Secure Choice Real Estate Consultants

I’ve worked with both John and Mike on two separate home purchases and was impressed with how thorough, consultative, and friendly they both are. They provided detailed notes on every part of the property and even went above and beyond with additional details about exterior work for the HOA. They provided imperative insight for us to determine how to proceed with our home buying processes and would definitely use them again!

The inspections went very well. Mark is knowledgeable and thorough.

Mark was extremely professional and thorough. He even walked up on our 30-old year shake roof, although it was not exactly safe to do so! You will be hard pressed to find a better home inspector.

Mark arrived on time and gave a thorough inspection of every room in the house as well as the attic, garage, and basement. Mark also inspected the yard and foliage. Mark obviously has a great deal of knowledge and was very generous with tips to take care of certain issues in the house. Mark spent over 4 hours with me, explaining exactly what he was seeing as well as what should be addressed. Mark was very professional and did an excellent job inspecting our home.

Mark is the consummate professional. He sets the right expectations up front and then goes above and beyond delivering on them. He will show up on time with all of the equipment he will need for possibly the most thorough property inspection you've seen. He also insists on the buyer being present for crucial parts of the inspection. This is great not only to witness his skill but also to see first hand the faults of the property you seek to buy. His final reports are extremely detailed and for us, they have served as a home improvement to do list even after the purchase is completed. He does not waste any time and will proceed with surgical precision. His is not a passive inspection of just what is visible from 10 feet away. He will get his hands and knees dirty if it means finding anything that would adversely affect the valuation of the property. Obviously, he has tremendous experience, the right equipment and an up to date knowledge base to find these faults/deviations from code. We have used his expertise twice (so far)- once for a condo in Chicago and another for a home in a western suburb. On both occasions, Mark has done such a thorough job that it has given us an edge with negotiations and guaranteed that we receive substantial fair compensation towards closing costs. His loyalty will first be to you and he will not even discuss what he sees with your agent unless you authorize it. His experience coupled with his candor make for a formidable combination in his line of work.

Mark did a very job. We were first time home buyers - a lot of jitters during the buying process. The home inspection went through perfect - no issues at all. They did a thorough job. We were able to use Mark's findings as leverage in renegotiating the price. Money well spent for us. I also want to mention that I rarely review providers / vendors. But Mark did such a good job I need to spread the word around.

This is the third time that we have used Mark for a home inspection and he always does a fantastic job. His inspection is extremely thorough and his resulting report is comprehensive and helpful when trying to negotiate with sellers on items that need to be fixed prior to closing. The report provides photos and clear explanation of his findings as well as $ estimate to fix. Mark shows-up on time and stays as long as he needs to complete the job - it doesn't feel rushed. Throughout the inspection, he takes time to explain his findings so when the report is issued we know exactly what the items are referring to. My knowledge of home repairs is extremely limited but Mark does a great job of clearly explaining issues in a way that I can understand and I feel comfortable asking questions. The report was delivered on-time and both our real estate broke and the seller's said it was the most detailed and comprehensive inspection they had ever seen.

Fantastic home inspector, extremely detailed and very personable. Produced a gorgeous report with full color pictures, very clear about the relative importance of what he found. He was recommended by a friend who used him 3 times, and we'll definitely use him again. Also appreciated that he had a Square card reader so he could take my credit card payment securely right there.

Mark was EXTREMELY detailed. He gave us both pointers on how to maintain our property and also pointed out issues that needed to be remediated. Marks detailed report included photographs and descriptions. I have worked with Mark before on another purchase (that fell through) and Mark has consistently provided great service as well as excellent advice

Mark performed a home inspection on an investment property and as always he was great! I have used Mark's services twice in the past. Mark is very detailed with the inspection and the report. The seller didn't make the property available to use for an inspection twice and Mark was very understanding and rescheduled. I will continue to use Mark for any future purchases.

