Tomacor

If you’re a buyer, these are the guys you want inspecting your most important investment. If you’re a real estate agent or a seller (and you can find many negative reviews by these folks on Tomacor), you probably hate these guys simply because they unearth problems that can often kill a deal or that you’d rather not know about. Tomacor will definitely nitpick every little flaw of a home, but isn’t that what you want as a buyer? You do have to take a lot of the inspection findings with a grain of salt, because they point out so much. They inspected my 110 year old home, and pointed out a ton of items that helped us negotiate a better price. But nothing was a deal-​breaker for us, and we wound up with a very solid home with no surprise problems. I would use these guys for any home inspection. Don’t let the real estate agent try to keep you from hiring them!

We’ve used Tomacor twice now. The first time in ’09, we walked from a townhome deal (which we were so glad that we did) in the city due to excessive repairs and maintenance needed at the project. Lo and behold, within the next year, that townhome development had made the major repairs that Tomacor had highlighted for us. The second time we used them was on the 1940’s house we just bought in the city three months ago. Tom was simply outstanding. He is very thorough and we found that he is right-​on when he points out a concern or a flaw. Moreover, his findings helped us negotiate a $ 20,000 credit on the purchase price of our new home.

I’d like to share my personal experience with Tomacor in hopes that it puts some perspective on this guy’s reputation. He claims he’s doing a service for the buyer, when in fact, he needlessly freaks them out. He obsesses on minutia, only to miss the big picture of what the property brings to the table.
In my case, he nitpicked my 113 year old building as if it were new construction. He planted doubt where none was needed. He saw only the ‘flaws’ of a Victorian-​era building (in overall great condition), and ultimately caused the buyer to walk away.
He probably charged the buyer well over $ 1000 in fees (including a plumber’s fees), as is his reputation.
I know the building had a few vintage quirks, and realized that many people might like to attend to those quirks. So, I priced the building under-​market price for a building with great bones that needed some updates, and was otherwise sound as a pound and move-​in ready.
Well here’s where the big picture is needed. I quickly sold the building to the next buyer. It appraised for $ 50,000 over the original contract price, and sold for considerably more than my original contract.
Great job Tomacor, you cost your client an opportunity to make $ 50,000 in instant equity because you chose to puff up non-​fundamental issues in an antique building. So, while this guy may be every bit the hard-​ass he claims to be: he has no business sense or perspective, and seems caught in the trap of self-​adulation and narcissism, all at the expense of the nervous-​nelly buyer who over-​pays him just to be scared out of a good deal.

Tom has done inspections on the last 2 homes I purchased, as well as 13 homes for my sister (her husband is very picky). He is extremely thorough and a great buyer’s advocate. He will find every possible issue for you. Sellers and agents don’t like him because he is an advocate for the buyer; he won’t sugar coat things to make the deal go smoothly. You won’t find anyone better to inspect your home — Tom Corbett is worth every penny you pay him and more!
Tom has recently started providing inspection reports, with photos, via email in PDF format (5 years ago, it was hand written on carbon paper).
If you are buying a home, Tom Corbett is the inspector to use!

We recently hired Tom of Tomacor to inspect our first home — he was recommended by two trusted friends and colleagues who have used him before. When our realtors and sellers heard that we had hired Tom, they tried to get us to reconsider, claiming that he is a «deal killer,» etc. Sounded to us like we had found the right guy.
Tom spent 5 hours with us inspecting the house outside in, top to bottom. He was extremely thorough and took the time to answer every question we had. There were some issues Tom identified that he couldn’t give us a final answer on during the inspection — we had to follow up with other experts. Because of Tom’s honesty we were able to identify these areas quickly and get the additional information we needed during our inspection period. Tom is very hesitant to recommend contractors, but he did point us toward a few folks who were able to talk us through some tricky issues without charging us additional fees. Tom also has spent time with us since the inspection discussing questions we have about the house. He doesn’t sugar coat things, but in the end we still love the house (this is the first house we have gone to inspection on) and with Tom’s report were able to close the deal with credit from the sellers for the issues that needed to be addressed.
We wanted to know everything about our house before purchasing it and now we feel like we do. I can’t understand why anyone would want anything less. I’m sure there are plenty of competent inspectors in the City, but I would recommend Tomacor highly to anyone.

