Fryer Consulting

We didn’t actually have him for our service as he was unavailable for the City of Berkeley balcony inspections. He was however one of the few people I called who was aware of the inspection requirement and also gave me information for an inspector that he knew that was still doing these inspections. I was able to call the other contractor and get an appointment scheduled, which was great! He was very helpful and took the time to help me even though he was unavailable for the service we needed!

The short story: John Fryer is THE best. Look no further if you are in need of a well educated home inspector.
The long story: I was in contract on a house and needed a home inspection done before the contingency expired. I contacted John because he had been referred to me by a realtor. John was very responsive and apologized that he didn’t think he’d be able to complete my inspection before the expiration of my contingency. I responded back and let him know that I wanted to work with him and we were able to make it work. The day of the inspection, John was on time and hot right to work. He inspected every part of the home and educated my husband and I along the way. At the end of the inspection he gave us a verbal report of the top five items he suggested addressing immediately. His recommendations helped us with receiving a sellers credit and he provided us with several recommendations of contractors. On top of a great inspection he called several days later as a follow up to check-​in! I would recommend John and his company to anyone in need of a great inspector!

John Fryer is an AMAZING home inspector. We hired him even though we offered contingency free on our house… we wanted to know the truth about our house and John met with us, led us through the process, explained every detail (we’re first time home owners) and was incredibly patient with us! His report explained every detail we needed to know and we felt confident buying our home with John’s thorough report. A neighbor friend of mine who’s a real estate agent told me that when he’s showing a home that has a John Fryer report from the seller, he advises his clients not to pay for their own report because you can trust John’s. He even helped me 12 months later with something I had a question about… John is AWESOME!!!

I called Mr. Fryer for a home inspection on a tight schedule to get in done. His schedule was almost completely full, but he had an opening at the end of the week he was willing to squeeze me into. He could tell that I was nervous about getting the inspection report back before my contingency window was up, so he referred me to another extremely experienced inspector who could do the job earlier in the week. I really appreciate the time and courtesy he gave me.

I called John today to get some info about home inspections. He was incredibly helpful and spent 28 minutes on the phone with me just sharing his knowledge and experience. I will definitely be hiring John when the time comes.

For those of you who are looking for a home inspector, my little advice based on my experience is really (1) ask for a recent sample report (2) cross check Unilocal and Angie’s list but screen out the realtors’ reviews (3) look for ashi or crea certified inspectors (4) talk to them and ask questions (5) ask if they spend enough time doing the inspection (2 – 3 hours at least for single family home) and (6) ask for referral from people who may work with them but not having a conflict of interest (say termite inspectors). John was my top pick based on these criteria.
John is very knowledgeable and professional in the way he provides his service. Before I called him, I was already very impressed of his website (tons of info) and sample report. He is also honest and upfront about his availability. (Book him early!) He walks you through the house and explains things in detail to you. the end report was very good and thorough and he is open to making revisions/​clarifications in this report upon request, but not blindly and at cost of his independence. Not to mention that his punctual and committed to great service. He charges a bit more than the inspectors recommended by my agent. But that money is the most worthwhile bucks you spend when buying a house– someone knowledgeable and strict about the condition of the house is homebuyers best friend!

First time home buyer looking for a home inspection came across Fryer Consulting on Unilocal.Spoke with John two times prior to selecting him to conduct the inspection. Both times he took the time to answer all my questions. The day of the inspection was great John took the time to go over all the details of the home and point out anything I should be aware of. After the inspection I felt that I was making the right choice in selecting this home for purchase. I would recommend John to anyone looking for a home inspection.

John just did a inspection for me. As many reviewers have mentioned, he is professional, destail oriented, thorough, like what he does and take pride in his work. Above all that, what I like most about him is his excellent communication. He gets the buyer engaged in the process and makes sure the buyer understand what is going on. He will ask the buyer to go under the crawl space, up the roof, point out the things that are not right, and explain what could happen if left unattended, and how to correct them. For example, the property being inspected has two main electrical panels, he opened the one for upstairs, that is incorrectly wired, point out what is the problem and explain the right way to wire; when he opened the one downstair, which is correctly wired, he show it to me for comparison. He also goes into the severity of issues. Does it need immediate fix? can it wait? discusses different options of fixes and their pros and cons. Does a specialist need to be brought in for further inspecton?
When a buyer gets a house inspection from John, the buyer gets a house inspection and a good learning experience.
John is very organized. He has a check list spans many pages, just to make sure all areas are covered. Issues are noted. His report is just as detail, providing a written record of all issues discovered and discussed during the inspection, completed with photos.
Can’t ask for more.

