Testimonials

When I walked up the deck stairs, I was experiencing love at first site. The view of the lake was gorgeous. When Ken first walked up the deck stairs, his experience was quite different. He noticed that the first step was dangerous and not the proper measurements for the human step.

I was blinded by the light that sparkled off the lake. I couldn’t see that the poorly installed insulation in the A-Frame roof had cooked the wood. I couldn’t see poorly installed fixtures and exposed wires. It goes on and on from there. Ken truly saved me from making a huge mistake. I was hearing the morning birds in my ears, not the tens of thousands of dollars that would only be the beginning in repairs and renovations.

Phew! I thank my lucky stars that Ken is reputable and honest in his daily work. He doesn’t just go through the motions of inspection but combs through the crawl space, wires, plumbing, fixtures, attic, and insulation, everything interior and exterior but also gives you detailed report of his findings. And believe me, if it is going to be an aggravation, dangerous or costly repair to the potential home owner, you want Ken there to point it out to you and help you understand the magnitude of the problem.

Now on the flip side:
You know Ken works for you. So when he gives you a clean bill of health on the house, it means that you have truly found home sweet home!

Happy house hunting!
Audrey Pukash
Chapel Hill side of Durham

back to top

Brian Law

We hired Ken on a recommendation from our closing attorney when we purchased our first home in June, 2000. It was one of the best moves we made in purchasing our home. We’ve also had several calls and engagements with Ken since then.

Since the original house purchase was our first (and hopefully last) home and since it was also a For Sale by Owner situation, we asked Ken for two things when we hired him:

1) Ensure the home inspection goes smoothly so we would close without significant conflicts; and

2) Give us a thorough review of any and all issues we needed to discuss with the sellers.

Ken was completely thorough in his evaluation. He made it clear what we should focus on as big issues, and what was optional or could be handled in due time. He invited me to climb under the house with him and he explained potential issues with moisture in our exposed crawl space and he showed me how to judge the craftsmanship of our home. From the bottom of the house all the way through to the attic and roof, he was clear and concise in explaining what he was looking for, what he saw, and what would likely need to be done in our situation. He also gave us suggestions on regular maintenance which would keep the house is the shape we bought it.

His thorough review gave us the right level of detail to have a fair discussion with the seller about correcting, or providing compensation to us, for solving outstanding issues he identified.

Next, within eighteen months, as Ken had suggested, we decided to put a new roof on our house. A new roof is substantially expensive and the quality of the roofing firms varies dramatically. To help us get the right quality job for the price we were to pay, we again hired Ken to help ensure the job was done right. Ken came out at the beginning of our roofing job and explained to our roofer what he expected and what he would look for in the work. After the initial discussion, Ken stopped by once during the work process as a preliminary check and then again at the end of the job to give us his evaluation.

He asked detailed questions of the roofer—questions which we were frankly not knowledgeable enough to ask. For instance, while we asked if the roofer had insurance, Ken wanted to see the insurance policy (very smart move!). He also explained the nailing method he expected for the shingles. Ken was always fair and honest with the roofer. The roofer told us this was the first time anyone had ever hired an inspector to review his work and he thought it was the smartest idea he’d heard of.

I can tell you that we slept much better after the roof was done, knowing that Ken gave it a positive inspection. By the way, his fees were a fraction of the roofing cost—but I’m sure added immensely to the quality. When the roofer knew he was going to be inspected—I’m sure he double checked his own work.

Finally, we have run into Ken many times over the ensuing 3.5 years. He always patiently answers any questions we pose like how to buy a water heater or garage door opener.

We’ll keep working with Ken and would recommend him to anyone. In fact, we expect to engage Ken, as we did with the roof, to inspect some extensive renovation work we’ll be doing at our home in 2004.

It is our belief that Ken’s fees were more than returned many times over as he ensured that we got the quality work we wanted on our roof—and through his home inspection I’m confident that he gave us a fair inspection and position to negotiate with our sellers.

Ken’s a professional. He knows a great deal about our community-the builders in our community and what issues to watch out for in a home. He’s the right man for the job.

Brian Law

back to top

Liz McKee

We were thrilled with the inspection that Kenneth Tabak performed for us. My husband and I felt that he was extremely meticulous in his process. We are new to Raleigh and needed the assistance of someone trustworthy. Ken was our guy! I would highly recommend him to anyone in need of sound advice and reliable information when purchasing a home.

