It is a common notion real estate agents don’t disclose detailed deficiencies that the client could find themselves, but an expert inspector always can.  It is in the best interest of the real estate agent to find inspectors that overlook those serious deficiencies.  If every buyer had an honest and professional inspector, the true value of the home would be significantly less due to the report they have to negotiate with.  What honest people get blind-sided by is the fact most real estate agents are in this field for their pure profit and their greatest asset is the ability to sell anything.  At Tomacor, we work directly for the buyer and we make sure our clients don’t buy just “anything”.  There are plenty of solid, safe and habitable homes for people to purchase at a reasonable amount. It is too often we experience our clients being sucked into hazardous life-threatening properties because of the ability of the real estate agent to sell them on the insignificant details.

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Seeing as it is near the middle of December, I have to say that I do not believe this to be true anymore. Due to the obvious lack of snow and oddly warm weather we have had this Fall, the “seasonal setback” theory did not play out. The basis for invalidating this philosophy is due to the boom in the real estate market. It is prevalent that home buyers are much more savvy and knowledgeable than ever before. Illinois has enacted great laws that prevent the buyer from being swindled by avaricious real estate agents. The community is coming together and viewing the home buying process as a very personal grand life decision, rather than a temporary tenant situation. Here, at Tomacor, we strive to keep that mentality strong and growing.

It is time for the housing market to start shifting toward the positive. With advocacy from home inspectors, honest real estate agents and educated home buyers, we can all experience a national rise in the market and the path to living out the American dream.

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I often enjoy television channels that offer “do it yourself” shows like on HGTV. I have watched my fair share of inspection shows on stations like that. With absolute credibility I can say that those shows do not depict the intensity and thoroughness Tom strives to accomplish for the buyer every time he is out on the field. While other inspectors typically spend about an hour on an inspection, Tom will spend five. He is an educator as well as an inspector. He enjoys mentoring society on serious issues, which advances the communities knowledge on health safety. As the real estate market starts to pick up, he wants to be a part of the positive side of home buying. This isn’t just a profit game anymore. People are making the biggest investment of their lives to raise their families in a home where they believe their children can grow up healthy and thriving.

At Tomacor, our mission is to change the real estate industry into a progressive market where residents can feel secure and absolute that they are purchasing quality homes. At the end of the day we all like to know the place where we rest our heads, and the heads of our loved ones, is a personal sanctuary which we feel complete comfortability in. My time here at Tomacor has taught me that I will not settle for subpar living standards and the importance of demanding the highest quality of living from the real estate community.

-Bobbie (Tomacor Staff)

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Member: Gregory Adams, 1140 Greenwood Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091

Category: Home Inspection

Services Performed: Yes  ** More Weight is given to a report where work has been completed.

Work Completed Date: April 19, 2012

Hire Again: Yes

Approximate Cost: $825.00

Description Of Work: Tom provided a pre-purchase inspection on a residential property on which I had made an offer to purchase.

Member Comments:

Let me put it this way – I would not buy a house in the metro-Chicago area without Tom doing the inspection!

I used Tomacor about ten years ago to inspect a 2-flat I was thinking of buying in Chicago.  As advertised, I received the most detailed and accurate inspection that I have ever experienced, and avoided a building with undisclosed problems.  When I moved back to the area and made an offer on a home in the suburbs, I knew there was only one inspector that I would use.

We had to go back to the sellers and change the agreed inspection date.  When the selling agent found out we were using Tomacor, they threatened to walk from the deal.  I asked why, and was told that “they are so thorough, they tend to find everything that is wrong with a house and that has a tendency to kill deals”.   I told the sellers that I was an experienced buyer and understood that no house is perfect, but that there was no way I was proceeding with the purchase without Tom’s inspection, and if they required the use of another inspector – there was no deal.  At this point, they relented and agreed to move forward.  Tom spent five hours on the inspection (most inspectors would have spent less than three hours), and walked me thru every room and system in the house.  His assessments were 100% fact based, and he told me in detail about what needed to be fixed immediately and what could wait.  When I had questions about what he was telling me, he took extra time to make sure I understood the issue in detail.  He also gave me estimates of what each item would cost to fix.  I further appreciate the detailed Tomacor inspection binder that gives me a reference document for the house going forward.

Most importantly, Tom identified a structural issue with a sun porch that no other inspector had identified.  On Tom’s recommendation we had a structural engineer further inspect the situation, and they concurred that there was a problem that would need to be addressed at a likely cost of over $20K.  We were able to use these facts (and others) to negotiate a price reduction to cover these costs.  Though it’s possible another inspector would have found these same things, I kind of doubt it!

