Top Line Home Inspections, LLC

My realtor recommended Sherman to do my home inspection. Not only did he miss small things (e.g. my front porch light not working) but he missed big things as well (e.g. the flashing on my chimney leaking). The biggest thing I will comment about was not telling me there were roots in my sewer - which I paid extra for a scope!! After finding out that there were roots in my sewer due to my drains not working, I looked for the sewer report and could not find it anywhere. Once I called his office about this matter, it mysteriously appeared on the website. Now he is saying it was there all along. Do yourself a favor and find a different home inspector. This guy is a liar and a thief!

On March 23, 2019, I had Top Line (Sherman Hall) inspect a house my wife and I had under contract to purchase in New Albany, OH. Our realtor gave Sherman access to the house around 9am and we were requested to come after about 3 hours to hear what he had found in the home. Sherman is a very likable guy and seemed to do a fantastic job. He walked us through the list of findings and all were fairly easy fixes or stuff you expect in a 15-year-old home. As my realtor said, he even used one of those moisture sensors to check for moisture. After a couple days, we receive a report from Top Line / Sherman that confirmed these were all fairly easy stuff to fix. We closed on the house April 29th. A couple weeks later, my dad came for a few days and we put him in a guest room we had not entered since move-in day. At night, he likes to sleep with the window open. As he opens the window, he notices the window sill (bottom part of window) is completely rotten and the hardware for the window is essentially floating in place. It was Springtime and this was the first time we opened the windows and there were white wooden shades that were down for most of the windows in the house. We then begin to check out more windows. ALL of the casement windows (ones that swing out / not double hung) had issues. This is about half the windows in the house. Furthermore, opening the windows felt like they had not been opened in a long time. Like they were stuck from the previous time they were opened and not opened recently for the inspection. In the inspection report, Top Line / Sherman noted **All accessible windows were operated and appeared functional at the time of inspection** I specifically told him during the inspection to check the windows since New Albany is notorious for bad windows. I contacted him and he said he would come to re-inspect the windows. June 4, 2019 Sherman comes out again and he inspects all 15 of the casement windows. He opens them all and admits he simply missed the windows during the inspection. To be fair, he offered to return my payment, but said the cost to repair them would be substantially more than the payment I gave him. This is where the situation goes horrible. During the initial meeting, I signed a lengthy document that I skimmed at best. It is like reading an Apple waiver. In the document, there is a clause that limits my ability to recoup damages at 2x my payment to Sherman / Top Line. Sherman had his insurance company contact me and they said my damages are capped at 2x the payment. I have an estimate for the amount to replace the windows and its ~$35,000. Needless to say, this amount of money would have significantly influenced our purchase of the house and we were misled by the inspection report. I am not sure we will end up going to court over the windows but I feel I have been taken advantage of by Sherman, Top Line and his insurance company. We are not litigious people and we expect certain things to pop up (like the $850 for the sprinkler that could not be tested because the water was turned off or the AC unit that had no Freon and was $700 to fix). I would advise anyone using Top Line or Sherman to not sign any document that caps your damages. Pictures are on my review for Top Line submitted on a very famous search engine.

inspector was professional and thourough

They go above and beyond to ensure you know everything prior to home purchase. Incredibly thorough. You can tell he takes pride in his work! Highly recommended!

They truly are for the buyer, honest and professional.

Sherman was very knowledgeable very help and very nice. Definitely will use Top Line Home Inspection in the future

Very timely and professional. Provided a good report showing condition and recommendations.

provided excellent service

Very through, went through everything. Shared information while doing the inspection. Would hire again

Sherman was very professional and personal. He was very engaged with me and added lot a value. Glad he was the inspector for my future property.