to the heater vent that ended in us needing a new furnace. They also found a large water spot on the ceiling downstairs. These were all missed and found out within a few weeks of moving in! We had a crack in our ceiling upstairs that she said was from the house settling. Turns out there is a structural issue that will cost a lot to fix. After removing the popcorn ceilings and painting, a water spot showed up in our living room. Turns out our flashing was incomplete around our chimney. Recently, we had a contractor come in to give a quote on our bathrooms and found the floor upstairs is wet upstairs from one or two of our toilets(they are near each other) and it was easy to find out with a handheld water meter. I'm still so shocked our inspection was not as thorough as I thought. This is our 3rd time buying a home(our first 2-story home) but my husband and I are not experts so we trusted Sound Advice Home Inspection to help us buy our home and we were completely let down. It's costed us thousands of dollars and we are still uncovering issues that most contractors are shocked we didn't find during the inspection. It makes me never want to go through the home buying process again. With every company we find on yelp, we rely a lot on reviews and I hope this helps potential customers be cautious in choosing their home inspector. read more

I've had lots of home inspections done, but this was by far the best!!! The most thorough, the most detailed, the most knowledgable, and the most communicative. (Also, the darned nicest!!) A detailed report, with all the pertinent photographs, was provided (with digital copies of everything on a snazzy flash drive) as a "manual for my new home" which ... is ... awesome. The issues that needed attention were very well explained, so negotiation with the seller was a breeze! From broken thermal seals on windows to downspout extentions, electrical code violations to "vintage" (read: dangerous!) microwaves, she didn't miss a thing. I won't need to search next time... Suzanne is my home inspector as long as she's in the biz. Thanks a million! read more

Suzanne was awesome! She arrived on time for the inspection and got straight to work. She was friendly and professional, and was able to explain all issues that popped up throughout the inspection clearly enough for me to fully understand. She also provided the detailed report with pictures on the same day she did the inspection, allowing us to move forward with our decisions about certain repairs without delay. We would definitely work with her again! read more

We highly recommend Suzanne to anyone who needs a home inspection, either it's a full inspection or some specific one (we needed to inspect piping, attic and crawl space for potential slow water damage). She scheduled an appointment for the next day after we contacted her and arrived on time. She came across as a professional, knowledgeable and detail-oriented specialist. Her attitude was very friendly, she was easy to talk with, and she listened to our concerns patiently without rushing through. She provided not only a thorough inspection of the areas we were concerned about, but also took extra time to explain the problems she identified, ways to remediate them, and possible root causes. That alone was very much worth the visit. We are certain we will hire Suzanne again to do a more comprehensive house inspection in order to be well equipped to identify and address problems in the future before they wreck damage. We would also highly recommend Suzanne to anyone dealing with house maintenance, not only when you're buying a house, but also after a number of years living in the house even if you think that everything is fine (e.g., even though our roof looked fine and didn't seem to leak, we were unaware of faulty attic ventilation causing condensation that lead to mold). What impressed us very much, which you don't see too often these days, was Suzanne's warmhearted attitude toward us- we were very distressed, inundated with conflicting information and at loss of what to do. After her inspection we have a clear plan of action, which is a huge relief. read more

We highly recommend Suzanne to anyone who needs a home inspection, either it's a full inspection or some specific one (we needed to inspect piping, attic and crawl space for potential slow water damage). She scheduled an appointment for the next day after we contacted her and arrived on time. She came across as a professional, knowledgeable and detail-oriented specialist. Her attitude was very friendly, she was easy to talk with, and she listened to our concerns patiently without rushing through. She provided not only a thorough inspection of the areas we were concerned about, but also took extra time to explain the problems she identified, ways to remediate them, and possible root causes. That alone was very much worth the visit. We are certain we will hire Suzanne again to do a more comprehensive house inspection in order to be well equipped to identify and address problems in the future before they wreck damage. We would also highly recommend Suzanne to anyone dealing with house maintenance, not only when you're buying a house, but also after a number of years living in the house even if you think that everything is fine (e.g., even though our roof looked fine and didn't seem to leak, we were unaware of faulty attic ventilation causing condensation that lead to mold). What impressed us very much, which you don't see too often these days, was Suzanne's warmhearted attitude toward us- we were very distressed, inundated with conflicting information and at loss of what to do. After her inspection we have a clear plan of action, which is a huge relief. read more

