FAQ

Per the Illinois Standard of Practice, we inspect structural, exterior, roof, plumbing, electrical, heating, cooling, interior, insulation/ventilation, fireplaces/solid fuel burning systems.

A home inspection is a noninvasive, visual observation and operation of the accessible systems and components of real property, including buildings and other improvements.  Its purpose is a) to identify conditions that, in the professional opinion of the Inspector, are significantly deficient or b) to identify systems and components that are at the end of their service lives.

A home inspector is required to deliver a written report after your inspection. The report is yours and yours alone. You can choose who to share it with.

Two major things you will NOT find in Helping Hand Inspection reports: Cost of repairs and an opinion on whether to proceed with a purchase, sale, or investment. Cost should only be estimated by the person doing the work. What is ‘acceptable’ in a home is completely different person to person. Only those involved in the transaction should make such judgements. 

This is also not a code compliance inspection. While heavily versed on code, home inspectors are not code inspectors. Every city and township interprets and enforces code differently. We recommend checking with your local building department to verify their interpretations and enforcement.

A home inspection typically takes between 2 and 5 hours, depending on the size of the home and number of issues discovered. When you request your inspection, we can give you a better idea as to how long the process will take. The majority last about 3 ~ 3.5 hours.

When you hire us for your home inspection, we take our time to give a thorough, in depth view of your home with modern equipment. Our base price starts at $375 for condos, and $425 for single family homes under 1,500 square feet. What affects the base rate?

• (+) Every 500 sq. ft. over 1,500 sq.ft.    
• (+) Multi-family residences
• (+) Over 30 miles from Oak Park ,IL
• (-) Agent referral discount. Ask your real estate agent or mortgage lender about our referral discounts.
• (-) Active service, First Responder, Veteran, & Teacher discounts
• (-) Abbreviated Investor consultation vs. full residential inspection. 
• (-) Single component inspection

Buyers:  Yes. Buying a new home is an expensive investment, possibly the largest one of your life. A home inspection brings more clarity to what you are buying and will help to mitigate the risk involved in such a purchase.

At times, homes are purchased after short viewings, or even sight unseen. In a very competitive real estate market, an offer may be submitted quickly to edge out competition. Our inspections take time; often 3 hours or more.  A home inspection keeps the process moving, but with more knowledge and comfort of the purchase, sale, or investment.

Sellers: Yes. Buyers who have their own home inspection done will find things they want to negotiate in the sale.  Having an inspection done before listing will prepare you to explain, defend, or repair anything that comes to light before the buyer’s inspection. This often makes contracts easier to negotiate and shortens the length of time on the market.

We very strongly advise against performing the property inspection by yourself for a number of reasons. Even if you do have a lot of experience with the systems of a home, for the following reasons it is still advised to hire a professional home inspector.

• It’s far too easy to become emotionally attached to a home. It’s very important to have an objective party perform the inspection to provide a professional, unbiased assessment.
• Family and friends “with experience” are encourage to attend an inspection. However they also can offer impartial advice or have a strong, but narrow, scope of experience. A professional home inspector has been trained to look for specific issues, and is familiar with a wide variety of situations.
• A good home inspector knows the difference between major and minor issues, and which minor issues can lead to major problems down the road.

Please do! While your presence is not required, we strongly encourage you to come along for the inspection. You’ll have a much better idea of the condition of the home when you can see any issues first-hand.

You’ll be able to benefit a lot more from the inspector’s experience and expertise if you are present at the inspection. You can ask questions and receive home maintenance tips — especially helpful for first-time home buyers.

If you cannot dedicate enough time for the entire inspection, that is perfectly fine. If possible, we recommend you attend towards the end of the inspection.  Near the end of the inspection, we will have more findings to discuss.

Yes. You’re more likely to have a quick sale if the house has already been properly inspected. You can opt to provide potential buyers with a copy of the inspection report, or you can address any issues before listing the house for sale.

Major problems discovered during a home inspection may result in serious transaction delays. If you know about these problems ahead of time, you’ll be in a better position for a smooth transaction.