Why Over 10,000 Homebuyers Have Chosen Us
1. Our Google Reviews Make us Blush 🥰
2. We go above and beyond other home inspection companies
US | THEM |
|---|---|
| We only schedule two inspections per day per inspector | 3-4 inspections per day per inspector |
| We walk the roof when it’s accessible and safe | Only take pictures |
| We’re on-call to answer your post move-in questions | No post move-in support |
| We have a dedicated person who answers the phone | The inspector hopefully calls you back the next day, if at all |
| We operate every accessible window | One per room |
| We test every accessible outlet | One per room |
3. The home inspection pays for itself
- Usually, the defects we discover cost substantially more to repair than the cost of the home inspection.
- Our inspections have saved our clients millions of dollars in repairs that the seller made.
- Our reports are easy to use to boost your negotiating power
4. Education-Based, Not Ego-Driven Inspections
- Your inspection is about YOU.
- We educate you to help you buy the home you fell in love with.
- All the technical information you want with none of the condescension you don’t
- Our job is to insure that you have the information you need about the house you’ve fallen in love with.
- It’s not about us showing off everything we’ve learned over the years.
- We’re happy to interact with you as much (or as little) as you want
5. What Concerns You, Matters to Us
- We can tailor our interactions and inspection narrative to your level of interest and expertise
- Your concerns are valid to us – no matter how big or small – so share them with us and we will address them.
6. Big and Small - We’ve Inspected It All
- We’ve completed over 10,000 inspections!
- We’ve got experience with residential properties – from pre-drywall inspections on new construction to homes that are hundreds of years old (and everything in between)
- From studios to luxury condominiums and from bungalows to mansions
- We’ve inspected working barns, condo buildings, bars, restaurants, churches, and preschools. We’ve got experience with many types of commercial properties.
7. Unicorns
We are a women-led company – and we mention that because most people have never met a female home inspector. And we’ve got two!!! (Most home inspectors are men – and that’s great! We just want to brag a bit about our uniqueness.) 😀
- Rachel Oslund is the owner and a Certified Master Inspector®
- John Kraft is a Certified Master Inspector®
- We are members of the Human Trafficking Task Force of Howard County
- We are members of the Women’s Council of Realtors
- We are members of the LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance
8. On-Call 12 hours a Day 7 Days a Week
- Online scheduling – including immediate pricing
- Office hours 12 hours a day/7 days a week
- Inspections 7 days a week
- We’ll handle everything – we perform most inspections you want and schedule the ones we don’t
- Flexible communication with your inspector – by video-chat, phone, or email – we’re available
9. Unbiased and Objective
- At the inspection and in your report we uncover and deliver facts – with a little perspective, but no opinions.
- We all have differing comfort levels with home maintenance and repairs. We can’t tell you if we would buy the property. We CAN give you all the facts you need so that you can move forward confidently.
- We don’t perform any repairs. We are paid to do inspections.
10. Our Qualifications
- 10,000+ inspections in Maryland and DC since 2006
- We are Licensed and our insurance exceeds the standards of Maryland and Washington DC
- Two Certified Master Inspectors
- Members of InterNACHI and ASHI
- Trained and certified in specialty services such as water, mold, radon, asbestos, and lead paint testing (XRF/dust wipe/soil)
- Some of the certifications we hold are:
- First Time Home Buyer Friendly
- Safe Workplace Inspector
- Meth House Hazards
- Moisture Intrusion Inspector
- Mold Inspector
- Multi-Unit Housing Inspector
- Plumbing Inspector
- Residential Property Inspector
- Structure and Foundation Inspector
- Electrical Inspector
- Exterior Inspector
- Roof Inspector
- 11th Month Warranty Inspections
- New Construction Inspector
- Annual Home Maintenance Inspections
- Deck Inspector
- HVAC Inspector
- COVID-19 Safety Guidelines
- Certified Master Inspector
11. It’s important to us to be contributing members of the community.
- We are members of the communities we serve, and we inspect for our clients as if they were members of our families.
