SEIDNER PROPERTY INSPECTIONS INC

Our experience is hard in some ways to grade. On one hand, I believe Mr. Seidner to be very skilled at his job. On the other hand, as a prospective first time home buyer, he did not make much effort to put me at ease and explain what he was doing. Since home inspectors tell you that you are ultimately responsible if the home has unforeseen problems, it seems that the prospective homeowner should be walked through the home and informed of what the inspector sees. A thorough report on paper afterward does not have the value of face time and being to ask questions as you go along. Cary seemed to view me more as a hassle although I asked perhaps a dozen questions at the most. Nothing even bordering on excessive. People have different personalities, but from what I had read of Seidner inspections, I was surprised that he seemed short. All in all, he is a good inspector and I'm thankful to him that he saved us from buying a home with significant issues. Still, it was not an enjoyable or comfortable experience working with him.

He was very busy after offering this service as a Big Deal, but answered phone calls and emails equally quickly. He was very thorough - and even asked if he could come back to review one or two things that were unclear from his notes before he wrote up the actual report.

Cary showed up on time, actually a few minutes earlier than the appointment. During the inspection, he explained to us what he was doing and told us what we should do to maintain the home in the future. Since we are first time home buyer, I tried to takes notes as he talked, he told me that everything will be in the report, and he did give us a detailed report on everything he checked. After all it's a very nice and pleasant experience!

Cary arrived promptly and brought relevant tools to test various appliances in the condo. He took good pictures of everything. Later that same evening, he e-mailed us descriptions of each element of his inspection with all of the pictures. He was very thorough and professional.

We plan on living here for quite a while and just wanted to know if everything was up to par. We had a good experience. The guy who came over was very thorough with his work. He found water leaks, electrical problems, as well as others.

I called to ask about an inspection on Dryvit. Cary told me that this was really not his speciality and that I would be best to go to a person who does specialize in Dryvit. He provided several names. His honesty and information was greatly appreciated.

I am extremely happy with Cary's service. We signed a contract for a house and because of time constraint we had to have the inspection completed right away. I called Cary on a short notice and he actually agreed to come out on Easter Sunday, which we really apreciated. When I arrived at the house, Cary was already there and started the process of inspecting the exterior. My husband and I are first time home owners so Cary patiently took us around the house and explained things in detail as he continued the inspection process. It was a good educational experience for us. He answered all of our questions and was very accommodating to the fact that we have our baby with us so we couldn't always be attentive as we go along. Cary was also able to complete the written inspection report in two days. The report was very complete and in detail, really professional. Overall, we are really gald we found Cary as our home inspector. If you purchased a house or just wanted to have your home inspected, we highly recommend Cary.

Process went well, walked around the outside and interior of our home looking for defects and apects of the homes appearance and structure to address prior to putting the house on the market and shared high level estimated costs for all fixes.

Cary Seidner did a fantastic home inspection for us. We were under a tight deadline from acceptance to closing, and Cary made himself available for an inspection a few days after I called him. The morning of the inspection, he was already at the house (the seller's agent let him in) before I arrived and he had begun work testing the heating system. Cary was friendly and professional from the start. He first explained the process and what to expect throughout the inspection. He then proceeded with the inspection, allowing me to tag along as much as I wanted, including stopping to explain things when he thought appropriate, and also answer my many questions, with patience and helpful answers. Cary's approach was logical and thorough, proceeding step by step from the exterior on through the interior from bottom to top. He canvassed every detail with care and caution, documenting everything with photos and notes (the depth of which became apparent later when I received his report). Cary also utilized some neat and helpful technology, like a thermo-sensing device that showed the presence of heat in our radiator system. The inspection lasted a good five hours or so, which was long but I appreciated it because I felt like I was getting my money's worth and the depth of Cary's evaluation gave me peace of mind. Cary next turned around a report in a few days, meeting our deadline to get our attorney letter out. And his report was top notch. It was thorough, organized, prioritized, clearly written, and it used graphics and photos very effectively. The report itself is of incredible value to me, not just for use in our attorney letter and negotiations, but as a guide to how I should care for the home for many years to come. I will consult regularly to do maintenance and repairs, and hopefully to keep the home in great shape as long as we own it. On top of all of this, Cary is a very friendly person, helpful and responsive. I highly recommend him for anyone buying a home in the Chicago area, particularly on the North Shore.