This firm preys on the naïve. The theory goes: If they charge double of other inspectors, then they must be «good.» If a lot of deals go south, they did their job. Wrong. Sure, there are instances when deals should go south. But, merely because Tomacor found something doesn’t mean another inspector wouldn’t. Moreover, merely because he says something needs to be fixed – doesn’t mean he is correct. An inspector is a generalist – not a specialist in every facet of your home. I am not a realtor. I recently purchased and sold a home. I considered using this firm, but on my own independent analysis, decided it would be foolish to do so. Part of Tomacor’s modus operandi: They blast the first place so that you’ll be impressed, thinking you were «saved from a disaster,» so you hire them again. Pretty naïve thinking. Suddenly, they’ll find a home that magically meets their inspection.
As far as the accusation that realtors are chummy with the inspectors: I don’t think anything could be further from the truth. When I bought my home, I had a full 7 hour inspection, one of the toughest in the city The seller’s agent was none too happy who my broker hired – but they both respected the person’s judgment and professionalism. In the end, the inspector found a number of items. No point going into the details here. The point: Realtors want the inspection to be thorough and accurate because they are worried about their own potential liability if something goes wrong that should have been disclosed. But scare tactics do nothing to further the purchase of a great home. News flash to buyers also: If you buy a home, you are going to have routine maintence.
The only reason I didn’t give one star: At least the guy attempts to be thorough. The worst inspectors are the ones that come into a condo and spend less than hour. That’s not worth anyone’s time.

We hired Tom (Tomacor) when we were looking to buy our first home in Bucktown. We have been living in a condo, so this was a big purchase for us. I was referred to Tom by a childhood friend who always performs his due diligence in everything he does. My friend’s father is an architect who also highly recommended Tomacor because of the thorough job they performed. Tom is quite knowledgable when it comes to the local laws & ordinances which was very helpful in our case. He is an advocate for the buyer and I now see why some of the local realtors (on the seller’s side) do not care for him. (This is a good sign if the inspector isn’t chummy with the realtors). I was told that Tomacor would cost a little more that some other inspectors, but as the old adage goes,“you get what you pay for”. Money well spent in this instance. We had Tom (and one of his co-​workers come out for the inspection), and they worked very fluidly as a team and double checked each others work. The home we were looking at was an older cottage that had a large addition added on a few years back. Tom is very knowledgable about other homes in the area and what issues he has seen. For instance, he said that on the block we looked at, some homes had termite problems. The house we were looking at had quite a bit of old wood holding up the house. Even though termites were not found, it was just nice to know that this was something to keep in mind. Tom also found that the brick addition was being supported by old wood in certain areas of the home. Again, something to be aware of that could prove to be very costly in the future. The sellers agent brushed us off when we inquired about this and was downright rude. At the time we did not have a tall enough ladder to get on the roof (unusually high roof) so Tom called in a favor to a roofing company and had one brought out and I even confirmed with another inspector that they would have charged us for this. Tom spent a few hours going through the home and put together a very detailed list with photos with any issues that he came across. They were categorized basically as small/​possibly future issues to large/​immediate concerns. Tom never told us to buy or not buy the house. I truly respect that he only stuck with the facts and gave his professional opinion on the home with his detailed report. He took the time to discuss every detail with us and what it meant to us now or potentially in the future if we decided to purchase the home. He went as far as requesting the city approved blueprints from the realtor which they provided (even though they were incomplete & not the city approved which Tom had requested). That was a big red flag for us. In the end we did not purchase the home because too many large issues that were found. ie: roof, foundation, etc… We learned a lot from Tom and will no doubt use his services again as we continue to look for a home in the city. Home inspection is not something to cut corners on, & Tomacor is well worth the money when you are spending 6 – 7 figures on a home. In the end we also had a friend who is a contractor look at Tom’s report and he said that he hasn’t seen such a detailed report from any inspector that he has worked with & was truly impressed. Tom was readily available to discuss the report in person and over the phone & would promptly return calls. In the end it was our decision not to buy the home which was the right choice, and we look forward to using Tomacor in the near future.

I must say… he was fantastic. We are another statistic… we didn’t buy the home inspected, but any inspector would have found the obvious that helped make the decision. Tom was thorough and educational. He answered every question and gave us a history on the what/​where/​whys.

