Tag: certified home inspector

Certified Home Inspector in Toronto
Certified home inspector toronto

What are the Most Common Issues that can fail a Home Inspection?

A home inspection is a visual examination of a property or house to evaluate its current condition. It is done by a Certified Home Inspector who gives a detailed report on various parameters to determine whether a home is safe for living or not. A home inspection covers the examination of a property from roof to foundation to find potential issues that can cause trouble in the future. It is very important for a property to pass the inspection to ensure the buyers that no serious issues have been detected.

A typical home inspection process covers the examination of the following:

  • Building structure
  • Plumbing and electrical connections
  • Heating and cooling equipment
  • Roof, basement, and walls
  • Pest and insect problems
  • Security issues

A home inspector simply provides the information in the report based on his finding. He doesn’t advise the clients to make a decision based on his report. A client can use the information provided by the inspector to decide whether or not to buy the house.

The most common issues that can fail a Home Inspection are those that impose health and safety concerns. A buyer shouldn’t ignore these areas of an inspection report before making the final decision:

Structural issues

Certified Home Inspector in Toronto

                              Certified Home Inspector in Toronto

The structural elements of a home include roof, foundation, walls, framing, slabs, and crawl spaces. A home inspector looks for potential issues such as poor construction, structural damage, and poor drainage that can cause troubles to the people living there. A stable foundation and construction are essential for safety and one should worry about it.

Moisture and water damage

Any water damage or moisture problem in the basement and attic can lead to mold or mildew formation. It can cause health issues to the people living in the home. Water damage in the basement can cause structural integrity issues due to spalling in concrete, brick, or stone.

Electrical and plumbing issues

Plumbing and electrical system is the backbone of any home and no one can survive without them. While a plumbing issue can lead to water damage or moisture problem, a faulty electrical system can be very hazardous. Faulty electrical and plumbing equipment and network can cause costly maintenance issues in the future.   

Pests and termites

Pest and termite infection can create serious issues in any home. A certified home inspector looks for potential pest issues and how long they have been active. Termites, carpenter ants, and powder post beetles in any home can damage walls, floors, and wooden structures to a large extent.

These are the most common issues that can pass or fail a home inspection. Passing a home inspection test means there is no potential damage or issues have been discovered in the home and you can live with your family happily and safely. If you are looking for a Certified Home Inspector in Toronto to conduct a property inspection before making a purchasing decision, Contact us at JJ Home Inspections for the most trusted and reliable evaluation of the property on various fronts.

House Inspection
Home Inspector

What Are The Common Defect Found During Home Inspections?

House hunting is very exciting, but the red tape involved in the purchase is not as fun. Some people get so busy in meeting with mortgage brokers, real estate agents, and moving companies; they tend to forget about the home itself. Understanding the current condition and history of a home is essential to the enjoyment of it. Without the full picture, you find yourself on the hook for several surprises.

A home inspection can fill in the gaps and prepare you for what to expect. While not mandatory, these inspections are often needed by banks financing a home mortgage.

A Certified Home Inspector offers professional, unbiased insight into the condition of a property. Your real estate agent might have some guidance on the home’s history, but only a home inspector can offer the in-depth knowledge you need before you sign on the dotted line. The home inspection can help you identify what lies below the floors or above the ceilings and much more.

As you prepare for your home inspection, here are the most common defects found during the inspection process:

  1. Poor Ventilation

Vapor condensation, discolored flooring, and high temperature are signs that a home has ventilation issues. The problem lies in several exterior vents. When a house does not have proper exterior vents, the airflow decreases. Over time, poor ventilation can lead to mold growth, which can have serious health implications for you.

Poor ventilation doesn’t mean you have to call off the deal. With the right ventilation solution, you can make sure that air is flowing properly while minimizing the risk of mold growth. Also, adding exterior vents doesn’t have to be expensive. So, if your home inspector reports poor ventilation in your dream house, ask the seller to chip in for the installation of additional vents.

  1. Roof Issues

Do you know that home’s workhorse is the roof? Well, the roof is exposed to the elements like no other part of the house, such as rain, snow, sleet and more. So, it is no wonder that roof problems are one of the most common defects found during home inspections.