Mark was great, he was straight forward on both home inspections, he simply found what was right and wrong with each house and put it down on paper. He provided estimates to correct the things as well. On the first home inspection, I thought I was buying a turn key house until Mark found serious fire damage in the basement that had been painted over to try and hide it from potential homeowners. I'm beyond thankful he found that because if I had bought that house and found the fire damage later I would have been beyond furious, I backed out of the deal immediately. A few weeks later I found another house and Mark did a complete home inspection again. There were a few things wrong with the house but nothing major, the inspection report helped greatly when countering with the current home owners. All in all, if you want a guy that knows what hes doing give Mark a call, I'm happy I did.

Prior to meeting Mark at the site, we had a few email exchanges and phone conversations. He explained the process that is involved in a home inspection, and provided a few recent sample reports of inspections he had done. For the pre-drywall inspection, Mark arrived on time and did a detailed inspection. Within 1-2 days, he delivered the inspection report and worked with us to clarify any questions we had on the report. For the final inspection, we were not able to be present, but Mark delivered the report to us within a day of the inspection. Mark also called prior to the inspection and let us know that if there were any major issues discovered during his inspection, he would call us to discuss right away, rather than waiting for the report to be finished. It was a pleasure to work with Mark and Secure Choice, and I will definitely recommend him to anyone looking for a home inspector.

Mark was at the location 15 minutes before the scheduled appointment time. First of all he introduced himself and gave us a brief overview of what he would do. Then he asked if there was any area of the property that we considered of particular concern or had a question regarding. He explained how he would proceed on the inspection and even offered/suggested that, if we'd like to accompany him through the condo, we were certainly welcome to do so. My friend is an engineer and weekend builder; that was all the encouragement he needed to follow along. We could not have been more impressed with Mark's thoroughness and clarity in explaining various situations. My Realtor has been watching inspections for more than a decade and had never witnessed any job as complete as Mark's - he even called the listing agent to the property while we were still there to see some of the issues that should be resolved immediately. Every square inch of the property was evaluated by Mark. He found many items that, I have no doubt, would have been missed by a lesser inspector. It was a damp day and Mark made sure he tracked no dirt into the unit or make a mess of any kind. I have not purchased real estate for a very long time and I was concerned that my lack of experience would make me somehow a victim of my own thought process, If you are like me, Mark is the man to have on your side. He itemized the areas of the condo that need attention and explained in writing why the listed item was a problem. He then gave cost estimates of each item. He had to have completed the paperwork late into the night since it was electronically sent to me - and my attorney - early the next day. Do yourself a favor and hire Mark! I'm glad I did.

Having gone through several home inspections, I can say that Mark was an excellent inspector. He was very thorough and took the time to ensure that you understood all of the workings of the home & why the things that he found were relevant (he also was very clear about the key items you should really care about vs. the minor/cosmetic type fixes). While the inspection lasted ~4+hours for a ~3,500 S.F. home, Mark did not waste anyone's time. He moved quickly through his analysis & was very succinct with his explanations. He was able to turn his report within 24 hours, which was well-put together, easy to understand & complete with all relevant photos/explanations (for what its worth, the sellers agreed to fix everything that Mark identified in his report). Unfortunately, the subject house purchase fell through on appraisal issues. We tried to hire Mark again for our next inspection but he was booked up and unable to do the inspection on the date that we required. So my only complaint would be that he may want to consider developing a team of inspectors to learn his skills/approach and work for him so that he can cover more ground in the Chicagoland area.

Mark gave us great confidence on exactly what was needed to be fixed in the house. He was VERY thorough in checking every corner of the house. I don't have a lot of experience in house inspections but we used a different company for another house we considered and Mark was much more thorough than the previous company that we used which gave me greater confidence. We were able to use his detailed notes and photos to negotiate a lot more things to be fixed or be given credits. We hired Mark to come back for a final inspection and he was able to point out things that they claimed were fixed but were not completely. Again, this helped with final negotiations. Thanks!

It was excellent! He was very knowledgeable, courteous, and very professional.

