Welcome to Camelot Home Inspection Services
Welcome to Camelot Home Inspection Services, specialists in the pre-purchase evaluation of single and multi-family residential properties. At Camelot, we strive to provide the home buyer with a level of service that matches the significance of the purchase they are about to make - in all probability the single largest investment of their lives. With every inspection comes years of education, training and professional experience. Your home inspector will share this special knowledge with the home buyer to ensure that their investment decision is an informed one. To avoid any perceived conflict of interest, Camelot's home inspectors do not perform any corrective or repair work on the homes that they inspect, nor will they refer any repair work to others. Camelot Home Inspection Services is not aligned or affiliated with any real estate companies or brokerage firms. Camelot serves the Central Coast communities of Arroyo Grande, Atascadero, Baywood, Buellton, Cambria, Cayucas, Guadalupe, Grover Beach, Santa Maria, San Luis Obispo, Lompoc, Los Olivos, Los Osos, Morro Bay, Nipomo, Oceano, Orcutt, Paso Robles, Pismo Beach, San Luis Obispo, Santa Margarita, Santa Ynez, San Simeon, Shell Beach, Solvang, and Templeton. We understand a home buyer's reluctance to use a local home inspector referred to them by a local real estate agent, especially one with minimal experience and who may have no insurance. For this reason, and as our schedule permits, Camelot will gladly travel outside of our 'normal' service area, thus guaranteeing you an impartial and unbiased home inspection. Other areas served include southern Santa Barbara County, Ventura County, and Monterey County.
Contacting a Home Inspector
Typically, a home inspector is contacted right after the purchase offer has been accepted and the contract has been signed. However, before you sign, be sure that there is a home inspection clause in the contract that makes your purchase obligation contingent upon the findings of a professional home inspection. This inspection clause should specify the terms to which both the buyer and seller are obligated. It is important to schedule the home inspection directly following acceptance to ensure that you have sufficient time to have all necessary inspections completed (including any recommended further evaluations by specialists), receive all inspection reports, and to negotiate any requests for repairs or credits. Most purchase contracts have an inspection contingency period of 17 days from acceptance, but you should double-check your purchase contract or contact your real estate agent to verify this. Martin Hewitt, Camelot's sole proprietor and principal inspector, is eminently qualified to inspect your home. If the time has come to have your home inspected, please give him a call to set up an appointment. He will be more than happy to discuss the inspection process with you, and address any additional questions or concerns that you might have.
Martin Hewitt
CREIA Master Inspector
and Certified Member of ASHI Inspecting homes since 1994.
Over 4500 homes inspected.
Please send all correspondence to:
P.O. Box 4952, San Luis Obispo, CA 93403
Office: (805) 471-9447
email: camelothis@charter.net
Home Inspector Qualifications The home inspection profession is a relatively new one and as such is not yet regulated in most states. Where licensing or certification is not a requirement, such as in California, anyone can claim to be a home inspector, and there are no laws to prevent them from doing so. It is therefore important that the home buyer exercise due caution when selecting a home inspector. In California, the only practical standards for home inspectors are those enacted by professional inspection associations such as the American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI), the nation's leading non-profit professional association for independent home inspectors, and the California Real Estate Inspection Association (CREIA). Membership in these associations requires initial testing, adherence to a professional standards of practice and code of ethics, and ongoing educational programs. When you search for a home inspector, be certain that the individual actually performing the inspection holds membership in both of these CA State recognized guilds to receive the level of experience and knowledge that is needed for such an important investment. Martin Hewitt, Camelot's principal inspector, is a Certified member of the American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI). Martin P. Hewitt
Certified ASHI Member No. 202935
Click here to verify
Martin is also a Master CREIA Inspector (MCI) member of the California Real Estate Inspection Association (CREIA). The Master CREIA Inspector designation is the highest possible rating that can be obtained through CREIA. This designation is only given to those inspectors that have obtained many hours of additional training, performed a minimum 1000 inspections, maintained regular CREIA membership for a minimum 2 years, and have been tested for knowledge above and beyond the already high standards set for the regular members of CREIA. Martin is a past President of the San Luis Obispo CREIA chapter (2001-2002), and recently spent two years serving as a CREIA Regional Director (2002-2004).
Martin P. Hewitt,
Master CREIA Inspector No. 39
What Does Your Home Inspector Do? Following are some of the systems and components ("items") that are inspected and reported on during the course of our inspection. These items are examined for material defects that would significantly affect the value, desirability, or safety of the home: 1. Foundations, basements and underfloor areas- including but not limited to: foundations and support components; ventilation; insulation; access openings; wood separation from soil; drainage and sump pumps; seismic anchoring and bracing. 2. Building exteriors- including but not limited to: surface grade; hardscaping; site drainage; wall coverings; doors and windows; attached appurtenances (decks, balconies, porches, stairs, railings and walkways, etc.). 3. Roof coverings- including but not limited to: roof coverings; flashings; vents; skylights; roof penetrations; roof drainage. 4. Attic areas and roof framing- including but not limited to: framing and sheathing; access openings; insulation; ventilation. 5. Plumbing systems- including but not limited to: supply, waste and vent piping; plumbing fixtures, faucets and drains; water heating equipment; functional flow of water supply; functional drainage at fixtures; gas piping and connectors. 6. Electrical systems- including but not limited to: service conductors, service equipment and capacity; panels and overcurrent protection devices; service and equipment grounding; wiring; switches: receptacles and light fixtures. 7. Heating systems- including but not limited to: heating equipment; venting systems; combustion and ventilating air; energy sources and connections; distribution systems. 8. Central cooling systems- including but not limited to: cooling equipment; distribution systems; energy sources and connections; condensate drainage. 9. Fireplaces and chimneys- including but not limited to: chimneys; flues and dampers; fireboxes, hearth extensions and accessories; solid-fuel and gas-burning appliances. 10. Building interiors- including but not limited to: walls, ceilings and floors; security bars; ventilation; doors and windows; stairs; railings; cabinets and counters; safety glazing; smoke detector placement; laundry provisions; built-in appliances. For more detailed information about what it is we inspect (and do not inspect), you can download a copy of the CREIA and/or ASHI Standards of Practice at the links provided below (Adobe Acrobat Reader required). 
If you click on the link below, you can download and review a copy of the Standard Real Estate Inspection Agreement used by Camelot. Please don't hesitate to give us a call if you have any questions concerning this agreement.
Once we've completed the inspection, the inspection report will follow directly, usually within 24 hours. Our detailed narrative report, which includes photos, takes the guess work out of reading an inspection report, making it easier for you to better understand the condition of the home and assist you in your purchase decision. If you wish, we can speed up the delivery process by sending you the report via email or you can download it directly from our website. If we have not yet convinced you that you are far better off using the services of Camelot than those of a "competitor", we urge you to compare our inspection report with the reports issued by the other companies in the area. You will soon discover that most companies are still issuing their customers a report that is commonly referred to as a "checklist". Not only is this type of reporting method considered obsolete, it is the reporting system preferred by most new and inexperienced inspectors. To view a sample Inspection Report issued by Camelot Home Inspection Services, please click on the link below. | 