- Because we honor our word, we hold our heads high when we see our clients out in the community
- Members of Howard County Association of Realtors®, Carroll County Association of Realtors®, Anne Arundel County of Realtors®, Greater Baltimore Board of Realtors®
- Members of Women’s Council of Realtors®
- Members of LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance
- Members of American Association of Radon Scientists and Technologists
- Provide continuing education to consumers, real estate agents, and home inspectors
- Rachel is serving her second term as a Director on the Howard County Association of Realtors® Board of Directors
- Chair of Education Committee
- Member of Fair Housing Committee
- Member of Realtor Political Action Committee
- Fair Housing liaison to the HCAR Board of Directors
- Past Chair of YPN and Affiliates Committees
- Past Membership Director, WCR Howard County
- Member of Human Trafficking Task Force
- Graduate of Maryland Realtors® Leadership Academy
~Kathy Dawson, Realtor
Meet the Team
Our inspectors came from construction sites, fire houses, landscaping crews, and repair trucks. Each one is a licensed Maryland home inspector, two are Certified Master Inspectors, and each is committed to ensuring that you understand their findings while you’re still at the home together (or via FaceTime or phone call if you can’t be there).
Rachel Oslund
Owner & Certified Master Inspector
Maryland Licensed Home Inspector, #30200
Rachel started inspecting in 2006 because her father told her she’d love it. He had become an inspector after leaving the Army, she went to work alongside him, and they inspected together for more than a decade until he retired. She founded LodeStar in 2018 with one goal: help people make informed decisions about their homes…
Jennifer Shipe
Client Care Manager
Jennifer is the air traffic controller. More than twenty years in real estate means she knows exactly how exciting and how stressful buying a home can be, and she’s almost always the first person you talk to when you call, text, or email. She keeps the inspectors, paperwork, and your contract timeline all pointed in the same direction…
John Kraft
Certified Master Inspector
Maryland Licensed Home Inspector, #33775
John is an Odenton native who wanted to be a home inspector for years before he was willing to leave water management in landscaping design to do it. The grading and drainage side of that work turned out to be directly useful, since a large share of the expensive problems in a house begin as water going somewhere it wasn’t meant to go…
Derick Wolf
Maryland Licensed Home Inspector, #34432
Derick spent a long time behind a desk in information systems and missed working with his hands. He left, ran a pool maintenance company, and moved into home inspection from there — better preparation than it sounds, since a pool is pumps, plumbing, electrical bonding, and leaks you can’t see, diagnosed by elimination. He brings the same process to houses…
Scott Reed
Maryland Licensed Home Inspector, #34136
Scott grew up on a farm in central Pennsylvania and started doing carpentry young. Twenty-plus years in construction took him through premanufactured roof truss assembly, shed building, and trailer reflooring, then into materials sales, consulting, and design for residential and agricultural contractors. That last stretch is why he explains findings as cause and effect rather than as a list…
Ian Collado
Maryland Licensed Home Inspector, #34376
Ian came to inspection from construction and property management, which gave him a working knowledge of building systems before he ever picked up a moisture meter. He made the switch during the pandemic and has been adding certifications steadily since, well past what the license requires. He was born in Mexico and is a native Spanish speaker, so clients who’d rather have their inspection in Spanish can have it…
Rob Keene
Maryland Licensed Home Inspector, #35193
Rob was a contractor before he started his own inspection company. What he actually wanted to do was help people understand the houses they’re considering buying, and running a business turned out to be mostly marketing, so he joined LodeStar and got back to the work itself. He founded the Montgomery County Women’s Chorus and serves as the Director of Music at a church in Georgetown…
Rachel Oslund, Owner & Certified Master Inspector
Maryland Licensed Home Inspector, #30200
Rachel started inspecting in 2006 because her father told her she’d love it. He had become an inspector after leaving the Army, she went to work alongside him, and they inspected together for more than a decade until he retired. She founded LodeStar in 2018 with one goal: help people make informed decisions about their homes. Thousands of inspections later she still inspects, still teaches buyers and agents around Maryland, and serves as Chair of the Maryland Commission for Home Inspectors and Appraisers, where the work is raising the standard for the whole profession.
