Jay Marlette

All of the reviews about Jay are right on. He’s professional, thorough, and very reliable. I just had him to an inspection for my condo in Oakland yesterday and he delivered the report to me promptly today. Couldn’t ask for any better and I’ll plan on recommending him to friends and family. Thanks, Jay!

Reading an inspection report from another home inspector can be alarming and daunting because there is no context to the report. That is why we got a second home inspection once we entered escrow.
Enter Jay, the only home inspector you need.
He spent hours with us in our home going over every single thing. He is so thorough and knowledgable which is amazingly helpful for first-​time home buyers. He leaves no stone unturned, seriously. The only way to access the attic space in our home was through this narrow «coat closet» that used to be the stove pipe for the stove at least 60 years ago. It looked like only a small child could fit inside, but he got the ladder out of his car and shimmied his way up there to inspect the attic for us.
Jay takes lots of photos through the whole inspection and walks us through what he’s looking for and what he finds. Along the way, he also told us different ways we could fix the minor things ourselves and helpful home maintenance tips. He’s also knowledgable about various rebate/​financing programs in which we could do home upgrades. Also, he’s just an overall fun guy to spend some time with. He’s got some amazing/​hilarious stories.
The report is very detailed and thorough. Most importantly, Jay provides context. He was super helpful in telling us what needed fixing right away and what things we could live with. The report has a front section where he lists his recommendations for things to address. The rest of the report is divided into clear sections detailing each area of the house with the full assessment, photos, and helpful diagrams and background information on home maintenance.
Jay really made the home inspection process less scary and manageable. He also has a lot of really great resources on his blog.
For first-​time home buyers, get Jay to do your buyer inspection. You won’t regret it.
P. S. Jay’s handlebar mustache was awesome. Respect.

The best home inspector.
In addition to Jay’s thorough and intelligent home inspection skills, he’s a very skilled teacher. His reports are detailed, thorough, and easy to digest. I learned a lot from Jay and I’m very thankful that we worked with him.
He’s also super friendly, funny, and nice! A real pleasure to work with!
Thank you, Jay!

Jay is the best home inspector you could possibly get in the SF Bay area. We used his services while in the process of selling our house in Berkeley.
His reports are thorough, detailed, and timely. We received ours next day. It provides extra information about areas inspected, that in most cases could enable handy people to effect repairs themselves, or at the very least takes the mystery out of the process.
He is polite, ethical, knowledgeable, and green! Showing up for the inspection on a tricked out bike that had everything he needed to the job.
Jay is the rockstar of home inspection.

Jay is great at what he does. My wife and I used him for our home purchase. He left no stone unturned, and generated a thorough report which was helpful in our negotiations. In particular I would definitely recommend his services if you’re purchasing a home that needs work as he’ll help you understand what needs fixing immediately and what is lower priority.

Jay Marlette was my home inspector. He is detailed as all, informative, honest, thorough and down right nice. I felt really armed with lots of knowledge his inspection. I have used a few of his referrals of other service providers and feel like they have also been top notch!

Jay was amazing, thorough, and highly ethical. He explained things in laymen’s terms and gave me choices. He even repaired the garbage disposal free of charge. Jay Marlette is an amazing home inspector!
By the way, I met his family and they are super sweet. It is great to see people working in the community they live in, and making an honest wage.
When we buy we will use him again.

