Welcome to Inspect-N-Check
Professional Home Inspection Services
About
Our Story
We offer a variety of inspection services from Home Inspections, 11 Month Warranty walks, Annual Home Maintenance Checklists, and Home Consulting Services. You’ll love our state-of-the-art software that creates a detailed, clean, and easy-to-read report. Our home inspectors are licensed, insured, and trained to provide you with a memorable home inspection experience!
Our Services
What We Offer
Buyer Home Inspection
In a home inspection we will examine the components of the home per the “Home Inspection Standards of Practice” and provide you with a detailed report on any issues found. We will inspect areas such as the structure, roof, foundation, grading, attics, interior rooms, crawlspaces, and mechanical systems. Typically, an inspection takes 2-4 hours depending on the size and condition of the house. We recommend that you attend the inspection if possible, as it helps you to better understand what your inspector is pointing out in their report.
Pre-Listing
Home Inspection
With having your own inspector, you can be aware of issues before a buyer approaches you. Therefore, you can better understand the issues of your property and items that may hold the transaction from moving forward. By finding the problems in your home before it is listed, you have the freedom to address the issues that are important and leave others as-is. This assists in the negotiation process when a buyer may request items to be fixed. You can show the inspection report to potential buyers to give them peace of mind that you did your due diligence with finding and fixing issues in the home. This helps the buyer purchase with more confidence.
Annual Home Maintenance Inspection
Is a “health check-up” for your home. It’s similar to a Buyer Home Inspection, with a slightly different purpose, to catch any issues early on before they become more costly and preserve the condition your home. Your inspector will walk you through the home, showing you what they found and explain what it means, as well as point out tasks you should be doing regularly to keep your home in tiptop shape. This is also a great opportunity for you to ask any questions you may have about your home. Once we’re finished, you’ll get a written report detailing everything we found. Think of this report as an itemized “Honey do list” to tackle whenever you choose.
New Construction Inspections
This is a home inspection of a brand-new home that is performed during specific phases of construction before you close. These inspections ensure the home was built with proper building practices and everything was completed. New construction homes in the Chicagoland area have been found to have missing insulation, improperly installed materials, unfinished mechanical systems, and more. Many people believe that just because a home is new, it is in perfect condition. This is a false belief that can cost you money and headaches down the road. Our goal is to catch problems during the home’s construction so that they can be addressed right away.
Pre-Drywall Inspection
This inspection is after the rough framing, plumbing, electrical, HVAC mechanical systems have been installed. The pre-drywall phase allows us to discover potential issues before they are “covered and hidden” behind the drywall.
Pre-Closing Inspection
This inspection is performed prior to your final walkthrough and is similar to a comprehensive residential home inspection. We inspect the home in its entirety and test the major systems including the electrical, plumbing, and HVAC to ensure they work properly.
Warranty Inspection
Most builders offer a 1-year warranty (11 Month Walk Through) that covers repairing or replacing items if they exceed the allowed tolerance stated within their warranty. With a 1- Year Warranty Inspection you’ll want to schedule us to come out around the 10th month after your closing date to complete a full comprehensive inspection. This way if we find any defects you can ask the builder to address them before your warranty expires.
Investor Inspection
If you’re flipping houses or investing in rental property and not concerned about cosmetics or appliances. We offer Walk-N-Talk inspections where we walk with you through the property and focus on the major components such as the structure, roof, foundation, grounds, attic, crawlspace, and mechanical systems.
Appraisal Verification Inspection
If you feel you’re not getting full valve of what your property is worth we can perform an Appraisal Verification Inspection. In this inspection you’ll send us a copy of your appraisal report, we’ll go out to the property, and look to see if there are any issues the appraiser is saying that need to be addressed that truly don’t.
Radon
Testing
Radon is a radioactive gas that comes from the natural breakdown of uranium in bedrock and comes up to the Earth’s surface. As radon moves up through the ground it can enter your home through cracks, penetrations, and other openings in the floor and foundation walls. Radon is an odorless/tasteless gas that is the second leading cause of lung cancer next to smoking. Radon has been found in homes all over the United States and is more prominent in Northern Illinois than other regions of the country. In this service we will coordinate directly with the listing agent or seller to drop off and pick up our monitors that need to be in the home for 48 hours for proper analyzing.
Sewer Line Inspection
Main sewer line repairs or replacements can get very expensive, very quick, easily costing thousands to tens of thousands of dollars. In this service we will use a camera to view the interior condition of the sewer line to see if there are any cracks, displacements, clogs, or tree roots. We’ll record the inspection, upload it to YouTube, and include the link to the video in your report. For any reason should we not be able to access the sewer line through a clean out fitting or be able to come down the plumbing vent on the roof there will be no charge.
Indoor Air Quality & Mold Testing
IAQ is the air quality within and around buildings and structures. IAQ is known to affect the health, comfort, and well-being of building occupants. Poor indoor air quality has been linked to sick building syndrome, reduced productivity, and impaired learning. IAQ can be affected by gases, particulates, microbial contaminants, mold, pollen, insect parts, dust mites, skin cell fragments, plant fragments, dust, fibers, combustion emissions, or any stressor that can induce adverse health conditions. IAQ testing involves the collection of air samples, and spot samples on the building’s surfaces (if there is any area in question). This service includes three samples: an outdoor control sample, indoor sample, and another indoor sample in a different location of the home or swab sample of an area of concern. If there are multiple areas of concern additional samples can be taken at a per sample fee.