We purchased a new construction condo in 2008 and hired Tomacor for our inspection. In retrospect, here’s what Tomacor missed. 1) Humidifier on furnace was not hooked up to water. 2) Gas stove hooked up with gas leak. 3) Water meter never installed for building. We specifically asked the inspector to look at the water closet for the building, the sump pump, etc due to water problems at our previous condo. Well 5 years later we have to pay $ 2k to have one installed, and potentially $ 20k to have the front yard dug up so the city can inspect the connection to the water main. 4. Tankless water heater was not properly installed with venting. Had to replace that for another couple grand 5. Air conditioner not properly sized for unit. Unit failed within 5 years. expensive.
Yep, all that missed. Although he did mention, SEVERAL times how the distance between staircase and deck railings was slightly too large. Ugh, thanks, really helpful (sarcasm)

I really can’t speak to the other reviews but can speak to our personal experience with Tom and Tomacor.
Tom is your last line of defense when purchasing a home. I doubt your agent will actively push you to purchase a bad home, but they won’t look out for you either.
Tom never told us to buy or not buy a home. He refused to do so. What Tom did is give us his opinion of all the issues with the house we looked to purchase. It was up to us decide how much repairs and problems we were going to bear and whether the seller would be willing to negotiate. The first house we looked at in Skokie looked great to us but had a myriad of issues after Tom’s inspection. We knew any home would have issues but this one just had too many that we knew the seller would not fix or provide credit. We cancelled the contract. A few days later, the house was relished for $ 30k less and was selling «as is». The sellers knew the house was junk and Tom had saved our butts from making a huge mistake.
Our second inspection of a townhouse in Northbrook went great. There were still issues but small enough that we would consider buying with some negotiations with the seller. Again, Tom never told us to buy or not buy, but tells you what he believes is wrong, estimates the cost to repair, which then gives you a starting point in our negotiations.
Tom’s knowledge and expertise is beyond compare. In the first home, the sellers said they only flooded once. Leave it to Tom to look to the inside metal panel of the furnace to find evidence of repeated sewage flooding that had been meticulously cleaned around the basement but never assumed someone would look with the care Tom had. Besides the things he finds, he provides a great binder that provides further details and information for most possible issues there are.
Tom will be the first to tell you that his inspection won’t find everything that is wrong with a property but he will the problems that he can visually inspect. If you want peace of mind before closing on a home, hire Tom.

Unilocalers — please read a Realtors opinion of Tomacor and their place in the home inspection world. Wow — this was my 3^rd Tomacor inspection and it was possibly the most unprofessional experience of my 40 years walking on this planet. Let me destroy myth #1 about home inspections and Realtors. «They want the home inspection to pass so they can get a deal». Couldn’t be farther from the truth. I’m a licensed agent and have practiced in Chicago for 13 years. I’m a consistent Top Producer and have been on the Professional Standards board of the Chicago Association of Realtors for 4 years. I say these things so you understand that I’m very experienced and have been through hundreds of home inspections. Here’s the truth — agents live and die on referrals. Our entire business model is based on referrals. if we consistently referred 2^nd rate professionals or our clients thought we did something“just to get a deal” then we sure wouldn’t be in business very long! It’s 100% counter productive. We are in the business of helping people. If we don’t do that, out business ceases to exist. The FAR majority of agents operate this way. Of course there are a few that aren’t as ethical. They unfortunately exist in every industry. On to the inspection… it was 4 hours of unbelievability. I felt like I needed a shower after spending that much time with Tom. It wasn’t so much that his information was wrong — which it was subsequently proven wrong by a highly reputable licensed contractor and a licensed HVAC company. It was the delivery of the information that shocked me. He was so overbearingly negative the entire time, it literally drained us all of energy. The poor buyers wife was crying because she loved the house and he just crushed her. It was so over the top I kept looking for cameras — seriously. Every single home has problems. New or old. It’s the inspectors ability to explain problems that I value a great deal. Most people buying homes don’t know what to expect or how to maintain and address items. They’re not in the industry and they don’t understand. This is precisely why clear, even keeled, and effective communication from an inspector is critical. This was a textbook Tomacor case — the deal fell apart and the buyers walked. I sold it again a few weeks later. That inspector found a few different items, we agreed on a credit, and all parties were happy. FYI — Nearly all inspections result in a credit and/​or seller repairs. Often in the hundreds of dollars, sometimes in the thousands. Just because Tomacor charges twice what most firms do doesn’t mean they are better or worse at finding the problems or getting you a credit than the true professionals that I typically refer. What they do excel at is delivering information in alarmingly aggressive and unprofessional fashion. If THAT makes you feel like they did a great job — hire Tomacor.

