We've worked with this home inspection company across a wide range of transactions across Northern Virginia, and they consistently deliver at a high level. If you're looking for a reliable, thorough, and professional home inspection company in Northern VA, this is the team you want on your side. They're incredibly informative for both first-time home buyers and experienced buyers. They take the time to walk clients through every part of the inspection, answer questions in real time, and make sure buyers truly understand the condition of the home before moving forward. That level of education and transparency is rare and extremely valuable in today's market. Brittanie is fantastic on the scheduling side, responsive, organized, and always doing her best to squeeze us in, even on tight timelines. Mike and Jim have handled inspections for many of our clients, and they are consistently thorough, detail-oriented, and great at communicating findings in a clear, practical way. Garry has also spent time working directly with our team, which shows how invested they are in building long-term relationships and supporting both agents and clients. They service all of Northern Virginia and have built a strong reputation for being honest, friendly, and dependable. They also operate as a true one-stop shop, which makes the process even smoother for our clients. One thing that stands out right away is that everyone on their team genuinely seems to love what they do, and it shows in how they interact with clients and how much care they put into each inspection. Another major differentiator is that the owner, Jim, is still actively inspecting homes. It's clear he genuinely loves what he does, and that passion shows in the quality of work and the standard his entire team holds. Overall, this is a go-to home inspection company in Northern VA that we trust with our clients time and time again. read more

Efficient and professional inspectors. However, they made several serious errors and then refused to acknowledge that they were corrected. Unresponsive to multiple requests. Not recommended. read more

Good company good inspector.i am satisfy with their service. The did through inspection and caught all the issues save me headache and repair costs Highly recommended read more

Had another great experience with Square One! Greg Jones was professional, detail-oriented, polite and thorough. My clients booked at the last minute and Square One came through with a great inspector who gave us the information we needed to make such a big decision. read more

Who else go screwed by this company with the lies they told about free AC tune ups?? They promised and promised and didn't deliver a thing. Expect better from a company. Go with someone else! Beware of this company!! read more

Home inspection prior to buying. Extremely detailed with photos and recommendations for repair. Have used them twice. The first time they found termite damage that was unknown from sellers along with water intrusion damage as well. Would have never known as the inspector took time to do such a through inspection. Worth every penny to walk away from that potential money pit of problems., which would have taken time and money to solve. Second home had equally rigorous inspection and pointed out minor things that needed to be fixed. The reports are detailed, with photos, and submitted within hours of the inspection being completed. They crawl all over the house roof, attic space, and underneath to ensure a job well done. Excellent customer service! Great job and would use them again. read more

Kevin with Square One was fantastic. I think he works across the DMV, and definitely in DC, so if you're in DC, ignore that the yelp page says Lorton. Kevin was thorough and did not rush through any part of the process. His work was completed on time, but then I had extra questions related to a hard-to-access roof HVAC and he was willing to stay to go up there again to help me try to get more info. He was very careful in getting open a stuck electrical box and had also brought clean indoor-only shoes to wear. He answered my questions fully and clearly - not just during the inspection, but also afterwards by email. He also could have upsold me on an add-on to the inspection that I asked if I should do, but he and a colleague who specialized in that add-on let me know that it wasn't necessary in my case. I appreciated their integrity and the savings and it made me want to recommend them to others. The report itself was clearly written and documented with pictures and outlined different categories of things he noticed (for safety, repair, or just informational). I do think the company itself should work on giving a clear timeline on their new blue tape reports (a separate document from a partner of theirs), but that will hopefully improve as the system gets up and running, and it was unrelated to Kevin's great work, so I didn't remove any stars. Lastly, the company's online form and payment system was pretty easy. I might've been able to find something cheaper, but knowing what you're getting into with a home or apartment is so valuable and can save money down the road, so I thought it was reasonable and worth it. read more

Dylan was extremely thorough and was happy to answer any questions. The report covered everything end-to-end and Dylan provided recommendations on how to service things as well. Overall, we'll be happy to refer Dylan to any of our friends as he did a fantastic job. read more

Jim at Square One Home Inspections was great. He responded promptly to messages. He explained the process prior to and when he arrived for our appointment. The inspection report was detailed with exact pictures identifying each item inspected. The report was easy to understand with color coded detail for recommendations, maintenance and any potential safety hazards. Definitely would recommend Square One Home Inspections. read more

