What is a Home Inspection?

A home inspection is typically carried out after you’ve made an offer on a house and it is intended to give you a firm idea of the state of the home you’re interested in buying. It’s important to know a few things about the home inspection as it’s easy to assume that it’s something you have little control over. The more you know, the more you can use a home inspection to your advantage. Check out the following 7 things all buyers should know.

First and foremost, it’s a good idea to know what a home inspection is. Basically, it’s an onsite inspection of a home carried out by a professional who will give their opinion as to the state of the house. This primarily visual examination is intended to detect defects within the home’s appliances and structural integrity. The assessment also focuses on components nearing the end of their life, have suffered damage due to neglect, and are deemed unsafe. The findings will be compiled in a written report looking primarily at the following components:

• Roof
• Structure
• Exterior
• Electrical systems
• Heating and Air Conditioning systems
• Plumbing systems
• Insulation and Air/Vapour Barriers
• Interior
• Mechanical and Natural Ventilation systems

What it’s Not

It’s worth remembering that a home inspection will not result in an insurance policy or extended warranty, and is only an advisory procedure to help you make a decision whether the home is worth buying. The inspector will not carry out any invasive or damaging examinations, nor are they there to carry out an energy audit. Certain components are usually excluded from the inspection, including pools, outbuildings, cosmetics, and TV/internet systems.

You Can Find Your Own Inspector

Most people will just ask their real estate agent to find them a home inspector, however, you could find one that best matches your needs yourself. Like in any profession, home inspectors come with varying degrees of experience and expertise. Look for fully qualified and certified inspectors and seek out those who can offer additional services including air quality testing. This can help you detect issues that wouldn’t normally be picked up in a typical inspection, such as hazardous house dust or radon.

It’s a good idea to ask a potential inspector to send over a sample report in advance. By going over this, you can be sure that your own report will be understandable and thorough enough to act upon. Good reports have photos and recommendations for how to address any issues that have been determined.

Look for fully qualified and certified inspectors and seek out those who can offer additional services including air quality testing.

A Proper Inspection Takes Time

It should take anywhere between 2 and 4 hours to thoroughly inspect a mid-sized home. If your inspection takes significantly less time, red flags should be popping up. In this case, speak to your inspector directly, or ask your agent to get in touch to find out why the inspection was so short. Some very small houses without basements might not take too long, but always be wary of inspections that are completed in under an hour and provide just a skeleton report.

You’re Encouraged to Tag Along

Most of us spend just a few minutes touring our potential new home, but by joining the inspector you will see all the ins and outs of the house you’re planning to call home. This gives you great insight into the home, and by shadowing the inspector, you can learn a lot about how various systems work and what issues to look out for. Your real estate agent is also welcome to join to prevent any miscommunication further down the line.

There are Limitations

There are limits to what an inspector can do while inspecting a house so it’s worth knowing what these limits are. They cannot move furniture, or look behind drywall or flooring to check defects, and they cannot cause any damage to the house in an attempt to reveal a potential issue. This makes it easy for sellers to hide defects such as mold behind furniture or under a rug. Be wary of unusually placed items, freshly painted walls, and anything else that might hide an issue the inspector cannot see.

While inspectors will inspect the roof, they will normally do it from the ground, rather than going up there. This could result in them missing potential issues that can cost thousands to repair. They’re also not required to carry out air quality tests. You can pay extra to have such potential issues addressed, however.

Reading the Full Report is Important

Most people simply read the report summary to get an idea of what shape the house is in. However, the summary typically only highlights the larger issues. Within the report, you can find information regarding smaller defects that over time can add up and cost you time and money to repair.

ANDRA HOPULELE  | June 25, 2019 | Point2Homes.com

Where To go from here?

This report is designed to illustrate that buying or selling a home is a complex, and often an intricate process. If you're interested in more information, please contact me.

Susan

(403) 669 – 9112

Forget the Superficial Changes

When you put your home up for sale you place it directly under the scrutiny of buyers. Superficial changes, such as new paint and resurfaced floors can do a lot to enhance your home’s appeal, but when it comes to an offer, most serious buyers will seek the assistance of a professional home inspector to ensure that the house is sound beneath the surface.

During most home inspections there are over forty problem areas that will be examined for correct function and condition. It is important that you are aware of what areas buyers will examine, and what you can do to ensure that these are in proper working order. In most cases you’ll be able to conduct a reasonable inspection yourself, if you know what to look for. This report will elaborate on some of the more important home inspection points, and will include information on:

• Home Inspection areas and what to look for
• How to make sure your home is as good beneath the surface as it is above
• A Home Inspection
• Selling your home can be a difficult job, especially since you’re competing against hundreds of other properties. It’s important that you ensure that your home is in top condition, and doing a pre-inspection in anticipation of buyers doing the same is extremely important. Below are some areas that you should inspect:

Plumbing

Plumbing is of high priority when it comes to home inspections. Defective plumbing is classified in three ways namely leaking, clogging, and corrosion. A visual inspection will detect leaks and corrosion on pipes. Turning on all faucets in the highest bathroom and then flushing the toilet can gauge water pressure. The sound of water flowing through your pipes often indicates that the pipes are undersized. Additionally, if water coming from the pipes is dirty or contains debris, then the pipes are most likely rusting. The home inspector will evaluate all of these.

Damp or Wet Basement

The basement or crawl space is often the most revealing area in the building and usually provides a general picture of how the building works.

An inspector will check your walls for a powdery white mineral deposit a few inches off the floor, and will look to see if things you store right on your basement floor have suffered any moisture-related damage. Mildew odours are also a red flag for home inspectors. Difficult to eliminate, and indicative of other problems, an inspector will certainly be conscious of them.

Damp Attic Spaces

Just as detrimental to a home seller as basement dampness are mould and mildew problems in the attic. Improper ventilation, insulation and vapour barriers can cause water and moisture to accumulate in the attic. This moisture and associated mould and mildew can lead to premature wear of the roof, structure and building materials. Oftentimes costs associated with fixing this damage can be in excess of $2,500. 

It is important that you are aware of what areas buyers will examine, and what you can do to ensure that these are in proper working order.

Cracked Foundation

Depending on severity and location it could cost you between $400 and $1,100 to seal a crack in your basement foundation. Another option is to add a sump pump and pit, which could cost around $750-$1,000. Finally complete waterproofing of an average 3-bedroom home could cost between $5,000 and $15,000. It’s important to factor these costs into the calculation of what you want to net on the sale of you home.

Roofing Problems

The major problem associated with roofing problems is leakage, which can occur for a variety of reasons. Physical deterioration of asphalt shingles, mechanical damage from a windstorm or ice build-up as a result of poor drainage are all common causes of roofing issues. Leaky gutters and downspouts can also damage siding and exterior walls. Remember that it is only a matter of time before external damage becomes an internal problem.

Rotting Wood

Rotting wood, an issue particularly prevalent in older homes, can occur in many places such as door or window frames, trim, siding, decks and fences. Building inspectors will oftentimes probe the wood to check its integrity – and are particularly sceptical of woodwork that has been freshly painted.

Where to go from here?

This report is designed to illustrate that selling a home is a complex, and often intricate process. If you’re interested in more information, please contact me.

Susan

(403) 669 – 9112