Always Get the Home Inspection

One of the biggest things homebuyers make when purchasing a home is to skip the home inspection. Yes! The process may be long. Yes! You may want to act faster than other buyers when buying in a tight market.

No matter what the circumstance, the Home Inspection is critical to protecting your time and your wallet.

However, checking up on your Home Inspector can be important too. I remember Mike Holmes teamed up with CBC Marketplace to Inspect Home Inspectors. You can still watch the special online. It had some great tips for identifying homes that were potential used as Grow-Ops as well as how to check up on your Home Inspector. Some of these tips included asking these questions:

What kind of experience do they have? If the inspector doesn't have much of an answer, that's a big red flag. Experience and the right kind of training is key, since even if someone is an engineer, it doesn't mean they are qualified to inspect a home.

Can they provide references? A large, satisfied client base is always a good sign. Get as many as possible from the inspector and call them all.

Are they independent? A home inspector is there to offer an unbiased assessment, and shouldn't be part of any construction or homebuilder group or offer repair services themselves.

What kind of equipment do they use? A pen and paper are simply not enough. Do they bring binoculars, a ladder, or an infrared camera? A thorough inspection includes hard-to-reach places like the roof and chimney.

Still not convinced about the Home Inspection? Send us your questions and feedback here at Ottawa Moves.