Suzanne is one of the most detailed and communicative professionals I have ever had the pleasure of working with. She helped us avoid walking into tens of thousands of dollars' worth of work. Plus, she's delightfully animated as a teacher! I would have paid more than her very fair fee just to learn what we learned walking through together. If you can work with her, jump on the opportunity fast! P.S. Besides the amazingly detailed inspection conversation, the materials she sends afterwards will help you on your quest for decades to come, I'm sure. Happy to discuss further since she really blew me away. If you ever have questions, just IM me! read more

Normally, I am far too lazy to bother to write a review like this (I suspect that it started with me having a lazy eye as a child and then it spread to the rest of my body.) Plus, I have serious doubts about the qualifications of most home inspectors as many times I have found that they know less than myself about houses, only having learned their trade via a mail order 3 week course. But Suzanne is very, very different. Aside from her being a civil engineer and having experience in the construction industry, the bottom line is she's just plain smart as well as being exceptionally competent. A lot of other inspectors I've hired over the years had just as good reviews online....but after hiring them, I was left with the distinct impression that they must have been written by the inspectors themselves....but I can now assert that these glowing reviews are completely legitimate. read more

After having a meh experience with two inspectors before, I was happy to find Suzanne. I originally found Suzanne through yelp, double checked on redfin; both sites raved about her work, so we booked her for our pre-inspection. She did a fantastic job of being thorough and giving advice on projects that we can handle ourselves. Would suggest her to anyone who needs an inspector. I am actually using her again for her Annual Home Maintenance Inspections service. She will always be my go to inspector. read more

Suzanne is AMAZING. This was our first home buying experience, and she gave us an almost-too-thorough report. There were no questions left unanswered, and she even let me join in on the inspection! I took it as somewhat of an educational experience, and learned a ton about home maintenance and DIYing. Thanks, Suzanne! As others have mentioned, she is a former civil engineer and construction worker, as long as an avid DIYer. We now are formulating our game plan on getting the house up to snuff, thanks to her investigation. She made an overwhelming process more manageable. I would not hesitate to hire her again, and will be recommending her to friends going forward. read more

Suzanne is an wonderful inspector, I used her service after reading reviews on yelp and I am glad that I made the right decision. She was very through and checked every part of the house, her reports were very detailed and she explained it well read more

Great experience! Suzanne was able to get in quickly, did a very thorough job and sent a 50 page, detailed report that included pictures of products we should use, do's and don'ts for roof maintenance and a lot of very detailed info. My Realtor recommended Suzanne because she is so thorough and great to work with. I completely agree! Thanks for all the help read more

Being female in a male-dominated field, you unfortunately have the burden of "proving yourself" just to be competitive. That is just the way it is, my friends. Well not only is Suzanne the creme de la creme of rare female home inspectors, she is the creme de la creme of ALL home inspectors. For home buyers who have become jaded about the home inspection process in the past and feel like it's just a token part of the home purchase process where you just waste more money and not get any real value, with Suzanne you get all of your money's worth and much more. I would hire her for inspecting all types of houses -- even brand-new ones with no obvious defects -- just to be privy to all the technical knowledge, insights, and advice she can educate you on. It's a win-win. read more

Suzanne was not only delightful, but she was thorough and knowledgeable. She has a background in civil engineering, so when I asked her opinion on whether or not a wall was load bearing she did not hesitate to tell us that it was not. After the inspection she took her time to speak with my buyers about her findings and home maintenance in general (first time home buyers). She was great at providing solutions to the problems she saw without terrifying them that their new purchase was in imminent danger. In addition, she does sewer scopes! I plan on using Suzanne again. Ari Kirschenbaum Realtor read more

