Why SMART Homebuyer Choose Us.

It's Your Home
It's Your Money
It's Your Family
YOUR FAMILY DESERVES THE BEST.

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Our Core Values

  • Empower home buyer to make good decisions.

  • Clients want a passionate home inspector who is well educated and willing to take the time to document as many issues in a home as possible.

  • Do one inspection, per inspector, per day.

  • Use more professional equipment to be more definitive in our findings.

  • Make a longer list and allow our clients to decide what issues they are willing to accept.

  • Be the best inspection company in Chicagoland!

Our clients do research, they check reviews, and they verify that someone working for them is worthy. If that's you, then we want to prove our value. When a client is thorough and we match them up with one of our well educated inspectors, we have a powerful team. We work with you to make sure you have the documentation to help with your plans for negotiations. Please keep reading the questions below and click on our answers. You will see that none of our competition provides the type of service we provide.

We claim to be the best home inspectors in Chicagoland!

Questions to Ask When Researching Home Inspectors.

How Many Inspections Does Your Inspector Schedule in a Day?

Our home inspectors complete one inspection per day to maintain focus and precision. Each inspection involves three main tasks: examining the home, communicating with the client, and preparing the report. Performing all three simultaneously on-site would compromise the quality of each task. Therefore, we do not complete the report on-site. Instead, our inspectors focus on your home and use equipment to conduct a thorough assessment.For most houses, we spend around three hours on the inspection. High-rise condominiums generally take less time since elements like the roof, exterior, structure, and shared areas are not part of the inspection. After inspecting, we spend another two to three hours documenting the findings. Including travel time, this fills a full day. Our inspectors do not perform evening inspections, as this is a full-time job, and they prioritize time at home with their families.Some companies handle two to three inspections in a day, which typically results in one to two hours spent at each property. Moving quickly between jobs can lead to missed issues, which may later become problems for the homeowner. Our approach ensures we examine each home carefully and completely.

How Many Reviews Does the Inspector Have?

Every home inspector and website claims to be the best. Many inspectors hesitate about reviews, but our inspectors approach them differently. Our goal from the start of each inspection is to make a strong impression on you. We focus on a process that is thorough, accurate, and rooted in professionalism. Our aim is for you to feel confident in our work, motivated to share your experience through a review. We recognize that inviting feedback places us in a position of accountability, but we value this openness. We encourage you to include a photo with your review, as it helps us demonstrate the authenticity of our client feedback.

Can I Attend the Home Inspection?

Yes, we encourage clients to attend the home inspection. Attending allows you to observe the process, ask questions, and gain a better understanding of the property's condition. It is one thing to read a written report, but the real value is having the conversation about the issues in the home and discussing those issues with the home inspector when everything is right in front of you. It's an excellent opportunity to learn about maintenance and potential issues firsthand. If you cannot attend in person, you can still participate by scheduling a remote video walkthrough with our inspector. We aim to make the inspection process as transparent and informative as possible to ensure your peace of mind.

Does the Inspector Walk on Roofs?

Our inspectors in Chicago make every attempt to walk on a roof. Plain and simple, It’s just the best way to inspect it. Sometimes, however, this is not an option. Height, slope, snow, winds, and rain can make going on the roof dangerous. If the inspector cannot walk on the roof, we will take a series of high-resolution pictures from different angles so our inspectors can document the conditions. We have staff on hand with Remote Pilot Certificate Part 107 from the FAA. This is the certificate required for anyone using drones for commercial use. Our drones are equipped with a 4K camera which allows us to take the clearest shots available. If we cannot fly, we will send someone back when we are allowed to fly. We will do what we can to get the best pictures of the roof.

How Does the Inspector Check the Furnace?

When most inspectors just turn on the furnace, they see if it produces heat. Our home inspectors go quite a few steps further. The Testo-310 Combustion Analyzer (we use these on all furnaces) records the flue temperature, carbon monoxide, oxygen, and carbon dioxide going up the vent/flue. This unit will determine the exact efficiency of the furnace.
It is a strong indicator that the furnace needs to be tuned, repaired, or replaced when we get numbers outside our expected ranges. Most furnace replacements are in the $4,000 range so we want to do far more than just tell you the age, and the color of the flame.

Do You Use the Thermal Imager?

