Summer Street Consulting

Super, super thorough. Helped steer us clear of an awful house I otherwise would have convinced myself was decent. Helped us get comfortable with the house we ultimately bought and feel like we really understood what we were getting into. His inspection report is really, really clear, which is as important as the quality of the inspection. I’ve seen some really hard-​to-​read inspection reports, but Paul’s read just like you want them: organized, clear, labeled by type and degree of issue, pictures where helpful, professional (no typos and other BS that make you question the quality of the inspector), written for a regular audience without specialized understanding of construction. He seems to enjoy explaining what he’s doing while he’s doing it, and how construction issues may translate into maintenance issues for the homeowner down the line, which is really helpful.
Warning: if you fall in love with a crappy house and want an inspector to tell you it’s all good, Paul is really not your guy. Paul will give it to you straight, no sugarcoating. Like someone giving you a head’s up that the dude you have a crush on will break your heart and rob you blind. Not everyone wants a reality check, but if you are buying a house, you probably should get one from Paul.

Inspector Paul Rude is featured in the ‘Essential Guide to Buying Your First Home,’ from Nolo press. Nolo books have served me well in the past, and I was impressed by the expertise evident in the chapter on home inspection. Paul’s office is in Berkeley, and I was shopping in San Francisco, not that far away. Why not just hire him?
As soon as I made this decision, I began to have second thoughts.
«Maybe he’s just a drinking buddy of someone at Nolo,» I thought. «He might just be a good self-​promoter; who knows what kind of job he’ll actually do in the field?»
Still: his Unilocal reviews were good, and I decided to go ahead and work with him, although he’s a bit pricier than others.
I’ll cut to the chase:
In every profession, there should be at least a few people who do every little thing right, who dot the Is and cross the Ts, who serve as examples to others coming up in the field, so new paramedics or carpenters or teachers or police officers have someone to look to when they think of how their job should be done. Paul probably didn’t intend his life to work out this way, but I think he serves this role as a home inspector. I was tremendously impressed by his expertise when he talked about the home’s construction. The .pdf report he sent me after his inspection was far more complete than what I’d anticipated, and arrived earlier than expected, too.
About the only drawback is price: he’s a little more expensive than other home inspectors. But I thought the money was well spent. I recommend him.

Paul Rude’s last name definitely fits him. RUDE. If I could give him negative stars I would. My offer was recently accepted for a house and I was looking for a home inspector with a great reputation. Having used Unilocal as my resource Summer Street Inspections was at the top of my list. When I called, he immediately asked me how I got his number, I let him know through Unilocal.His response:
«My prices are higher than anyone on Unilocal,this call is a waste of my time.»
In shock my response was:
«How do you know I am not willing to pay your price if you won’t even give me a quote»
He counters:
«I’ve been doing this a long time, I know. GoodBye»
Just plain RUDE.

This man is the Cadillac of inspectors.
He saved us from some bad houses, and helped us choose this great one. He gives a lot of advice, he goes the extra mile, has great customer services, and is now a good neighbor too!
He wrote the NOLO press inspection chapter.
Everyone we know who used him on our suggestion is equally satisfied.
Buying a house is a drag, but this guy makes it a little bit less scarey.
Oh, should have seen the faces of the sellers’ agents when they saw we had Paul — he will save you whatever you pay him and more!

I hired Paul several years ago for a divorce-​related inspection of the Albany house. He was very thorough and professional as he poked, prodded, and explored up, down, and sideways throughout the home. The report provided the best degree of full disclosure that I had ever seen. And one heck of a list!
At the same time, I have a 1920s vintage Albany home and there’s not enough money or sense to bring everything up to modern code. However, Paul’s report gave me a prioritized road map (starting with safety critical items) that helped me plot a multi-​year repair and upkeep plan. Along the way, he was prompt and helpful in clarifying certain aspects of his report and helping me with contracting strategy.

We are in the escrow phase of buying a new home in Oakland and my husband and I just hired Paul to inspect the home. He was knowledgeable, skilled, helpful and patient. His report was through and informative. I took an extra business card and will recommend him to friends. Thanks, Paul!

We are in the process of preparing our home for selling, and wanted an inspection so that we would know what items need addressing before listing our property. We wanted a visual inspection of the exterior and interior, electrical, plumbing– the works. And that is what we got. Paul sent us a thorough, 33 page report that described our property in detail, pointed to items that could use repair or upgrading, and alerted us to possible hazards.
Paul is fantastic! Professional, prompt and friendly. I can only hope we find someone like Paul to do our inspection when we find a home at new location.

