I waited a few months to write this review and I am glad I did. We just had record setting snowfall for this winter which I can imagine would be a nightmare for anyone who chose a poor home inspector. Markus conducted his VERY thorough inspection and before he departed, gave me his divine blessing to purchase my current home. Guess what...zero problems....ZERO. Throw a Antarctic blizzard my way... I am ready. HIGHLY recommended and I will be giving Markus a call for all future property deals. read more

Markus is great. I decided against using my agent's recommendations and did a search on my own. Glad I ran across AIC. He uses his digital camera and snaps EVERYTHING and is super thorough. At the end of the inspection both the seller's agent and my agent were nervous that my chat with Markus would kill the deal... it didn't, but for an inspector to be that good, I was impressed. He walked me through his concerns on-site and turned around a written report with photos inserted in the Word doc within 12 hours. He even searched for a manual to a heater in the condo unit and attached it to the report. After the inspection and the report, he followed up with a courtesy phone call just to make sure I didn't have any additional concerns. Excellent experience. Will definitely rehire when the home buying time presents itself again. read more

Markus is awesome. He walked us through all the issues with the home we are purchasing and made sure we knew of all the potential costs before diving in. He also turned around a VERY thorough pdf inspection report the next day with pics of his concerns. He is very knowledgable and has a great personality which made him great to work with. Look no further if you need a kick ass inspector. Highly recommended! read more

Markus was great. I'll definitely recommend him to anyone buying a home. He was incredibly thorough, and his estimate of how much various repairs might cost was spot on read more

Markus is very very very detailed If there is one thing you want in an home inspector - its detail. We found Markus on yelp and we wanted someone with experience in older homes. Markus specializes in all kinds of homes and Chicago locations. I sent him a resquest for a quote via email and within 1 day he had written me back a very detailed explanation of his process and what I might find in homes and locations I was considering. When I called to make an appointment he had great availability to get right in and review the property. Markus was early (on time) and he began the perimeter work. Markus revisited areas he already reviewed with family who showed up later and basically walked the entire house with us. This was very helpful as we could be more educated on property in its totality and not just when we reviewed the report 2 days later. My last inspector just gave highlights when he came to big ticket items but Markus really led us around so we were intimately involved in the process and was aware of the big and small and how to fix each. He should us the when, why, where, and how to with every defect. He gave his honest opinions and gave us insight into scope of work that would be ahead of us and his expertise as a contractor really paid off. Now that bad. Markus while personable and knowledgeable made many unsavory remarks in his chit chat and throughout the inspection used foul language. This was witnessed by not only myself but both relators. Markus is a city inspector and contractor not a home inspector by origination. This is his second career and as such will not have a similar write up of your property as other inspectors where it is neutral and just giving facts. He offers to write another report to go to the sellers but unless you request that upfront there will be delays and headaches. Markus himself acknowledged he had received several complaints about his write up (but clearly failed to adjust based on the clients who were paying him). Again the write up he gave us was excellent for our eyes only ------but as law dictates "if you request an item to be fixed you must send over the report". Because this is his second career Markus could not understand this and has not grasped that very critical fact. Needless to say we could not negotiate any repairs due to his opening sentence. "This house is in very good shape. " He then followed that sentiment for another paragraph but then ended with 5 pages of defects. Atleast 3 were pretty major with repairs needing to be done immediately to the tune of 15,000. There were issues that were defects that had very immediate future needs but the phrasing made it appear that because they werent an issue at present they fell upon us to eat. The sellers only saw that first paragraph about how great their home was and had blinders during negotiations to the other five pages he wrote up on defects. I'd select Markus only if you personally want to know how the house is and want a knowledgable narrative not to be shared. If his write up has to go to sellers I'd select another inspector to write it up and or represent you in an inspection situation. read more