The best protection that money can buy.
I’ve been involved many home inspections in my life, but none as thorough or as honest as the one given my Tomacor. Many inspectors just fly through the inspection and provide a cursory report. These type of inspections are cheap but are worth even less.
Tomocar gave a forensic top to bottom inspection and revealed everything that needed to be revealed in a comprehensive report including expected costs for repair. He resists all pressure from the real estate agents (buyer and seller agents) to give a pass in order to get the sale complete. He tells it like it is. There is a premium paid for such a service, but it is better to know all of the dirty laundry before you close than after you have paid hundreds of thousands of dollars for a potential lemon that will be impossible to re-​sell.
His services are the best pre-​sale insurance that you can procure and I highly recommend him to any potential buyers. FWIW, don’t reveal to the agents who you are using until the date of the inspection and make sure there is plenty of time set aside so that he is able to complete the full inspection.

The 5 star rating is quite odd, given that it is based on 6 reviews. Don’t forget to look at the other 20+.
Talk about scare tactics, this company does an A+ job at scaring the %$#@ out of buyers (usually on the 1^st home) and then tends to give a luke warm thumbs up on 2^nd inspections.
His favorite word is water, even though he doesn’t have a moisture meter to actually test for active issues.
If you hire this company, you will get opinions stated as fact and zero technological backing and tools to truly test for issues (gas leaks, water leaks, etc…)
Save your money and hire a company that is out to educate you, not scare you.

My name is John Andrews. I have just used Tomacor for a pre-​purchase home inspection. This is the 3^rd time I have used Tomacor since 2005. If you are looking for the best home inspection available, your search is over.
Master Inspector Tom Corbett is hard core. On two previous inspections, he provided detailed information that saved me from buying first class tickets on the Titanic. I walked away from those two properties. As an example, one property (new construction) had improper installation of an exterior building material that would have sucked me in for over $ 60,000 in mold remediation within the first 5 yrs of ownership. Talk about dodging a bullet…
Tomacor’s reporting is quite detailed and comprehensive. Their 3^rd inspection on my behalf should be a winner, with the home sale pending as I write this review. Not only do we know everything that needs repair or replacement with this home, Tomacor has also provided general cost estimates as part of the inspection report. With this information, not only are we are making an informed decision on buying the home, but also have a clarity of vision as it relates to future maintenance and repair needs.
With the housing market in such a depressed state, home buyers really need to be on their game. Tomacor will protect YOUR interests as you shop for your next home. I cannot overstate this. As other reviews have attested, knowledge is power!
Since this is my first review on Unilocal,I have included my email address (
). Please email me if you have any questions regarding this review or my multiple and overwhelmingly positive experiences with Tomacor.

Read carefully, home buyers! If you are considering using Tomacor but are concerned with some negative reviews, think about this: most of those reviews come from «reviewers» who are not active Unilocalers. Most have 0 Unilocal friends and few, if any, other reviews.
Consider as well that that home sellers and real estate agents hate Tomacor. He finds defects that others don’t, and sometimes deals fall through as a result. Could it be that some of the negative reviews have been fabricated by those with a vested interest in tarring Tom’s reputation?
Tom saved us from buying a house which, while attractive on the surface, had myriad underlying problems that neither we nor our agent found in multiple showings, including termite damage, severe roof issues, major fire hazards, asbestos, exposed wiring, and much more.
Some of his critics say «oh, that’s how Tom cashes in — he gets people to hire him for the next place they want to buy, so he gets double the business». Yeah, that’s right — he gets double the business because he DESERVES it. Seriously, we would have moved into a physical and financial deathtrap without Tom.
When we bought our eventual house, it was a huge relief when Tom did NOT find huge problems! He found dozens of small problems, and in many cases made predictions about where leaks and other hazards might appear later, all of which have come true. No inspector can find every problem, but he came damn close. Disregard the reviewer who complained that he didn’t find everything. You won’t find a more thorough inspector than Tom.
While it’s valid to object to the lack of technology involved (yes, he should provide digitized reports and have some newer gadgets available), his immense knowledge and experience easily eclipse those shortcomings. It’s also true that he gets riled up when he sees sloppy workmanship or code violations. My advice for the home buyer is to make sure you ask questions about the impact of the various issues. Some things are easily fixed, and some are not!
Again, Tom is not perfect. But for most of us, this is the biggest financial transaction of our lives. Don’t cross your fingers and trust your realtor’s favorite inspector or somebody you found in the phone book. Hire Tom, and consider it money extremely well-​spent.