Seidner Property Inspections has done 3 property inspections for my family, but I will focus on the most recent purchase. I originally contacted Seidner when we thought we had signed a contract on a house and the owners required us to have an inspection within 48 hours so we could close quickly. Cary very patiently stood by while the owners led us in circles about when we could get in and when we would have the contract back, until the deal ultimately fell through. Fast forward two months, and we have a signed contract on a different house. Contacted Cary again and he was happy to come out to our 1929 Colonial and provide us with a full inspection. Cary did a very thorough inspection and welcomed questions along the way, which was a nice change of pace from previous condo inspections which consisted of little more than turning on faucets and checking outlets. After a couple of days, we received a very thorough and detailed report complete with color pictures that was broken down into several categories with highest priority items highlighted. Cary had a background in the building trades and it is put to good use. He knows far more about building construction than your average inspector. We highly recommend his services.

Overall, Cary was great. He was very informative on the phone and I knew I wanted to hire him after talking to him for 30 minutes. He is very knowledgeable but he will not try to b.s you if he doesn't know the answer to a question. He is straight forward and tells you that he is not familiar with something. The $150.00 I spent was well worth it due to the amount of money he saved my on re-shingling my roof. I would highly recommend him. Thanks.

We loved them. He was really very thorough. He inspected really well. He seemed to like his job and kind of solve mysteries like 100 years of handyman work. He would go to other side of the house and take a look. The price was more than we thought we would spend, but we wanted somebody honest because of the age of the house. We talked a lot of things upfront and I felt he was worth the cost. The quality of his service was great. He was there before us and followed up well with us. He suggested few things to be replaced and told us how much it would cost. He was all business and professional.

As I mentioned above, Cary spent many hours on the property with me explaining everything, every step of the way. When he couldn't do something--because, for example, furniture or other obstacles made it impossible--he explained what he had intended to do and how I should address the issue going forward. I was extremely impressed with the breadth and depth of his knowledge. That said, he won't do your homework for you. If you need to pursue something, that's your job, not his. He'll help, to the extent he can, and help you prepare for what you need to do. But you're hiring him to inspect the property and, for that, I wouldn't hesitate to use him again. It wasn't inexpensive, but it was an investment I expect to pay for itself over and over. I was--and am--very happy with his work.

I'm extremely impressed with Cary's level of professionalism during the property inspection which took about 4.5 hours given the size of the building. He was courteous to the existing tenants and extremely patient in explaining to me any details while I tagged along. Not only did was Cary thorough in the inspection process, he also gave a running commentary on every issue, highlighted possible fixes and whether they were immediate concerns or not. A couple of major issues that were highlighted included chimney issues, ductwork, HVAC, bathroom floor structural damage, basement water damage and exterior ground grading. From an investor's perspective, knowing what does and does not constitute as a critical repair is important since it sets the basis of negotiations with the seller. Cary's attention to detail was also evident in the comprehensive 47-page inspection report that he created despite a tight timeline. I would highly recommend Cary's services to first-time homebuyers and investors alike.

I purchased a "Big Deal" from Angie's List based on the reports I read about Cary and was not disappointed. I would gladly pay full price, and will, on my next property purchase. Cary was professional, took his time in performing the inspection (half a day or more), and had me accompany him for much of it so he could explain what he was finding and talk through next steps. He also took a large number of photos that illustrated the issues he found. The report was thorough and very useful in getting the house ready for my mother to move in. Highly recommended.

Cary did a great job on our recent home inspection. He was very detailed and walked my husband and I throughout the entire house, even pointing out things that were not officially part of his inspection. The report came back promptly and it was very detailed and easy to read! He was very responsive to emails and phone calls, making it a very easy transaction. He was prompt, organized, and very knowledgeable. I would highly recommend him.

Mr. Seidner was the first inspector to promptly return my call from the group of inspectors that I contacted on Angie's List. We confirmed a date and time, Sunday at 1 p.m., and took things from there. When I arrived at the property, Mr. Seidner was already there. We started outside with Seidner spending a great deal of time pointing out the masonry and foundation repairs that were needed. He also identified potential problems with a vacant lot next to the property that I was considering that could have eventually affected the property. Once we went inside the real education began. Seidner took me from the top of the property to the bottom, pointing out all of the various short- and long-term problems that needed to be addressed. He has a very easy going manner and was able to convey everything in layman's terms so that I fully understood the whole picture. Of course, my realtor was fit to be tied and acted as if she resented my having the information. However, Seidner was not deterred. He not only explained what was going on with the home, he was able to explain homes from that particular period -- how they were built, insulated, etc. -- and what it would take to bring the property up to today's standards. He sensed that my realtor was not being an advocate and jumped into that role, making sure that if I went forward with the purchase that I did so fully informed with my eyes wide open. Because of Seidner's expertise and his being able to provide ballpark figures to rehab the home, I determined that the property would have been too costly and cancelled the deal. Before my inspection, I prayed for God to send an angel to protect me if the deal wasn't right for me. That angel was Seidner.