Mike Egbert was our home inspector and he was phenomenal! He was very detailed and provided us with explanations on to the state of the home. He gave thorough recommendations and made us aware of repairs that were needed, could be improved, and things to be on the lookout for. Would highly recommend Mike for anyone in need of a great home inspector. read more

We recently used Square One for the home inspection of our new condo. Cristian was on time, very thorough, and super helpful. He walked me through all the issues he found and documented everything. His report afterwards was so user friendly outlining every issue as a DIY fix, recommended fix, or safety hazard. This made following up with the realtors so convenient and a seamless process. I would def use Square One again and a huge thanks to Cristian! read more

I'm so glad Dylan from Square One (recommended by our realtor) did our home inspection. He was incredibly thorough and answered every big and small question. The report, itself, was very detailed, including recommendations, pictures, and more. I also appreciated all the tips and feedback he provided as we walked through the property. This was my third home purchase in the DC/Virginia area, and this was the best inspector experience I've had. Would highly recommend. read more

Kyle was thorough and the report was a great resource. Lots of photos, notes and comments on items throughout the property. All color coded based on severity of possible repairs or damage. read more

Square One Home Inspections are incredible! Especially Jim, but also his crew -Cristian and Dylan, who walked us through the entire inspection explaining everything in detail. I loved how they categorized immediate concerns, and longer term maintenance issues. The report following the inspection was incredibly detailed as well, uploaded online immediately for our review and complete with photographs explaining exactly what was working for the house and all that weren't. We ended up not going forward with the property due to issues with it's foundation. Had we not had the inspection with Jim, we would've made a terrible investment. If you are looking for a thorough inspection for a potential home, look no further than - Jim and his crew. read more

Square One was recommended by our realtor and I couldn't be happier with the interaction. They showed up before our scheduled meet up to inspect the outer areas and the roof which was appreciated and respectful of our time. Once inside they looked at the house from top to bottom inch by inch and we ended up with a very detailed report of big and small issues. They also offered a second walkthrough after closing to give maintenance tips and I'm looking forward to doing it. read more

I hired Square One based on the recommendation of a realtor friend. I'm not selling my house, but am in between tenants and thought it would be a good time to see if there were any major issues that needed to be addressed. The house is 80 years old and has not had a thorough going over since we bought it 15 years ago. Thankfully there is nothing wrong that can't easily be fixed. My initial call was placed after 5 pm when I thought they would be long closed. Surprisingly, the owner, Jim answered and we spoke through what I needed and got me scheduled. Dylan was the actual person who did the inspection and I was thrilled by his professionalism and politeness. You never know what you're going to get these days so this was a pleasant surprise. The thoroughness of the inspection was quite impressive and produced a long and detailed report. He looked at everything inside, out, and underneath, and went over everything with us before sending over the report. The price I paid for the inspection was well worth the money spent. I'm going to use the report to take care of some safety hazards and recommended services immediately and use the rest to perform more maintenance further down the road. I highly recommend Square One Home Inspections. Don't miss the opportunity to work with a professional, high quality group of people! read more

Great job inspecting the house! Cristian was friendly, able to answer any questions we had during the home inspection, and had the report completed and ready to review within an 30 minutes or less of finishing the inspection. We had a follow question about a week later and Square was very responsive and were able to answer our question right away. read more

Immediately after moving in, our basement was flooded through two different sources. Neither of which was properly documented in our inspection report. They called out exterior leakage of the dishwasher but failed to inspect the basement underneath to see if water damage had occurred. The inspector told us it was nothing major, just some water on the kitchen floor, and to get a new one when the home warranty kicked in. $5,000 in damages later and they refuse to acknowledge any responsibility for it. They brag that they'll write you an inspection report with 100 things to call out down to firewood near the house, but if your house floods from using an appliance they told you was fine, then nothing. They wouldn't even give us back the inspection fee as outlined in our agreement, despite boasting that they would go above and beyond if anything went wrong. If you want any reassurance over your house before you close, I can't recommend enough that you go with a different inspector. read more

Mike arrived early and started doing the inspection of the outside of the house right away. Inside he went through the entire house methodically and with care. After the inspection was over, he informed us of the issues he discovered (mostly minor and not unusual for a house of this age) and said we would have the report that evening, which we did. Mike was very professional and I would not hesitate to recommend him and Square One. read more