Asbestos
Testing
Many building materials used before 1975 contain asbestos, such as floor tiles, ceiling tiles, shingles, fireproofing, heating systems, pipe wrap, joint compounds, mastics, and other insulation materials. Normally, significant releases of asbestos fiber do not occur unless the building materials are disturbed by cutting, sanding, drilling, or remodeling. When disturbed inhalation of the fibers over long exposure times can be associated with increased incidence of lung cancer especially in the form of mesothelioma. In this service we’ll take samples from areas that are in question and send to the lab for analysis. Pricing is per sample.
Lead
Testing
Lead is a naturally occurring element found in small amounts in the earth’s crust. While it has some beneficial uses, it can be toxic to humans and animals, causing health problems. Lead exposure is particularly dangerous to children and pregnant woman causing a variety of issues such as behavior problems, slowed growth, anemia, premature birth, damage to the baby’s nervous system, and possibly miscarriage. Homes built before 1978 most likely have lead-based paint which is still present in millions of homes, sometimes under layers of newer paint. If the paint is in good shape, it’s usually not a problem, however peeling, chipping, chalking, or cracking lead-based paint is a hazard and needs to be remediated as soon as possible. In this service we’ll take samples from a few different locations throughout the house and send them to the lab for analysis. Pricing is per sample.
Testimonials
"BJ was so great to work with. He took the time to educate us and showed us the ins and outs of our home. He was very responsive and understood our needs and helped work around our schedule."
Sean and Erin B.
"I have built several homes in the past and I have never had such a great relationship with a home inspector. BJ has been awesome and his professional personality shines through."
Dave S.
"We have been incredibly pleased with BJ, from our new home inspection to the warranty inspection. It was a pleasure to work with him and he truly takes his job personally and made us feel he was always available. What a pleasurable experience!"
Randy and Barb A.
FAQs
Most Popular Questions
How long is a Home Inspection?
This depends on the size and features within the home. Typically, a standard home is 3 hours. Town home is 1.5 to 2 hours. A condo is 1 to 1.5 hours.
What days are you available for a Home Inspection?
We’re open 7 days a week! Call or email for availability.
When will the report be available?
The home inspection report will be published and sent to you the same day!
Can the buyers attend the Home Inspection?
Absolutely, we strongly recommend that all parties that have an interest in the home attend the home inspection.
When is payment due for the Home Inspection?
We require a signed inspection agreement and payment to secure the time slot.
How will an Inspection help determine the condition of the home?
During the Home Inspection, the Home Inspector will explain the condition of the property, and you’ll be provided with a PDF Report to help you make an informed decision.
Why should I choose Inspect-N-Check?
BJ is a well trained Home Inspector, who is licensed and insured in Illinois. With having a background in construction, BJ has inspected and QA walked thousands of houses in Chicago and the surrounding suburbs. This experience has equipped him with extensive knowledge in performing a world class home inspection.
What happens if the Home Inspection reveals problems?
If your Home Inspection reveals any problems, it’s important to understand the severity of them. You can always go over areas of concern with your Home Inspector or call licensed contractor for repairs or replacement costs.
Do all Home Inspectors look at the same things?
They should be! In Illinois Home Inspectors are required to be licensed and perform their Home Inspection per the Standards of Practice. A Home Inspector may go above and beyond the SOP, however we are to fulfill the requirements listed in the Standards of Practice.
Can the Inspector provide prices for repairs or replacement costs?
No, as a State Licensed Home Inspector we cannot provide costs for repairs or replacements. We advise you call a licensed contractor for a quote.
Do the buyers need to bring anything to the Home Inspection?
It’s not a bad idea to bring a notepad, tape measure, and camera to help plan for your move.
Do you offer any other services?
We sure do! We offer Radon Testing, Sewer Line Inspections, Indoor Air Quality Testing, Mold Inspections, Lead, Asbestos, and Water Quality Tests
Can we do a last-minute Home Inspection?
Of course, with last minute home inspections we’ll do our best to get you on the schedule based on availability.
How far in advance do we need to book the Home Inspection?
We recommend you call and speak to a Home Inspector as soon as you are ready, this gives us a better chance to accommodate your availability.
Is the Inspector available to speak to after the Home Inspection?
Yes, our system saves your report, and we are available by phone or text.
What is included in the Home Inspection report?
The Home Inspection Report is an easy-to-reference document explaining the condition of the home's systems and components such as HVAC, Plumbing, Electrical, Roofing, Foundation, Attic, and more.
How qualified are the Home Inspectors?
All our Home Inspectors are trained and certified to be state licensed in Illinois. Ongoing training keeps our Home Inspectors up to date on the newest building and construction practices.
Can the Home Inspector make repairs?
We know it seems convenient to have a Home Inspector who is also a contractor that can easily make repairs for you; however, it is a conflict of interest. We inspect your home without any vested interest in repairs and are happy to give you contractor recommendations should you need them.
Is it possible for my home to fail a Home Inspection?
No, a Home Inspection is an examination of the current condition of your prospective home. It is not an appraisal or a municipal inspection. A home inspector, therefore, will not pass or fail a house, but rather describe its physical condition and indicate what should be addressed for safety and proper operation of the home’s components.