Older roofs usually have missing or broken shingles, leaks, and other structural damage. Since it is quite hard to determine the roof’s condition from the ground level, better hire a Licensed Home Inspector to conduct a thorough examination.

  1. Faulty Wiring

The wiring issues are troublesome and also quite common. Inspectors frequently find problems like mismatched amperages, open junction boxes, and no wire nuts used on wires. Fortunately, these are easy fixes and can be solved promptly by an electrician.

But, for some buyers, old wiring is a dealbreaker. Before breaking a deal, talk to the home inspector about how serious the wiring issues are.

If you are having your home inspection soon, it is worth keeping these factors in mind to ease any anxieties you have about the process. When the inspection report is handed over to you, talk to your home inspector if in doubt. Remember, even the severe defect can typically be resolved with the right expert on the job.

Certified home inspector toronto
Certified home inspector toronto

Avoid 5 Common Home Inspection Mistakes before Buying

Due to increasing fraud in the real estate industry, people have become very alert. They follow different home inspection steps to know the ins and outs of the property they are planning to buy. Not alone, they get accompanied by their friends and family members to study and analyse the status and truth of the property.

Going for the home inspection is important and a great step for a safe and secure investment. The amount is so huge that you cannot trust anybody and complete the transaction an in-depth inspection. But unfortunately, your home inspection tips and tricks do not deliver a worthy result. You might have seen several online videos or read contents on home inspection but these do not become effective because you commit several home inspections.

In this blog, we have enlisted the common mistakes committed by home buyers and you should avoid them:

No home inspector at the work

We know the home inspection is an add-on cost in your real estate investment but this does not mean you will manage the process on your own. A home inspection process requires related qualifications and technical skills to know the details. And, it can only be possible if you hire a Certified Home Inspector in Toronto. You should hire a competent and trustworthy home inspector and should not worry much about the cost.

No inspection in a new property

Certified home inspector toronto

                           Certified Home Inspector

We have seen buyers dropping the idea of a home inspection when they buy a newly constructed home. They blindly trust builders or contractors and do not pay heed to a new property. Whether it’s a new or old property, you should hire a home inspector in both cases. The building is not built in your presence so chances of mistakes are very high.

Absent at the time of home inspection

After hiring a home inspector, people think their responsibility is over and they only have to wait for the inspection report. You should not interfere in the work of a certified home inspector, but you should stay present during the home inspection. In case you are busy, you stay in regular contact with your home inspector and know the updates. Regular updates from the home inspector will help you in taking the right steps on-time.

Not following the inspector’s advice

Even after receiving the inspection report, people ignore and do not follow the inspector’s advice to avoid any additional expenses. But if you do this, you will save a few bucks at present but it won’t be useful for you in the long run. You will have to pay for the same defect in the future. You should get all the information from the inspector and act upon them immediately.

Following inspector’s advice blindly

We know you will hire a Certified Home Inspector in Toronto for inspection, but this does mean he will be 100% correct. Mistakes can happen anywhere and from anyone. So, before implementing your inspector’s advice, you should crosscheck the details and points mentioned in the home inspection report. In case of any query or confusion, you should question your home inspector.

These are the 5 common inspection mistakes that you should avoid before buying a home. Just remember there will be no one to remind you about these mistakes; it’s your responsibility to store these in your mind and act accordingly. 

certified home inspector
Home Inspector

Benefits of Hiring a Home Inspector Before Buying any Property

Home inspection is considered to be an essential aspect of every home buying process since there are many benefits that the buyers can avail from doing so. The numerous benefits that the buyers tend to gain from home inspections are what make it a profitable investment before closing in on any house.

However, it is of utmost importance for a person to ensure that they select a Certified Home Inspector for home inspections as only the certified ones have sufficient knowledge and expertise in the field. With the rise in the number of home inspectors in the market, people must be cautious and choose the best one for their needs.

Home inspection allows the buyers to get an insight on the condition of the property that they are about to invest in, and know more in detail about the structural integrity of the house, besides other various aspects too. To many people, it seems like an extravagant spending, to have an expert visit the property and examine every inch and corner of it, but this is the one aspect you would not want to skip. By hiring a certified home inspector you get numerous benefits, some of which are talked about below.