Lee did a wonderful inspecting my home! He was very detailed and did an excellent job explaining things to me. I would hire him again in a heartbeat! read more

Dylan and his team did an excellent job inspecting a new home build. They were responsive, well priced and flexible with the times we requested. They produced a thorough and well organized inspection to include detailed notes and recommendations for maintaining the new build. Very pleased! read more

We are so pleased with the inspection and service we received from Square One Home Inspections. Our inspector, Cristian Vergara, arrived ahead of schedule and got started immediately. He was extremely thorough and knowledgeable on every area of the home, and his in-person comments were easy to understand--even by someone without construction experience. We received a full report with color photos and clear recommendations almost immediately after the inspection was complete. Then, we simply printed a PDF and handed it off to a contractor to get quotes on needed repairs--so easy! read more

Mike did my home inspection. As a first time buyer, Mike walked me through all that was happening and was really helpful in letting me know what truly needed to be urgently fixed and what was not to code but could be dealt with down the road. The report he provided made it very easy to get repairs done. read more

this company is more than great they are outstanding. very detail oriented and explains everything so you understand. I wouldn't trust any other company. read more

We feel Dylan and Square One provided us with an OUTSTANDING home inspection service today and we feel very comfortable making a very big decision on this home. He was very professional and courteous. I'm confined to a wheelchair and Dylan was so nice in helping set up my portable ramp and putting it back into our van later so I could get in and out of the home we have an offer on. Dylan provided us with progress updates during the inspection and a very detailed after inspection report that was easy to understand. We sincerely appreciate his professional service and highly recommend Dylan and Square One Home Inspections. read more

Always very professional. The report is in-depth. The videos attached to the report are very helpful with suggesting fixes or what to explain from a contractor. I would definitely be them to friends and family. read more

They were extremely helpful, thorough, and answered all of my questions! Highly recommend them in the future!

Buying a home remotely (ie living in GA while looking to buy in VA) presents a host of difficulties. Luckily for us scheduling a thorough home inspection was not one. Square One was able to work with us & our agent to schedule a home inspection only a few days after acceptance of an offer on our home. We had feedback within hours of completion. For those & other reasons I'd highly recommend. read more

Jim and his team were awesome! The sellers only gave us an hour to inspect the house but they were extremely through even with a very little time window. He brought a team to make sure he could dig into everything he needed to. His report was very thorough and impressively quick. read more

Square One was so thorough in their inspection. I'm a complete novice when it comes to home-ownership, buying my first home, and the Square One inspectors were professional, thoughtful, and kind explaining areas of concern after they took their time looking over the whole house. Many of the items they noted helped in the final price negotiation of my home purchase. Their report came out quickly after they left the home and I was amazed how detailed and educational it was for me. I have a lot to learn about owning a home, but at least I made the best first home-buying decision in hiring Square One to inspect my new place. read more

Typically home inspectors get bad reviews because they missed something they should have caught. In my experience with Jim F from Square One, his exhaustive and very thorough report at first glance appeared impressive, however upon review, it contained many fatale flaws. I firmly believe home inspectors should point out any issue or potential issue they see, regardless of how small, with explanation and commentary of impact to the buyer as they explore the house together - but Jim annotated many clearly false issues without basis. Some, but not all, examples from a single inspection: he noted that the gutters on the home were filled to the brim with debris indicating years of neglect and potential issues with the roof - when in actuality the gutters were filled with a foam gutter guard - something an experienced home inspector should have been very familiar with. He noted there was no cap on a chimney which could allow moisture and animals in, when it was clearly capped and sealed off, any lay person could have seen that. He noted a broken window seal when there was no such thing. He stated a baseboard electric heater system was "inoperable" vs something more appropriate like "unable to test" due to no knowledge of where the "on" button was (which on the unit itself, accessible, but slightly behind a tv cabinet). And most appalling, he stated to the buyers "I wouldn't move my family into that house with that tree there" with no arborist training whatsoever (side note, the tree in question had been "cleared" by multiple arborists within the last 6 months). His cavalier comments and ineptitude about certain aspects of the home resulted in the buyers feeling unsettled about aspects of the home - potential for a tree to fall on the house, costly roof repairs/replacement, and a plethora of "little things" - and ultimately overwhelmed, causing them to pull out and lose out on a home they initially loved. Additionally a major inconvenience to the seller in terms of time (home on market), and money to both parties (seller paying professional to debunk the false observations, buyer in money invested in the inspection and lawyer/title fees) - overall, both buyer and seller sides of this transaction were hurt by his report. Based on all the other reviews I suspect he will attempt to defend his false comments, but trust that his misinformed assessment may be dangerously misleading to both buyers and sellers not as home-savvy and relying on and trusting his expertise and advice. Buyer beware. read more

