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September 27, 20230

What Are the Common Red Flags Discovered During a House Inspection?

Buying a house is a big deal, and ensuring you make a wise investment is crucial. That’s where house inspections come in. They help you discover any potential issues with the property before sealing the deal. In this blog, we’ll explore common red flags that can surface during a house inspection, helping you make informed decisions about your dream home.

Foundation and Structural Issues

Cracks and Settling:

Cracks in the foundation or walls can indicate settling, which might lead to structural problems over time.
Pay attention to the size, location, and direction of cracks.

Uneven Floors:

Sloping or uneven floors can suggest foundation issues or structural problems, which may require costly repairs.

Rot and Decay:

Check for signs of rot, decay, or water damage in wooden beams or structural elements. These can weaken the house’s integrity.

Plumbing Problems

Leaky Pipes:

Look for signs of water stains or damaged ceilings and walls, as they may indicate leaking pipes.
Test faucets and flush toilets to ensure proper water flow and drainage.

Water Pressure Issues:

Inadequate water pressure can be a sign of plumbing problems, such as clogged pipes or deteriorating plumbing systems.

Sewer Line Concerns:

Inspect the sewer lines for any blockages, backups, or tree root intrusions that can lead to plumbing headaches.

Electrical Concerns

Outdated Wiring:

Older houses could have obsolete electrical systems that don’t meet modern safety requirements.
Look for exposed wires, flickering lights, or outlets that don’t work.

Overloaded Circuits:

Check the electrical panel for signs of overloaded circuits or outdated fuse boxes. These can be fire hazards.

Safety Hazards:

Ensure the presence of ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs) in areas with water, like kitchens and bathrooms, to prevent electrical shocks.

Mold and Pest Infestations

Visible Mold:

Mold growth, often seen as black spots or patches, can be a health concern and a sign of moisture problems in the house.

Pest Damage:

Inspect for signs of pest infestations, such as droppings, gnaw marks, or insect nests.
Look for damaged wood, as termites can cause structural issues.

Ventilation and Moisture Control:

Ensure the house has proper ventilation and moisture control measures to prevent mold and pest problems in the future.

Asbestos or Lead Paint

Older homes may contain asbestos or lead paint, both of which are health hazards if disturbed

Conclusion:

House inspections services are your ally when it comes to making one of life’s most significant investments. Recognizing these common red flags can save you from purchasing a house with hidden issues that might turn your dream home into a nightmare. Remember, it’s not about finding problems to avoid buying; it’s about finding problems to make informed decisions and negotiate repairs or adjustments to the sale price. So, when it’s time for that house inspection, keep your eyes open, and let your knowledge be your power.

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April 1, 20210

Common Problems That Make a Home Inspection Report Look Bad

A home inspection report can make or break a home-sale deal. Thus, it is critical to know what common problems are checked during the home inspection, and fix them before you search for “Home Inspector Near me”. If you are someone who is planning to sell a home, then knowing these problems will help you a lot in the home-selling process.

Exterior Grading That Causes Water to Collect Around the House

Poor grading and drainage issues are both common and expensive. If there is improper grading, then think about re-grading the front and the back of a property. A positively graded property draws water away from the home foundation which ensures that a home stays dry. On the other hand, negative grading may cause the soil around a home to soften that can jeopardize the structure’s integrity.

Faulty Electrical Wiring and Overloaded Circuits

Don’t believe that everything is fine as long as electrical appliances are working. Because of its thinking, electrical problems are often ignored which may later result in serious hazards. Inspectors will instantly notice worn-out electrical wires, outdated knob-and-tube wiring, overloaded circuits, and exposed wiring. Missing and faulty GFCI outlets are also inspected as they are mandated by law in all bathrooms, kitchens, garages, laundry rooms, and areas where water sources are present.

Aged and Faulty Roofing Problems
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A roof with problems like cracked shingles, leaks, and water damage always needs to be fixed or replaced. It’s because a weak roof is more vulnerable to heavy snow buildup. The added weight of snow adds to the load and can weaken a home’s structure. Plus, problems with sheathing and rafters should also be addressed.

Evidence of Termites and Other Wood-Eating Insects

Homeowners may not notice wood-destroying insects, such as termites, carpenter ants, and bees that may find a way in your home through foundation cracks. They stay hidden and can easily go unnoticed until the inspector comes for a Home Inspection. The main reasons behind infestation are consistent humidity and a damp environment. Signs of infestation include visible mazes, mud tubes, wood grains, and swollen ceilings and floors.