Much like Thomas D. we too read a report by Paul on a house we bid on but didn’t get, and were very impressed. So when our offer on another house was accepted, without hesitation we called Paul and were not disappointed. He was extremely thorough and congenial. Luckily the house did not need much in the way of repair, but Paul did find some defects that the seller’s inspector did NOT find. Plus Paul made sure we knew our options and generally what we could expect on the things we did want to repair. Overall he was tremendously professional and I recommend him highly.

I met Paul at the Berkeley Education Center and I decided to hire him because I figured anyone who is willing to spend their time educating other people about their craft is probably a person you would want to spend time with outside of the classroom’s four walls.
You know how contractors will often estimate their time and then be far off the mark? Paul’s fee corresponded with the amount of time he spent inspecting my house… give or take 15 minutes. It was pretty much on the mark.
His written brief is very thorough. He is also very pleasant and you can have a viable conversation with him about your property without the concern that his attention will be divided.
You should note that Paul does not include pest inspection in his skill set. Also, he did not inspect areas that were filled with belongings such as closets etc. If I had been made privvy to this rule before the fact I would have moved some things around so that egress and inspection would have been possible.

Paul Rude is a thorough and wonderful home inspector. I used Paul’s expertise twice during my housing search. The first time he came to do a pre-​offer walk-​through of a fixer upper in Oakland. Paul was honest about the work and his information ultimately helped me and my husband make the decision to not buy a house in need of such repair. Paul had humor about the house, and made clear to us, as first time home buyers, the many mysteries that make up a house.
Later when we fell in love with «the one» we called Paul again. We trusted him the first time and were ready for a traditional post-​offer inspection. Again Paul was thorough: he was on the roof, under the house, took pictures and notes all while I nervously watched with my fingers crossed. He answered questions and was patient with our many concerns. He prioritized issues in the house making our pest report and inspection seem less daunting. In less than 24 hours, we had a 30 page report that was easy to understand and very useful. We have used his report as a blueprint for updates we are making to our first house. We were also able to leverage some of the information Paul uncovered in our negotiations.
I would recommend Paul to anyone thinking of buying a home in the Bay Area. His experience, friendly but professional demeanor, and his promptness all make him a highly desirable inspector to have, especially in today’s buyers market!
Paul gives a discount for cash, which is nice.

We are first time home buyers and it was our first home inspection so it was important that the inspector is experienced and patient with our beginner’s questions.
Paul Rude was able to do our home inspection on an extremely short notice and did a very thorough job. He sent me the report the next day with recommendations for contractors and helpful resources for new home buyers. Although his price is a little high ($ 600 for around 1200sqft), it is worth it if you want a peace of mind for the biggest purchase of your life. I highly recommend his service!

I hired Paul for performing an inspection on a house I was about to buy. The inspection itself took quite a bit, but in the end his report was very detailed and full of valuable information. Although expensive as a service, it was the best money I ever spent. His report pointed out a lot of problems that I was not aware of, but it was done so well that by using that, in conjunction with other estimates, i got the price reduced by quite a bit.
So to sum it up, if I were to buy another house in the future, I would go back to Paul for sure.
Thanks!

We have been looking for a house in the Bay Area for over two years. Our last offer was finally accepted and we called to schedule Paul as soon as possible. We did not compare the costs of other inspectors because Paul Rude came so highly recommended. I did go the website and knew that this was the inspector for us. He’s got a degree in Communications and consistently emphasizes that he is in the business of information However, having read at least 30 inspection reports over the course of two years, I can tell you that the quality and comprehensibility of inspection reports varies significantly.
Paul arrived early to the house and met our real estate agent. And as other reviewers have mentioned, he proceeded to spend the next 3 hours going every which way in that house. He then came out of the crawl space, put his coveralls to the side, and took us on an hour plus tour to show us the red flags (very few) and what he thought we should do about them.
He answered all of our questions, told us to be sure to call if we had any more, and then sent us a thorough & clear report (with color photos) by email the next day. Awesome.
We jokingly compared his report to the «inspection-​lite» provided by the previous owner in the disclosure packet. You know the ones I’m talking about — where the inspector circles and puts check marks on a form, then writes illegibly. Bloody useless as far as I’m concerned.

