Bower Street Publishing

About the Inspection

Home inspections are designed to increase the buyer’s knowledge of the home or business premises and the associated systems within it.

What to expect?

The Standards of Practice show the minimum standard to which inspections should be carried out – together with the limitations.

Expect to get a written report. It may be a simple check list consisting of a few pages or a much larger manual. It may be an e-mail report, a cd or some other document.

The point is that you should always refuse so called ‘verbal’ reports – even at reduced cost.
This practice flies in the face of most Associations’ standards and provides no protection for the buyer or inspector.
Typically, insurance companies providing errors and omissions cover, will refuse to entertain claims not accompanied by a written report.

Expect to accompany the inspector throughout the inspection. Many inspectors will refuse to carry out inspections if the buyer (or their representative) isn’t present.
The one on one interaction with the inspector is the only way to get the real benefit from the exercise.
Clearly there will be times when the buyer simply can’t be there. (They may be out of the country for instance). It is recommended in those circumstances that they nominate a suitable person to attend on their behalf.

Expect to be asked to read and sign a contract before the inspector will start. This may be done on site, although some inspection companies will fax or e-mail you the contract well before hand and expect to have the signed copy returned to them, before the date of the inspection.

Expect to be asked for payment at the end of the inspection. Most inspectors accept personal cheques and cash (of course). A few will accept credit cards and Interac.

Expect the inspector to know the Realtor ®. In most towns and cities – the two professions are closely linked. Successful Realtors ® will obviously deal regularly with successful home inspectors.

Expect the inspector to call back or visit you very soon after you’ve notified them of a problem.

What not to expect.

Do not expect to see detailed cost estimates for repairs, however most reports will include a rough guide.

Contractors’ advice and that of your home inspector are sometimes in conflict. Remember that the home inspector works for you. When suggesting that basement leakage (for instance) may be resolved by attention to eavestrough, grading and window wells, he has both the problem and the balance of your checking account in mind.
A contractor called to view the same scenario, may suggest a rather more extensive (and expensive) approach. Both will work. You must choose which remedy you prefer.

Do not expect the inspector to climb on the roof. Some will if the weather’s good – but none will do so if it’s wet, windy, icy or snowy. Many will use high powered binoculars or may view the roof from the top of a ladder, at the eaves.

Do not expect inspectors to move furniture. The reason is of course, that Murphy’s Law will always prevail in these circumstances and at the slightest movement, some irreplaceable item will fall into a million pieces!!
Clearly if some obviously sturdy object or loose carpet has been placed over an access hatch (to a crawl space for instance) – the inspector will move it. Expect each scenario to be judged and acted upon on its merits.

Do not expect the inspector to make judgements about who should pay for any repairs that may be identified during the inspection.
Remember – it’s the inspector’s job just to give you the news – good or bad. Negotiation is the province of the Realtor®

Do not expect the inspector to know what your new home is worth – that’s why you have a Realtor ® and why your mortgage lender will employ an appraiser. So don’t tell the inspector what you paid and ask if you got a bargain. Inspectors – even in small towns look at homes over a wide geographical area – most have neither the time nor the inclination to keep up with house prices anywhere except on the street where they live!!

Do not expect the inspector to be in love with your new home. So the answer to your question “Would you buy it?” – is likely to be “No”.
He or she probably lives in 20 acres of bush with their spouse, three kids, two dogs and an energetic goat – and will have no interest in living in your two bedroom townhouse!!

Do not expect the inspector to remember your home – three months after the event. Popular inspectors will see ten or fifteen homes a week in the busy times. Be prepared to give him your last name, the address and the date of the inspection, whenever you call.

How to find an inspector.

Look for inspectors who belong to recognized  Associations or Societies as few States, Provinces or Territories have mandatory inspector qualification criteria.
Most of the Association or Society web sites have a “Find an inspector near you” button.

Ask your friends or colleagues for a recommendation.

Ask your Realtor® or lawyer for a list of the qualified inspectors in the area.

Beware of any inspector who cries foul when you suggest that you’d rather have someone who is qualified to the highest standards and belongs to the Association or Society for the area in which you live.
If he or she is actually that good – why wouldn’t they join the Association and take the exams to prove it?

Beware of any inspector who offers a repair service – there may be a conflict of interest.

What if there’s a problem?

Most homes have at least some minor problems. Buyers have to accept that there are no perfect homes.
Buyers must expect to carry out at least some minor repairs such as grading, eavestroughs and perhaps minor electrical issues (installing G.F.C.I.’s or bathroom fans for instance).
Many buyers get confused between what they have to do – fix the roof, improve the grading, replace rotted windows – and what they’d like to do – change the orange shag pile carpets, install hardwood and remove that disgusting 1960’s style bar in the basement!

Inspectors will only report on deficiencies – not on cosmetic issues.

What if there’s a BIG problem?

Most home inspectors will be able to give an idea of the real size of the problem and the possible remedies and costs.
The Realtor’s ® negotiation skills will be the key in these circumstances.

Major equipment defects – (a furnace or air conditioning failure for instance) are seldom paid for entirely by the seller. The rationale (and not everyone agrees with this…) is that the buyer didn’t expect to get a new furnace. On the other hand – the seller has to provide a working furnace. Given that he/she (the buyer) will get the most benefit from the new unit, he or she should contribute a percentage towards the cost of it.

Major structural defects are usually an area of intense negotiation. The inspector will have no input in that process, other than to provide the relevant information.
Always get at least three quotes from qualified contractors before trying to negotiate.

Complaints about the inspector and/or his work.

Inevitably, there are times when things go wrong. Some defects may have been hidden (by storage or furniture for instance) at the time of the inspection or may not reveal themselves until you have lived in the house for a while.
A shower for instance, may leak only after the water has been running for several minutes or a basement may only let water in during certain weather conditions or at specific times of the year.

Often there are historical clues to previous or potential problems – stains on walls and ceilings, rotting cabinets, poor drainage and so on.
However, in the absence of such clues or where they are hidden in some way – by decorations, storage or paneling for instance – future or even existing problems may be impossible to identify or predict.

Home inspectors are not infallible – we all make mistakes sometimes.

Most inspectors will have a policy to re-inspect and discuss with you, all significant problems. You should call as soon as anything concerns you.
When you call, have your last name, the address of your new home and the date of the inspection available. In that way – the inspector will be able to identify you and find his copy of your report promptly.

Always call the inspector before you call your lawyer.

Most inspectors will want to discuss the issue with you and will be concerned about your complaint.
Few issues are solved amicably and successfully where the opening gambit is a registered letter from a lawyer. Furthermore – most inspectors will be reluctant to call you once a lawyer is involved and will likely pass your complaint on directly to their insurance company (who will fight you tooth and nail for every cent!) or to their own lawyer for action.

We all know the famous lawyers’ maxim “It never pays to settle!”.

Always try for the negotiated settlement in the first instance – in many cases what seems to you to be a problem of monumental proportions, can be resolved at reasonable cost by knowledgeable and competent contractors.