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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.