Qualifications

(The formal stuff...)

• We have performed OVER 3500 inspections in the past 7 years! We are BUSY despite the economy!
• We are highly trained professionals proficient in home inspection standards. We have been trained by the finest home inspection school in the US, The American Home Inspection Training Institute (AHIT). www.ahit.com
• We are licensed by the state of Illinois, bonded and insured.
• We have NEVER had an insurance claim.
• We keep up to date through on-going training to ensure that you have the latest home safety, maintenance and construction information behind you.
• We are full members of the National Association of Home Inspectors. www.nahi.org

Why Choose All About Homes?

• We'll provide the most thorough report available in the market.
• We'll make sure every question is answered before the inspection is concluded.
• We'll be available if you have questions after the inspection.
• We are trained by the best school in the business.
• We have thousands of inspections under our belt and thousands of satisfied happy clients.(See Testimonial section)
• We are fully licensed, insured and bonded.
• We are friendly and our main goal is education. We will do everything possible to make sure you understand the home you are purchasing.
• We'll work with you, your realtor and your attorney after the inspection to ensure that all information is clear and useful.
• We carry the latest in home inspection equipment so you can be sure that everything is tested thoroughly and accurately.
• We provide home maintenance and safety information with every report.
• We highly encourage our clients to attend the inspection along with their real estate professional. This ensures that we can visually point out and verbally explain all components of the home to our clients.

Meet Your Inspector

(Here's the informal stuff...)

Michelle Teague

Hi! I'm Michelle and I started All About Homes in 2003. I apologize up front for this getting too lengthy, but here's a little bit about me. Plus, everyone always asks how I got into home inspecting, so here's the story.

I was headed down the corporate road but found that it just didn't provide the satisfaction I was looking for. I have an undergrad degree in Economics from Northwestern and my MBA from Kellogg. Go Cats! I started my career in banking at Northern Trust. Banking was good, but I wanted to work for a non-profit. So I went to the Shedd Aquarium to run the volunteer program. What a great place! But after some personal changes I needed to head back to the corporate world. I went to work for Tellabs, but then the telecom bust put a damper on things! Hmmm...time to start out on my own. After a brief stint working for a slot machine manufacturer, I quit a perfectly good job and I was off to home inspection school! I chose home inspection thanks to my dear friend Rich Handschuh who was one of my Shedd volunteers and agreed to train me after I got my license. Rich taught me most everything I know. Rich passed a couple of years ago and he is deeply missed. I was so lucky - most inspectors go to inspection school and that's it. After inspection school I was trained by Rich, a veteran inspector, for over 6 months! I don't know anyone else out there with that kind of training (except Mike - see below).

So...now it's 7 years later, Mike has come on board and we have over 3500 inspections under our belts. I can honestly say I've found my calling and starting this business was the best thing I've ever done. I love helping people find the right home! Sometimes it's a hard process - it can be disappointing, confusing, expensive and frustrating. Believe me, I understand. I live in my own crazy 100-year-old frame home! I try really hard to do the kind of inspection that I would want done on my home. Honestly, this keeps some realtors from working with me because they think that I am too thorough. I don't understand that philosophy (well, I understand it, but I don't like it). I whole-heartedly believe that a home buyer should know everything about a home that is possible to see within the constraints of a few hours and a visual inspection. Now, if only I could have x-ray vision! :-) Anyway, I could go on about home inspection ethics for hours but for now let me just say that I will work with you until you understand what you are buying, I will always be honest with you and I am available to help as best as I can after the inspection.

Mike Wren

In Mike's words...
I became a home inspector through a series of fortunate events. My partner and I were under contract for a condo and our realtor suggested a few different inspectors, including Michelle. I left messages for all three, and Michelle was the first to respond (in fact, she was the only one to respond!). The condo ultimately fell through-- and thank goodness--because we found an awesome brick bungalow.

During our second inspection with Michelle, I realized that I found the process of the inspection as interesting as the inspection itself.  Prior to working for All About Homes, I worked for a number of years at a non-profit organization that offered services to senior citizens, notably a home repair program that kept people in their homes (and out of nursing homes unnecessarily). As it turned out, Michelle was looking to hire and train another inspector so I decided to capitalize on my home repair experience and knowledge of housing and embarked on a new career.   I'm really glad that things worked out the way they did because there is never a boring inspection.

Some more information...
I hired Mike in 2007 because he is smart, honest, personable and reliable. I believe those qualities make a good inspector...the rest can be learned. Mike completed over 200 training inspections with me before heading out on his own. I will guarantee that there isn't anyone else out there with that much training. Mike knows his stuff! And almost more importantly, he is great at explaining it to clients. Mike is our resident condo expert and he has hundreds of happy clients to prove it. You can rest assured that you will have the same experience working with either one of us!