Outside work she reads, rides bikes with her husband, and hikes with the dogs. She also performs stand-up and improv, and maintains that both are directly applicable to home inspection.
“The excellent customer service started well before the actual inspection with Jennifer’s professionalism and ability to answer every question we had quickly! Then at the inspection, Rachel was incredibly personable, professional, and explanatory throughout the process. I appreciated the whole experience. Thanks Lodestar!”
Michelle Jaeger
Jennifer Shipe
Client Care Manager
Jennifer is the air traffic controller. More than twenty years in real estate means she knows exactly how exciting and how stressful buying a home can be, and she’s almost always the first person you talk to when you call, text, or email. She keeps the inspectors, paperwork, and your contract timeline all pointed in the same direction.
Her family keeps her busy – she’s the mom of four adult “kids” and grandmother to two little ones. She manages to keep it all together by walking her dogs, spending time at the beach, and scrapbooking with her best friends. She has been known to schedule an inspection, walk a buyer through an inspection agreement, and answer three texts before most people even wake up.
“When I called, Jennifer was very professional and warming, prompt and informative. I am new home owner and new to the inspection process. She didn’t make me feel small for not knowing certain things. They were able to schedule my inspection for the very next day. My inspector, John, was beyond amazing. He was kind, very thorough and gave helpful advice for extra safety for me, my son and new home. I will be using LodeStar for every purchase in the future. I would recommend this company without question.”
Victoria Lee
John Kraft, Certified Master Inspector
Maryland Licensed Home Inspector, #33775
John is an Odenton native who wanted to be a home inspector for years before he was willing to leave water management in landscaping design to do it. The grading and drainage side of that work turned out to be directly useful, since a large share of the expensive problems in a house begin as water going somewhere it wasn’t meant to go. He has since earned the Certified Master Inspector designation, which is solely earned through experience and education.
He spent two decades as a volunteer firefighter, logging more than 24,000 hours before hanging it up, and it left him with habits that serve clients well: preparation, method, and no drama when something turns out to be wrong. It cut both ways at the time — what he knew about houses helped his department on scene, and what he saw on scene taught him how houses fail.
Outside of work, which he loves, he loves traveling, hiking, and running – which he doesn’t enjoy and does anyway.
“Our inspector, John K. was professional, thorough, knowledgeable, and courteous. John went above and beyond during the inspection and provided an incredibly detailed and well documented inspection report. Lodestar also provided an exhaustive “new homeowners manual” detailing many of the systems found in the home. Additionally, Lodestar was clear in all communications and coordinated effectively with several subcontractors for some specialized inspections. Highly recommended and professional service.”
Matthew Gagle
Derick Wolf
Maryland Licensed Home Inspector, #34432
Derick spent a long time behind a desk in information systems and missed working with his hands. He left, ran a pool maintenance company, and moved into home inspection from there — better preparation than it sounds, since a pool is pumps, plumbing, electrical bonding, and leaks you can’t see, diagnosed by elimination. He brings the same process to houses.
With both kids out of the house, he spends more of his time at Ravens games and on his mountain bike, in roughly that order of enthusiasm.
Scott Reed
Maryland Licensed Home Inspector, #34136
Scott grew up on a farm in central Pennsylvania and started doing carpentry young. Twenty-plus years in construction took him through premanufactured roof truss assembly, shed building, and trailer reflooring, then into materials sales, consulting, and design for residential and agricultural contractors. That last stretch is why he explains findings as cause and effect rather than as a list — he’s seen how building products are made, specified, and installed, and where each step tends to go wrong.