Water Damage in Basement

Water damage not only compromises the structure of a home but also the safety and health of homeowners. Water penetrates through cracks in basement walls that result in spalling in concrete, brick, or stone. If your basement is invaded by water damage, it can greatly affect your home-selling deal.

Increased Radon Levels

Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that may result in lung cancer. It usually moves up the ground and can enter your home through cracks and other holes in the foundation. Radon is typically present in all homes across the country; however, concentrations are low and not strong enough to cause sickness. In case radon levels are higher in your home, it might create a big problem. So, install a radon-reduction system to fix this issue soon.

Sometimes, even smaller problems may be flagged by Home Inspectors and that can lead to bigger issues. Thus, to make the deal as smooth as possible, fix all the problems beforehand so that your home inspection report doesn’t look bad.

Home Inspection

December 30, 20200

The 3 Most Frequently Asked Questions about Home Inspection

Whether you are a home buyer or seller, signing an agreement without a home inspection process is not a brainer. We know it’s an add-on expense, but it’s important for your safety and to secure your investment.

During the Home Inspection, a specialized officer checks the damages and defects of the house you are planning to sell or buy and prepare a report based on different parameters. They look after structural, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing issues to ensure that the house is safe to live in. Not only this, the report prepared by a home inspector gives an upper hand while negotiating the cost from the other party. At every step of a home sale or purchase deal, home inspection plays an important role.

Even with so many advantages, people hesitant about getting their house inspected before selling or buying because of lots of questions in their minds. You might also come across these while making a deal.

To make things easy, we have answered the 3 most frequently asked questions about the home inspection in this post.

What is the cost of the home inspection service?

The cost of the service depends on the company you hire and other variables defined by the Home Inspectors.

The variables are:

Home Inspection

Location of the property or the time taken by the inspector to reach the location
Size and age of the home
Condition of the real estate market
The urgency of the inspection and report delivery
Any additional services like mold inspection

You should not determine the cost before communicating with professionals. The best is to research online or ask for a price quote.

How long the home inspection process takes?

Just like the cost of the service, there is no standard time for the home inspection report. It depends on the number of officials working on the property and the following factors.

Size and age of the property
Number of systems installed and need to be inspected
Accessibility to the areas to be inspected
The weather condition of the property location
State regulations and permissions if required
Questions and answer session with the client
Additional services

Usually, it takes 3 to 4 hours, but still, you shouldn’t assume. Also, you shouldn’t rush during the home inspection.

What is the process of a home inspection?

The home inspection process starts with an initial consultation with the client. This consultation is majorly is for knowing the client’s expectations from a home inspection.
Once the details are noted, the home inspector visits the location and checks the details from the top to bottom. The expert does not leave any corner of the house.
Upon completion, the inspector gives a verbal overview of his findings or provides a comprehensive inspection report. Along with the report, most home inspectors advise the right steps to improve the condition or tricks to negotiate the cost.

Due to cost and lack of time, people often think of DIY Home Inspection, but they forget that it’s not so easy. A home inspector’s job is like an advocate who analyses the home structure or utilities and proves his words. So hire a certified home inspector and save your investment.

Home Inspection

December 24, 20200

Is It Safe to Perform Home Inspection Before Sale/Purchase During COVID-19?

This time, 2020 Christmas and 2021 New Year will be nothing like you have celebrated in the past years. At times, when people are typically busy enjoying the festive vibes with their friends and family, all of us are going through things like social distancing, quarantine, and doing office work at home. But the reality is many Canadians still need to sell and buy homes amidst this chaos. And the most important part of determining whether a home is worth buying or selling is the Home Inspection process.

In past, inspectors used to involve the concerned party during inspection to help them better understand the condition of the home. Nowadays, inspectors, realtor partners, homeowners, and homebuyers are required to keep safe from the COVID-19. That’s why this time you need a home inspection company that can adapt the way it does business to serve their clients safely in this challenging situation. To clear your doubt, let’s clear that –

Yes, Home Inspection Is Safe During COVID-19.

The best thing about home inspection is that it doesn’t need face-to-face contact. Unlike before the pandemic when Home Inspectors encouraged buyers or sellers to participate in the home inspection process, this time it is much safer when a home inspector does the inspection solo in compliance with the government COVID-19 guidelines.