Markus did a highly detailed, thorough inspection for a single family home that my wife and I purchased earlier this year in Old Irving Park. He is blunt, honest and accurate. He will tell you what you need to hear, not necessarily what you want to hear. He hit his deadline in getting me a voluminous report on what needed to be fixed at the house. He was also excellent in giving me an overview of house maintenance and projects I would need to take on over the years. He has decades of experience in construction and was a former City of Chicago inspector -- and it shows. He is not the type of home inspector whose top priority is for the sale of the property to proceed. His loyalty is to the potential homeowner, not the realtors. I have already recommended him to one friend buying a home, who was also satisfied with Markus' work, and would not hesitate to recommend him to others. read more

Here's the deal kids, Markus has crawled in and around more houses than you've even thought about looking at on Zillow. It's that simple. A TON of experience here. He's a former city inspector (and a bulldog) so he gives you not only his take on code discrepancies, but his personal take on things that you "might want to think about looking at" in your first 3/6/9/12 months all the way out to ~10 years in a place. My experience was somewhat unique in that the previous owners were relocated out of the Chicago area less than a year after purchasing my place. As such, they didn't want to pay to have the place inspected and said that six months earlier the previous inspector "didn't find anything". First point, if your inspector doesn't "find anything" you probably need a better inspector. Second point, ALWAYS hire the best inspector you can find. That's why I went with Markus after hearing about how he saved my friends from near disastrous purchase. Back to my experience. Within the first 5 minutes of being in the townhome, Markus had a whole list of things from very minor (10 dollar projects) to moderately expensive (3-6K) projects that would need to be done to get the place up to code. This is where Accurate Inspection and Consulting pays for itself. When you're armed with this info, it's very easy to ask for closing credits to fix issues so that you're not on the other side of the table when it comes time to sell the place. Do yourself a favor, set aside time (at least a couple of hours) to be with Markus while he nails your inspection with humor, professionalism, and a noted passion for what he does. (Note that I don't have an experience with a single family home, but I would assume that he can likely review a larger property with an extra hour or two of time, max.) Within a couple of days (I'm giving him an extra day here, for me it was one) he'll have a report including pictures of each issue and remediation necessary to arm you and your attorney with the knowledge that you need to save your bacon at closing time. Buying a property is one of the biggest purchases you'll make in your lifetime. Do yourself a favor, go with an ace in your pocket. Go with Markus and Accurate Inspection and Consulting, you won't regret it. read more

Markus is very very rude. He swore the entire time and called me a derogatory name while I was walking to my car. He also insisted on having an argument with me during the inspection. After viewing the report he has suggested that the buyer go to garage sales and purchase garden tools....What in the world. He also put in the report that there were no smoke or carbon detectors "But I could have missed them..." There were even pics of them in the report. Markus also purposely overflowed a shower in the inspection and got water all over the dining room floor and kitchen and had the buyer clean it up. My advice is to NEVER use this guy read more

If you need a home inspection, do yourself a favor and call Markus. My wife and I could not be happier with the work that Markus did for us. He led us through an in depth inspection of the home we were buying and educated us on everything we would need to know about becoming homeowners. After the inspection he put together a detailed report on the home that included anything that needed fixing immediately or in the future and how to go about it. Markus gave us the confidence and knowledge we needed about our house and I highly recommend him for that reason. He is a pleasure to work with and was great to have on our side through this process. read more

Accurate Inspection and Consulting - Markus inspecting our roof (shingles, chimneys, gutters etc.) - Home Inspectors Near Me

As first time home buyers, we didn't know how crucial a home inspector is to buying a home with confidence. He went above and beyond during and after the inspection. His report was extremely thorough. He was always available to answer questions. I'm so thankful for Markus and everything he did for us! read more

Markus is very knowledgable- and has a great approach to his inspections. I concur with the other writers - he is really good - former City inspector - knows what tricks people use to mask the real situation. I highly recommend him. Has saved us from several bad transactions and has a great personality to boot. A listing agent's nightmare - buyer's best friend. read more