He’s also the person on the team who gets truly excited about the unique challenges of agricultural properties: barns, outbuildings, and the systems that come with acreage rather than lots. His grown children are in Pennsylvania, he collects model trains, and he follows Penn State and the Dallas Cowboys – the second of which he is asked to defend in our group chat roughly once a week, and never successfully.
Ian Collado
Maryland Licensed Home Inspector, #34376
Ian came to inspection from construction and property management, which gave him a working knowledge of building systems before he ever picked up a moisture meter. He made the switch during the pandemic and has been adding certifications steadily since, well past what the license requires.
He was born in Mexico and is a native Spanish speaker, so clients who’d rather have their inspection in Spanish can have it. He has family here in Maryland, and in Castilla-La Mancha and the Canary Islands.
When he’s not working, you’ll find him out on the boat fishing for bass and rockfish with his black Lab, Lydia. He’s played ice hockey for over twenty years and follows the LA Kings, a position he will defend if asked.
Rob Keene
Maryland Licensed Home Inspector, #35193
Rob was a contractor before he started his own inspection company. What he actually wanted to do was help people understand the houses they’re considering buying, and running a business turned out to be mostly marketing, so he joined LodeStar and got back to the work itself.
He founded the Montgomery County Women’s Chorus and serves as the Director of Music at a church in Georgetown. Preparing a choir and inspecting a house reward the same thing: doing the work in advance, and hearing the one part that’s off. At home he cooks with his wife and shares a dry sense of humor with their cats, who have yet to respond.
Service Area Map
Service Areas
Howard County
Columbia, Elkridge, Ellicott City, Fulton, Highland, Ilchester, Jessup, North Laurel, Savage, Scaggsville, Clarksville, Cooksville, Daniels, Dayton, Dorsey, Glenelg, Glenwood, Granite, Guilford, Hanover, Isaacsville, Lisbon, Marriottsville, Simpsonville, West Friendship, Woodbine, Woodstock
Anne Arundel County
Annapolis, Annapolis Neck, Arden on the Severn, Arnold, Brooklyn Park, Cape Saint, Claire, Crofton, Crownsville, Deale, Edgewater, Ferndale, Fort Meade, Friendship, Galesville, Gambrills, Glen Burnie, Herald Harbor, Jessup, Lake Shore, Linthicum, Maryland City, Mayo, Naval Academy, Odenton, Parole, Pasadena, Pumphrey, Riva, Riviera Beach, Selby-on-the-Bay, Severn, Severna Park, Shady Side, South Gate,Beverly Beach, Bristol, Chestnut Hill Cove, Churchton, Davidsonville, Fairhaven, Germantown, Gibson Island, Green Haven, Hanover, Harmans, Harundale, Harwood, Hillsmere Shores, Jacobsville, Londontowne, Lothian, Millersville, Orchard Beach, Owensville, Riverdale, Russett, Sherwood Forest, Sudley, Tracys Landing, Waysons Corner, West River, Winchester-on-the-Severn, Woodland Beach
Carroll County
Westminster (county seat), Taneytown, Woodstock, Manchester, Mount Airy, New Windsor, Union Bridge, Hampstead, Sykesville, Eldersburg, Alesia, Carrollton, Carrolltowne, Detour, Finksburg, Frizzelburg, Gamber, Gaither, Greenmount, Harney, Henryton, Jasontown, Keymar, Lineboro, Linwood, Louisville, Marriottsville, Mayberry, Middleburg, Millers, Patapsco, Pleasant Valley, Silver Run, Union Mills, Uniontown, Woodbine
Baltimore County
