Are you thinking about purchasing a second-hand property? Before buying any home, either new or old, you should have a qualified home inspector to go through the property. The inspector will provide you a clear report, which should be a significant deciding factor about whether or not to invest in a particular property.
Hire a Kitchener Home Inspector from TM Inspections to perform home inspection to ensure that you have an independent and objective assessment of the systems and conditions of the home. The TM inspector will inspect the readily accessible systems and components of the home/property including (but not limited to) Structure, Size, Exterior, Roof, Electrical, Plumbing, Interior, Air-conditioning and Heating, Ventilation & Insulation, Furnace and Fireplaces.
Why Should I get a Pre-Purchase Inspection?
It’s easy to get swept up in the excitement of buying a new property and tend to forget to make the important decision to have an inspection performed before you sign the contract papers. Pre-purchase inspection plays an important role in the property buying process, which saves you money and a lot of hassle in the long run. The sole purpose of doing an inspection is to protect the buyer from paying huge investment on renovation and upkeep in the near future, and to make sure that the buyer knows exactly what he is getting.
- Revealing Hidden Damage – The mechanical failures and problems that may stay hidden inside the basement and crawl spaces may get overlooked by an average person while inspecting the property on their own. These are what never escapes the trained eyes of the experts. There are so many defects and spots you cannot identify easily — from the basement to crawl space including chimney problems, hail damage, air-conditioning failures, and the condition of insulation and shingles. The home inspector may see a crack in an exterior wall that could indicate a damaged foundation. But he cannot say for sure the foundation will need repair, they will alert you to what could be lurking below the wall. They will recommend you have a foundation specialist to come and have a look. The inspector will indicate problems like — mould, ground contamination, asbestos, pest damage, etc. If your home inspector identifies any concerns, they will even suggest you a more specialized inspection for the same – be it anything – like, swimming pool, septic tanks, walls, etc.
- General Inspection vs Specialized Inspection – There are certain limitations of a general inspection check. As such, some type of houses may require a specialized inspection. Some things that are usually not included in the general inspection may require attention (and rightfully so!) – like, chimney repairs, roof repairs, condition inside the walls, septic tanks, swimming pools, sheds, wells and additional structures that are separate from the house. The geographical area of a property (whether in a flood zone or on a hill catch) may have location specific issues like drainage problem and ground shifts. A geological environment assessment is required to assess the soil quality of the site and check whether the site is susceptible to contaminants like solvents and fuels. General inspections only look for physical signs of moisture, mould and temperature readings. A specialized inspection is needed in such cases to see the property’s history and check the previously reported problems. Other specialized inspections include sinkhole and clay soil, foundation, water testing, EIFS (exterior insulated finish system), and asbestos. The specialized inspectors are familiar with all such detailed components of the home, and easily recognize the defects.
- How Long will the Inspection Take – It really depends on a few factors. How detailed is the home inspector? Does he check every single component and system of the home or just take a brief look? It also depends on the size of the home. Bigger home takes significantly more time than smaller homes simply because there is more to look at. The time to inspect also depends on the age of the home. Older homes may be complicated, especially if several renovations have been done. In addition to this, homes that are usually messy may take longer, because they may have to do a lot more work to discover things hidden under the piles of household items. Typically home inspectors do not move heavy furniture or items to discover any type of issues. One more fact is the experience of the Inspector. If your home inspector is new, he can take a long time as he is still trying to figure out a routine. Even if the inspector is experienced, every home is different with unique challenges, and may require time and attention accordingly.
During the inspection process, keep in mind that all homes have problems – irrespective of the fact whether the house is a new construction or an old one — and believe every problem has a solution. The pre-inspection allows you to identify the problem before buying a home. This helps you to decide how much time, effort and money you are willing to invest for rectifying the problem areas of the property.
