This is one of the rare finds where the people love what they do. I will definitely call…read moreChicagoland Home Inspectors before buying a home. If I were a contractor, I would look to get an endorsement from this company. Frank Dattalo was great on-site. The follow-up call with Charles Bellefontaine was very insightful. The combination of the two... 1) saved us additional time and money, 2) gave us confidence to not second guess walking away (we thought we had found a home that we would live in for decades), and 3) was a learning opportunity as we continue house hunting. I would highly recommend Chicagoland Home Inspectors, especially if you are purchasing a home that is 100+ years old. Even more so if the home is for sale by owner. They provide the information that you need to hear before making such a substantial commitment. You may be disappointed but purchasing a 100 year old home without this type of thorough inspection is akin to closing your eyes and taking a leap of faith that the seller wants what's best for you and your family. For context, the home was built in the early 1900s, three-stories, brick, original hardwood floors. The seller presented the home as being fully renovated with a new roof, electric wiring, plumbing, HVAC retrofit, etc. Frank called days a head of the inspection to ask some questions and discuss what services were needed. He removed one of the services, and the extra cost, because it wasn't needed. Frank arrived early and was already scanning the roof (via drone) when I arrived. He was more than happy to answer any questions that I had and he made a point to show me areas of major concern in-person. When I pointed things out Frank was more than happy to take a look and answer my questions. On the follow-up call, Charles took the time to further explain the findings, provide input on priorities and talked us through estimating tools. He also provided a different perspective and opinions. Talking with both Frank and Charles was incredibly valuable. Charles was surprised that our realtor recommended Chicagoland Home Inspectors and was quick to tell us that's a great sign that our realtor has our best interests in mind. If your realtor tries to steer you clear of this firm, definitely inquire why. You have to live with the consequences, not your realtor. Some Inspection Findings: - Licensed contractors didn't perform work properly - Major systems (which are new) were functioning but had potential issues that could shorten lifespan/void warranties - Source of moisture intrusion hadn't been identified/repaired - Attempts to clean up mold - Potential safety hazards Other Details: Inspectors are only required to check one electric outlet per room, this firm checks all of the outlets. They found the one that was incorrectly wired and posed a safety risk. When they tested the water pressure they made sure to turn on multiple faucets not just one at a time, identified a pressure issue. One thing to note, make sure the seller or broker has everything prepared. Any water valves that are shutoff equate to a sink that cannot be inspected. All appliances and systems need to be fully operational to be inspected.

Tim Heise was phenomenal! He checked everything. Even our realtor was beyond impressed with Tim's…read moreattention to detail. He discussed any issues, no matter how small, while he was there so he could answer questions. The written report we received the next day was incredibly thorough. I will recommend Chicagoland Home Inspectors and Tim to everyone I know! Certainly worth the money and have is piece of mind about the home we were purchasing!

Pinnacle missed some major issues with my home. I probably would have walked away from the deal or…read moreseriously revised my offer had I known them. It cost me around $13K to fix all the items that they missed. When my dad visited, he found all these problems within 5-10 minutes of going around the house (he's not even any type of tradesman or inspector!) Stacey seemed pretty dismissive about it on the phone. I would not recommend their services to anyone. Update: I was fine leaving this a little vague as a professional courtesy, but since Stacey think's it's acceptable to fabricate information, I'll spill the tea. This time, I'll attach the proof for good measure! First issue Pinnacle failed to identify was a crack in the foundation. Imagine buying a new home only to have your basement flood a few days later. At first I thought it was a broken sump pump, but when an expert came out to the property, he quickly identified a vertical crack in the foundation. Total cost $1,735 for the repair. Plus a few hundred for the shop vac and fans to dry out the place to prevent further damage. Second issue Pinnacle failed to identify was dangerous wiring in the kitchen. Multiple lights and appliances were on a single circuit. When you ran them simultaneously, the lights would flicker, and sometimes the circuit would trip. There were no more spots left in the panel, so an upgrade was needed to put each appliance on it's own circuit and bring it up to code. Total cost $4,250 and countless hours of sleep lost wondering if an electrical fire would start in the house. Third issue Pinnacle failed to identify was the removal of a load bearing wall. The home when originally built had a division between the dining room and the kitchen. A few weeks after moving in, I noticed that the ceiling started to crack in the kitchen area. The cracks continued to grow and I went into the attic to figure out what was happening. Up there, my dad and I found no additional support for the joists. They were thin and spanned the entire kitchen/dining room area. I had a structural engineer come out to evaluate, and he confirmed additional support was required. Total cost $5,900, and not being able to use 1/3 of the house for 4 days. The engineer's report was about $1,290, but I guess we can leave that off. the contract language is confusing as to whether they are required to inspect and identify this type of issue. In all honesty, if I knew my inspector wouldn't check for things like this, I would have picked another inspector. I don't care is an outlet is broken, or some paint is chipping. I want to know major defects or damage to the property. Fourth issue (new!) that Pinnacle failed to identify was a leak in the water line to my house. I signed up for a city service that warns you when your home uses excess water (sing of a leak). I got a few of those notices, and then called a plumber. The plumber found a gushing leak in the line on my side of the meter. Meanwhile, Pinnacle's inspection report claimed that I didn't even have a meter! Had the inspector found the meter, which was in the parkway and not hidden, and looked at it, he would have found that leak. After that gushing leak was repaired, the meter was still running when the water was off. This mean I have a leak somewhere between the meter and the house that I'm the process of fixing. Total costs so far is $1,058.55. This doesn't include services for leak detection and repair coming in the next few weeks. Stacey falsely claims that my damages are inflated, but you can add all of that up. At the time I wrote the original review, it was about $13K. It's definitely going to get pushed higher once the leak is located and repaired. So not only did Pinnacle royally screwed up my inspection, they also felt the need to disparage me online. Consider that if you want to give them your business.

