First off: AJ E's review sounds like a pissed off realtor doing a hitjob review. Why? The seller's…read moreagent to a home I'm purchasing had very similar feedback and was on her toes. For the review: That's what we want. My wife and I set out to find an inspector that would give agents the Sunday Scaries, and that was accomplished because Tim does not play around. No corner is left unexplored and no door is left unopen. Tim meticulously looked through everything he could while explaining what he was doing to us as if we were students in an elementary class, making sure things were in layman's terms and understandable. Well appreciated. He has his tools, but what got us was when he busted out his thermal imager. There's a wall in front of him? Who cares, he'll just look past it anyway. Couldn't believe it when he was doing that, and thank goodness he did. Speaking of tools, they utilize a whole DRONE. Like the ones you fly in the air. They leverage it to inspect the roof and get into some areas that may be a bit harder to access. Talk about working smart. All in all, Tim was quick to follow-up and generate his report. 500 pictures. 500. That's not an extra 0 I added at the end. Thanks to Tim, we were able to find black mold and cracked Abstesos 9 x 9s in the basement. He even dismissed the nosy agent of the seller's who was there for some reason, and told her to leave so we could assess things with privacy. The seller's agent was still in the house and concerned about the work Tim was doing. THAT'S THE KIND OF INSPECTOR YOU WANT. Stacy, the owner, was quick to get us scheduled and super responsive with fast turnaround times. Thank you and job well done to the Pinnacle team!

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.

Geo did an incredible job with our home inspection! He was incredibly thorough from start to finish…read moreand took the time to explain everything to us on the go. His insights were incredibly helpful and gave us a lot of peace of mind. Highly recommend his services!

Joe was great to work with and immediately put us at ease. He was incredibly easy to talk to and…read moredid an excellent job explaining what he was seeing during the inspection. At the end, he walked us through everything verbally before sending the written report, which was extremely helpful. He explained what really mattered, what was more routine, and what we should keep an eye on, all in plain language. That conversation alone made the whole inspection feel much less stressful. Joe was also very flexible and accommodating with our tight schedule, which we really appreciated. When the written report came through, it was thorough, clear, and matched exactly what he had already explained to us in person. On the scheduling side, Christina was fantastic. She was professional, responsive, and quick to follow up. Coordinating the inspection was smooth and efficient, even with a compressed timeline, and communication was clear every step of the way. Overall, we had a really positive experience with First Choice Inspectors. Between Joe's knowledge and communication and Christina's excellent coordination, everything felt well organized and well handled. We'd absolutely recommend them and would happily work with them again.

Regret using All the Way Home Inspections, regret not being present during the inspection, and…read morebaffled that what is clearly mold stains and related moisture was not mentioned in the report despite it including pictures of what is clearly mold. The report only cited "water related moisture stains". It was very evident during walk-through, but my real estate attorney said we had no recourse outside of breaking contract since we had an inspection report with pictures of mold stains. Day after closing I had to call in a mold remediation service who will have to open up 2 large area of drywall to investigate source of water, remove infested drywall & studs, and repair the wall.

George was amazing to work with. He was very detailed, professional, and open to answering any…read morequestions. He took his time inspecting the house and did his best to address all of your main concerns. His report includes many photos and highlights several issues that I didn't notice or think about.

It's my 5th time using Decker Home Inspection and it definitely won't be my last! By far the best…read morehome inspector in Chicago - his knowledge and advice is top notch. I wouldn't buy a home without him!!

I saw Mr Decker on August 15 to inspect my condo unit in River Forest for water intrusion? He used…read morea thermographic imaging to detect that no water but condensation melting off the windows cause my drywall damage. He is a former professor at the University of Chicago. He conducts himself rather impressively? He has all the credentials an inspector should have and I would use him again if necessary

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.

We've worked with Westlund for years for home inspections. Great price for the quality and depth of…read moreinsight. Joshua and the team are so passionate about their work it's contagious. It's an opportunity to learn about the house you're getting and not just finding the problems (though they do that too!). I don't remember how I found them over a decade ago but I'm glad I did! Really thankful for such a thorough and expert inspection team. Thanks Josh!

I had a great experience with Chicagoland Home Inspectors. Alex was very detail-oriented, thorough,…read moreand easy to work with throughout the inspection. He took the time to explain what he was seeing and helped me understand the important issues clearly. After the report was completed, Charlie spent about an hour walking me through it, which was extremely helpful. I would recommend them to anyone buying a home.

We had a great experience with Chicagoland Home Inspector Inc., and specifically with inspector Tim…read moreHeise. Tim was incredibly thorough and took his time walking us through the home, pointing out potential issues and making sure we truly understood what we were seeing. He was especially helpful in explaining potential drainage concerns in a clear, easy-to-understand way, without making us feel rushed or overwhelmed. His patience and willingness to answer questions made the entire inspection feel collaborative and reassuring. We highly recommend Tim and his team to anyone looking for a knowledgeable and trustworthy home inspector.

Absolutely outstanding. I just moved into a new construction…read morecustom home in which the build / builder was a disaster. Any concern brought up, I was either gaslit , ignored or the builder didn't follow through either b/c he forgot or didn't care ( who can say ? ). After two agonizing years, i finally moved in yet was brimming with questions that could only be answered by a respected 3rd party expert. I knew there were areas of the house that were not constructed properly yet having been gaslight so many times, I was confused on what all was defective vs. normal. Big thank you to Mark w/ Domicile, who was my Lead Inspector. Mark carries decades of experience in which I found him to be fair, firm, patient and very educative. Shout out to him for answering ALL of my questions (there were many). Mark's report was very thorough in which I can now focus on areas that need to be addressed. To anyone out there building a custom home, don't make the same mistake I did in waiting until after your move in / final occupancy to book Domicile. Very important! Thank you Domicile/ Mark.

Mark (owner) and his team and Domicile are amazing. They are professional and super easy to work…read morewith. Mark is very thorough. He even suggested a day after heavy rain to get the most accurate readings for his water intrusion report. High recommend him and his service!

Mecca Home Inspection provided excellent service from start to finish. They were very efficient,…read moreprofessional, and thorough throughout the entire inspection process. They took the time to clearly explain their findings and answered all questions in a way that was easy to understand, which made the experience smooth and stress-free. We would definitely hire Mecca Home Inspection again and highly recommend them to others looking for a reliable inspection service.

From the owner: As a Firefighter/Paramedic, Fire Inspector, and Fire Investigator of 12 years and a Licensed Home…read moreInspector in Illinois and Wisconsin, I have the experience and knowledge necessary to provide a detailed inspection and to distinguish between major and minor problems with the home. Mecca Home Inspections provides professional home inspection services in the Greater Chicagoland Area and surrounding suburbs including Gurnee, Waukegan, Libertyville, Vernon Hills, Mundelein, Naperville, Arlington Heights, Schaumburg, Wisconsin and more.