METROSPECT

Poorly.   Inspection was fine, but not including radon test made it more expensive than other providers which was determined only after inspection started.   Inspector wouldn't / couldn't (not sure which) do radon test themselves so they called their radon test person who refused to come out to the house indicating it was "too far".   While the home inspection was fine, they didn't move furniture or do a deeper inspection as some of the other reviews referenced.   Generally it's a newer home so inspection was fine, but extremely disappointed with the radon situation and how it was handled - hence the F for professionalism.   Had to go to a different provider for radon and spend far more than we would have for a combined radon test.

They were very good, and I had no complications with the company. I would recommend them to others. I would rate them highly and would use them again in the future if necessary.

I found Rob Packer (the inspector) to be approachable, jovial, knowledgeable, professional and very pleasant. He even told me that my house was one of the best maintained homes he had ever inspected. I was very pleased. My wife and I had totally rehabbed 80% of the house 11 years ago and I constantly repaired or improved items as needed since then. I am known as "Tim the Tool Man" in our neighborhood. I was shocked when I received his report the next day. I will ignore the issue of his credibility with me, but I will address a far bigger issue: the verbiage and tenor of his report. It set up an instantaneous adversarial relationship between seller and buyer. In a phrase, he seemed to d*** the house with unsupported innuendo. Here are excerpts from the report: - "the deck may not comply with the city of Wilmette regulations" (the deck was installed by a licensed contractor and inspected by the town;there are no rotten or broken boards on the deck surface) - "trees need trimming to prevent damage to the house" (we had called in a licensed arborist to trim the trees nearest the house 2 months before) - "the plumbing system may not conform to the local regulations" (when we rehabbed the house, the licensed contractor put all new pipes in new areas and, in existing areas, replaced 90% of the steel pipe with copper; when we put a bathroom in the basement 3 years ago, another licensed contractor did it. All work was approved by the city inspectors) - He also made comments about certain items in the house being at the end of their life......like our rehab 11 years ago was back in the Dark Ages. Net, net, use these guys if you want a good thorough inspection but don't expect to have any future relationship with the people on the other side of the table. Buying and selling a house is already a very emotional transaction. No need for an outsider to throw a can of gas on the fire.

He is very knowledgeable and was patient with all of our questions. We had a very positive experience working with him and will enlist his help when it comes time for another home inspection.

I was very happy with them. They were very responsive. I was able to get someone pretty quickly. He was on time. He was very thorough. He gave me a very thorough report, both at the time in a binder with everything all detailed. He also emailed me something afterwards. I will definitely use them again if I need similar work done. I did not shop around a ton, but the price was fine. They may have been a tiny bit higher, but I was happy with their service. They were very thorough and professional. They had all of the questions down and knew exactly what to look for when I called the office.

Robb completed an inspection for a home we wanted to purchase. Robb was on-site when we arrived and ready to work. During the inspection, he was anxious to share his knowledge and experience with us. He asked a lot of questions, shared a list of maintenance items for the home, and pointed out some of the normal things which you'd expect to find during a home inspection, and the items which may need repair in the short-term or long-term future. He offered a lot of advice on how to improve items, too. We spent about 3-1/2 hours with Robb. He took a number of pictures to go along with his report. We received the checklist-style report immediately and a summary of the report was e-mailed to us before he left the site. The pictures arrived later the same day via a link to Snapfish. Robb certainly knew his way around the systems in the house. He impressed us with his knowledge and experience. All items were checked, but at times we felt he rushed through the work....or perhaps he was simply being efficient. We also felt he was a little rough with some of the homeowner's belongings which he had to move to see something.

Very impressed with his expertise. He saved me a lot of trouble and money.

Overall the service was excellent. He was very thorough with his review of the property and the executive summary he provided was a wonderful guide to the issues of the house and their prioritizing. He also did a great job of tempering the issues he reported with a description of them in context and the overall quality of the house.