Square One provided a very thorough inspection of a condo unit to identify issues that I believe others may have missed. I was impressed he had a wet vac in the truck to clean up the dishwasher leak. The report was sent shortly after the inspection and it was easy to navigate and understand the variety of concerns. read more

Highly recommend! Top to bottom explained throughout the inspection that a C student could understand.

Super easy to work with. The payment and process was extremely easy to go through. Arrived at our soon to be home and these guys were so professional. They gave us the opportunity to walk with them and ask them questions. Even after the inspection was over, we were able to ask follow up questions. Plus - Jim is really nice and seems like a good guy. I'd definitely go back to him in the future. read more

What I like most about Jim is his reports are data rich and dense with actionable advice so I was able to assign a number to nearly every issue identified to figure out whether there was enough margin of safety to be able afford the required repairs or not. Jim has a backlog of work so there is some lead time involved with trying to get on his calendar. He also has a team which helps. Specifically, I think his roof reviews are among the most detailed and actionable. He is good at finding issues that need repair. He also checks if additional filters are needed in vents. It was very helpful to learn of this issue prior to acquisition. What could have only slightly more helpful would also include measuring the size of the filter missing. I like that he tested all the electrical outlets for ground faults. I literally had a list of issues in enough detail that I could go to a contractor and get a ballpark estimate on what Jim found. Built on top of Jim's inspection: I am going to rent a FLIR i7 infrared head camera to pinpoint where I need more insulation and weatherization plus check if any smaller leaks exist, I am also going to buy a Corentium radon detector to more actively monitor radon levels. Not sure what else can be done non-destructively to follow-up on Jim's great work but I believe I am off to a great start. Thus I highly recommend Jim. read more

Square One Home Inspections were A++++. Very knowledgeable and thorough. Jim and Mike are both extremely professional. Took great care with safety precautions due to the pandemic. Definitely the best home inspection report I've ever received (this is the 4th house I've bought/sold). Report is comprehensive and extremely user friendly, even giving you tips on who should fix the issue (DIY, handyman, or contractor). They will even come out after closing to give me a maintenance plan. They were so great I even recommended them to my best friends who were buying a house down the street. If I ever buy another house again in the area, you can bet I'll be asking these guys to come do the inspection. I can't recommend them highly enough. read more

Dylan was on time and thorough in his inspection. He kindly answered any questions I had in addition to making his own report. I highly recommend him. Square One's report was also available in PDF and URL format, which made it easy to share. Great home inspection company. read more

Jim and Nathan were excellent! Such attention to detail. Very professional and courteous. They took several hours to comb through every detail of our 5,500 sq ft home. They were available for questions afterwards. The pictures, details, and repair recommendations they gave in their report were comforting. Would enthusiastically recommend them again. We got an excellent return on our investment by paying for their inspection read more

Jim and Lee were flexible in scheduling our home inspection on an urgent turn around which we greatly appreciated. Worked quickly, explained their findings along the way, and were available for questions at the end of the inspection and after as well. read more

Square One was recommended by my agent and I'm so happy I had the pleasure of meeting Jim Fletcher and Lee Fletcher. The appointment started with their punctuality already having the front exterior taken care of prior to our appointment time. I'm unfamiliar with having a house inspection. Jim was very kind to give me a rundown of what him and Lee would be doing. Throughout the inspection, they'd check in with us and ask if we had any questions and concerns. A bonus part of this inspection was a guide book along with a certificate for satisfaction guarantee. When the inspection was finished, Jim went through each floor starting from top to bottom on his findings. Him and Lee were very thorough especially in their reports - descriptions, pictures and circled items to keep in mind. I really appreciate receiving the report shortly after the inspection. Thank you for your efficiency! read more