Why You Need a Home Inspection

Making the decision for a house inspection is a crucial in the home purchasing process. It can help take the risk out of buying a home, and ensures everything in the house is in working condition before you move in. Having a professional home inspector inspect all of the major systems of your home before signing legal documents will help you avoid stress, disappointment, and decrease any unexpected expenses in the future. A home inspection gives you the knowledge and power to make an informed decision based on facts. The Orillia Home Inspector will determine the condition of the house you’re thinking about buying, and let you know if there are any problems. The best part is, he is impartial; he is there to do a job, and has no financial stake in whether you buy the house or not. If you have to make an offer before having a home inspection, ensure it is conditional on a home inspection.

A professional home inspection can reveal important information about the condition of a home and its systems. This makes the purchaser aware of what costs, repairs and maintenance the home may require immediately, and over time. If a buyer isn’t comfortable with the results of their home inspection, it usually presents one last opportunity to back out of the offer to buy.

A home inspection can reveal whether rooms, altered garages or basements were completed without the required building permit, or does not meet current Building Code Requirements. “If a house has illegal room additions that were built without a permit, it can affect the insurance, taxes, usability and most of all the overall value of the home. I was leaving a property after performing a home inspection and meet the city inspector on the way out the door, he wanted entry into the home to inspect the basement renovation which had been completed without a permit. The purchasers walked away from that particular home.

A professional home inspection can help determine if the following issues are present: asbestos, mould, leaking basements, aluminum wiring, galvanized plumbing and structural issues. Also the inspector will identify the type of plumbing material used in home. Kitec and Quest are two types of Pex Plumbing ( there are more ) that many insurance companies will not ensure.

Your oil tank will be ULC rated which is good for ten years. After ten years your oil supplier is required to inspect the tank annually prior to delivering fuel. Some insurance companies will require you to replace your tank once it is ten years old.

Home Inspection Benefits

  • A home inspection contingency allows buyers to hire a professional who will tell them about major and minor issues with a home before purchasing it.Why You Need a Home Inspection
  • A thorough inspection is a critical step in purchasing a home, and many lenders won’t offer financing on a home without one.
  • Home inspections can uncover potentially life-threatening problems like mold or faulty wiring that could cause a significant fire.
  • Most potential buyers have a fairly brief window after the home inspection to walk away from the purchase.  ( typically you will have around 5 days to arrange, complete and waive home inspection contingincy )
  • Home inspectors look at the exterior and interior parts of the home, including but not limited to electrical, plumbing, roofing, HVAC, and foundations.

Our home inspection report will pinpoint both major defects and minor problems with your new home.  As a Professional home inspector I will be able to offer suggestions on how to deal with some of those defects. At the end of the day, the buyer is the one who makes a final decision; but  having a house inspection gives him or her a more thorough understanding of property conditions and potential future financial expenses.

Choosing Your Home Inspector

Some questions to ask your home inspector could be:

  • What is included in a home inspection?
  • Can you (the buyer) be present during a home inspection?
  • How and when can you receive the home inspection report?
  • How many years of home inspection education and/or experience does the inspector have?
  • Do they have a licence and/or membership with the local provincial association?

Currently, not every Canadian province requires home inspection professionals to obtain licenses. If your province has no provincial regulation for house inspectors in place, it is important to make sure that your home inspector has the education and practical experience necessary for the job. Generally speaking, membership with a local professional association adds credibility to a home inspector, since most professional associations require a certain amount of work experience, education or a combination of those factors from home inspectors before they can obtain their membership.  Ontario does not require Home Inspectors to be licensed.

Building Permits

A home inspection can reveal whether rooms, altered garages or basements were completed without a proper permit, or did not follow code, according to Chantay Bridges of Clear Choice Realty & Associates. “If a house has illegal room additions that are un-permitted, it affects the insurance, taxes, usability and most of all the overall value. In essence, a buyer is purchasing something that legally does not exist,” she explains. Even new homes with systems that were not installed to code will become the new homeowners’ financial “problem” to fix (and finance).

View our YouTube Video on some of the items inspected during a Home Inspection.