Paul is worth his weight in gold. Professional, thorough, realistic, and candid are just some of the adjectives I would use to describe him, and I’ve only met him once! Add in that he’s a good writer, and you’ve got about as good a home inspector as you will find anywhere.
I narrowed my choice of inspectors to three: my realtor’s inspector, ($ 440 for 1.5 hrs — someone from a firm with many inspectors), Paul (contractor, past president of ASHI, independent, pricey) and another independent I used years ago, who’s quite a celebrity now, I guess (sticker shock price). I posed the choices to my husband (knowledgeable and handy but out of town), who hadn’t seen the property and wouldn’t be able to until after inspection contingency deadlines were up— he chose Paul, and so did another knowledgeable friend experienced in renovations. It was easily the best decision I could’ve made.
Paul inspected a late ’60’s rancher in Pinole for me. He arrived about an hour before I did and inspected the exterior of the house. He then spent another 3 hours inspecting the interior, attic, crawlspace of the house, after which he did a summary tour wherein he pointed out the most salient points of concern and answered questions.
Paul has a sharp memory, and if you tell him particular conditions of concern (mine were of a health nature), he points out defects/​hazards/​upgrades that are/​would be relevant to your issue. This is of tremendous value, and for that alone I would use his services again.
Paul is a reality check, but he’s also very sensible. He offers suggestions on many repairs that are cost-​effective, and offers tips and links to resources for DIY or hiring contractors on his website. He presents his findings in a balanced and (in person) humorous fashion. Very helpful when cash registers are ringing in your head and your blood pressure’s rising with each item discovered. Like a doctor, he has the odd ability to calmly mention something that could be quite serious.
Cost for inspection of 1800 sq. ft house on 8400 sq. ft lot — $ 600 (there’s a cash discount). While his inspection gave me the peace of mind I so badly needed, the house was more of a fixer than I originally thought so we moved on. When we do find that right house (and get it, which is difficult these days), I’ll have Paul on speed dial. I highly recommend him and hope you give him a try. He is worth every penny.

Based on my limited experience with inspectors and inspection reports, I recommend Paul Rude of Summer Street with 5 stars. More specifically, here is my story.
I’ve been househunting for a few months and in the process have had the chance to review some inspections/​reports that existed with some listings. I wasn’t particularly impressed with any of them, and their price range was about $ 400 to $ 550. When my agent booked an inspection for me for $ 850 I was a bit sticker shocked. So I called some inspectors I found on Unilocal.
On the phone Paul explained the importance of experience and certifications, and I liked his straightforward manner and professionalism. His price was higher than I’d seen on the other reports, but lower than the $ 850 my agent had me in for. And I felt confident since I’d chosen him based on the rave reviews here.
He showed up on time and diligently worked away for nearly 4 hours, checking in with periodic updates and explanations. He had a small computer with him, so I guess there’s software for this stuff. This is very handy, as he was able to immediate put details into a computer rather than a tape recorder or paper notes, and the software generates a nice TOC and readable layout.
He was patient with my questions and offered to answer any future questions as they will arise, with the sentiment that this is an ongoing relationship and not a one-​shot deal. I appreciated that immensely.
I’ve used this very thorough report to get quotes from other professionals (plumbing, electrical), and they’ve complimented the report on its thoroughness and professionalism. Bonus! Based on my experience plus these compliments from other service providers, I recommend Paul Rude/​Summer Street with confidence!

Mr. Rude was just the kind of guy I wanted, as inspector for a house we’re buying. He was on time, he was thorough, he was knowledgeable, and his written report was long and complete. Even the spelling and grammar and style were good, which is hard to find these days. The report was clear what was and what was not inspected. It will be a guide to me in what to repair first, in our first few years owning the house. Most important was that he gave me an idea how big a job each problem with the house was, which is the kind of knowledge I don’t have and was hiring him for. I also appreciated the discount for paying cash. I can find no fault with anything about his work.

Excellent and very thorough. Paul inspected a house in San Francisco, built around 1900. He explained everything to us in person and provided a very well-​written 30 page report including pictures of some of the problem areas. I learned a lot from Paul. Highly recommended!

Paul Rude recently inspected a home for us on very short notice, accommodating us over the Memorial Day weekend. He was professional, friendly, funny, knowledgeable, and most importantly, thorough.
We are buying a house that needs a fair amount of work, and Paul gave us the peace of mind in knowing exactly what we are getting into. His report, which came very quickly after the inspection, was detailed and helped us tremendously in our negotiations. In addition to the report, Paul also sent us some great links to classes on home ownership and other helpful resources.
Paul is worth every penny he charges and will ensure that you make an informed decision regarding the most important purchase you will ever make. I recommend him without reservation. Thanks Paul!

We had a wonderful experience with Paul. He very thoroughly assessed the house that we eventually bought. This allowed us to negotiate better with the seller and to have a realistic perspective on what we were getting. Paul is courteous and professional and a nice guy, too.

Paul A. Rude, the proprietor of Summer Street Inspections comes highly recommended by me and my family. He is a professional Home Inspector, and does a fabulous job. He is a bit pricey, as he even admits on his website, but is worth every cent. His inspection report on our 3 bedroom, 3 bathroom 1600 sf house was 31 pages long and incredibly thorough. He was timely, professional, helpful, and even funny! And besides, anyone who is willing to climb under your nasty ass house and then come out with a sense of humor is worth checking out.