Mark was the most professional and thorough inspector we could have hoped for. He was uber responsive to any email, call or contact of any sort. He showed up early to our scheduled time and conducted himself with the utmost professionalism throughout the entire inspection. The inspection lasted for a little over 3 hours; he inspected every nook and cranny of the house to ensure everything was properly installed and up to code. He checked out the roof - climbed on it - the electrical box, all appliances and connections, water, HVAC unit/runs, all lights/switches/electrical, and climbed all in the hot, non-ventilated attic to ensure all the attic vents were in proper condition. He conducted this on a Monday afternoon and by Tuesday morning he had the full report - along with guesstimates on repair/fix - out to us so we could review and talk to our attorney. All in all, I am VERY HAPPY Mark provided such a thorough inspection because we ended up backing out of the contract due to the amount of work that would need to be done and structural issues that Mark helped to uncover. If it were not for him we could have bought a troublesome house and had problems in the future with selling it. Thanks Mark!

Mark did a great job! As a former appraiser, agent and inspector I sometimes come off as a "know it all". When it comes to investing in a home, I'm more than happy to spend the money. Mark picked up on a lot of things I would have missed. His work was done with great detail, questions were answered quickly and without doubt. I've worked with 20-30 inspectors in the past, Mark will always be my first choice. I have 15 years in the business, I'll hire Mark every time! The review on A.L. was spot on. Sincerely, Michael

From the start, Mark was impressive. He responded promptly to our email inquiry, scheduled our inspection in a timely fashion, was ready and waiting at the property on the day of our appointment, and went to work immediately. He was extremely thorough and professional. This guy knows what he's doing! He prepared a comprehensive report with clear photos to illustrate his findings and delivered it by email the morning after the inspection. We thought his fee was very reasonable for the time he put in (approximately four hours for a single-story, 1900 sq. ft. home). Don't bother with anyone else if you're looking for home inspection service in the Fox Valley area!

Went with Mark after talking with him and another highly rated inspector. I eliminated any inspectors that had any grades below C. He was $40 more expensive than the other (also very good) provider I considered, but he reviewed some things that the other service didn't. What convinced me to go with him was his extreme attention to detail that came out in both his reviews and our call. It was a great choice. Mark was exceedingly professional and concerned about providing a quality experience. He set the appointment and confirmed ahead of time. But the day of the inspection, he had an auto accident and called to reschedule about a half hour or so before the appointment. He was not injured, by the way. He was very apologetic for any inconvenience and offered to come the next day (Saturday) to make up the appointment. He was willing to even come over on Sunday, if that was the only day we could have done it. He was more worried about making us happy than he was about dealing with his car. We did set up the next day for him to come back and he was right on time. Mark expects you to join him during the inspection (not on the roof) so he can show you when he sees an issue that needs to be addressed. He is a stickler for details and takes photos of any issue he flags and shares an estimated (high) cost of what it will take to fix it so you can plan accordingly. If it's something that the average person could fix themselves, he'll tell you that, too. The entire process takes three to four hours. He inspected every wall, ceiling, floor, vent, window, door and surface for damage, nail pops, leaks, and rot. He checked the operations and workmanship of the HVAC, every appliance, pipe, drain, faucet, electrical outlet, doorbell, lights, fire and CO2 alarms and electrical panel. He spotted missing nails/screws, caulk, insulation, unplugged holes and wiring. He checked gas and carbon monoxide levels. He wears bare socks to feel surfaces for flaws. This guy doesn't miss a trick. He couldn't have been more professional or instructive. The only things he doesn't check as part of this general inspection that I'm aware of are radon/mold or other specialized air quality. All along the process, he told us what needed to be fixed in short order versus what could wait and what things were "nitpicky" that most people would never fix. He says this is how he does all of his inspections. On top of all that, he took $100 off his bill for the inconvenience of the last-minute rescheduling. We said it was unnecessary but he insisted on it. (smart!) He did take a few days longer to get the written report back, but given the circumstances and the fact that I wasn't on a timetable, I was ok with that. I would highly recommend Mark to anyone needing a truly thorough inspection. Despite the fact that I need to fix some things that I don't want to fix, he deserves a Page of Happiness award.