My husband and I are first-time homeowners, and while we were in escrow we found ourselves in need of a home inspector. After searching on Yelp, we found Suzanne. Just peek at her other reviews - we were convinced! She was incredibly knowledgeable and patient with our newbie status, carefully explaining everything to us. She was prompt and thorough when she went through everything on her report. The same night as the inspection, we received a PDF copy of the report - one that was very detailed and called out what needed to be fixed to pass the appraisal. Then a little while later, we received a thoughtfully-constructed binder of the same report, in addition to a zip drive full of photos and video of the inspection. You can't get better than Suzanne. I will be recommending her to anyone and everyone who needs a home inspection in the area. read more

Suzanne was referred to us by our realtor. We are so glad that Suzanne was able to inspect our home. She was punctual, informative and efficient. We were able to follow her throughout the house and she would answer any questions we had. After the thorough inspection she was able to show us her findings through pictures. A few days after the inspection she sent us a very detailed report with a thumb drive of all the pictures. The report was such a great help because it had great tips for the future upkeep of the house. We were not sure what to expect since this was our first home purchase, but she put our minds at ease during and after the inspection. We are so grateful for Suzanne and the wonderful job she did in inspecting our home. read more

I have employed Sound Advice Home Inspection twice -- once to check out the house before we bought it, and later to obtain some structural advice. Both time I was incredibly impressed with the thorough, professional service that Ms Picard offered. She is very methodical and thorough, and follows up with a detailed and very useful report. By far the best home inpsector I have ever interacted with. read more

Absolutely cannot recommend a person more! Suzanne is the gold standard for home inspections. She walks through the house with you explaining in very simple but detailed terms everything you need to know about the home. I know more about this home we just inspected than any other home I've lived in!! As a first time home buyer, this was a huge relief and boost of confidence, both in the condition of the house and in what we need to do to care for it. We also saved money by having her do the sewer scope, for 40-50% less, since she's already there!! I hope everyone discovers Suzanne in time to have her do their home inspection. Side note: my dad is a contractor (30+ yrs) and they went back and forth about things I know nothing about. She clearly is very knowledgeable about all kinds of homes. read more

I highly recommend Suzanne to anyone needing a home inspector. I'm pretty picky when it comes to hiring people, so I did a ton of research on inspectors before deciding that Suzanne was the one for us. We had her do two inspections. One was a pre-offer inspection on a house we didn't win, and the second was a regular pre-purchase inspection with the report. Here's what we liked about her: 1. Credentials. She stands apart from most other inspectors in that she is a licensed engineer and has experience in construction. Her past engineering experience was valuable to us when we had concerns about a retention pond behind the house. She happily replied that she used to design those when she was a civil engineer and then proceeded to explain how they work, which helped alleviate my worries about the possibility of it flooding. Her experience in construction was also helpful since she was able to answer all my questions about which walls we could safely remove and which remodeling projects would require permits. 2. Thoroughness. One of the reasons we chose her is because of the number of reviews that mentioned how thorough she is. The reviews were absolutely right. Our pre-inspection on the first home (3,100 sqft) lasted for four hours and the inspection on the second one (2,700sqft) ran a little longer since we had more questions that time and the house had more issues. She is very methodical in her approach which made us confident that she would not skip over anything. There are other inspectors out there who will do it in half the time, but you can bet those inspections aren't going to be anywhere near as thorough. We really liked that the pre-offer inspection was exactly as in-depth as the regular inspection. The only difference between the two is that one comes with a written report and warranty. If you decide you want the report after having a pre-inspection, you can add it on later. 3. Great Communication. Suzanne was prompt in answering all of our questions whether we sent them to her over yelp, email, or on the phone. During the inspection, she was more than happy to explain how things work and answer the many questions we had. She even took the time to teach us how to fix some things ourselves and gave us step by step instructions which I wrote down. She was very pleasant to work with, which made the inspection a fun experience for us. 4. Ease of Scheduling. You can see her availability on her website and book your appointment online. You really can't go wrong with someone as knowledgeable, pleasant, and thorough as Suzanne! Thank you to Yelp for helping us find her! read more