I’m a first time home buyer. Totally freaked out about the whole process. To make matters worse, I’m purchasing a short sale house.
John arrived in the house I’m about to purchase. He brought of course his tools and gadgets. He asked me if I want to tag along. I’m also free to ask questions. So we checked the electrical, plumbing, the walls, attic, roof, every single rooms, windows and many more. I really lost track of what we checked in that house.
My unforgettable experience is crawling in the crawlspace. I’m a bit claustrophobic but I told myself, «if I’m buying this house, I need to check everything and tough it out». John showed me signs to look for on a deteriorating foundation. He also showed me what a seismic retrofitting is. We checked the pipes and looked for wet surface. It is like being a detective. For me, that is so cool. I feel smarter after the crawlspace experience, plus the outfit looks cool too.
John was very thorough in his inspection. But one thing I was so impressed is his patience to answer questions and willingness to educate his client/​s. He’s not like my doctor who seems always in a hurry to let me go even if I have tons of questions and I’m paying him lots of money. That’s probably not a good comparison but I’m sticking to that story anyway,
I’m still in the process of purchasing the house. The appraiser is scheduled to check the place today. I’m hoping it will turn out ok too.
I highly recommend John and the Fryer Consulting. Save yourself a headache, get a dependable, thorough and honest inspector like John.

John just helped me out again. I had a drainage problem at my rental property and, as sometimes I have done, I hired a much less expensive, non-​licensed contractor to do the work. After it was already started, I had a feeling that we might benefit from a second opinion, and John came by to give me his opinion on our plan of action.
With John’s knowledgeable input (he did a great drawing for me and the builder to follow,) I now have a really solid French drain system that will keep my house dry and on its foundation for decades to come.
John’s really kind and generous and he knows his sh**. He’s been a great resource to me and the friends and clients whom I have referred to him. If you need a home inspector, he’s the guy to call. Not only for the home inspection you need in the beginning of possibly owning a home, but because he’s someone who will help you out when you’re in a pinch months or years down the road. John Fryer is a great guy.

Needed a home inspection on short notice and contacted John. He was booked one week out, but provided several referrals which I used to find an inspector to meet with me same day. After giving me referrals, John stayed on the phone with me to discuss potential structural issues and give some general inspection advice which was much appreciated.

My wife and I purchased a 1950s era house from a trust, and they didn’t know a lot of details about the house. John’s inspection was incredibly helpful and extremely thorough.
He let me go along with him on the entire inspection (including the roof, attic, and crawlspace). If you have the time to do this, I highly recommend it. We came away with a full list of the house’s flaws, as well as the things we could do to maintain it in the future. As first time homebuyers, we really appreciated this.
John is very friendly and easy to work with. He showed up on time and got the final report to us earlier than expected. His report included tips for saving energy and being green. We can’t recommend him highly enough; the next time we need a home inspected, we won’t hesitate to use John again.

Purchasing real property is always a big decision. It is particularly challenging for someone like me who has no experience in the construction trades, so I must trust experts for advice. John Fryer is the kind of expert one can trust to be objective, thorough and knowledgeable.
Recently, I had been searching for an investment, and found a classic small apartment building close to home. When I made an offer on the property, it looked solid, the tenants seemed happy, and the realtor described it as ‘turn-​key’. Had John not inspected this property I would have been completely caught off-​guard by the expenditures needed to make this property safe and liveable.
Luckily, I was able to gain a more realistic view of a property after Fryer Consulting inspected the building. I spent an entire day — from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.- alongside John Fryer as he methodically analyzed all of the building’s systems: plumbing, roofing, heating, electrical, drainage, toxin abatement, and so forth. John payed close attention to fire and seismic safety and gave a complete picture of what would be needed in terms in the future for upkeep and improvement of the property. Using his background as an electrician, John was particularly helpful in describing at length improvements needed to upgrade a century-​old electrical system.
I found John delightful to chat with. He made the day fun and informative, and his great communication skills extended to his written report. Because of my time-​crunch, he worked very hard and delivered the report little ahead of schedule, but he did not sacrifice quality: John’s report was clear, detailed, informative and accessible to the layman. He even included photographic illustrations to support his findings. John welcomed my follow-​up questions by telephone, and was genuinely eager to help. I expect that John’s assessment will serve as a guide to the building for years to come.
In the East Bay, where the buildings are primarily of an older vintage, John Fryer is a great resource for determining what is necessary to preserve, improve and maintain a classic wood frame structure.
Freyer Consulting’s fee is average (not too low, nor too high) yet he delivered a far more extensive report than I expected. It was worth every penny, and more. I would endorse his work wholeheartedly.

