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.

We had a great experience with First Choice Inspectors. Kim was timely, pleasant, and very…read morethorough. She explained any issues to my husband in detail and answered any questions we had. Would highly recommend Kim and would use her again in the future!

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!

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.

I used this company twice while searching for my next house. I absolutely loved the service. They…read morereally saved me from a bad decision, and they helped me find the house of my dreams. They use high tech equipment (even drones), and are very knowledgeable, punctual, reliable and solid. I would only trust them from now on. THANK YOU

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.

Probably the most detailed inspection I've ever received. Excellent inspection report. Greatly…read moreappreciated.

Scott was great to work with, had 1 deal fall through and had to get another inspection and used…read moreagain. Easy to get a hold of, arrived early both times. Very thorough inspection and took the time to show and explain things and answered any questions. Would use again and plan on referring him to others.

We had an inspection this morning for our new condo with Scott. We received so much more than a…read morestandard inspection. Scott was very professional and made sure we understood the repairs he pointed out. Every time he had a concern, he called us over to take a look at what he was seeing and explained to us in detail what was the issue and what repair would be needed to correct it. He was also great to talk to and we felt very comfortable around him. We are first time buyers so we were very nervous about going through this process. He made sure we felt comfortable and understood what was happening throughout the process. He also said that if he had any questions, we can always reach out to him and that his job doesn't just stop at the inspection which was so nice the hear that kind of reassurance. We highly recommend Scott for any inspection needs!

Let me preface by saying if I could give 10 plus stars or more I would. I have bought many homes in…read moremy life time. I also have had many home inspectors or "so called inspectors" do my inspections on various homes. In basic English as they say "many talk the talk but do not walk it". Mike is so thorough it is unbelievable. The report you receive is very detailed and was easy to understand. He is very fair in his pricing for the quality inspection you receive. Remember you get what you pay for. I will recommend Mike highly and use him many times over if given the opportunity. In the end with a quality and professional inspector like Mike you cannot go wrong. In fact if you hire an inexperienced inspector it can cost you several thousands of dollars in the long run. It is ultimately the decision of the purchaser to look at all findings and make a conscience decision from there. Hire Mike for your next inspection ,you won't go wrong.

Highly recommended! Mike responded to my inquiry very quickly and made time to stop over and…read moreaddress some concerns I was having with my house. He was very knowledgeable and provided me with great advice on how to fix the issues. Very professional and would recommend his services. Thanks again!

I thought I found the one. Beautiful house in exactly the right location but as my inspector, Ray…read morefrom Inspect-All, told me, "the inspection is the reality check." So true. Ray had been referred to me by a friend who had him inspect a home he decided to purchase. For me, he came out and inspected a place that I knew was old. I expected some minor repairs but his eye caught a lot more. This guy knows his stuff. Long story short, there were some major structural issues that Ray picked up on that would be difficult, if not impossible, to catch with a common eye. Repairs would have easily cost upwards of 40-50 thousand dollars. He was great about letting me hang around and in fact when I wandered off a few times to chat with my agent and neighbors he came to find me when he dug something up, making sure I had full knowledge of what was going on. He got there a full hour early and had essentially finished inspecting much of the outside by the time I got there. That isn't to say he rushed. The inspection went on for almost 4 hours! He looked at every possible thing, gave me tips on how to repair things, explained anything I didn't understand, and let me know what was serious and what wasn't such a big deal. My only quibbles were that pictures weren't taken of damage areas (I brought a camera so wasn't too big of a deal) and that the sheets are not in digital form but hand written (he gives you three copies so I just scanned them into a PDF). Still, the binder (yes... binder) of information he gives you at the end of the inspection is absolutely invaluable. Such a help. You would be hard pressed to find a better inspector, and on top of that, his pricing is very competitive. 5 stars for Ray at Inspect-All!

It's the first time we're buying a house, and we were advised by some friends not to use the…read moreinspectors suggested by the realty company (for reason of bias). I saw him on Yelp with good reviews, so thought I'd give him a try. He seemed to know what he was talking about, and even suggested some ideas for updating some things, but we've never bought a house before, and we never needed an inspector before, so I couldn't tell if he did a great job or not. But when he was going through everything, he was checking off a list. Somebody who does it a lot and is really experienced, I'd expect to already know what to look for and what was coming up on the list. The price did seem competitive with other inspectors though, and he gave me a discount because I found him on Yelp. Update: Some things here and there, I'll see in the house and wonder why he didn't catch it, like cracks in walls, that some of the switches didn't work or buzzed because they were actually cracked (my uncle, who's an electrician, checked them out once and discovered this), etc., but overall, I guess he did alright - as good as somebody who doesn't do it full-time anyway, and he doesn't. So he was a nice guy, relatively on time, and got the job done, but if we could do it over, I would've gone with somebody else who was more experienced.