I got Seidner on Angie's List. I used him because of the listing and reviews about him on Angie's list. Seidner was very professional and extremely knowledgeable. He found multiple obvious things that the original inspector in the sale prospect did not find. He did not try to push any agenda or any associated vendors. He presented several options for possible repairs and ways to go about addressing repairs that needed to be done. The part I like the best about him was the foundation, grading, and water moisture. I felt fully informed on all my options. He told me once I get several people to come out and look and give me different scenarios, to feel free to call him if I need help talking it out. He was really wonderful. I felt the knowledge he had justified the price. He was very responsive. He called me back about three minutes after I sent an e-mail to the general e-mail box. I would absolutely use them in the future.

Very professional, very knowledgeable, very thorough, very responsive. Great experience. EDIT for more detail - Cary Seidner was the inspector who came out, very knowledgeable and professional. The whole inspection was about 5 hours - we started outside, then went to the garage, then the inside, and then he went onto the roof. He was happy to have me tag along right next to him as we went (actually he recommended so I would have his comments right as he saw them). Took dozens of photos that were included in the report. The report was a very nice computer generated report, including pictures, comments, and sample diagrams of recommended remediations and fixes. The inspection was on a saturday morning (took about 5 hours) and he sent the completed report Monday night. The report was a 44 page PDF with a summary and indexed detailed report after that. I read the report monday night and had a list of questions- he spent about an hour on Tuesday morning going over the report with me including questions, areas of importance, and (as best he could) providing me some thumb-in-the-air budget ranges so I had a place to start. We would definitely recommend him and definitely use him again!

The entire process was very detailed and professional

I had to have the house inspected pretty quickly but got the notice while out of the country. I email Cary after 10pm and got a response within minutes. He told me to call him and we could discuss the details of the house. We scheduled an inspection for four days later. I arrived at the house, and Cary was already there having started the inspection. He walked around, getting me up to speed on the details of what he had found so far, and we continued the inspection. We spent significant time outside, looking at the A/C unit, the grading of the land (and water run off), the state of the roof on the house and garage, the trees in the yard. He pointed out things that I wouldn't have thought of, like the raised garden being too close to the house, or the window wells not having drains. He went through the entire house in detail, inside and out. I honestly can't go into every detail he did. The report that he wrote 37 pages worth of information. I was thoroughly impressed with his professionalism and work. He spent four hours going through the house, I highly recommend him.

Cary responded immediately, we set a mutually agreeable date, he was there before I was, completely prepared, totally focused, very safety conscious and pointed out details that were important that were invisible to the unpracticed eye. He spent many years in construction and roofing before becoming an inspector so he knew what to look for.

He arrived on time and spent 2 hours inspecting our condo. He answered all of my questions and was very helpful. Great service and worth every penny!

I received a report one day later, wihch include dphotos and clear instructions for items that require immediate repair vs. short term updating.

Mr. Seidner couldn't have done a better job. From the moment I first contacted him by telephone, I knew I was in the hands of a professional. When he offered to do the inspection the next morning, I was stunned. Mr. Seidner arrived at my rental property slightly before me (early!) and had to face my difficult renter. He handled her with tact and firmness. He then proceeded to spend over three hours inspecting my 950-foot square home. He asked me to tag along; I experienced Mr. Seidner's teaching talents as he walked me through every square inch of my property, taking extensive photographs along the way. When he finished, I understood all aspects of my house. The renter was maintaining the house had mold. Mr. Seidner did not concur. When he told us the "mold" was instead a soot probably due to the renter's smoking and general house dirt, he did so professionally and firmly. He then went home and did research to figure out what was causing the black streaking on many of the walls of the house and found an excellent article about "ghosting." I had a 32-page report, complete with photographs by the following afternoon! This man is a gem. Hire him. You will not only be glad you did, you will want to return to him over and over to explain your house to you and to suggest ways to get problems fixed.