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!

Jason was super thorough, friendly, and patient! He answered all our questions about the house in…read moreaddition to looking through everything. His prices are very very reasonable.

A to Z did a very thorough inspection on a house we were under contract to buy. He discovered…read moreseveral things that are quite costly to repair, and we decided not to buy the home. The price was very reasonable and he saved us from some big surprises. He's very punctual and professional. I would highly recommend.

After a recent home purchase, we were extremely pleased with Dynamic Home Inspection Services…read more Communication leading up to and following our inspection was prompt and helpful. I would also add that having bought a few different homes, we have never had someone as professional as Kevin. He goes through his findings and lays out expectations so that you understand what to look for and what is important. After his explanation, his report is extremely easy to understand. Would highly recommend this company when you are in need of a home inspection.

terrific to deal with we would recommend him and hire him again to deal with very detailed and easy…read moreto work with

Just had our future home inspected by Lucas and it went incredibly well. Lucas is professional,…read moreknowledgeable and very easy to work with. He made the entire process easy to understand and walked us through the whole ordeal. I never felt like I was bothering him while following him around the inspection and was very easygoing with my incessant questions! He explained every issue he found with great detail, allowing me to understand what things he found required immediate attention and what portions could be addressed in the future. His recommendations were spot-on and very trustworthy. The report he wrote up was available to us within a couple hours of completing the inspection and was very well put together and easy to decipher. I can't stress how great the process was with Lucas and would recommend him to anyone in a heartbeat!

The review is accurate. Property is in Des Plaines IL, I was the seller, you were employed by the…read morebuyer. I lost the buyer as a result of your hysterical inspection report treating settling cracking in the basement as indication of foundation problems. I would suggest your report created unwarranted concerns in the eyes of the potential buyer in this instance 5 years ago. I would be happy to share the Engineer's report I paid $500 for in an attempt to salvage the sale, but the damage was done. This ultimately cost me $20,000 in my house sale as the later buyer paid this amount less. Thus, the post was not a mistake and the review (although I'm sure it's had minimal impact to your business), will remain posted from my end of things. Something to think about, I don't expect a response.

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

Very detailed inspection, ranging from significant problems that need to be negotiated with the…read moreseller, to what I should monitor and budget for in future. (Super-helpful!) I already knew a fair amount about repairs et al, and Josh was able to answer my questions in detail, so it was clear that he knew what he was talking about. He didn't go beyond what could be fairly asserted, but did ensure that I knew what I should look out for as possible problems in future. I noted their attention to detail - e.g. there were written checks in place to ensure that lights were off, the thermostat was reset, and the door locked behind us. Things like possibly missing or broken screens, lack of outlets in certain areas, a step that was too high were all noted. The cost was very fair and the results were high-quality. I felt that it gave us the information we needed to negotiate fairly with the sellers. Basically, I walked away with a manual that I will refer to in order to ensure that I am checking potential problems and budgeting for future repairs. I could most definitely see asking for a return inspection in a few years to ensure that I was taking care of this very expensive purchase properly! The one VERY picky thing that I would suggest is a table of contents in the writeup, as I wasn't aware that categories of significant findings and advice for future repairs and maintenance were listed at the end of the report.

Probably the most detailed inspection I've ever received. Excellent inspection report. Greatly…read moreappreciated.

We have worked with John Kopke on two of our home inspections. I love that he video tapes the…read morecomplete inspection and goes over it with you. At the end you get a CD and paperwork to take home and you can watch it closer when you get a chance. He is very knowledgeable and explains any problems or concerns on the inspection. If you need a inspector, please give them a call and ask to have John do your inspection, you will not be disappointed !

John was very kind and professional. He did an extremely thorough assessment on our house and noted…read moremany small concerns and many potential safety issues. I got the impression that he puts a lot of pride and effort into his work and I felt as though he was really making sure that he inspected every aspect of the house. I would definitely recommend his services and will use him again in the future.

Arrainged for a home inspection. Added both the Radon…read moretesting as well as sewer scope. Glad I did as the inspector found major issues with the pluming and roof on the house I had under contract. Could not agree with seller on compensation so we walked from the deal. Tough to do but don't need someone else's problems. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Great professional service and so friendly! Robert and Mary guided us to make the best choices!read more