You know those annoying things in reviewing, right? Like... "I'd give this place NO stars, if I…read morecould" or "I'd give them ALL the stars." The overzealousness can sometimes read amatuer, less-than-thorough, so I get it, I do! Problem is... if I could, after working with Jon, I'd give Finest Home Inspection, Jon Ellis, owner, and his gorgeous wife, Jennifer ALL. THE. STARS! I'm buying a home as a newly divorce woman returning to Champaign after 12 years away! Part of the problem is that I'm doing this sight unseen. The other part? I've only ever purchased property with another human being! A compulsive, drill-down-fact-checker who basically built life to fit the way he wanted to live! Nothing wrong with that in theory, it just kinda left me without a ton of tools to do this on my own. First thing I learned in this process -- you CAN'T depend on anyone but yourself to do the legwork! My real estate agent, a fine enough person, said he'd hook me up with all his best people. I fell into the routing I lived for years pre-divorce! I let him make the decisions, let him set the appointments, and just got along to get along. The issues started when I got the first quote from his home inspector -- $600 to inspect a 1500 sq ft condo! That sounded high to me, so I went to everyone's best friend -- Google! -- and looked for awesome home inspectors in the Champaign area. I'll the truthful, there are plenty. But there's only ONE Finest Home Inspection. Only ONE Jon Ellis! So, the reviews (glowing as they are!) weren't wrong. For less than almost every other single home inspector (almost $200 less!), Jon went out to my property, went EVERYWHERE, took pictures EVERYWHERE, sent me a report that knocked my socks off (and did so in like... less than a day!), and then... offered to go over every single page of the 40+ he sent me so I understood all terminology, all requirements, all spaces and all his notes! Clearly this is my first home report on my own! If it wasn't obvious from the earlier read, with a pretty tightly controlling ex, this was my first chance to see the depth and breadth of everything that goes into choosing a home, buying a home, maintaining a home. I was concerned, immediately, when the report came back with a laundry list of fixes. But, later, when Jon and I spoke on the phone, he put my mind thoroughly at ease! Telling me that the repairs portion of a report usually looks like that -- or WORSE, MUCH WORSE! -- and so we went over the things I might wanna mention and the things I might just want to have a go with on my own, and Jon was nothing but kind, patient, understanding, and educational! You can tell that he was a home builder before he was a home inspector! And that's such a great thing I'm wearing out the !!! key. I also had the privilege of talking to Jon's wife, Jennifer. She's the other half of Finest Home Inspection. She was insightful, informative, generous with her time, and genuinely sweet. If she's got room for a new BFF, I mean! ;D There's still work to be done, for sure, but after the prior owner makes the adjustments and changes necessary, I'm happily spending the -- and yes, get this! -- less than $100 to have Jon go out and reinspect! One thing I know for sure in this process is this... I've never been so happy to spend like $450 (and that's all in, inspection AND reinspection with a report that came in less than 24 hours!) in my life! As a newly minted person, on a new path, with a new adventure ahead, I'm really looking forward to picking Jon's brain about making changes to my new home. Jon's like one of those all purpose tools you pass up your wrench, your screw driver, your hammer for! He's the whole package, like one of the most valuable members of your team. I promise if you trust him, you won't go wrong! =D

We used Finest Home Inspection for our recent home purchase in Champaign, Illinois and they were…read moregreat. Professional, thorough, competent and knowledgeable. Jon contacted us quickly to go over our inspection report and the inspection report told us so much more than just what needed to be repaired. We could not be happier with Finest Home Inspection and would recommend them to anyone who needs a home inspection done now and in the future!