Absolutely. When I started in 1993 equipment like this didn't really exist. This tool is designed for seeing temperature differentials between different objects. You might be thinking "soooo, what does that mean?" Let me tell you. This is the best way to scan a large areas to find water leaks and missing insulation. When water is present, it will evaporate. The water will absorb heat during the evaporation process and allow us to easily see where that water is located. We confirm, or deny the "suspected" water presence with a moisture meter.

Do You Use a Moisture Meter?

We scan exterior walls, exterior ceilings, ceilings under bathrooms, and ceilings under kitchens. If our home inspectors in Chicago find cold spots with the thermal imagers, or water stains, we will place the moisture meter in those locations to prove, or disprove an active water leak. The readings will be documented in our report. Our goal is to give you a definitive knowledge of any problems. An example would be if the roof was leaking and we saw stains in the drywall. If it rained recently and the area is dry, we can safely say that it was repaired. If moisture is there, well, then it wasn’t.

Do you a Representative Sample of Outlets, Switches, Doors, and Windows?

This is one of my biggest pet peeves in our profession. This is in our state law that we must do at least one of the above items in each room and at least one of the above items on each exterior wall. But "representative sample is the BARE MINIMUM. The reason for this limitation being in our standards is to provide an excuse for not testing items behind a china cabinet. Taking a chance on damaging property is also not that smart. We will test every outlet, switch, window, and door that we can get to. I assure you that the one that we don't test is the one that will need to be repaired. And quite frankly, that is our job. To tell you the condition of your property. Nobody can see everything, neither can we. But that doesn't mean you should just ignore it and do the minimum. Be cautious if someone answers yes to the representative sample question.

Does the Inspector Provide Photos and Videos in the Report?

Most inspectors provide photos in the report, but our home inspectors in Chicago take it to the next step. Items making sounds, loose items, sewer line, and chimney scans are the types of videos that we put in our report. These videos are posted on an unlisted YouTube page so they are only available to someone who has the report. You should aways ask to see a copy of the actual home inspection report.

Does the Inspector Carry E&O Insurance?

I cannot stress how important this is. The State of Illinois does NOT require home inspectors to carry E&O Insurance. Over 80% of home inspectors do NOT carry E&O Insurance. This insurance is not designed to protect you. It is designed to protect the home inspector. This insurance is in case the inspector misses something bad enough to cause you to sue him/her. If that something bad does happen, you want to be sure someone with deep pockets is there to fork over the money. Our company does have Errors and Omissions Insurance.

Does the Inspector Carry General Liability Insurance?

We are enter peoples homes, climb on their roofs, operate their furnaces, flow a lot of water, and walk around with tools in our pockets. Sometimes things happen. The inspector’s ladder may fall over and damage a car, he may have forgotten about the turning on the stove and walked away, or maybe turning on the water to the jetted tub and it overflowed. Thousands of dollars of damage can be done to a home. Who is going to pay for this if there is no insurance? It will be you. In the real estate contract, there is a clause that you are responsible for any and all damages to the property caused by the inspector. The State of Illinois does mandate that the home inspector carry a minimum of $100,000 General Liability insurance. We carry two million in coverage. Please make sure the person you hire is a professional and carries professional insurance like E&O and General Liability. Our home inspectors DO!

Does the Inspector Offer Follow-Up Consultation

This is an item that truly makes us stand above all others. After our home inspectors performed the inspection and delivered the report, you will get a text/email to make an appointment with one of our seasoned home inspectors over Zoom. We have very experienced inspectors who focus their energy to dwell deeper into the report and have a good discussion about the issues found in a home. The problem that I found in our profession is that inspectors will give you a list of things wrong and let you ask questions on site for a very short period of time. That is a recipe for failure. Our Zoom appointments are scheduled for 1.5 hours. Many times we finish earlier. Sometimes we have to schedule another appointment. This is where we will talk about the seriousness of an issue, offer options as to different methods of cures, and show you how to use some free cost estimating services to get cost to cure the issues. We won't tell you what to negotiate for. That is best left for the real estate agent. In real estate, "the principle" of something has no bearing. What does matter is how much leverage you have to negotiate. Example: if there are 5 other people who want to buy this house, you really don't have any leverage to negotiate. If the house has been on the market for many months with no offers, now you have quite a bit of leverage. This we don't know. But if we can help you understand the severity of the issue, cost to cure the issues and have some sort of a plan of what needs to be done right away; that should give you a lot of information to open a dialog with your agent as to what you want to negotiate for with the sellers of the home.

