Meet James Kolke, Chief Inspection Officer

Two inspectors work on a roof at sunset. I am the senior inspector, I lead the Pinnacle Property Inspection Team, and I really love construction! I’ve been in the construction business for 25 years. I started in the housing business as a concrete worker. I found this challenging but needed to learn more. I became a carpenter and for 3 years I worked on commercial and residential projects. I had an opportunity to become a plumber with Local 130. I served a 5-year apprenticeship in Chicago. I was a journeyman plumber for 6 months when I was asked to run work. I ran work in commercial and commercial/residential high-rise buildings. I missed the building portion of construction, so I started buying homes in the North Shore area of Chicago, where I renovated 10+ homes a year. I soon started spec building and I really liked that! I partnered up with other tradesmen and formed a group that could build and renovate homes. I now am involved with all types of charities to help people gain homes of their own.

I’m one of the few inspectors who have a plumber’s license. This means that if you’re looking at a foreclosed or bank-owned home, I can legally turn on the water. If the water isn’t turned on, you’ll never know if there are any plumbing issues throughout the house. This is something you definitely want to be aware of. If the home inspector isn’t a licensed plumber, they cannot legally turn on the water. This gives me an incredible advantage over other home inspectors.

The other difference between Pinnacle and many other home inspectors is that we are licensed by Snell to perform home inspections with a thermal imager. The thermal imager enables me to look “inside” the walls and literally see things that might cause you expensive repairs if you buy the home being inspected. Without a thermal imager on a home inspection, the inspector is just “guessing” what’s in the walls, in the circuit breaker, and throughout the exterior of the home. I don’t think that’s what you’re paying a home inspection company for now, is it?

I’m passionate about educating people on the property they own or may purchase. I want to help others so they can use their money wisely. I hope in some small way, I’m helping to create a more caring and just community!

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Ratings & Reviews

“I hired Pinnacle to inspect a property we were looking to purchase and rehab. The booking process was simple and they came to inspect the property the next business day. They were extremely through and honest about the state of house. There was major issues we had not budgeted for, in the end this inspection led us to move away from this house. I believe that hiring Pinnacle saved us hundreds of thousands of dollars. I'm grateful for their help!”

Mony K.

“After having a home inspection done by Pinnacle, you realize just how inept every other inspection company really is. From drone pictures of your property to infrared imaging showing you the heat/cold area of your insulated windows, they'll do it all for the same price you'll pay having some knuckle-head to come out and tell you a bunch of garbage. Money well spent when you're making the biggest investment of your life!”

Tyler M.

“I spent 3 years building a new home...before signing off with the builder I thought it would be a good idea to have it professionally inspected. Jim and Pinnacle had come highly recommended to me so I gave them a call. Jim was punctual, more thorough than I ever expected, and quite informative. In short, he was a massive help in identifying items I needed to resolve with my builder prior to closing, on top of all being one of the most professional trades I worked with during my project...THANKS!”

Adam

“Working with Pinnacle Property Home Inspection Services was a fantastic experience and I highly recommend! The team was professional, personable, and very easy to schedule! Most importantly for us, our home inspection was extremely thorough and detailed. Pinnacle gave us transparent and well-documented information to feel more confident in our upcoming purchase!”

Alicia W.

“Jim did our inspection in Glenview last weekend on our first home purchase. He was extremely punctual, thorough and kept us looped in the entire time. He was very open to answering all of our questions and ensuring we felt good about each step of the way. I would use Jim and his team again.”

Elyce

“Pinnacle Property Home Inspection did our home inspection for a condo. They were absolutely fantastic! Great service, they are very professional and knowledgeable! Thank you! Don't bother looking elsewhere for home inspection, go with Pinnacle!”

Luna