So, if you are looking for a home inspector in Canada before buying or selling a house, here are a few tips that you should follow to ensure safe home inspection during COVID-19.

Home Inspection

Find a home inspector who will review the inspection report over the phone call, video conference, or email after completing the inspection process rather than insisting you to join him/her during the inspection.
The report to be provided after inspection of the home must include photos and a short video for the summary to clearly explain key points and show important areas and problematic areas as you yourself cannot be present for inspection due to safety issues. If it doesn’t, then ask them to do include images and videos in the report.
Vacate the property when the home inspector comes for inspection to minimize any interaction and not compromise the health safety of anyone. However, with self-isolation being practiced, this might not always be possible. If this is the case with you as well, you should discuss it with your inspector before the inspection so that they can make alternate arrangements.
Ensure that the home inspector or inspection team is diligent with sanitizing common areas that they come into contact with, such as faucet handles, doorknobs, and counters to reduce the risk. They must practice extra caution by washing and sanitizing their hands before, during, and after the inspection.
Figure out if the home inspection company stays abreast with the latest developments associated with COVID-19 and follows the guidance provided by the Government of Canada, World Health Organization (WHO), as well as local authorities.

Discussing all these things before inviting the home inspector for the inspection process is essential to ensure the safety of your family as well as the home inspector without overlooking any details of the Home Inspection.

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December 10, 20200

Is Hiring a Home Inspector Worth your Time? Let’s Find Out!

There is nothing wrong with stating that every individual thinks and believe that one of the biggest investments anyone can ever make in his or her life is buying a home! Undoubtedly, this is something really hefty, which makes it more crucial to check and comprehend all the aspects related to buying are residential property or homes prior to investing your hard-earned moolah.

One of those imperative aspects includes a thorough home inspection. All across the globe, there are tens of hundreds of organizations or firms that can offer you reliable home inspection services. Needless to mention, now you might have started wondering why you should invest in hiring a licensed home inspector? Right? So, just to keep your stress at bay, in this blog we are going to highlight some advantages of picking up a Licensed Home Inspector or home inspection services.

The Utmost Advantages are mentioned underneath-

Imperative Insights-Without any denial a proper home inspection can help in revealing the most important details related to the home and its current condition, which in result can help the investor aware of what costs, fixations and keep ups the home may need on an urgent basis. On the off chance, if a buyer isn’t feeling comfortable with the current condition of the home, he has all the right to renegotiate or walk away from the purchase. On the flip side to this, a positive report can solidify the buyer’s decision.
Licensed Home Inspector
Illegal Constructions or installations- With the help of a Home Inspection Service, it becomes easy in figuring out whether the additional rooms, altered garages, or basements are legally constructed or not. Just for instance, if a house has illegal room additions that are un-permitted, it surely is going to effects the insurance, taxes, usability and on top of everything the value of the house. In other words, a buyer is purchasing something that is illegal or legally doesn’t have its existence.

Protection-A quality home inspection can also help in protecting all parties of the transaction, i.e. Real Estate Agents, Buyers, and Sellers, from upcoming claims by revealing the proper insights that may be not known to the parties. It is right to say that Seller’s disclosure statements generally never provide all the crucial information related to mind baffling defects and conditions of mechanical equipment. With this being said, however, it is also possible that sellers themselves may not be aware or have sufficient knowledge or information about the concerning situation.
Negotiating Tool-It provides (a home inspection report) an opportunity to ask the seller about the fixations or request a reduction in the value of the house. Hence, it is a brainer to hire a licensed home inspector. Work along with your realtor to comprehend what requests can and ought to be made to grab a better deal.

Insurance-There isn’t any doubt that some insurance providing firms will not insure a home in case they discover certain conditions or without the presence of certifications like Wood Destroying Insect Reports and four-point inspections. Qualified Licensed Home Inspectors can do these things efficiently along with performing other tasks, which in result will save loads of money as well the time of a purchaser.

These were five major benefits that you must consider at the time of buying a home. For more information, get in touch with us.

Home Inspection

November 26, 20200

The 4 Factors That Affect the Length of House Inspection Process

Most often, both buyers and sellers drop the idea of a home inspection because they think it’s a lengthy process. And they have to take time out from their busy schedule to stay with the home inspector during the process.

A Home Inspection is a lengthy process but not always. If a neighbour or a close friend of yours spent the entire day on the inspection process, then it does not mean you will go through the same. There are a few factors that define the length of the home inspection process. And these factors are different for different people. So you should not make a decision based on what others went through.

