Chicago condo inspections · Gold Coast & Old Town
Gold Coast & Old Town condo inspections
Most of what I inspect here is high-rise condos from the 1960s through the 1990s. The buildings are solid. The units carry the same handful of issues again and again.
From my Gold Coast & Old Town reports
What I find, building by building
I’ve done hundreds of condo inspections across Chicago, a lot of them right here in Gold Coast & Old Town.
High-rise units
The electrical panel is very often in the front hallway closet, a location current standards no longer allow because of clothing and poor access. Most bathrooms have no heat source of their own. The HVAC filter usually sits inside the front of the unit, where it gets forgotten. Where I can see the plumbing, older buildings often still have galvanized lines.
Vintage buildings and walk-ups
The older stock off the main streets has the vintage pattern: few circuits for the whole unit, older panels, and masonry openings that need their lintels checked.
Some findings show up in almost every Chicago condo, whatever the building: outlets that aren’t tamper-resistant, ranges without an anti-tip bracket, compression-style shut-offs under the sinks, and furnace condensate lines missing a trap. They’re cheap to fix, and I list every one so nothing surprises you after closing.
Your unit, and the building around it
What a condo inspection covers
Everything in and serving your unit: plumbing, electrical, heating and cooling, appliances, and every room’s surfaces and fixtures. On a low-rise building I also walk the accessible exterior. The roof, structure and shared mechanicals belong to the association and fall outside a unit inspection. Where I can’t reach something, the report says so and tells you what to ask for.
Worth asking the association: Ask whether the building has a plan for replacing galvanized risers, and what the unit owner is responsible for when a riser leaks.
Who you’re hiring
One inspector, start to finish
I spent 15 years renovating houses, then 13 inspecting them. I do every inspection myself and write every report, the same day. Buyers rate me 4.9 out of 5 across more than 150 Redfin reviews. Condos from $325, with an exact price once you send me the address.
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