Does the Inspector Guarantee, or Warrantee Their Services

As mentioned earlier, we carry Errors and Omissions (E&O) Insurance. To be perfectly transparent, this insurance protects the home inspector—not you. Filing a claim against an E&O policy typically requires initiating legal action against the inspection company. These policies include legal teams to defend inspectors, and in Illinois, case law has further solidified this protection. Three legal precedents allow home inspectors to limit their liability. The agreements you sign with most inspectors often cap liability to the fee paid (or double that fee). Courts have upheld these limits, reasoning that homebuyers have the option to hire specialists in each trade. When buyers choose to engage a single home inspector at a lower cost than multiple specialists, the courts have deemed it reasonable for liability to be limited.

That said, I want to provide you with additional assurance. We stand behind our work with a guarantee of up to $1,500 for 60 days following the inspection. This applies to items we’ve inspected and documented as acceptable. However, this guarantee does not cover hidden or concealed issues. Simply put, if we say something is acceptable, we guarantee it is.IMPORTANT: To activate this guarantee, you must select the warranty option before the report is delivered.We are proud to partner with Achosa Warranty Company, a service provider I cannot recommend highly enough. While many warranty companies avoid paying claims, Achosa is known for their fast, fair payouts. For comprehensive protection against potential issues, I strongly encourage you to consider purchasing a warranty from them. Their fees are affordable, and their service is exceptional. To qualify for our guarantee, you must select the free Achosa Warranty option. While purchasing the warranty is not required, Achosa will contact you to offer their services, and I believe you’ll find their coverage provides exceptional value.

Does inspector use a combustion analyzer on the gas furnace?

When most inspectors turn on the furnace, they see if it produces heat. Our home inspectors in Chicago go a few steps further. We use the Testo-310 Combustion Analyzer to record the temperature, carbon monoxide, oxygen, and carbon dioxide going up the vent/flue. This unit will determine the efficiency of the furnace. When there is a crack or hole in the heat exchanger, the system the recognizes the changes in the combustion gasses. These changes in combustion gasses usually indicate a new furnace is needed.

Does inspector use a gas detector on all inspections?

Most home inspectors only use the gas detector when they smell gas. On every inspection our home inspectors in Chicago will use a gas detector to test the joints out in the open. We cannot check for pipes that are behind drywall, but we will at least check the pipes that are out in the open.

Does inspector use a black light on every inspection?

I can’t tell you how many times we find urine from pets, or humans, around a house. You don’t know if you don’t look. So yes, our home inspectors in Chicago carry a black light to be used on every inspection.

How many windows does the inspector test?

The State of Illinois uses the term “Representative Sample”. This means one per room. Many inspectors only do the minimum of one per room. This is not acceptable for us. Windows are too expensive and in that each one needs to be tested and documented if it doesn’t work correctly. Naturally, there are limitations. If there is a china cabinet in front of the window, we will not move the cabinet. If we can reach it, we will open it.

How many outlets does the inspector test?

The State of Illinois uses the term “Representative Sample”. This means one per room. Many inspectors only do the minimum of one per room. As this is not acceptable for us each outlet will be tested and documented. Improperly wired outlets can be dangerous and our report will indicate which are wired incorrectly.  Again, there are limitations. If there is furniture in front of the outlet, it will not be tested. If we can reach it, we will test it.

SERVICES

What We Offer For You!

Standard Home Inspections

We take pride in providing thorough, detailed inspections, and our reports typically document an average of 70 issues in a standard home. For a comprehensive overview of what we inspect and how we operate, please click the "Read More" button below.

I am fully aware of the reputation that home inspectors often face, and I actively work to challenge and exceed those expectations. Unlike many in the industry, I do not market to real estate agents. While I maintain professional relationships with agents, I ensure they have no influence on our inspection process. We adhere to one standard: doing things the right way.

Our goal is to provide a comprehensive list of findings, clearly and definitively. Most importantly, we aim to empower you with accurate, actionable knowledge to make informed decisions about your home.

Commercial Properties

Partner with the leader in commercial building inspection company and choose the level of service that best fits your needs. We offer three tailored options:

  • Essential Inspection: A visual only assessment of your property, identifying key issues that may affect functionality or safety. Ideal for those seeking a high-level overview of the building's condition.

  • Comprehensive Inspection: This mid-tier option includes a thorough evaluation using advanced tools such as thermal imagers, moisture meters, and drones. Perfect for those who want a more in-depth analysis to uncover hidden issues.

