As a real estate agent, a question that I’m often asked once I’ve assisted my clients in reaching a conditional agreement with the sellers of a home is “Do we really need a home inspection?”
My answer is always something like “Yes, you do” – from there, the choice is yours!
Just like your agent, lawyer, mortgage agent – a home inspector is another trained set of eyes, specializing in one specific facit of the real estate transaction. The small investment of typically $200-400 could save you thousands of dollars when a defect or even the start of potential problems is detected by a trained eye that even the most scrupulous of uncles, boyfriends, neighbours, etc (who think they might know it all) won’t likely see.
A great home inspector won’t necessarily (and shouldn’t) make specific representations about a problem with a home (i.e – “it looks like that roof is leaking and there’s probably mold in there”), but will suggest that based on the evidence he/she sees that you have a specific expert such as an engineer, electrician, plumber, etc have a more detailed look at the potential problem or issue (to provide a detailed expert opinion).
If you need a home inspector, a great place to start is by asking your real estate agent who he/she often refers clients too, and they will provide you with at least three choices of inspectors that you might want to call. It is important to hire a home inspector that you think will be able to effectively communicate with you so that you understand what you are getting into and any areas of concern. As a matter of personal opinion, I would also suggest only using an inspector that has errors and omissions insurance (unfortunately the industry is highly unregulated in Ontario right now and there is a drastic difference between a well qualified home inspector and someone who has just done the minimum to ‘set up shop’).
Like the many other aspects of a real estate transaction, a home inspection is a simple and inexpensive process that can be highly informative and ultimately allow you to make one of the largest transactions of your life with as much information as possible.