Sincerely, Liz McKee

back to top

Kira & Paul Frediani

Ken,
We received your report and will read it carefully. We can't thank you enough for your thorough inspection and all the valuable information you have given us about our (hopefully!) new home.

Kira & Paul Frediani
Chapel Hill, NC

back to top

Nancy Cammack

Ken was great. He called right away. Was on time; early in fact; did a thorough job. Is a very nice person. Very informative. Seems to know his business well. Good communicator. Called to confirm app. the day before. It was a good experience.

Nancy Cammack
Burlington, NC.

back to top

Bennett and Daniel McRackan

KEN
I WANT TO TELL YOU HOW MUCH YOUR INSPECTION HELPED IN TOUGH NEGOTIATIONS WITH A REAL ESTATE BROKER AND OWNER.
WITHOUT YOU SUCH A CLOSING WOULD HAVE BEEN IMPOSSIBLE. YOU ARE THE BEST IN YOUR FIELD AFTER WORKING WITH HOME INSPECTORS IN 5 STATES.

THANKS A MILLION
BENNETT AND DANIEL MCRACKAN

back to top

Ben Levenson

Ken,
I won't hesitate to provide an enthusiastic recommendation for your services to anyone in the market for a home inspection. Thanks for your help.

Ben Levenson
Carrboro, NC.

back to top

Luke Skare

Ken,
I wanted to thank you for the inspection that you did on Thursday. You were very informative and I appreciate how thorough you were. Most of all I liked how you wanted Katie and Abe to understand the process and kept asking them if they had any questions. I have worked with other inspectors in the past and they haven't shown as much interest in their clients. I will definitely recommend you to others.

Great website too!

Luke Skare
FM Realty
919.906.1683
lskare@fmrealty.com

back to top

Gail Peluso

Hello Ken -

I enjoyed meeting you at Dominic & Sarah's inspection of 25 Ringwood Ct. I appreciate you going the "extra mile" and dressing Dominic up in a pair of your overalls and a face mask so that he could accompany you in the crawl space knowing that this is such an exciting time for them and their soon to be "new responsibility" of owning a home.

I will definitely be calling you again as well as placing your name on the list of "Professionals" I give to my clients.
Thank you again.

Gail Peluso
Fonville Morisey
Durham, NC

back to top

Debbie High

Hey Ken,
Congratulations on completing your video. I think it's a terrific idea and I hope you make lots of money and can retire soon. ( I can hope for you anyways.) I've had to put my house hunting on a back burner due to not knowing if I'm losing my job, etc. If I don't move though, I am going to refinance and fix my place up. You were so right about getting people to come out and give me prices. What a nightmare. I wish you all the best with your new product, I predict it will be a big seller. Everyone should have one, even if you're not moving, just to help you keep your house in shape. Good luck.

Debbie High
Durham, NC.

back to top

Mick H.

Thank you Ken, for sending your summary so quickly, we will review it. Celeste and I really appreciate having the benefit of your extensive experience, and I know you identified some critical items that we would never have known about. Thanks to you we can get the builder to fix them!

Best regards,
Mick H.
Raleigh, NC

back to top

Kevin Tong

Ken provided excellent service when he conducted inspections to the townhouse I had planned to purchase. The service was great because he was very responsive, professional and executed the inspection in a meticulous manner. He has taken care of my interests in a way I myself could not. Working with Ken is getting not only a good service, but also a good experience.
Thanks again as always.

Kevin Tong
Charlotte, NC

back to top

Mary-Ann de Leon

Why is it that you are not well liked among unscrupulous agents???

I thank you for the thorough work that you do. I like dealing with you because I know that you have ethics and you abide by the same rules as I do…. We take care of our clients in the best way that we can.

Have a great weekend.

Mary-Ann de Leon, Realtor
919-638-0408 Office
919-287-2872 Fax

back to top

Jeff

Ken,

Thanks for the quick turn-around. Also, thanks for making the process easy for a first-time buyer. Your attention to detail and comprehensive answers were much appreciated!

