CORNERSTONE HOME INSPECTION SERVICES LLC

Hi, We have been ghosted by this company. They promised us a refund, but now will not return our calls or emails. I wish I would have read more of the reviews. This has been going on two months. Here is our last correspondence from my husband detailing some of the issues: Please put me in contact with someone who can respond to our concerns. Our inspection was by all standards poor. Below is a small list of the items we have found since day one upon occupying the home. I researched and spoke with other inspectors, all of these items should have been addressed in some fashion. Items like heat flow and clogged drains should 100% be caught during inspection. Heat does flow to the master bedroom Shower drain is so backed up we need to repair Gas leak from oven "We check for gas leaks at time of inspection. Gas leaks can be intermittent. Gas leaks are excluded because of limited access in the contract. We do our best. Had we moved the stove maybe we would have caught it. However we don’t move appliances due to possible damage to floor." - Nicor did not need to move appliances to have the gas detected on their tool. Many outlets are cracked or do not work. The outlets in the garage are so weak they cannot power basic appliances like lights Ice Maker was frozen and unusable. We are still trying to thaw and see if we can salvage or if we need to replace. Basement/Foundation inspection - Cornerstone said "too many items inthe basement to be checked" This could have been checked. Yes - some items would have needed to be maneuvered around but that's what a crawl space is generally for. The Inspector said there were broken windows because moisture was inside the house. This turned out not to be true, the moisture was on the outside in a shaded part of the house. Myself and the homeowners later replicated and resolved this.

It was great. No problems. Smooth sailing. The inspector was prompt, courteous and explained everything as the inspection went along.

We have had two homes inspected by Eric now and have had a great experience both times. He is very thorough and knowledgeable and patient in explaining his findings as well as answering our questions. He was friendly and professional, punctual and available on fairly short notice. Would definetly go with Cornerstone again!

I purchased an older house last summer and my real estate agent recommended Cornerstone Home Inspection.  I knew that there would be plenty to find since the house was older.  I just needed to find out what repairs would be needed right away, what could wait, and in general what I should expect.  
I had to go into work, so I almost missed the inspection.  The inspector did a very thorough job, and took the time to walk me through the property after he finished the inspection to point out the most important parts.  He also answered the many questions I had as a first time home buyer.  Now that I've been here almost 6 months, I can say that the inspector was dead on for everything.  They even sent me a report afterward via email with pictures that the inspector pointed out.  
These guys are top notch.  I'd recommend them to anyone.  I knew what I was buying before I purchased my house, and I'm confident that I know what to expect for several years to come.

