Canadian Frequently Asked Questions about My Home Inspector

What is a Home Inspection. A typical home inspection is a thorough inspection, documentation and review of a homes current condition. A qualified home inspector inspects, reports and makes recommendations in regards to the homes safety and major systems such as the structure, roof, attic, ventilation, plumbing, electrical, heating/cooling, grading, siding, drainage, and so much more. When you call a home inspector a very good question to ask is "What should I expect if I use your service".
Why are Home Inspectors so popular? The home is the single largest investment most people undertake. The days of living in the same home for a lifetime have long past. Today's average home owner moves every 5 to 7 years and with such a large investment in a short period of time it's critical to buy smart, maintain and hopefully increase value in your real estate holdings. Buyers, sellers and home owners contract home inspectors for different reasons depending on their current roll. (see other questions in this FAQ)
Why are Buyers using Home Inspectors? Today's buyers are simply making more informed and educated decisions to protect their family and investment. The days of viewing a home 2 or 3 times for 20 minutes are long gone. The home inspector helps the buyer take the home on a "test drive" assuring its stability and safety. Buyers who contract home inspectors usually control the negotiation process and make educated investments. These buyers are more likely to profit from their home investment using the knowledge they gained during the home inspection.
Buyers, lenders, and insurance carriers are all concerned with the homes current condition. Lenders now question if a buyer can reasonably afford the mortgage and utilities along with a new roof or furnace or required upgrades. Insurance carriers will not insure a home if it has galvanized plumbing, knob & tube wiring or a low current hydro service, these Insurance concerns have also become a growing concern for Lenders. Un-informed buyers become very disappointed as costly repairs are needed to satisfy their insurance carrier and/or lender.
Buyers normally contract home inspectors after an offer has been excepted by the seller. A clause is written in the purchase agreement as a condition of sale. All conditions must be waived by the seller prior to deadlines or the offer will expire.
Why Are Sellers Using Home Inspectors? Sellers who seek a smoother sale at the highest possible sale price are now contracting a home inspector. These sellers disclose and/or repair possible concerns that buyers may have prior to negotiating the sale price, in this situation the seller maintains control during the negotiation process and helps expedite the sale. These sellers are really saying to potential buyers "Here is the house, here is the home inspection report, we repaired or did not repair these items and this is how much we're asking" creating a win/win situation. Sellers who understand buyers are one step ahead of the competition.
Why are everyday Home Owners who are not buying or selling contract a home inspector? Home owners are now taking advantage of preventative maintenance inspections. This is often a partial inspection restricted to the exterior including the attic space, furnace and A/C unit. The purpose of this type of inspection is to catch area's of concern early to prevent huge expenses and head-aches in the future. Home owners rarely walk the roof or climb into the attic and inspect the home. A small roof leak may not be visible within the homes living space but apparent within the attic and it is these leaks that cause serious damage to the wooden roof structure as wet wood will rot. When small leaks are caught early they usually can be repaired with very little expense, when left unattended or un-noticed these little leaks will cost thousands to fix consuming a good portion of the homes gained market value. Similar situations arise with negative grading, improper down spouts, poor gardening choices, a tiny crack on the chimney, loose flashing, poor attic ventilation, central air exterior unit and so much more can easily eat-up your gained market value. A preventative maintenance inspection is a wise choice for all home owners. NOTE: Not all inspectors offer preventative maintenance inspection.
The house I want to buy is only 5 years old!!! Do I really need a Home Inspector? Absolutely, don't let age fool you! A five year old home could easily have a small roof leak that is rotting away a roof truss, remember not all roof leaks are visible within the homes living space and catching these problems early can save you thousands of dollars.
Other areas of concern for newer homes:
Home foundation settlement occurs within the first five years.
Poor landscaping choices will damage the foundation.
Handyman wiring installed by the previous owner.
Lack of maintenance from the previous owner.
Remember: no contractor is perfect, mistakes are made.
Previous Home owners unknowingly make terrible mistakes in efforts to conserve energy, this alone can reduce system life expectancy and create safety hazards to you and your family.
Should I buy a new house? Unfortunately new homes have their fare share of common concerns. All you need to understand is that humans make mistakes (preferably non-intentional). We also need to understand that builders, contractors, sub-contractors and tradesmen all engage in the competitive bidding process. Builders realize that quality may have been sacrificed for cost when poor workmanship is revealed.
Ask yourself:
Did this happen on my new home?
Am I really getting what I paid for?
Will I un-knowingly make common landscaping errors?
Do I really know how to properly maintain my new home?
If you're uncertain...you should call a qualified home inspector.
My new home comes with a 1 year warranty! Why should I be concerned? A warranty is great if you know what needs to be corrected or fixed. Most home owners only notice cosmetic items. Another concern should be the 1 year warranty itself. You just spent 250,000+ and all you get is a one year warranty??? Doesn't seem reasonable considering you can purchase a 25,000 car with a 5-7 year bumper to bumper warranty. Yes the furnace, A/C, Shingles and windows all have manufacturer warranties however these warranties cover replacement cost only, not labour. These warranties also expire if not properly installed and maintained. All new home owners should contract a qualified home inspector prior to the 1 year anniversary.

What are the ratings for? Ratings are for websites. This is a valuable information tool for home inspectors who have websites. The rating system and your vote allows the home inspector to evaluate how his or her website is perceived by potential customers/clients compared to that of his or her competitor. All website owners who seek this valuable information can make improvements and move forward attracting more customers in the future. Site owners who don't seek this information usually waste marketing dollars and stand still while losing customers to competitors. A low rating does not necessarily mean a website is poorly designed, it could be the best site in the world but if the web server is slow loading, off-line or non-responsive, customers would vote low.
How do I rate a site? While searching for your local home inspector you should notice a link at the bottom of each and every listing called "Rate It". Click on this link and then view your options within the drop down list. Select your score option and then click on the "Rate It" button.
My site has a low rating, what can I do? The first thing you need to do is not panic. Check to see how many votes you received before making any changes, if it's only a few votes then wait it out a bit longer. Also remember the voting system is town specific. More importantly, be thankful that you now have a better understanding of how the potential customer perceives you web presence and image in that specific town or city. Realistically the hard part is over! If the vote count is high enough to be concerned then start off by constructively criticizing your site against sites that rate higher in the same town or city. Find the difference and then make improvements to your site. If you honestly feel your site is as good or better than higher rating sites in the same town or city then you should question the reliability of your hosting company. When your finished your changes send myhomeinspector.ca a support request stating you want your rating re-evaluated. We calculate your average rating across all your listings and post a new average for you...giving you a clean start for future monitoring. See, no need to panic.
My site has a high rating, if I change my site will I lose my rating? You will not lose your rating, however if your rating begins to fall...then the changes you made are negatively effecting your sales.
My site has high and low ratings on different listings why? Your ratings will be different with each listing because our rating system is town/city specific. Your competitors may also be different from town to town so keep your eyes open. Please note that this system has been developed to be a valuable site evaluation tool with minimum risk towards your business. (related FAQ My site has a low rating, what can I do?)
Can I turn my ratings OFF for my listings? Not at this time, we believe this to be a foolish move. You spend allot of money year after year with flyers, brochures, print media ...etc and all advertising material should make reference to your web address. Ask yourself if that money is being partially wasted because your website scores low compared to your competitors. Everyone and even Grandma now researches and reviews products and services online prior to the call of purchase. For home inspectors this fact alone is critical as most first time buyers are online. (this number will climb drastically over the next 5 years) and MyHomeInspector.ca is here to help you do this safely. (Please review all FAQ's regarding ratings).