Home inspections to fit your individual needs.

One type of inspection does not fit the needs of every person seeking a home inspection. A rehaber in Chicago needs a different inspection than someone purchasing an existing home in Schaumburg. Somone building a house in Naperville or has a builder warranty in Lake County may need still other types of inspections. Therefore, I offer different inspections so that I can meet your individual needs. Virtually anyone in the Chicago land area can find a home inspection that meets their needs and goals at a price they can afford. Review your home inspection choices and contact me for more information or to schedule an appointment.

If you want to check prices call me at 847-254-5358 (I answer my phone 6am to 10pm seven days a week) or email me: [email protected].  Just a few details about your property and I'll have a firm quote for you good for 30 days.

Although I offer many different choices for my Clients, it is important that you choose wisely. I could easily offer only one inspection type like most home inspectors do. However, I want to help you meet your needs and goals in buying your property, for whatever reason you are buying it. If you have any questions about which inspection type is the right one for you, contact me.

 

Your Inspection Choices

BASIC	LISTING
STANDARD	SCOUT
PREMIUM	SPOT
847-254-5358	RENTER

 

BASIC

This is what most people think of when they hear "home inspection". This inspection includes only major defects. It does not include (1) interior items, (2) recall and safety concern research on appliances and equipment, or (3) cosmetic damage and "minor" defects (note that cosmetic damage and "minor" defects are determined solely by me and may differ from your opinion or from the opinions of third parties). Generally, cosmetic, interior items such as doorknob holes in walls; loose hardware on doors, cabinets, and drawers; and small holes or minor damage to screen doors and windows are not difficult or expensive to resolve. However, if you want me to document as many of those as possible, you want at least my STANDARD inspection. Keep in mind that one damaged screen window might be okay, but what if there are 15 damaged screen windows?

The BASIC inspection is best when you just need the basic, major defects, either because you are an investor and will be gutting and renovating the house, or because you are very handy and choose to correct these items yourself. Price-shoppers also usually order this type of inspection. This inspection is not recommended for first-time home buyers, Realtors completing their first property inspection experience, or anyone purchasing a newly constructed or recently renovated home.

In having a BASIC inspection, it is very important that you read through your report to get a complete understanding of the condition of the house at the time of the inspection, as well as what I did and did not do, or could and could not do, at the time of the inspection. If you have any questions about anything, contact me.

 

STANDARD

This home inspection is suitable and recommended for all types of properties, although my BASIC inspection is a better value for investors or anyone who will be doing a complete renovation, including properties that have a significant amount of deferred maintenance.

My STANDARD inspection is the true definition of "a home inspection the way it should be". It includes (1) interior items (2) cosmetic damage and "minor" defects (note that cosmetic damage and "minor" defects are determined solely by me and might differ from your opinion or from the opinions of third parties), (3) Attendance with you on your final walk through (4) common information about your home, and (5) common maintenance and safety tips.

Cosmetic and "minor" defects generally include items such as holes in screens; loose hardware on cabinets, doors, and drawers; doorknob holes in walls, etc. In the overall scheme of things, it is relatively easy to resolve those problems, but if there are a lot of them, then the total expense could be higher than you’d like.

PREMIUM

This inspection includes my STANDARD inspection and

• Free re-inspection of the sellers repairs to make sure they were done
• A 30-day on-site follow-up
• A six-month BASIC inspection to make sure things are still perfoming as intended.
• Recall and safety concern research on appliances and equipment
• A free appliance package to record vital information about your home’s appliances and equipment for insurance purposes.

This inspection is best for Clients who might be unable to attend the property inspection itself or the final walk-through, Clients who might be involved in a rent-back situation with the seller or the seller’s tenants, or Clients who will have tenants in the property.

If you have any questions, simply contact me to discuss them.

LISTING

My LISTING inspection is a specialized inspection available only to Sellers since it is a pre-listing inspection. It includes only major defects. It does not include (1) interior items, (2) recall and safety concern research on appliances and equipment, or (3) cosmetic damage and "minor" defects (note that cosmetic damage and "minor" defects are determined solely by me and may differ from your opinion or from the opinions of third parties).

The idea behind this inspection is that the sellers can get a "preivew" of any issues that may exist before the buyer’s inspection and have enough time to get reasonably priced reapirs done. If the home inspection reveals a "clean" report, you can also use the report as another marketing tool. See all the benefits of my LISTING inspection on my home sellers page.

The LISTING inspection also meets all general requirements for correcting or disclosing major defects concerning the structure. Note that major defects listed are those that were present or visible at the time of the inspection. I cannot, and shall not, take responsibility for something that has failed since the inspection, for damage caused by someone doing repairs, for the quality of repairs, or for damage caused by those living on the property in the course of daily life. However, I will be there with the you until the house is sold in order to address problems that the buyer’s property inspection discovered. Keep in mind that there can be a significant difference between two property inspection reports by two separate inspectors.

If you have any questions about the LISTING inspection report, or the buyer’s home inspection report, simply contact me. I’m on your side and will help you in any way I can.

SCOUT

My SCOUT inspection is available if you are not yet in escrow on any property. If you have a property under contract for sale, lease or purchase, you will need one of my other inspections. The SCOUT inspection is specifically meant to inform you of major visible problems before you have made an offer on a property and deposited thousands of dollars into an escrow account. By doing this, you don’t have to wait weeks or months to get your money back if the home inspection revealed too many problems, or major problems, that you don’t want to deal with under any circumstances.

This inspection is most popular with property investors and can be done at Open Houses or private showings, either with or without your Realtor. There is no written report involved with this inspection. It is a 100% visual assesment (nothing will be operated) of the various components and verbally describing their condition as you take notes. I encourage you to ask as many questions as you would like as we SCOUT the property.

SPOT

My SPOT inspection is for property owners or tenants who are having problems with individual systems in the home, such as the roof, or the heating and cooling system, or the water heater. This inspection simply documents specific conditions and is commonly used in insurance claims or complaints against installation or repair personnel.

RENTER

My RENTER inspection is available only to renters, hence the name. It is used mainly to document the condition of the property at the time of move-in, and avoid any conflicts at the time of move-out. However, some renters having problems with their landlords also choose a RENTER inspection to document the problems.

If you have any questions, simply contact me to discuss them.