If I could give him 10 stars, I would. Jay takes such pride in his job. He comes equipped with his tablet, making detailed notes in the software he uses specifically for home inspections. He is incredibly professional, thorough, HONEST, knowledgable and takes his time looking through every nook and cranny. He is also super sweet, incredibly smart and an all over great guy. You can tell this man does the right thing for the sake of doing the right thing. I love that, especially when throughout the home buying process you’re constantly feeling like people aren’t doing right by you, that everyone just wants a piece of the pie as quickly as they can and with as little work possible.
Buying a home can be nerve racking but having Jay as my inspector put me at such ease. He verbally went over everything he was inspecting and he emailed me his 61 page report the next day. It was complete with graphics and explanations that go above and beyond the call of duty. He gives honest recommendations; explaining why certain things are easy fixes and where others will need further inspection as they they are beyond his scope of practice. I learned so much about a house by going through this process with Jay.
It’s so rare that you find people who are true professionals in their craft. Jay knows his stuff. Even though I didn’t go through with the purchase of the house, I am certainly glad I met Jay so when I need another home inspection, I’ll know who to call. Check out his website for recommendations for plumbers, electricians, etc.
This man is seriously impressive. You have found your home inspector in him so you can stop your search right now!

The BEST! Jay is so incredibly knowledgable, meticulous, and through. I could not have asked for a better home inspection experience. It is apparent that Jay truly cares about his work and has a deep appreciation for vintage homes. He is also a great teacher and extremely nice and funny! HIGHLY recommended!

Jay has been helping me with my pursuit of the right repairs AFTER purchase of my new home, and with a really nice attitude. He truly is standing behind his work… the inspection he gave me was very thorough and saved me money in negotiation. When I needed things explained, he was able to. I have truthfully counted my lucky stars I found Jay several times during this process, and from his loyalty, I suspect I may be able to ask him a random question now and then (if I am truly stumped) in the future, as a NOT-​relaxed and NOT-​experienced NEW homeowner… yes, Jay was the perfect inspector for me and he has more than earned his fee.

Very thankful for Jay — he was worth every dime. He saved us from what would have been a money pit of foundational damage on our first accepted offer. We backed out of the deal and I could not be more happy we did.
We were nervous what he would uncover at the second place. Luckily it only had minor issues — most of which were already disclosed. This house is way better than the first place — so in a sense Jay facilitated us getting a better place.
His report is detailed and includes handy pictures/​diagrams for homeowner noobz like myself for easy reference later.
Recommended!
P. S. Don’t be a sucker and skimp on paying for your own inspection!

Jay did a very thorough job on my home ispection. He was very professional, and extremely knowledgeable. He answered every question I had that day, and is still available to me at any time to answer any additional questions I may have. I highly reccommend his services!

Jay is a super nice guy, and an excellent home inspector. I am a mechanical engineer, so his explanations of what he was seeing were fantastic.
Additionally, my mom is a 30-​year real estate broker (and lawyer) in another state, who flew in to the Bay Area during our inspection contingency, and was present for parts of the inspection. She said she was watching Jay’s demeanor and meticulousness, and that the way he operates puts him in the top echelon of inspectors.
Not only is it a fun 4 (or 5) hours with Jay, but you can be assured he does what you need him to do — turn over every stone to make sure you know exactly what you’re buying.

As Jay explains it, he’s a buyer’s agent. I had the opportunity of paying (hahaha! who says that?) for two inspections under his watchful eye. Not knowing anything about homes, working with him was exactly what was needed. The guy likes to talk! And I was all ears. I learned so much following him around the home and eating up his every word.
He’s a cool guy and has a good sense of humor to boot! Its clear he loves what he does and is an inquisitive, curious person by nature. He makes a 4 hour inspection fun, if you can believe that! His reports are thorough and is our reference point now for how we are going to approach our home repairs for the next few years.
If I had another home to buy, I wouldn’t look anywhere else. It was a pleasure to work with Jay and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend him to anyone.

I was really nervous about purchasing a house in this economy and — after a few houses (some under contract) where Jay discovered major structural and electrical problems — I became increasingly grateful that Jay was on our side; and that his careful work allowed us to get out from under the contracts that were contingent upon inspection.
His inspections are very thorough, he is very professional, his reports are highly detailed, and I would recommend him to anyone. His web site is very informative and is clear about his capabilities, pricing, and what he delivers. I’d recommend him to anyone.