Arbutus, Baltimore Highlands, Bowleys, Quarters, Carney, Catonsville, Cockeysville, Dundalk, Edgemere, Essex, Garrison, Hampton, Kingsville, Lansdowne, Lochearn, Lutherville, Mays Chapel, Middle River, Milford Mill, Overlea, Owings Mills, Parkville, Perry Hall, Pikesville, Randallstown, Reisterstown, Rosedale, Rossville, Timonium, Towson (county seat), White Marsh, Woodlawn, Baldwin, Boring, Bradshaw, Brooklandville, Butler, Chase, Fork, Fort Howard, Germantown, Glen Arm, Glencoe, Glyndon, Halethorpe, Hereford, Hunt Valley, Hydes, Jacksonville, Long Green, Maryland Line, Monkton, Nottingham, Oella, Parkton, Phoenix, Ruxton, Sparks, Sparrows Point, Stevenson, Turners Station, Upper Falls, Upperco, White Hall
Montgomery County
Gaithersburg, Rockville, Takoma Park, Barnesville, Brookeville, Chevy Chase, Chevy Chase View, Chevy Chase Village, Garrett Park, Glen Echo, Kensington, Laytonsville, Poolesville, Somerset, Washington Grove, Oakmont, Drummond, Ashton-Sandy Spring, Aspen Hill, Bethesda, Brookmont, Burtonsville, Cabin John, Calverton, Clarksburg, Cloverly, Colesville, Damascus, Darnestown, Fairland, Forest Glen, Four Corners, Germantown, Glenmont, Hillandale, Kemp Mill, Layhill, Leisure World, Montgomery Village, North Bethesda, North Potomac, Olney, Potomac, Redland, Silver Spring, South Kensington, Travilah, White Oak, Wheaton, Ashton, Beallsville, Boyds, Derwood, Dickerson, Hyattstown, Sandy Spring
Prince George's County
Bowie, College Park, District Heights, Glenarden, Greenbelt, Hyattsville, Laurel, Mount Rainier, New Carrollton, Seat Pleasant, Berwyn Heights, Bladensburg, Brentwood, Capitol Heights, Cheverly, Colmar Manor, Cottage City, Eagle Harbor, Edmonston, Fairmount Heights, Forest Heights, Landover Hills, Morningside, North Brentwood, Riverdale Park, University Park, Upper Marlboro, Accokeek, Adelphi, Andrews AFB, Aquasco, Baden, Beltsville, Brandywine, Brock Hall, Calverton, Camp Springs, Cedarville, Chillum, Clinton, Coral Hills, Croom, East Riverdale, Fairwood, Forestville, Fort Washington, Friendly, Glassmanor, Glenn Dale, Hillandale, Hillcrest Heights, Kettering, Konterra, Lake Arbor, Landover, Langley Park, Lanham, Largo, Marlboro Meadows, Marlboro Village, Marlow Heights, Marlton, Melwood, Mitchellville, National Harbor, Oxon Hill, Peppermill Village, Queen Anne, Queenland, Rosaryville, Seabrook, Silver Hill, South Laurel, Springdale, Suitland, Summerfield, Temple Hills, Walker Mill, West Laurel, Westphalia, Woodlawn, Woodmore, Ardmore, Avondale, Berwyn, Carmody Hills, Carole, Highlands, Cedar Heights, Chapel Oaks, Cheltenham, Collington, Danville, Green Meadows, Indian Creek Village, Kentland, Lewisdale, Meadows, Montpelier, Muirkirk, North College Park, Palmer Park, Piscataway, Raljon, Rogers Heights, South Bowie, Tantallon, Tuxedo, Vansville, West Hyattsville, White Hall, Woodyard
Frederick County
Harford County
Aberdeen, Havre de Grace, Bel Air, Abingdon, Aldino, Benson, Berkley, Cardiff, Castleton, Churchville, Clayton, Constant Friendship, Creswell, Dublin, Darlington, Emmorton, Fairview, Forest Hill, Fountain Green, Glenwood, Hess, Hickory, Hopewell Village, Joppa, Kalmia, Level, Madonna, Norrisville, Shawsville, Street, Taylor, Whiteford, Glenville, Aberdeen, Proving Ground, Bel Air North, Bel Air South, Darlington, Edgewood, Fallston, Jarrettsville, Joppatowne, Perryman, Pleasant Hills, Pylesville, Riverside
Washington DC
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