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.

Tom was fantastic - extremely thorough and also patient about explaining things to us! Also, the…read morereport came back in a very formal and professional format with plenty of pictures. We are very impressed!

I was very impressed with AAlert Home Inspection and Renovation Consulting. Tom took the time to…read morenot only complete a very detailed inspection, but walked me through what he saw as opportunities. Very personable and helpful. If you're looking for some honest and willing to work with you, Tom is your guy.

We totally endorse the team at home inspectors. They did a remarkably thorough job of looking at a…read morehome that from the outside looked perfect. Inside they found foundation cracks, excess radon, and a blocked sewer line, among many other problems...enough expensive problems that we walked away from the deal. We will use them again when we find another house we're interested in. The conference call to review the findings was incredibly helpful.

Great experience with Chicagoland Home Inspectors. John Olson was thorough, knowledgeable, and…read moreprofessional. He walked us through everything he saw and answered all of our questions. As first time homebuyers, John really gave us peace of mind. The inspection process on-site was a great experience and the inspection report itself was also great.

I had a mold inspection done on a home we were buying. The technician who came out to inspect was…read moreMike. He was very professional and helpful. He was very thorough, getting into the attic and searching for the mold in hard to get to places of the home. I am so glad we called him. It turned out the "rehabbed" home we where looking at had toxic mold! Once this was found Mike went above and beyond to explain to us the remedy, cost, and liklyhood of reaccurance. He also put a detailed report together for us outlining what was found including the lab results. I used this to stop the purchace of this home. This is truly a good company with people who care about what they do. Refreshing in a world where personal interaction in restricted to screens.

We used Don to do our home inspection and was pleased with his attention to detail and…read moreprofessional approach. He is a good communicator and was available along the entire process from when I first called him through delivering the report and anytime afterwards. The one thing I appreciated with Don is he is a humble person and explains things in regular terms so you know all aspects of what your getting into. I appreciated his quick ability to schedule the inspection of the home we ultimately purchased. We met together at the home where he was waiting for us on time ready to go. He looked at everything from the roof to everything else in the home down to the foundation. As he was inspecting everything he was pointing out specifics good or bada which helped us get to know the house better and anything we should consider in the future to be addressed. We received the inspection report which was extremely detailed. I was very impressed with all the photos of findings and supporting comments. An example of something to be addressed had pictures w arrows showing specificity what he wrote up the item for review. I was able to take his online report and highlight what items we were going to go back for the seller on which creates a summary with all of dons findings and supporting pictures. I was impressed with that aspect for certain. I was comforted that he was available to discuss anything when needed afterwards and never felt brushed aside or like we go a report and he was done. In short - I would absolutely use watchmen again and would recommend using them for your Inspection. I'm a picky person just to put it out there ... and Don was on top of things every step of the way and beyond !

Very reliable, on time and thorough home inspection services. Actually helped us avoid a potential…read moremoney pit by finding foundation/structure issues. Highly recommend!

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.

Pros: Quick response time, professional inspectors (2); thorough inspection & report (88 pps on a…read more100-yr-old two flat); executive summary highlighted key problems that would need immediate attention. The inspection report helped us make an informed decision on whether to buy this investment property. Con (depending on your priorities): Fee was higher than bids by other inspectors, but, for me, I got what I paid for.