We used Cornerstone for a home inspection based upon a recommendation from our realtor.  It was a mistake.  The inspector did a terrible job and missed many things, e.g. the garage isn?t guttered and there are holes in the walls, the back deck is posted into buckets rather than the ground, there are nails sticking out of the basement stairs, a couple of the stairs are cracked, and on and on.  But, the biggest problem the inspector missed was the hot water heater. As we later found out, the water heater was too small to support our house (the house is a new build).  The folks at Cornerstone answered that they weren?t responsible for looking at that, and that it was not their mistake.  Unfortunately, they are the only ones who hold that opinion ? we have no recourse against the seller because the problem wasn?t listed in the home inspection.  The water heater oversight by Cornerstone has cost us a little over $5000, and we still haven?t addressed the other issues that were missed by the sloppy inspection.
To make things worse, we had to endure Melissa.  Because we lived in another state, we arranged the home inspection by phone with her and she didn?t send a contract for us to sign. 
We were in a hotel, in transit to the new house when Melissa called to ask if we had sent the check for the inspection.  No, we hadn?t received an invoice from her, no paperwork containing a bill or an address to which we should send a check.  We hadn?t
really given it any thought, since you typically receive a bill before you are asked to pay!  Melissa did send the invoice via e-mail that day - apparently it had been an oversight on her part.  The next call I got was two days later, as the movers were unloading at the new house.  She asked if we?d sent the check.  Of course - no, we had been on the road moving, hadn?t yet had a chance to pay the bill we received 2 days earlier.  Then we started finding all the problems with the house, the biggest of which was no hot water for our first week in the house ? in Chicago, in November. 
Not quite a week later, I was in my office at my new place of employment when Melissa called (before we even had hot water at home!).  I let her know we had been consumed with trying to get our house fixed, we?d had the bill in-hand for just over a week, and we would send a check when we sat down to pay all of our bills.  Melissa wanted a credit card number over the phone, but I did not feel comfortable giving it to a company that had proven so incompetent.  Unfortunately, that wasn?t good enough for Melissa.  After I hung up, I immediately got a call back from the Cornerstone number, which I ignored (I had been at my new job less than a week!).  Then, Melissa started texting.  This was some of what she wrote (misspellings were hers):
?Left u a message.  I will be suing you for the inspection fees plus court and attorney costs.  We do not determine the adequacy of any system or component as written in the inspection agreement.  Furthermore, this is not grounds to refuse payment.  I will see u in court.  Been thru this before.  You will lose and there will be a judgement on yer record that I will have to sign off to fix your credit.  Interesting.?
So, we had no written agreement and had been sent the bill a bit over a week earlier, which was the first time we had seen in writing both the fee charged and an address to which we could mail the check.   In that week, we had no hot water in our new house, had begun to find all of the other issues that the inspector had missed, and my husband and I both started new jobs ? not the easiest week ever.  So, perhaps Melissa was a bit overboard making empty threats.  You see, in Illinois, you can file a claim for non-payment after 60 days, not one week. 
Melissa, in her very professional manner, went on to tell me that the payment was due on inspection, I should read my  contract.  Of course, I didn?t have a contract.  To that, she responded that the home inspector shouldn't have done the inspection without a contract, this was his fault, and she was going to fire him.  Again, not true since she was the only person
with whom we had been in contact.    
Despite the shoddy work, we sent payment in full to the PO box listed on the invoice. A week later, I got an e-mail from Melissa claiming she hadn?t received payment, with a cc to her ?lawyer? (Jeff Kropp, at a g-mail address), telling him to start a claim in
small claims court.  Of course, at the time, the check was in the PO Box listed on the invoice - Melissa just hadn?t bothered to check it before harassing us again!
This is the lesson ? don?t just take a recommendation and run with it ? always do your own research!  Had I read the complaints from other customers elsewhere online, and the disrespectful manner with which the owners responded to them online, I would have run screaming!!        

My original review is no longer on this site because it is over 3 years old. So, WHY am I re-posting a review???? This weekend - FIVE YEARS after my bad review here and on Yelp -   the owner of this business contacted me on Yelp to ask what settlement would I accept to remove my bad review.  He then posted a reply to my review stating he "only just learned about Yelp and the negative reviews and he pulled the file on this inspection before posting".  Quite "coincidentally" this all comes after the 5 year statute of limitation expired to file a charge against a business with the licensing agency! I don't believe it is coincidence at all. Oddly he never commented on my review here. He then proceeded to make completely false accusation against me basically calling me a liar. He stated my home was under construction when inspected and i was warned about many things and told I needed another inspection and the work was faulty and I had no permits. My home was NOT under construction when they did the inspection. Absolutely nothing he said is true and I have proof of his lies. Apparently he is as bad a record keeper as he is a businessman.  He also stated I promised not to "bash" his company if he refunded my inspection fee but as soon as I cashed his check I posted a negative review. The truth is - and I have a letter to him from July 2010 that states it - I said I would not file formal complaints with the BBB or the State Licensing board if he refunded my money (as he was refusing to do anything). I never used the term "bash". Also, he refunded me my fee in August 2010. My Yelp posting was November 10, 2010 so I hardly rushed to "bash" him as soon as I cashed the check.
The faultiness of the inspection was discovered almost 2 months after it was completed and 2 weeks after I moved into the home and was awoken by dripping water from the ceiling during the "July 2010 storm of the century" when FEMA came to the area for flood assistance. It turned out his inspector lied and misrepresented on the check list that he walked the roof - the inspector - Chuck - later admitted it when he came to see the damage. At some point someone moved or removed an antenna or dish and did not seal the holes, and because Chuck never walked the roof, the holes went unnoticed. he stated he looked at the roof from the ladder and thought it looked to be less than 5 years old so he did not walk it - but he marked off he did. Ron argued with me on the phone my home is a tudor and they can't walk the roof - I have an addition with a FLAT roof, so if they can't walk that, they can't walk ANYWHERE! Now he claims they did walk it and I was told something about 3 layers of shingles being allowed.  Chuck never discussed the condition of my roof let alone how many layers are on it - I have NO idea to this day how many layers of shingles are up there.
There was also a missed gas leak that was found when repairs from the flooded basement were being done, A shower had missing grout in the walls, another shower had not hot water - only cold hook-ups. There were other problems.
Mr Niego is not even aware that 3 months after our final dealing in October of 2010 when the final repairs to my basement were being done, my contractor told me that my shower in the basement had sewer gasses coming up from it and there was no "p" trap put in. The inspection should have uncovered that - but he missed it - same shower with the grout holes. I have not had the spare $s to fix the problem as it entails ripping up the cement floor and re-tiling the majority of the shower. Since I have no spare tiles left from the flipper who remodeled the house, the entire bathroom floor with have to be re-tiled. Estimates have been between $5-6,000 to fix the problem. I would not have continued with the purchase of the house unless that was fixed had I been aware of it - but oh, yeah, Cornerstone missed it. Additionally I have been told I will not be able to sell the house with this problem, so I will eventually have to do the repairs.
Mr Niego has been nothing short of a bully every time I have had to deal with him. It would be one thing to say "everyone makes mistakes" and apologize but Mr. Niego only spins tall tales to say he was not negligent and point the finger back at the home buyer.  IN all of this mess dealing with him I learned that home inspectors are held harmless by the laws of Illinois and you cannot sue them for damages caused by their faulty work! I spoke to 7 attorneys. How nice! A person on my train back in 2010 who heard me talking about the problems said her husband is a home inspector and the FIRST THING they tell them in the state class is that they should not worry, they cannot be sued for a bad inspection. Nice!
On Oct 10, 2015 the owner removed his earlier comment to my review and posted more fabrications stating people close to me have been calling him to "apologize for your irrational behavior since this all started." (untrue) , saying I accepted settlement (which I did not and would not) and telling me to seek help. He has also encouraged Yelpers to come on Angie's List "where they tell the truth" and is apparently unaware that his business listing shows a warning about his lack of licenses.