I called around before landing on John as the inspector for our home purchase. He took all of my concerns seriously and was great about explaining all of the little things around the house. He had a device that detected moisture in the finished basement and it was really helpful in determining that as a priority for us to address. His report was detailed and I still refer to it. He was also prompt and thorough in all of his correspondence.
I feel like he is a very knowledgeable and a true professional. I’ve only had 1 other home inspection performed, and nothing against the other inspector, but I’d choose Fryer Consulting again in a heartbeat.

Our Realtor found John by way of recommendation from another home inspector, so it was just by chance we had the pleasure of his excellent service.
During the walk-​through John was very thorough, professional, and friendly; answering questions and even helping us understand how things worked in this particular house. He spent time with us after the inspection patiently discussing his findings and answering many more questions.
The report, which followed a day or two later was wonderful; full of information and helpful tips, including a lot of green improvement ideas, which were really appreciated. We wouldn’t hesitate to hire him again. Thanks John!

A former boss of mine recommended that I get in touch with John Fryer for the inspection of my first house. John accidentally double booked my appointment and failed to show up for the scheduled date. He felt so bad about this mistake that he offered to come on a Saturday and do the inspection for free.
Ultimately, he spent almost 4 hours crawling under, over, and around our house on his day off and charged us $ 0, nothing. We originally didn’t request a formal report (the inspection was for informational purposes only) so we didn’t get one. John did however send us photos he took during the inspection and he gave us a 40 min verbal summary at the end of all the issues with the house.
He answered questions graciously and was very informative and knowledgeable. My boyfriend, who used to work in the construction industry, was initially skeptical about the value of hiring someone to inspect our house (he figured he already knew what was wrong) but he was completely won over by John Fryer. In short, very professional home inspector and I would recommend him highly.

I found Fryer Consulting on Unilocal after being unimpressed with the inspector recommended by our agent (they had awful Unilocal reviews!). Although this was my first experience with a home inspection, I imagine John has to be one of the most thorough, detail-​oriented, honest and overall fun inspectors to work with!
He spent hours with us pouring over every nook and cranny, inspecting every wall, every faucet, no detail was too small. He answered all our questions and took a lot of time to explain to us all the innerworkings of the home. John seems to truly enjoy what he does and is very good at it! Even though we decided not to move forward with the home based on some of the issues discovered during the inspection, he was absolutely worth every penny and I will definitely be recommending him to anyone I know who needs a home inspection. The man definitely knows his homes and if he suspects a problem he will keep digging (metaphorically) until he finds it! Or he will recommend a specialist for you.
The next time we need a home inspection we will not hesitant to call John, hey if you’re going to invest hundreds of thousands of dollars in a home, it’s a must…

Full Disclosure: John is my brother.
Having said that, he supervised the construction of the home I live in and has been an invaluable asset over the years in both preventing and diagnosing problems. When a crack appears, he is the first person I go to to find out if it is a problem I need to worry about. I’m not alone in this, either. He did an inspection for a couple a few years back. They bought the home, but when it came time to remodel, brought John in to inspect each phase of the construction. They did this because they trusted his opinion, as I do. And that is because, not only does John have years of experience in construction, particularly green building, he also has years of experience as a home inspector. He knows what to look for. He’s seen countless failed jobs. He knows what doesn’t fail, what will stand up. And, he’s a great brother, too.

Not to sound like an infommercial, but…
Homebuying is horribly unnerving. I hate all the fees and uncertainty of the entire process. Fryer Consulting was recommended by a good friend and I had probably the best experience throughout my homebuying process.
John Fryer came to inspect my home and he was incredibly thorough! I even put on the inspection suit to see what he was seeing. I learned so much by using this company. John showed me things to look for in properties that I never knew about. He gave me an example of safety features for arc wiring; showed me rot under a porch; explained the hazards of the foundation; and gave me suggestions to other inspection companies he trusted.
I’d be surprised if this was the treatment every inspector offered. He took his time to give me a list of items that could be an issue and I was able to use them as bargaining tools.
Not only was this an easy inspection, I really didn’t feel like he was cutting corners. If you need an inspector, get Fryer Consulting! It was absolutely worth the time and money.

We had Fryer Consulting perform a home inspection on a property that we were thinking about purchasing. He was incredibly professional, thorough and knowledgeable. In a matter of minutes, he located a serious foundation issue that everyone else had missed under the porch. We were able to negotiate the price of the home down with that finding, and get a decent property at a great price.
We also really appreciated how he explained his findings to us, both in person at the property, and in the report afterwards. The report was pretty long but it contained a lot of information that will inform decisions we make in the future as we improve and upgrade our home.
I cannot speak highly enough of his integrity and commitment. I’m so glad our real estate agent recommended him!