  • Safety first:
    One of the most significant benefits of hiring a certified home inspector is that these experts tend to examine every corner of your prospective home in order to ensure its security. Any buyer’s main concern is the safety of their family before anything else, so by hiring a competent home inspector, people get assurance about the quality of the home. In order to ensure the safety of their clients, they tend to examine the walls, flooring, foundation, and roof of the home. And if by any chance the expert finds any sort of issues that could compromise the safety of your family, they would notify you beforehand.

    Certified home inspector

                               Certified Home Inspector

  • Save money:
    Yes, you would have to spend quite a bit from your pocket for getting the services of a home inspector, but you must know that by doing so you would save a fortune in the future. The job of a home inspector is to find and locate any existing or potential problems on the property. These problems could be small and easy fixes, or they could even be quite grave and huge issues. Either way, finding out about them before you seal the deal would save you a lot of cash. Once you are notified about these problems, you have the option to back out of the sale or make the seller fix all the prevalent issues. In many cases, the buyer could also lower the price of the house by negotiating with the seller regarding all the issues. So, it is better to spend in a home inspection service rather than spending a lot more on fixing the damages after you have bought the house.

These were just a couple of benefits associated with getting the services of a reliable Home Inspector. However, not just any home inspector would be able to provide you with high quality services, so it is your own responsibility to choose an experienced and reputed one.

Certified home inspector toronto
Home Inspector

Why should you Hire the Service of a Certified Home Inspector?

Buying a home is one of the biggest financial decisions that you take in your life. You spend a major portion of your savings to get a house of your own. For some, it’s a way of investment to get a higher return in the future, but, for some, it’s like fulfilling a beautiful dream. Whatever are the reasons, there is the scope of any mistake. In case you commit a mistake during the purchase, there are chances that you might suffer from financial devastation.

Now, the problem is that you wish to have a home of your own but are aware of the loopholes in the real estate industry. For you, everything is transparent and transaction on any level is easy. If we are not wrong, your process for purchasing a house would be checking the property, preparing the agreement, and making the payment. But, unfortunately, you are missing a major part in the overall deal. You are neither inspecting the property nor performing deep research before signing the deal. A glance is not enough to ensure that you are investing in the right property. You need expert advice which can only be possible by hiring the service of a Certified Home Inspector.

Who is a home inspector?

 As the name suggests, a certified home inspector examines the condition of the real estate property on behalf of the buyer. If you are planning to buy a house, the home inspector will present a report showing the actual status of the house. The inspector checks the HVAC system, plumbing, electrical work, water, and sewage along with fire and safety issues. Besides, they will look for evidence of insect, water, or fire damage. The inspector will help you analyse the value of the property.

Reasons for hiring the service of a certified home inspector

They are equipped with high-end tools

A few defects in the house that you are planning to purchase are not easy to identify from the naked eyes. Or, we can say that you do not have those vigilant eyes to detect the defects. And, ignoring these faults will be dangerous. A certified home inspector has a trained eye along with high-end inspection tools. They have thermal imaging to find the hidden faults and prepare the reports based on that.

They offer a thorough investigation

Certified home inspector

                           Certified Home Inspector

Unlike you, the home inspectors do not just glance at the property and prepare the inspection reports; instead, they follow and perform a thorough investigation process. They inspect the entire house leaving no corners of the house. They even check the terrace, basement, and other parts of the house that are difficult for you to reach. They find the hidden defects and present the report before you for the reference.

They provide cost-effective solutions

With on-time identification of the problems in your house, it will be easy for you to claim the same before the seller. If the buyers accept the claim and improve the issues, you will save thousands of dollars that might spend on the repair and replacement of the defects. Therefore, hiring the service of a certified home inspector will be a cost-effective solution for you.

You have to understand that a Home Inspector is a trained professional who is capable of finding the problems that you can never know. Even if you purchase the inspection tools (which are very expensive), you cannot prepare the reports that a home inspector prepares.

home inspection
home inspection services, Home Inspector

Why home inspection is important?

Regardless of age or style of the home that you are buying, you may come cross with unexpected issues after you moved in.  You can easily avoid those head aches than can be costly to resolve by having home inspection done prior to purchase.

If you are looking for a house in Toronto GTA or other parts of Canada, it is advised to hire a local certified home inspector who is familiar with the general conditions of your area. Regulations can differ from area to area. For example, requirement for sumpump in the basements is not the same every where.

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