Ron was fantastic. He arrived at the home before the scheduled appointment and was on the roof when we arrived for the inspection. He was really thorough, pointing out everything - issues, how things functioned, found things others may not have found such as mold in really out of the way places. He was really knowledgeable, and could answer every question we had. We never felt rushed - he really took his time with us. The report which he sent to us was lengthy and thorough, and included photos. We have owned homes before and Ron's inspection was by far the best we've ever experienced.

I am a real estate investor, property manager and realtor. I have used Cornerstone Home Inspections for several of my real estate purchases(including my home) and recommend them to the buyers I work with as a Realtor. First, I have to comment on the price. Being in the business I see other companies who aren't as thorough and charge substantially more. Cornerstone is a a great service at a great price! I have been at numerous inspections with this company and every time they are at the property before I even arrive. I have had several different inspections and I have met a few of the inspectors that work for the company. All of them have been similar - Tue Professionals! I know that they have found issues I am sure could have been missed by other inspection services. Some of the issues they have uncovered helped me either get out of a bad deal or have allowed me to negotiate with the seller so that they cover the price of the repairs.. This company has saved me thousands of dollars. I strongly recommend this company to anyone in need of a good home inspector!

I am a Real Estate Broker in Chicago for 20+ years and I have been on 100s of home inspections.  I referred Cornerstone to my very nervous first time home buyers on a older Victorian home in need of rehab.  The buyers were very worried about hidden problems and things like mold, asbestos and termites.  Ron Neigo personally inspected the home and addressed all of the buildings problems and explained in detail about the scary mold scenario.  My buyers were extremely happy with the customer service and were able to use the easy to read digital report to help negotiate credits for items that needed repair.  If these new buyers were impressed, I am confident anyone who chooses them will be too. 

Ron arrived on time and began the inspection. He was done in a timely manner and I received a report almost immediately. His professionalism made me feel very comfortable and his knowledge was excellent . I highly recommend this awesome company!

We were thoroughly impressed with the services of CornerStone. As part of an AngiesList deal with our realtor, we received a free home inspection (hence the N/A in the ratings) Our realtor (who we really like and trust) gave us the contact info for CornerStone home inspectors. We contacted Ron late on the Wednesday before the 4th of July holiday not expecting to hear back until after the weekend and were thrilled when he called us back on Friday the 5th to set up the home inspection for Monday the 8th. Setting up the appointment was very easy and Ron was great about letting us know what to expect during the inspection.