Jay is a good friend of mine. I’ve known him for years and knew he was a home inspector but had no idea what his work style was until I found myself suddenly found myself buying a house. Our house is one of those «flipped homes» bought by an investor in Oakland and made to look pretty so it would sell for much more than they paid.
We got him scheduled. He has a busy schedule. He came over and was super professional, even though we are his friends. He got straight to work. He spent about 3 hours looking over every nook and cranny of the house.
He explained everything to us. Had us come in the attic to see things with him so he could explain more. We were given a wonderful report complete with drawings that made it easy to understand what the heck he was talking about.
I would not hesitate to recommend him or use him again. This was the third house I bought and I’d never had a home inspector actually make sure I understood the good and bad things about the house. He even recommended a second opinion when necessary and didn’t push any particular provider.
He has a cheerful personality and is really honest about what you might want to fix or what work looks like it was done in a hurry or just plain wrong.

I am a real estate agent and I recommend him all the time.
In particular, he is amazing with first-​time home buyers. Not only do the Buyers get a top notch, thorough inspection, they get a lesson in Homeownership 101. Jay patiently and expertly explains all the systems of a house to my wide-​eyed clients and takes the mystery out of what makes a house work.
His inspections are excellent inspections, but they are also much more than that!

Jay Marlette is the quintessential professional in home inspection. When we had scheduled the inspection for the house in Richmond, I had no idea what to expect as a first time buyer. Upon arriving to the inspection, he was already on the roof of our house– to– be, wasting no time.
Walking through the house with him was like being inside a fascinating «This Old House» episode. He was able to tell us so many interesting factoids about the type of construction used on our house and point out some unusual, but acceptable repairs that had been made to the house. After the inspection, we received a full report in a binder broken out into easy to understand sections. Even though we don’t own that house anymore, we still have the binder because of how thorough it is.
Since the purchase of that house in Richmond, my husband and I moved up to Portland. We were so very disappointed by the home inspector that the Portland realtor suggested for the new place. We really wanted to import Jay up here so that he could show us what was really going on with the new place. Jay is one in a million!

Jay Marlette is the best home inspector, bar none. I’ve had four homes inspected in the bay area over the eleven years. The first two were by inspectors arranged by my agent. Then, by a friends suggestion, I hired Jay.
The other inspectors sucked. I had to hound them for the pathetic four page report. They didn’t go under the house, or in the attic, or check this or that for some lame reason. I was pointing out more problems than they were and was really tired of paying for crappy advice.
Jay is totally different. He is very professional, articulate, and, dare I write, passionate about his work. He has turned home inspections into an art form. It is similar to watching a master craftsman at work. Four-​page inspection report? Not from this man! I have two, sixty-​one page reports from the last two houses Jay inspected for me. We passed on one and purchased the other based on Jay’s advice. He easily saved me tens of thousands of dollars.
I read a review that slammed Jay for charging a cancellation fee. Grow up! You cannot expect a professional to block out four hours of their billable day and then not charge you for being irresponsible. Do all of us professionals a favor and get your act together before wasting everyone’s time.
If Jay charged twice as much for an inspection, I’d happily pay it. This is the expert you want in your corner when making the largest purchase of your life.
Thank you Jay for the great service!

Jay is awesome! He showed up on his customized bike, which carries a large ladder and all his other tools of the trade. He bikes to homes in the east bay when he has the opportunity and should be considered just for that effort! Jay’s entertaining enough to host an HGTV show, but also knowledgeable, detail oriented and professional when working at his craft.
Jay’s way of explaining things in laymen’s terms left us feeling like we knew the 95 year old house we were about to purchase from top to bottom. He was incredibly thorough and spent hours with us, educating us about everything and answering all and any questions. His report was detailed and even included tips and special additions based on our conversations that we had throughout the inspection. The report is still useful to us, several months in, as we prioritize repairs and renovations. Jay suggested a great pest inspection guy (who also was a foundation expert), plumber and contractor, and he offered himself up for questions and advice at anytime after moving into the house. You can tell that not only is he good at his work, but that he loves doing it as well. Well worth the cost.