Condo & Interior-Only Inspection in the Northwest Suburbs
Performed in-house by our own Illinois-licensed inspectors, from our base in Cary, IL.
The Short Answer
A condo or interior-only inspection from At Ease Inspections starts at $500 and covers the unit’s readily accessible interior systems and components: electrical, plumbing, HVAC, appliances, doors, windows, walls, ceilings and floors, with thermal imaging included. Building envelope and common elements are the association’s responsibility rather than yours.
Why Condo Inspection Matters
Buying a condo or townhome narrows what you own, but it does not narrow what can go wrong inside your own four walls. The unit’s electrical, plumbing, heating, cooling and appliances are yours, and so is every repair bill attached to them.
What changes is scope. The roof, siding, structure and grounds usually belong to the association, which is why an interior-only inspection is the right instrument and why it costs less than a full home inspection.
What Our Condo Inspection Covers
Electrical
Panel or subpanel serving the unit, receptacles, GFCI and AFCI protection, and visible wiring.
Plumbing
Supply and drain materials, fixtures, functional flow and drainage, water heater age and condition where the unit has its own.
HVAC
Heating and cooling equipment serving the unit, age, remaining service life and performance.
Appliances
Installed appliances operated through normal cycles.
Interior surfaces and openings
Walls, ceilings, floors, doors and windows, including evidence of past or current moisture.
Thermal imaging
Included, and especially useful in shared-wall construction for finding moisture from a neighbouring unit.
Condo Inspection in the Northwest Suburbs
Schaumburg is the biggest condo and townhome market we serve. Its 1970s and 1980s buildout produced a very large attached-housing inventory, and that era carries specific risks worth checking for: aluminium branch circuit wiring in units built roughly 1965 to 1973, electrical panel brands now considered obsolete such as Federal Pacific Stab-Lok and Zinsco, and polybutylene supply piping that becomes brittle and fails.
Elgin, Crystal Lake and Algonquin all have meaningful townhome and condo stock as well, spanning a wider range of construction dates.
One thing an inspection cannot answer: the health of the association. Reserve funding, special assessment history and pending capital work sit in the association documents, not in the unit. Read those as carefully as you read our report.
Condo Inspection Near You
We provide condo & interior-only inspection throughout the Northwest suburbs. These are the markets where it comes up most, and each page covers what we look for in that town specifically.
Also serving Cary, Lake in the Hills, Barrington, McHenry and Woodstock, plus surrounding communities across McHenry, Kane, Lake and Cook counties. See all service areas.
Condo Inspection Questions
How much does a condo inspection cost?
A condo or interior-only inspection starts at $500 and includes thermal imaging. That is $50 less than a full home inspection, reflecting the narrower scope.
What is not included?
Building envelope and common elements, roof, siding, structure and grounds, which are normally the association’s responsibility. If you want those evaluated, that becomes a different and larger scope.
Do I still need an inspection for a newer condo?
We think so. Installation defects and appliance or HVAC problems are just as common in newer attached housing, and thermal imaging in shared-wall construction regularly finds moisture originating from a neighbouring unit.
What should I watch for in Schaumburg specifically?
Build era. Much of Schaumburg went up between the 1960s and 1980s, so aluminium branch wiring, Federal Pacific and Zinsco panels and polybutylene supply piping all come up regularly. Those are safety and budget items, and we identify them by name.
We're Here to Put You At Ease.
Book your inspection online or reach out with any questions, proudly serving the Northwest suburbs of Chicago.