  • Specialized Expertise: For the most meticulous inspection, we bring in licensed experts in every trade—HVAC, plumbing, electrical, roofing, and more. This service ensures every aspect of your building is evaluated by a specialist for the utmost accuracy and peace of mind.

With over 1,800 five-star ratings across all platforms, our reputation speaks for itself. We’re proud to be recognized as the highest-ranking commercial inspection company in the Chicagoland area by Wimgo.

Don’t just take our word for it—verify our claims by clicking the Wimgo link to the left.

State Farm Insurance Inspections

State Farm Insurance offers discounts if you have improved your property. You have an option to hire individual contractors for each section. Or, you can hire us for a flat rate of $550 per building to document the property. Please talk to your insurance agent to see if this can benefit your premiums.

Sewer Scopes

Problems with the main sewer line are the financial responsibility of the homeowner. These repairs can start around $1,000 for rodding or jetting, $5,000 for excavating and repair to over $20,000 for replacement of the lateral. The choice should made knowing the risks involved. Often we find some sort of an issue in clay tile sewer laterals. Rarely do we find issues in PVC laterals. In the suburbs of Chicago, the adoption of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) sewer laterals began in the 1970s and 1980s. Chicago Plumbing Code restricted the use of PVC for underground drainage and vent piping until October 2021.

Radon Testing

Radon testing is another service that I don't always recommend you paying us to do. Radon testers in Illinois do have to be licensed to perform a test in another person's home. But you do not have to be licensed to perform a test in a home that you own or occupy. AI Charlie has the information of tests that were done by licensed professionals here in Illinois. You can simply ask him for the radon numbers for a specific zip code and that way you will know the risks of having to spend money fixing an issue.

Pool Inspections

Pool inspections in Chicago focus on safety, functionality, and compliance. Inspectors check barriers like fences and gates for proper height, spacing, and self-latching mechanisms. They ensure drain covers meet anti-entrapment standards and inspect electrical systems for hazards. The pool structure, tiles, and surrounding areas are reviewed for damage, while filtration, pumps, and water quality are tested for safe operation. Plumbing is inspected for leaks or clogs, and accessories like ladders and covers are checked for secure installation. Winterization measures are also assessed to prevent freeze damage.

Irrigation Inspection

In Chicago, irrigation inspections involve a thorough check of the system for leaks, damaged sprinkler heads, and proper water pressure. Inspectors test each zone to ensure even water coverage and verify the backflow prevention device to protect the main water supply. They also check that the system is set correctly for the season, including preparing it for winter to prevent freezing. This ensures the system operates efficiently and remains in good condition.

Solar Panels

In Chicago, solar panel inspections focus on ensuring the system is safe, efficient, and compliant with local codes. Inspectors check the panels for damage, proper mounting, and cleanliness. They examine the wiring, inverters, and connections for signs of wear or hazards. The system’s performance is tested to confirm it’s generating the expected energy output, and any potential shading issues are assessed. This helps ensure optimal functionality and long-term reliability.

What Our Clients Have to Say.

We’ve worked with John Olson at Chicagoland twice, and found John to be super helpful and professional. We always felt that our financial interest as buyers were thoroughly protected. If we would have hired someone else, might they have missed something, and expose us to unknown risks? Other things that we found helpful: real time availability and scheduling online; call with Charlie after the inspection, the owner of the company, who is so knowledgeable about everything; comprehensive inspection reports that cover all inspected items with tons of information, you’d wonder how they could write up so much within a day.

I can't say enough great things about Glen and Charlie. My family was so impressed at how thorough Glen was when conducting his inspection - not a detail was missed! Glen caught things that only a seasoned inspector could catch. Once the inspection was completed, the report that was sent was organized, thorough, and easily digestible. I then met with Charlie (the owner) and was able to get my questions answered and get a better understanding of severity and cost. 10/10 would recommend!

I had a great experience with Chicagoland Home Inspectors. Glen was very thorough and friendly, taking the time to explain all the issues he found. I thought the report they put together was prepared quickly and was very thorough, and even more helpfully, Charlie, who leads the company, spent over a hour walking me through the report. I had so many questions that we had to schedule a follow up conversation, and he was gracious in doing so. I think it's clear that they are really knowledgeable about home inspections and enjoy educating others about homeownership. Highly recommended.

Our Home Inspectors in Chicago

Click on their names to read their full bios and see all the reviews they earned on Google, Yelp, and Facebook (under construction).

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980 N Michigan Ave suite 1400, Chicago, IL 60611, USA

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