We knew that we had made the right choice on a home inspector when we let slip what company we chose to our realtor and she replied «oh no! oh no! you don’t want *him*! You’ll never buy a house, he tells you *everything* that’s wrong with it! Way too much information! He’s a deal-​killer…» (READ: Don’t ever let slip that you’re using Tomacor — that realtor quickly ended her relationship with us…)
Too much information??? Are you kidding me! Don’t you want to know everything you can about an investment that runs several hundreds of thousands of dollars that will most likely be your biggest asset? Don’t you want to know everything about the structure that will shelter your family?
The quality of an inspection has huge implications not only for your investment (and your future finances) but the health of your family. Given that — it seems crazy to me that so many people choose their inspector at the recommendation of their realtors instead of choosing a company that will assess the home without bias.
We chose Tomacor because they have a reputation for being the most thorough in the business — and for giving the buyer the tools to make an informed decision about purchase, as well as the tools to successfully negotiate credits and price. We ended up, however, getting much more than that. Simply put — a Tomacor inspection is an education.
Post-​inspection we are much better prepared for being homeowners — not only do we have the experience of viewing our home on such a micro level — we were also left with our inspection report which we will use as a reference for issues that need to be addressed in the coming years.
In sum, Tomacor is awesome. When you need a home inspector don’t go anywhere else.

This guy and his staff are hard core. Home sellers and real estate agents FEAR him. Because if there is something very wrong with the house you are considering investing all of that money and time and emotion in? He’ll find it.
Then he’ll compile the whole thing into a detailed report (not just a checklist) and debrief you for an hour at least.
It was scary to hire Tomacor… sometimes ignorance is bliss, right? But we’ve never regretted it. We were able to go back and negotiate a bit more PLUS we had a detailed checklist for things to fix in the house starting Day One.
To back up their data, Tomacor gave us their typical inspection binder. This thing is a TOME! A well-​designed tome. You can get to your situation pretty quickly without having to read much else and just focus on that. It shows (with illustrations and limited photography) what something is supposed to look like versus what can go wrong.
We love Tomacor, that they stabbed the wood gently and fearlessly with a screwdriver to test for rot, crawled into dark crawlspaces under the house, used mirrors to peer into strange places and so on in their dedication to GET THE DATA!
And they did. We even knew what length and diameter external tube we needed for a part missing from the hot water heater before we moved into the house because they noted it in the inspection.
And this is why they are so GOOOOOOOOOD. They KNOW old AND new houses and they’ve seen it all.
Best money we have ever spent and this invaluable binder besides.

The first time I used Tomacor 4 years ago for the purchase of a newer construction condo, I didn’t know how lucky I was. We’ve been so happy with our purchase, and we’ve been spared the problems that have plagued our friends who live in buildings of a similar age. Now we’re looking at 100-​yr-​old single families, and I’m so glad we have Tomacor to help us. We’ve had inspections with both Tom and Aaron and they’re both great. Tom is the owner and has more years of experience but Aaron is super knowledgeable as well, and I think they both must be two of the best home inspectors in the city. I do sympathize with those who criticize Tomacor for pointing out «every little flaw,» but for me, it’s worth it. They clearly outline the concerns that are the most expensive to repair or the most pressing from a safety standpoint, and you just have to look at the big picture when you make your decision, and not get too caught up in the small things. But I think it’s nice to know about those small things, too.

There are two schools of home inspectors in Chicago. On one side you have the «inspectors» who are best friends with the real estate agent crowd, and are probably recommended by a seller’s agent (to make sure nothing is really found wrong) or a buyer’s agent (to make sure that just enough is found to bargain with, but not enough to kill the deal).
On the other side you have Tomacor. When the agent representing the seller we were buying from saw that a Tomacor inspector was entering the place, a giant scowl appeared on her face. Shortly after the inspector dug in, she left the inspection because she had «emergency business» and we were alone in the house with Tomacor and our agent.
The inspection was very thorough. From the pre-​inspection where he explained what he was going to do, and how he was going to do it, to the post-​inspection where he went over every section of the book and explained why he wrote what he did. He even provided price range estimates for repairs and pointed out building code to be mindful of when interviewing contractors.
Tomacor is not interested in greenlighting deals or arming price wars. We like them because they are interested in telling you what you need to be a homeOWNER. The inspection is not just done for the closing, it is to help guide you over the next 5+ years of ownership. We would have felt lost without the thorough, insightful, uncompromising job done by our inspector, and we still reference his work months after closing.
As a free bonus, you can call your inspector in the future for clarification, advice, and to see if a contractor is «fucking with you».