Photo by Justin Baeder, acquired via Flickr.com

Home Inspectors Revisited

Posted March 12th, 2019 under pitfalls, smart buying, smart selling.

Recently, I had a deal go south because the buyer’s home inspector claimed that the property needed a significant number of repairs. The buyer got cold feet because the estimated repair costs were far beyond their acceptable limits.

Unfortunately, the majority of the problems were simply not real. Because of this, I suspected that the home inspector was not quite up to the standard of knowledge expected in the industry. Investigating further, I found that they were neither registered nor certified with any home inspection organization.

When buying, a home inspection is essential to give yourself a good picture of the condition of the property. But if your inspector raises a ‘false alarm’, you could lose out on a home that might’ve been perfect for you. Here are some safeguards:

As a seller, ask the inspector if they are registered and certified, whether they are a member of the Ontario Association of Home Inspectors, and whether they have liability insurance.

As a buyer, you should ask all of the above, and also ask the inspector about their background and training before hiring.

Want to know more about home inspections? Just ask me, I'll be happy to help.