Thanks,

-Jeff

back to top

Pree

Hi Ken,
I just wanted to thank you for the wonderful job you did today. I know this is quite routine for you but having you walk around and tell us all the little stuff and explain things to us was quite helpful for me/us.

Thanks!
Pree.

back to top

Jeff DeWitte

Kenneth,

I just wanted to thank you for the outstanding service and advice. I have forwarded the results to my Realtor. I'll post one of your cards in the snack area of my office. I'm located in the Europa Bldg in Chapel Hill.

Jeff DeWitte

back to top

Jay

Hi Ken,

You are very welcome. We were very impressed with your inspection of our house at 1000 Camden Lane, and have been extremely grateful for the time, effort and care you put into the inspection. We have now been in our home for 1 year exactly, and are very happy. We appreciated your attention to detail, and educating us about our house in the process.

Hence, we have been telling a lot of friends in the area about your work! I am very glad for Jeff that he decided to work with you - he's getting the best service for an extremely important project.

Nice to hear from you.
Best wishes,
--jay.

back to top

Kal

Kenneth,

Thanks for your follow-up to my questions, I truly appreciate your time and very quick response. I actually purchased your inspection video from amazon.com back in February of this year, positive feedback was also left
for your account. The fact that you took the time to answer my email so quickly shows your good character. I actually just completed another positive review of your video on amazon.com as it is well deserved (go check
it out). Again, I just want to say that I appreciate your help and information; your advice will definitely help me to be a better, more informed home inspector.

Best Regards,
Kal

back to top

Carol Richards

Hi, Ken,

Thanks for sending me the exclusions and limitations of your inspection services.

I chose you as my inspector because of the thorough job you performed on Nancy Greenberg's homes. I recently purchased a home in the mountains and had a bad experience with the inspector. Several major items were not pointed out to me and I had to make extensive and expensive repairs.

The purchase of the property at 3320 Rugby Road is a huge decision and I am confidant your inspection will enable me to make a n educated decision on the purchase of this house.

See you at 9:00.

Carol Richards

Hi, Ken;

The report was very clear. I am requesting all repairs done as well as asking for the chimney cap.

The other realtor said a plumber found nothing wrong with the sluggish drains but I made it very clear you had a very good reputation and these drains must be running freely.

You did a very thorough, professional job and your follow through is exceptional and very much appreciated.

Thank you again.

Carol L. Richards

back to top

Gary Granath

Hello Ken,

Your card was a nice reminder of your help in inspecting our home several years ago. I have acted on your recommendations and will continue to keep an eye on the things you pointed out so they don't deteriorate again.

I've done additional water abatement work, putting decorative garden brickwork between my uphill neighbor's property and mine. During heavy rains, his surface runoff went straight through my yard. Now it's channeled along the brickwork and into a piece of 4" PVC out toward the street. No more flash floods in our yard since then. I really appreciated your expertise with our water problems. One of these days, when the roof needs replacing, I'll contact you to see if you have someone in particular to recommend and use you to review any work done.

Also, since the HVAC system is probably the original - installed when the house was built in 1987 - it'll probably need replacement too some time soon. Most of the machinery is in the attic so I guess that a technician would disassemble the old components and bring them down the ladder one at a time, and do the reverse with the new components. If you can recommend someone to do the work and can review the work, I'll contact you when the time comes.

Thanks again for your professional help in things I still know very little about.

Gary Granath

back to top

Charles and Patricia Bishop

Hi Ken,

We were very satisfied with the inspection of our home prior to purchase.  You have knowledge about homes and repairs that we do not have and we were able to negotiate some repairs before closing that would have been an out of pocket expense for us after purchase if we were unaware of them.  We would and have recommended you.  Thanks again for a job well done.

Charles and Patricia Bishop

back to top

Eric and Bobbi Harwood

Ken has performed two separate home inspections for us in the last couple of years. The first was when we were preparing to sell our home. His report allowed us to make necessary repairs to our home prior to listing and get top dollar.  A second inspection on a new home we were purchasing gave us a comprehensive report to provide to the builder, allowing us to make sure we got items corrected properly.  He found things we wouldn't have thought to look for, and thereby saved us a lot of money in both cases.  We definitely recommend TBK Inspections before you buy or sell your home. 

– Eric & Bobbi H, Rolesville , NC

back to top

Vicki M. Gurry

back to top