Mark was extremely professional and did a fantastic job on the home inspection. He has a policy of not answering the phone while on a job and he's so busy these days that you have to leave a message but he gets right back to you. He was flexible with our schedule and gave us plenty of dates/times to choose from. On the day of the inspection, he was the first to arrive and got started right on time. True to his craft, Mark was very knowledgeable and explained everything to us in great detail. We were so surprised at all the things he found and are so glad he did! He's got a sense of humor but is serious when he needs to be. He went above and beyond what we were expecting and did a wonderful job on the inspection. I would hire him again any day! Worth every penny.

When we bought our house, my husband wanted a "Mike Holmes" type inspector. (We had gone with our real estate agent's suggestion when we bought our condo, and were not impressed. We were later told never use who your real estate agent recommends.) We searched on Angie's List, read lots of reviews, and decided on giving Mark a try. We were not disappointed. He was an excellent inspector. Mark was prompt in responding to our request. He was pretty booked, so we had to get an extension on our contract, but he also called when another appointment canceled and we were able to get him in the house earlier than expected. He told us the inspection would take about 4.5 hours for our size house (3600 sqft - our real estate agent told us she had never heard of an inspection taking that long, and we took that as a good thing). He started on the outside of the house, and spent most of the time there and in the basement where the mechanicals are. He was incredibly thorough, described everything he saw to us in detail, and gave us his thoughts on what it would take to remedy/repair/maintain. He took pictures of everything he wanted to document. He was a very personable and knowledgeable inspector, and we felt comfortable talking with him and asking him any questions. Overall, he found a few items we asked the sellers to remedy. With his thorough report, they were not able to argue against any of our requests (although they did try). For example, he found water in the basement, and took moisture readings and captured pictures of the readings to prove the moisture. So when our sellers tried to say the discolored baseboard was from a previous leak they fixed, we showed them the documentation that it was an active leak, and they ended up giving us credit to fix the issue. In addition, when we were negotiating with the sellers, he answered our questions about whether their offers would remedy the problem, or whether we should request more thorough work to be done. Being available to answer follow-up questions was incredibly helpful. Mark wasn't a "scare you away from purchasing" type of inspector. With buying an older home, we knew there were going to be items that need upkeep and maintenance. He prioritized items for us that needed immediate attention, and those that we just need to maintain and keep tabs on. His report was a good basis for us to use going forward to keep our house in good shape. I would highly recommend Mark for home inspection. He was worth every cent!

Mark made everything very easy. He was great to work with and I think his service was a good value. I have used other inspectors who did not provide as much information nor complete as many checks on the property. He was well-prepared for the job. I would recommend using him to review a property before buying, before selling, or just as a homeowner looking determine what the coming year's maintenance list should address.

Secure Choice: May 2014 Our Association contacted Secure Choice to inspect our condo building. My expectations were very high after reading the glowing article in Angie List's magazine on Secure Choice. I contacted Mark, and we discussed my concerns with repair and foundation concerns. Mark agreed on having the inspection in mid-May 2014. My neighbor and I observed Mark during his inspection and Mark answered our questions during his inspection. Mark also gave us feedback. Mark inspected our roof, attic, crawl space and laundry room. He also did a thorough exterior inspection of the building and balconies. Mark was with us for two hours. All I can say is WOW. Money well spent. Mark has a wealth of knowledge. He saved the Association from having unnecessary repairs done. Mark's detailed report gave us direction on how to proceed going foward with repairs. He emailed me a detailed report, which I presented to the Board. We feel we are now on the right track. Before getting any estimates on any large dollar project, it is worth the cost to have a quality home inspection to check your property top to bottom. Thanks

I've had the unfortunate pleasure of working with Mark on two occasions. I say unfortunate because the first house we were trying of buying did not go through. That being said, Mark is very thorough. Mark spent about 3 - 3 1/2 hours going through every detail of the house. The major things: electrical, plumbing, leaks, foundation in, out, roof basement to the little things: does every window open, faucets, electrical outlets. I've learned so much just watching him work. I would definitely recommend him to every one that I know if buying a house. Very grateful to have angle's list and have found mark.