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!

Dunsing really has its act together as a company. I was able to set up an inspection during the…read moreweekend for a Monday, 9am, inspection! (I only got the okay to set up an inspection on Saturday.) I'd expected only to be able to leave a message and not set up anything until they opened for regular business hours on Monday. Being able to do it over the weekend enabled the inspection to be done at the very beginning of the 5-day period specified in the contract with the seller. As for the report, you couldn't ask for it to be any more complete or any more promptly delivered. The report is long but presented in a way that makes it very easy to go through and understand. The email by which the report was sent had a short video link about tips for maximizing the benefits of the report. Even that had worthwhile info. As for the inspector, Paul LeBeau, what a knowledgeable, experienced, competent and conscientious guy. Over the years I've learned to do a fair number of fix-it things around the house (a little electrical, plumbing, carpentry, etc.), so I have some basis for saying what I did about him. I think I've raved long enough, but I meant everything I said.

We paid over a thousand dollars for an awful home inspection. They spent the whole time looking at…read moresuperfluous issues like door stoppers not being present and an outlet having a broken childproof plug stuck inside of it. Meanwhile since we have moved into our home we have had to pay 800 dollars to have our water heater repaired (it had zero stickers and the first thing the repairman said was it was never properly installed--we never had hot water since day 1 easy thing for an "inspector" to check), a roof that is leaking into our bedroom because of a poorly built pergola (which will be at least 5,000) and mold in our room with our newborn down the hall which will be another 6,000 and 4 broken electrical outlets in the garage (easily checked by looking for a red light) which cost me another 900. I have never had a worse return on investment for the 1000+ we spent on our home inspection, so far our bill has totaled over 12,000. I urge any one considering Dunsing Inspections to make a hard pass on hiring them--you will just get an inspection full of pointless things that should be fixed like door stoppers and fixing plugs with childproof plugs broken inside rather than real issues.