I highly recommend you look elsewhere…read more They failed to report two conditions that were plainly visible from accessible areas. One was a sewer cleanout penetration in the foundation block that was left completely open, an obvious bulk-water path (daylight visible from crawlspace) which led to structural rot. The other defect was a large portion of the tall end of the attic where cardboard was used in place of sheathing, which now I have bugs, moisture, and repairs to deal with. After finding these issues I reached out to them. My experience with management after that was in my opinion, a case study in avoidance, blame-shifting, and zero accountability. On the phone I was told maybe it "washed out later," that things were "nearly completely obstructed," and that there was "garbage and shrubs blocking the view." None of those limitations were documented at the time of the inspection at those locations. Then came the kicker: they offered me a refund, but only on the condition that I sign a broad gag/confidentiality release that restricts honest public reviews and complaints. Of course I didn't accept that, I offered a narrow, non-gag release. They declined. This isn't about "finding every problem." It's about reporting obvious, visible defects or clearly stating specific access limits where you didn't/couldn't inspect at the time, not AFTER the fact. The company's posture felt smug, adversarial, defensive, and accountability-averse. If you value professionalism, accountability and transparency, consider this experience before choosing an inspector. My opinion: a professional inspection should either report visible, readily accessible defects or document specific limits where they could not. That didn't happen here. Their response with after-the-fact excuses and the insistence on a gag release felt smug and dismissive, not customer-focused. They got really creative with the colorful excuses, Brad (management I'm assuming) tried telling me that the sheathing was actually "underneath the cardboard", despite my pictures showing otherwise. He also said "we don't have our guys get involved in any of the mud in the crawlspaces". This was not a flooded or particularly muddy crawlspace. I heavily regret having gone with this company. I filed a chargeback with my bank. I'm happy to share photos and emails with anyone considering using them.

Buying a new house is a stressful time, especially in 2020-2021. You want to make sure you're…read moremaking a good investment and the right decision. Having a good inspector is very important to understand and to learn about the property in question as it can uncover some serious issues with the house, help negotiate a better deal, or simply provide peace of mind. I researched a few different companies in the area and decided to go with Security Home Inspections. The office staff was very responsive and answered all my questions. From the price perspective they were not overly expensive, but weren't the cheapest either. What's also convenient, they do radon, infrared, and sewer cam (some other firms don't and you have to schedule multiple inspections with different people) and we actually uncovered some tree roots in the sewer line before closing, which helped us negotiate. Overall, our inspector was punctual, friendly, and thorough. He invited us to look at every issue he had found and explained how severe it was and what needed to be done in order to remediate it. Our report was done the next day and as a bonus we got the appliance recall subscription. All in all, I'm happy I went with Security Home Inspections and I feel more confident about our home purchase decision. I'd definitely recommend this company to anyone in the area.

We're very happy with the radon mitigation that was done to our new (92 year-old) home by Tim…read moreDeloriea of Illinois Environmental Systems. Our radon gas level was reduced from 9.9 pCi/l to 0.9 pCi/l (the ambient outdoor radon gas level is 4.0 pCi/l). Tim was diligent, answered all our questions, and took our concerns into account. Before the installation, he explained his remediation plan which included describing the purpose of the various components that would be part of the system, how the existing drains would be retrofitted, and answered our questions of why it is that radon gas causes cancer (it erodes the lungs' lining) and why can't the pump be placed out of sight in the basement (if the pump's exhaust becomes blocked, then radon gas will be drawn into the home at a high rate). Per our request, he took extra efforts to place the pump on the side of the house where it would be minimally visible from the backyard. After the installation, he reviewed how the system works and pointed out the gauge which shows the system pressure so that it can be monitored to ensure proper system operation.

From the owner: Illinois Environmental Systems will improve your indoor air quality by installing a custom designed…read moreradon elimination system. All systems are designed and installed by Tim Deloriea, the professional radon mitigation licensee. Tim is an environmental geologist by training, and loves the daily challenge of designing and installing radon mitigation systems to be effective and not detract from the aesthetics of your home. Tim is willing to work around your schedule with consultations and installation appointments available on weekends and after 5pm on weekdays as well as during normal business hours.