Chicago condo inspections · Uptown & Edgewater
Uptown & Edgewater condo inspections
Uptown and Edgewater have some of the oldest condo stock I inspect: vintage courtyard buildings and 1960s high-rises along the lake.
From my Uptown & Edgewater reports
What I find, building by building
I’ve done hundreds of condo inspections across Chicago, a lot of them right here in Uptown & Edgewater.
Vintage buildings
Units here are often wired for another era: five circuits for the whole condo, 60-amp service, and no central air. Old wood windows are frequently painted shut, and the steel lintels over openings are sometimes caulked along the top, which traps water instead of letting it drain.
Lakefront high-rises
The 1960s towers have the classic pattern: electrical panels in the kitchen next to the sink, few circuits for the unit, and bathroom outlets without GFCI protection.
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 allows electrical service upgrades to units, and what’s been done about the risers.
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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