I used this company twice while searching for my next house. I absolutely loved the service. They…read morereally saved me from a bad decision, and they helped me find the house of my dreams. They use high tech equipment (even drones), and are very knowledgeable, punctual, reliable and solid. I would only trust them from now on. THANK YOU

Echo Home Inspection was recommended to us because of how thorough and detailed they are in their…read morereports and knowledge. We had the pleasure of working with Dotty who was very helpful in scheduling and preparing us for the process. Tim and Jim were our inspectors and they walked us through every possible issue we may have with possible future our home. They made us feel at ease through their communication and friendliness. All the information feels overwhelming at first, but so necessary. Thank you so much for making this experience stress free and positive. I will continued to recommend Echo to friends and family! I can't say enough good things.

I'm absolutely shocked this company is still in business and has positive reviews. If your real…read moreestate agent recommends them--run. Find another inspection company immediately. They missed major issues in the home we purchased--problems that weren't even mentioned in their report and are now costing us over $20,000 to fix. It's hard not to feel like there's a conflict of interest between this inspection team and the agent who referred them. Do your due diligence and protect yourself--look elsewhere.

Mike came to the home inspection fully prepared and ready to work. He came 15 minutes early, we…read moreshook hands and he literally went to work RIGHT AWAY! I brought my wife and 3 children with me to the inspection and he was VERY accommodating. My kids were running everywhere and he handled it like a pro! He never seemed annoyed or irritated by my wild children, my multiple questions, and showing me what work needed to be done. Mike was extremely thorough and gave a very detailed inspection report (Less than a 24 hour turnaround time). I found Mike through Yelp and the best part of the appointment process was it was all through his website. The ease of the website and setting up the appointment was a huge bonus. The prices are clear and you DEFINITELY get what you pay for. I would HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend Mike to anyone that is in need of a home inspection. Great person to work with

Mike at DLM Home Inspections inspected a few houses for us in Huntley. Two short sales and finally…read morethe house we ended up buying. We couldn't be happier with Mike. He found some major items with both short sales. One of them had Romex wiring in the basement that isn't even to code for Huntley! The other he was able to identify the hot water heater and the windows needed to be replaced. When it was all said and done, DLM and Mike helped us dodge some money pits. I also like the report he provided after inspection. Not only did he turn it around that night after the inspection, he provided photos or the problem areas as well as general maintenance tips for the furnace, hot water heater, etc. I still look at the report a few times a year to make sure I am keeping up with the general maintenance. I would highly recommend DLM, ask for Mike he great.

Scott was great to work with, had 1 deal fall through and had to get another inspection and used…read moreagain. Easy to get a hold of, arrived early both times. Very thorough inspection and took the time to show and explain things and answered any questions. Would use again and plan on referring him to others.

We had an inspection this morning for our new condo with Scott. We received so much more than a…read morestandard inspection. Scott was very professional and made sure we understood the repairs he pointed out. Every time he had a concern, he called us over to take a look at what he was seeing and explained to us in detail what was the issue and what repair would be needed to correct it. He was also great to talk to and we felt very comfortable around him. We are first time buyers so we were very nervous about going through this process. He made sure we felt comfortable and understood what was happening throughout the process. He also said that if he had any questions, we can always reach out to him and that his job doesn't just stop at the inspection which was so nice the hear that kind of reassurance. We highly recommend Scott for any inspection needs!

I recently had the pleasure of working with Doug from All Safe Inspections for an Engineer's…read moreReport. Doug was courteous, prompt and professional. He worked in our inspection on a days notice and went above and beyond in sending it back to us in a timely manner. I cannot recommend ASI more for all your inspection needs. They should be your first and only call.

When you decide to write something on Yelp the first time, it's either because someone/something is…read moretotally amazing, or totally horrific. In the case of Tony and ASI Home Inspections, I wanted to write this because ASI's inspections are as good as it gets. I've hired Tony for two home inspections, and will absolutely hire him for any future inspections. If you want someone who is honest, extremely thorough, takes pride in the job he does, doesn't try to smooth things over so an real estate agent doesn't lose a deal, but really puts the customer's interests first, look no further than Tony & ASI. Tony's home inspection reports are also thorough, clear, full of pictures (which speak a thousand words, especially for an inspection!) and provided us the info we needed to negotiate on our home. Don't settle for those home inspection reports which are just full of checkboxes. Thanks Tony!

Bob really came through. Communicated well and was very thorough. He even gave recommendations when…read moreasked about who to reach out to for repairs when we asked him post inspection. W e highly recommend this company.

We had the pleasure of dealing with Tom and Bob for our home inspection and I can say we were…read moreextremely satisfied with the results. Not only were Tom and Bob extremely efficient and friendly but they were very willing to educate on any subject and even provide general estimates of certain larger repairs. Having dealt with inspectors in the past, you tend to deal with "old-school" types that don't embrace the modern tools (ie. Email or digital invoices) whereas with Tom you get fast and efficient updates over email as well as a professional digital version of their report. Thanks Tom & Bob!