Q:
What does a Home Inspection involve?
A:
First, we look at the house - top to bottom, inside, outside and underneath.
Then, we tell you about the things we've discovered, and we give you a written
report of our findings. Reports include the condition of major systems including
structural components, roof, electrical system, plumbing, heating and cooling
systems, and much more. We follow the Standards of Practice of the Ontario
Association of Home Inspectors (OAHI). If you want the intricate details, read
the Standards of Practice.
Q:
Do I need to be at the inspection?
A:
It's better for you, and for us, if you can attend the inspection. But you don't
have to be there every minute of the job. We need at least an hour (sometimes
more) to learn what we can about the house. After we learn, we can teach you
what we know. We generally ask clients to come about 60 minutes after we start.
Q:
How many people can come to the inspection?
A:
Many clients think this is an opportune time for them to show the house to all
of their friends and relatives. Unfortunately, you don't yet own the house, so
you have no right to conduct guided tours. During an inspection, the house is
put into our care, and we are totally responsible for the house and all of its
contents. If we have to monitor the movements of several people, we can't do an
adequate job for you. This is the main reason that we don't like to have mobile
children at the inspection. (Heaven knows, I love kids more than anybody, but I
charge a fair fee for a thorough inspection, and I could miss something
important while trying to convince little Johnny that the toys in the house
aren't his.) I enjoy informality, but the inspection is a serious piece of work
which needs our undivided attention. We like to limit the number of people at
the inspection to two, but we realize that there might be some circumstances
which could make us bend the rules a bit.
Q:
My relative knows a lot about houses and I would like him to help you with
the inspection. Is that possible?
A:
Nothing against your relative, but when you hire us to inspect a house, you are
accepting the fact that we are well qualified to do a thorough, unbiased
inspection. If you want someone with some apparent knowledge to tag along, we
will agree, but it must be understood that we are in charge of the inspection,
and it is done according to our protocols, and we cannot be interrupted whenever
he/she finds something that he/she thinks we might have missed. We conduct our
inspections according to the 'three excuse me' rule. If we have to say 'excuse
me' to anyone three times so they will stay out of our way, we ask that person
to sit outside until we are done.
Q:
How long does an inspection take?
A:
This depends on the size, condition and complexity of the house. As a general
rule, we're at the house an hour and one half to three hours. On most houses, we
utilize the services of two inspectors, which makes our investigation that much
more thorough.
Q:
What does an inspection cost?
A:
It depends on the size, age, location, condition and value of the house. We have
to charge a bit more if the house is more than 30 KM from Sarnia. The minimum
charge is $ 350.00 for a small condo or house. Most inspections cost between $
350.00 and $ 500.00.
Q:
When do we pay?
A:
We prefer to receive payment at the end of the inspection, and we accept cash,
cheque or some credit cards. Sometimes this is not feasible. At any rate,
payment is always due no later than when we present the final written report.
Q:
Who gets a copy of the Inspection Report ?
A:
Home Inspection reports are confidential. We provide one copy to our client. If
a client asks, we'll provide a copy to their Realtor, Lawyer, Insurer or Banker.
We don't provide copies to anybody else.
Q:
Do you offer any guarantees?
A:
The short answer is, No. The product we provide is a professional opinion on the
condition of the house, on the day we see it. Our complaint rate is too small to
measure (less than one half of one percent), but there's always the possibility
that something that looked good on the day of the inspection could break the day
after. We know from experience that we can't possibly see every square inch of
every house, so there is always the chance that we could just plain miss
something. If you come across an inspection company that offers a guarantee, we
strongly recommend that you read the fine print very closely. (We've yet to see
a real, affordable warranty program, and we've been looking for many years.) Our
only 'guarantee' is that we will do the best job possible for you, using our
many years of experience and training to help you know your new house as well as
possible.
Q:
Why don't you provide a report at the site right after the inspection?
A:
Most inspectors who provide onsite reports use 'canned' checklist reports which
describe conditions in very general, confusing terms. We prefer to prepare a
custom, plain English, narrative report using real sentences and paragraphs for
each separate client so that we can describe each house individually, since
every house is unique. We write the report at our office, where we can research
certain conditions, and provide extra background material as needed.
The beauty of a computer generated, narrative
report is that everything is listed in plain, understandable English, with full
sentences and paragraphs and no head-scratching. When our clients look back on
the report after moving in weeks after the inspection, they do not have to
decipher or remember what a 'checked box' beside one, two, or three technical
words means. Instead, they will be reading a full description of what was found
and the recommended action to correct the condition. That description often
includes digital photographs and technical clipart images that help to make the
description that much easier to comprehend.
With
that said, we do understand that some people prefer to receive the inspection
report on site. For those people we offer a checklist system, but do strongly
advise against it. By choosing the preferred computerized narrative report, you
will come away with something far more comprehensive and easy-to-understand.
It's money well spent.
