Home inspections are a vital part of the home buying process. They ensure that you don’t purchase a house that ends up needing costly repairs. The following are a few things that you should know about a professional home inspection:
Home inspectors can’t identify every problem.
A good home inspector will do a very thorough inspection of the house to make sure everything functions as it should and to make sure there isn’t any damage that requires repair. However, there are certain things an inspector will not be able to check because they cannot damage the house. For example, they won’t be able to look inside of the walls or beneath the floors for problems. Additionally, they may not be able to tell if the heating system functions properly if the inspection is being performed in the summer.
You should hire your own home inspector.
The seller may have a home inspector that they want you to use, but you should find your own home inspector. You’ll want to make sure that the inspector is independent of the home transaction. If you use the inspector recommended to you by the seller (or the seller’s real estate agent), you risk having a biased inspector perform a home inspection on the seller’s behalf.
You should accompany the inspector.
Although the home inspector will write up a report on what they’ve found (and they will usually be very detailed in order to protect themselves against potential lawsuits), you should still be present for the actual inspection. This way, they can point out issues to you first hand and you’ll be able to ask any questions that you might have, such as whether any damage that’s been found is severe or whether it’s a cheap fix.
Home inspectors are not regulated in Ontario.
Different parts of Canada have different regulations when it comes to home inspectors; however, in Ontario, home inspectors are unregulated. This means that anybody can hire themselves out as a home inspector, which means that it’s extremely important that you do a background check on the home inspector that you decide to hire.
When hiring a professional home inspector, make sure that they have experience as a home inspector and that they have some sort of education that will inform their work. For example, a home inspector with a background in building trades, such as plumbing or residential construction, is going to know what to look for.
Remember, just because an inspection reveals a problem does not mean the sale will fall through. You can use your home inspection report to negotiate with the seller to get them to pay for repairs or lower the price of the home.