I showed up 15 minutes early to the inspection appointment and the home inspector, Chuck Degeneffe, was already waiting for me when I arrived. He was wonderful throughout the process and was great about explaining what he was looking for and why it was important rather than simply running through a checklist as quickly as possible. The house is over one hundred years old and Chuck did a great job distinguishing between expected wear and tear in an old structure versus damage that occurred due to other reasons. He answered all the questions I had thoroughly and understandably (not in "contractor" speak). Chuck had another inspection right after us and was unsure if he'd be able to get the inspection report to us that evening ( which was fine by us, we weren't too concerned about having it the same day) but he must have worked late into the night to get it ready and emailed out to us at about midnight. The report had pictures and a detailed list of possible problems and things that should be fixed that allowed us to negotiate with the seller. It was great working with people who take their job seriously and put in the extra effort to impress their customers. I would highly recommend Cornerstone for anybody looking to purchase a home.

Chuck was extremely thorough, knowledgeable and helpful. He didn't overlook a thing, really taking his time to examine everything in the house. We'd definitely recommend him or his company for home inspections.

Overall it went well.

Ron Nego's knowledge of home inspections saved me thousands of dollars in future repairs. I can't say enough about him. Great experience, will definitely recommend!

I didn’t think I needed an inspection on newer building, Ron found 5 items that needed attention, that would have coasted me over $1000. I am so glad that I used comerstone.

I was very impressed with Cornerstone from day one.  The owner of the home I was purchasing had a short timeframe to provide access to the house.  Cornerstone was able to accommodate.  Scott, our inspector, showed up early and was extremely thorough in his work.  I learned so much about this house during his inspection.  The house had a mix of older construction as well as some newer materials where an addition was put on, and Scott appeared to be quite knowledgeable with all of it.   He was detail-oriented and methodical in his work.  His report was delivered in a timely manner and he made himself available to answer the questions I had regarding the home.  I would highly recommend Scott and look forward to using Cornerstone in my next home purchase.

Ron was on time and professional. He is incredibly knowledgeable and
through. Ron was able to provide me with details about my home that even
the current homeowner did not know! He was quick, to the point, and
found several small issues and one large problem that could have cost us
thousands. I have been fortunate enough to use Ron again and am pleased
with his services every time.  I am glad to have Ron on my team. I have
referred several clients to him on a regular basis and they too are
pleased. Thanks Ron!!

As noted above, we called Ron, set up the appointment, he came out, did two samples, and emailed the results about a week later. The report was very thorough.

Ron's inspections were very thorough and that is why I use him for all my properties.  He identifies and explains any issues without alarming me needlessly,  suggesting that I obtain estimates on repairs rather than guessing the amount it would cost to fix things. That is the reason I recommend him to all my buyer clients (I have been a buyer agent for over ten years, helping hundreds of buyers). Ron's inspections are one reason my company is so highly rated on Angie's List,  Yelp, etc.  The inspections are thorough and my clients are happy.   That makes me happy.  As a real estate professional, I would not recommend anyone I did not use myself. 

We had used Cornerstone in the past, and we we just as pleased the second time around. The first inspection was so thorough, we decided not to purchase the home. This inspection was just as thorough, and with Cornerstone's help we were confident in making an offer.

He was so detailed in inspecting all the windows, cracks, wires, everything that the inspection took over 3.5 hours in house that had no heating and it was 5 degrees. He had a great sense of humor in a bad situation.

Ron, the owner, showed up on time and actually had already done some inspection of the home on the outside to look for for and siding issues. He was very professional and explained everything in great detail. He gave recommendations on how to best fix the small issues that he did uncover. He also explained the infrared sensory camera he used to check for water and cold spots. Apparently this is something a lot of companies charge a lot for but don't do a respectable job. He sent the inspection via e-mail on 2 days after the inspection. In the end I felt as though I got a great service for a reasonable price. I would highly recommend him to anyone else.

We requested quotes from multiple home inspectors, narrowing down the pool based on availability, background/experience, and feedback from Angie?s List members. We ultimately went with Cornerstone because Ron Niego had personally already inspected other units in our building. Ron was professional in his communication prior to the inspection day and was helpful with tips and information on the inspection day.

They were very easy to get an appointment with. They came out on time. They were easy to talk to and were willing to answer all of my questions. They did a very thorough job with the inspection. They provided a binder about home care and maintenance suggestions. The prices were competitive. I was pleased with their service.

Great.