Tom is a little more expensive than other inspectors, but you know you’re going to have a complete picture of the condition of the house you are thinking of buying.  The return on investment for using Tomacor is a no-brainer!

Like I said, I wouldn’t buy a house in metro-Chicago without having Tom inspect it!

Overall  A

Price      A

Quality  A

Responsiveness               A

Punctuality         A

Professionalism                A

The post Angie’s List Testimonial – Gregory Adams, Wilmette, IL. appeared first on Chicago Area Home Inspection.

Member:
Jeric Johnson
4342 N. Tripp Ave
CHICAGO, IL 60641

Category:
Home Inspection

Services Performed:
Yes
* More Weight is given to a report where work has been completed.

Work Completed Date:
September 18, 2012

Hire Again:
Yes

Approximate Cost:
$850.00

Home Build Year:
2007

Description Of Work:
Detailed inspection report for potential single family home acquisition. Property was approx. 1.5 hours outside of the Tomacor office. Based upon prior inspections, we insisted Tom have the opportunity to represent us. Scope of inspection was thorough covering lot and building exterior, foundation assessment, roofing, deck and railing stability, windows, crawl space, HVAC, plumbing etc.

Member Comments:
Tom Corbett has amassed a staggering body of knowledge and competency in so many areas of construction and mechanical review. He was able to swiftly assess and document a varied multitude of issues that were causing systematic structural issues with our potential purchase. He was able to assess, document and educate us as buyers fluidly and efficiently. He also took the time to highlight some of the major findings with our real estate agent which was helpful in the communication of the issues to the seller. There are so many things that can go wrong with a real estate purchase. There are so many people involved with their own interests at heart. I am glad to always have Tomacor on my team to understand the strengths and weaknesses of each property I pursue.

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I received a very intriguing call from a real estate agent who wanted to book an inspection on a SF property he was looking to purchase, which on a normal basis I do not receive.   When I asked how he heard about our services he explained that Tom had “killed and smashed” several sales for him and how irritated he was with him.  He then proceeded to say “so when I decided to get an inspection on this property I am looking to buy, I knew I wanted Tom to inspect it”.   Although Tom is hated by many real estate agents, it’s irrefutable that he is always an advocate for the buyer, which in this case was a real estate agent.  Once he heard that Tom typically takes 3 to 5 hours on an inspection, which he almost always stays the full 5, he said “and that’s why I want Tom”.  A lot of inspectors will take an hour inspecting a home and are often on a real estate network system, which doesn’t favor the buyer.  After booking the inspection for this guy, I felt a sense of pride in what we do here at Tomacor and I was reinvigorated with the positivity of helping people.

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Anyone selling a home should be legally required to have a home inspection and provide full disclosure of major issues with the house to potential buyers. However, our legal system does not favor the buyers; it favors the sellers because the real estate agents are on the sellers side because that is where they make their commission. So, you can’t trust your agent and you can’t trust what the sellers tell you – get a home inspection from an independent certified inspector, which Tomacor is #1 in the Chicago area.

We called Tomacor back to our second house for the inspection. Our new real estate agent was familiar with Tomacor’s reputation – Tomacor is not a “friend” of the agents and he will let you know that. We found issues with the second house but we felt confident in our decision to purchase the home and have a rough idea of how much time, money, energy was needed to make the house a home we plan to enjoy for many years. Tom spent about 4-5 hours with us on the second inspection.
I would hire Tomacor again, but hopefully, we won’t need to because we love the house we chose. We are about 2 months into home ownership and doing the work to repair and remodel. We’re close to our budget and within our expectations on what we thought needed to happen in the short term and we have our plans for the long run.

Tomacor might charge a higher fee, but if you end up with the right house because you know what you’re in for, then it’s worth it. If we had bought the first house, we would have had to sink about $100K into it and we did not have that kind of money to put into the house up front. There is definitely a value to having a home inspection from a credible company.

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“Knowledge is power”-Sir Francis Bacon

Half-truths, hidden messages are avoided. Budgets and time urgencies are included. Smart savvy buyers are Tomacor’s best referral sources.

The post Tomacor’s Thorough Inspection Will Save You Money, Reduce Complaints appeared first on Chicago Area Home Inspection.

Our expertise is your gain.  At Tomacor, significant deficiencies are always presented in a cost framework to save you money.

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