Right from the time we called to make the appointment through the inspection, Metrospect was always extremely friendly and helpful. We had a bit of a tight schedule because the seller was an older woman with heart problems. We called Monday and they were able to fit us in the next morning for an inspection. We ended up having to cancel that first appointment because the seller had to go into the hospital, and call back again the next week to schedule at short notice. Metrospect was very accommodating of all our scheduling issues. Metrospect told us that they are comfortable and familiar with the issues of older homes, such as the one we were looking to purchase. Steve showed up right on time for the appointment. He was very knowledgeable and willing to let us tag along and answer our slew of questions. This was our first home inspection experience, and he was more than happy to help us through it. Steve was very thorough and was careful to explain everything he found in the context of the house and its history. We felt that we had a comprehensive knowledge of everything in the house and Steve provided complete notes for us. We would highly recommend Metrospect and will hire them again should we need the service.

We had Steve inspect another property 5 months earlier, and were more than happy to have him again. Once again, he was there early & began his work. Again, he was thorough, and helped us understand our new home, and answered any other questions we had. He was also very encouraging in our decision to buy this home. Our realtor was surprised at this inspection, because he had Steve involved with another property, and in that, Steve had many critiques/issues with that home. The issues for us this time were minor, but things we didn't realize, and they were all taken care of by the time we bought the home. Also, Steve took several photos that he e-mailed to us to help us follow up on them. 6 months after the sale, the home is in quite good shape, and we feel confident we bought a good property with the help of Steve & Metrospect. Once again, we felt like we were part of a winning team & if we need them (or a friend does), we would definitely recommend Metrospect!

We have had two home inspections from Metrospect. Four years ago, Robb Packer inspected a 1919 Chicago Bungalow for us and recently, Steve K. Inspected our 1903 Victorian home. In both cases, Metrospect was professional, on time, thorough, and explained things to us in a way that we could understand. A home inspection is a great opportunity to learn about the various issues that homeowners have to deal with, and Metrospect's employees have really helped me understand what issues are important, and which ones are not that big a deal. I highly recommend this company. They seem to be genuinely nice people with a great appreciation for older homes. During a kitchen remodel in which I was concerned about the contractors' work, I called Robb and asked him to come out and give me his opinion about the work. He did, and refused to even charge me for his time. Great experience. We hired them again and will do so in the future if we buy another home.

Received a home inspection on a house we put an offer on by Robb Packer. He arrived early, which we liked (we are always punctual and appreciate that). He told us about what the inspection would involve, what we could expect from it, and what it wouldn't include, and he delivered. We feel very confident moving into our new house.

Robb was very friendly, thorough and helpful. I live out of state and scheduling the appointment was a breeze. He showed up on time for the inspection and got to work immediately. He pointed out important defects during the inspection and explained things in terms I could understand. I had several follow-up questions based on some of the issues found during the inspection and he answered my questions promptly. He also insisted that I run past him any future changes I want to do to the place, which I really appreciate! I will definitely use Metrospect if I purchase real estate in Chicago again.

We had such a great experience with this company. All the calls I had into them were returned promptly, even getting messages from them while they were away on vacation as they wanted to be sure to meet our timeline. Steve came out to do the inspection; he was prompt, thorough and very professional. It definitely made us understand what work we would need to do/seek credit for and made us feel great about our potential purchase. Would absolutely use them again.

Robb is very pleasant to deal with and provided several appointment times for me to chose from. He explained everything to me and made it clear to call him with any additional questions. I have called him twice since the inspection for clarification and he was more than happy to help. I strongly recommend this company to others.

WHEN THE INSPECTION WAS COMPLETED, WE FELT THAT WE KNEW EVERYTHING, GOOD AND BAD ABOUT THE PROPERTY. STEVE WENT OVER EVERY PAGE OF THE INSPECTION BOOKLET WITH US, EXPLAINING AND ANSWERING EVERY QUESTION WE HAD. OVERALL, WE WOULD RECOMMEND THIS COMPANY TO OTHERS.

I THOUGHT THEY WERE VERY GOOD. THEY WERE ON SCHEDULE AND VERY RESPONSIVE TO QUESTIONS. I ALSO FELT THAT THEY WE'RE VERY THOROUGH IN MAKING SURE THE INSPECTION WAS COMPLETE.

STEVE WAS SO POLITE AND PLEASANT TO WORK WITH. HE EXPLAINED FEATURES IN THE HOUSE THAT NEEDED TO BE ADDRESSED BEFORE THE CLOSING. I WAS VERY PLEASED WITH HOW THOROUGH HE WAS DURING THE INSPECTION AND WITH THE FINAL REPORT. THIS COMPANY CERTAINLY PROVIDED A GREAT VALUE FOR THE MONEY.

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