I used Home Inspector Consultants for my condo purchase in Downtown Chicago in the Fall of 2017. I have nothing but good things to say about that process. I attended the inspection of the 1 bedroom condo, and pointed out several items that I believed were deficiencies. The inspector agreed and noted them in the inspection report. This gave me the leverage to negotiate approximately $2,000 in credits. Fantastic experience.
Recently, the Fall of 2021, I purchased a single family residence in the NW suburbs of Chicago. Based on my prior experience with HIC, I gave them a call and chose their basic home inspection package and the radon testing. I spoke to Larry who gave me a quote for $550 ($375 for the home inspection and $175 for the radon test). Set that up right away.
**Pricing**
Several hours later, I get a text message from Mike, who is the owner. He said there was a confusion with the pricing. The total was actually going to be $700. A bit confused I double checked the website, and the math wasn't adding up. Super confused, I asked why the website showed $375 + $175. He clarified there was some 'local fee' since their office was more than 70 miles away. Not ideal, but totally understandable. Considering my prior good experience with HIC, I looked past that miscommunication and confirmed the appointment.
**Inspection**
The inspection was less than 45 minutes for a 3000 sq ft house. Most of the time Jay, the inspector (not the same guy I had for my condo purchase), was here, he was distracted and chatting with the seller's agent. In fact, most of Jay's time at the house was spent talking -- not inspecting. He took good photos though, and verbally noted several deficiencies, although his report did not highlight these.
**Radon**
Jay set up the radon test in the basement. It's a shoebox sized machine that sits on a small table. It needs to be running for at least 72 hours. It supposedly has tamper detection. After Jay picked up the test, the report showed the house was within a safe range for Radon.
After moving in, and considering the availability of at home radon tests, I decided to do my own test. The tests were showing radon readings in excess of 15.0 (the safe level for EPA is 4.0). Based on those readings, I asked a third-party to come do another professional test. That professional test came back 3 times the safe level.
Ended up having to pay $1200 out of pocket for radon remediation and then make a claim on the Radon Warranty (thankfully HIC offers that), but the whole process was a HUGE pain and took several months to sort out. On a separate note, I would give Residential Warranty Services (the warranty provider for HIC) a terrible review, but I would be wasting my breath -- they already have tons of terrible reviews on Yelp and BBB.
**Electrical**
Jay inspected the main breaker panel in the basement. Even took photos and made a note about missing 'knockouts'. Based on a professional electrician, who came several months later to give a quote for something unrelated, those missing knockouts were actually related to breakers catching on fire. The electrician noted those missing breakers are a safety hazard. These are things that a professional inspector should be able to identify (or at least point highlight in their report) so I could negotiate a credit. I now have to pay $2,500 to replace the panel and have new breakers installed. read more