If you are still not convinced, read the 4 factors that determine the length of the home inspection process.

What is the size of the property?

It’s one of the major factors that influence home inspection time. The theory of size is very simple. If the house is small, it will take lesser time; on the other hand, if the house is large, the home inspector will take more time. Other than the size of the property, the large basements and attics will increase the time as compared to homes that don’t have them.

Where is the property located?

Not just the structure of the house, the location does play a major role in deciding the length of the home inspection process. If your house is located in a dry area, it is easy to inspect the property and takes lesser time as compared to the property located at the top of a hill. The walls are surfaces are dried which makes it easy for the inspectors to spot the defects and damages. If the area suffers from severe storms, the inspection time will increase and many other factors will be taken into consideration.

How old is the property?

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The age of the property directly affects its condition. The structure gets weaken and suffer from several defects and damages. According to experts, if the property is older than 50 years, it takes longer to inspect. It is because more tests are administered to ensure that the foundation is in good condition. As compared to old homes, new or not so old homes will take lesser time.

Not just inspection, report making also takes time in older homes because Home Inspectors have to work on more parameters and get accurate results.

What are the disaster risks in the location?

Other than factors related to your home, the environmental conditions and disasters play major roles in the home inspection time. A home inspector has to consider different factors based on the location of the property. In areas that are prone to flooding, tornadoes, or wildfires, the inspection time is more because homes here have extra spaces like basements and storm shelters to inspect.

Now, you have an idea of the factors due to which the time of home inspection varies. So while comparing it with other homeowners, you should keep these as parameters.

Lastly, in any situation, no one should ever think of skipping the Home Inspection process because it’s about a huge transaction. A small mistake can reduce the sale price for the sellers and severely impact the investment of the buyers.

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September 17, 20200

Benefits of Pre-listing Home Inspection

The home inspection is usually ordered by buyers to know the condition of the property they are planning to purchase. The report released from home inspectors helps in knowing the defects and damages in the home so that buyers can negotiate the price or ask for the repair from the seller.

This is one side story of a coin. Today the scope of home inspection has widely increased and the process is no more restricted to buyers. As a homeowner or a seller, even you can order a home inspection before putting your property on sale in the market. It is known as the pre-listing home inspection.

The pre-listing Home Inspection will help you verify that all the structural, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems are installed and operating as intended. In most cases, homeowners avoid inspection thinking there is no use as the buyer is anyway going order it. But you should think alike.

Other than the above-mentioned benefits, the inspection performed ahead of time helps sellers in many other ways. We have listed a few of them for your reference.

You will get feedback from a third-party

Other than you and your family members, it’s important to know the status of your home from a third-party’s eye. A Home Inspector will be a critical and neutral advisor for you. She/he will take you through a reality check and show the actual status of your home that you are planning to buy. And what a buyer will accept or reject.

You will get the alert for immediate repairs and safety concerns

The home inspection report will reveal all the safety issues and damages of the house. If you get to know about all the issues before the visit of an agent or buyer, you will get enough time to resolve and repair the safety concerns and damages respectively on time. With this, buyers will not get an opportunity to negotiate the price.

You will price your home realistically

We know you are hoping to get as much money as possible on the sale of your home. And by now you might have decided the price. As already said, a home inspection will give a reality check. Once you get the actual status of your house, it will easy to decide the price. The sale price would be real and you will have no worries if questioned by a buyer. You will increase or decrease the price of the property based on the home inspection report.

What is the pre-listing home inspection and is it necessary

You will not stumble at the time of negotiation

If you have the report with everything in the right place, you will not have any problem at the time of negotiating the price. Buyers will not get an opportunity to find any defects and overrule the negotiation process. You will be confident with all the answers on the point. With no problems from your side, the chances of getting the expected amount are very high.

You will avoid prospects’ suspicions and concerns

Buying a home is a very huge investment for a buyer so they are up with several concerns and suspicions. A home inspection report will help you avoid all such suspicions and concerns from their minds and make them trust that your property is the best. Even if they are satisfied, let them order a home inspection for further clarification.

By now you might have understood that the home inspection process is no more restricted to buyers and a homeowner can also order for the same. So, enjoy the benefits of pre-listing home inspection and sell your home at a profitable price.

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What Are the Common Red Flags Discovered During a House Inspection?