Expect a very thorough & educational experience. As a 1st time home buyer, I expected the inspection process to be intimidating, however Markus is very inclusive from start to finish. Immediately, I felt he was very knowledgeable about both the in's and out's of a building. If you hire him, do your best to be present during the inspection to benefit from his many helpful tips and charming personality. With the home buying process, you need advocates, so look no further than Markus Keller. read more

Markus was awesome, thorough and professional. We went for a vintage inspection and he uncovered a deal-breaker "skeleton in the closet" kind of thing with a 1902 condo we were about to purchase. We had a second inspection to another vintage condo again with Markus. The condo was in what I had originally considered top notch condition, but he was able to find the little tiny things and we were able to negotiate some good credits with the sellers thanks to his kick-ass report. We also followed up with him on a few inspection items and he was blazing fast to respond. Well worth the money!! read more

Markus at Accurate Inspection and Consulting is absolutely phenomenal. My wife and I were first-time condo buyers in Chicago, and Markus made us feel like we had an inspector, a teacher, and a protector all wrapped into one! His patience for questions and thorough explanations far exceeded expectations. But he also understands the need to break things down and be practical when necessary. When the inspection was over, and prior to wrapping up his report, he sat with us and chatted about his overall thoughts. It was an informative and comprehensive experience. Perhaps most impressive, Markus was beyond gracious and responsive in answering post-inspection questions. We had a number of follow up questions and concerns and Markus did not hesitate to offer prompt and detailed responsiveness. If you're in need of a home inspection, I would highly recommend Markus. read more

Markus is amazing and very knowledgeable. When my fiance and I purchased our home earlier this year, Markus was our inspector. He was incredibly thorough in his inspection and reporting and made sure that all of our concerns were addressed. He educated us on what we needed to know and made the final decision making process so much easier. He always made himself available for answering questions and always followed up with us promptly. Even after we purchased our home, we've gone back to him for questions and advice because we truly trust him and his knowledge. If you are in the market to purchase a home, Markus is hands down the best inspector for the job. You will go into, what will be a really overwhelming process, feeling so much better knowing you have Markus on your team. read more

I hired Markus to inspect 3 Chicago condos over the last 5 years and I wouldn't look any further. The second condo we had inspected did not pass-- and I absolutely trusted Markus' opinion to walk away from the deal. He is in every corner, every drain, inside every mechanical unit looking for potential problems. The guy wastes no time and starts as soon as he is let in the door and doesn't finish until all of your questions are answered. He takes time to explain maintenance schedules for major appliances and tips for maintaining a well-functioning home. His inspection report is extremely detailed and filled with pictures and explanations. He provides a detailed punch list that outlines defects and offers potential solutions. After the report is submitted, he always follows up with a call to answer any additional questions. Markus is a nice guy, and fun to spend an hour or two with walking through a new home. read more

Markus is incredible. I brought him into an incredibly complicated and emotionally charged situation, and his knowledge of every single aspect of our home brought everything under control. When he left, we felt so confident that we had gotten the best that there is - we know exactly what we need to do, what we can consider doing but don't need to, and where we were worrying about problems that didn't exist. He's thoughtful, detailed, and his "bedside manner" is perfect. Don't even shop around. read more

this guy should call his company "pitbull home inspection". we had a rehabbed 2 flat under contract in logan square that looked really nice and we got back a 50 page very detailed, but easy to read report. the roof was shot, the main electrical service needed replacement, support posts in the basement needed replacement, down to the 2nd floor middle bdrm door doesn't close properly and there's an old tire on the side of the house. a little over the top, maybe, but he even pointed out the lack of outlets in the bedrooms and kitchen which are things i didn't think about because we were focused on bigger picture things like apt size, yard ,all natural woodwork,etc. just little things that would need to get taken care a later and cost $. all this can be used when negotiating the contract. buying a property is horribly stressful and even though i didn't want to hear the building had all these problems i was thankful for his thoroughness and ultimately felt better knowing exactly what i'd getting myself into. read more