Home Inspection Services
About the ...
Housechek was founded by James Christie in March of 1992, through a learned knowledge that the real estate market climate predominantly favours the home seller, rather than the people taking the risk, the home buyer.
Since 1992, Housechek has provided various types of building and pre-purchase home inspections to the standards of the Ontario Building Code, the Plumbing Code, and the Ontario Electrical Safety Code. Housechek is a proud member of the only association of home inspectors that takes conflicts of interest seriously, the Independent Home Inspectors of North America.
When a home inspection business is cozy with the real estate industry, the consumer pays the price. This is one of the primary reasons that Housechek is not a member of the Ontario Association of Home Inspectors (OAHI). Click here to read more about both the Independent Home Inspectors of North America and the Ontario Association of Home Inspectors.
Housechek also has had numerous successes in providing dispute resolution services between new homebuyers, builders, as well as Tarion Corporation, the corporation entrusted to protect new home buyers in Ontario. In 1998, Housechek took Tarion, (formerly the Ontario New Home Warranty Program) to the Commercial Registration Appeal Tribunal on behalf of a client, resulting in the reversal of a denied claim dating back to 1988. The facts simply do not lie, Tarion is a corrupt, builder run, builder bias, organization that has a hidden agenda to systematically cheat the consumer out of their rights under the legislations.
Housechek continues to pursue improvement of the home inspection industry. The current self-regulatory system today simply does not serve the consumer. Only after major changes have been made, will home buyers have any real protection.
A home inspector since March of 1992, James (Jim) Christie quickly developed a phrase that sums up the real estate industry. "The home inspector, is most often, the only guy who is actually looking out for the best interests of the poor schlep buying the house."
Sadly, this still holds true today. As far as Jim is concerned, homebuyers should not trust that the Real Estate industry will look after the homebuyers best interests.
Jim began in the construction industry in 1983. By 1985, Jim owned his own construction company. By 1991, Jim had completed several design/build commercial and residential projects that included hands-on experience in all areas of construction. Included in Jim's abilities are backhoe and bulldozer operator, septic system designer and installer, carpenter, block layer, brick layer, roofer, electrician, plumber, drywall installer/taper, finish carpenter, cabinet maker, and painter.
Jim quickly realized that the true value of knowing how to complete work to trade standards is the greatest asset of all.
In 1989, Jim used the same construction ideology, and took the courses to become a licensed real estate sales representative. While Jim does not actively work as a real estate agent, he maintains his real estate license, and uses its knowledge base to better enable him to perform home inspections to the highest standards.
After a full 17 years as a home inspector, Jim has proven that lack of regulation and licensing of home inspector's in Ontario is a major problem. While Jim is not an advocate of government intervention, he is aware that a uniform regulated standard for the home inspection industry is greatly required.
Experience has also given Jim a dim view of both municipal building departments and Tarion. The currently system openly favours builders and neglects the consumer. Jim is of the opinion that the consumer has become a voiceless, second class citizen to big business greed.
In return, Housechek has been rewarded with substantial praise from its customers, as well as ridicule from Tarion, builders, and disgruntled home sellers. Jim is of the opinion that unhappy builders and home sellers is a good indication that he is doing his job to assist the homebuyer, to the best of his abilities.
Jim's use of humour on inspections is most definitely a trademark. A balance of humour typically sets defining moments and eases the stress that home buyers are under during the inspection process. Humour keeps people fresh, alert, and more willing to learn.
James Christie understands that the information provided to a buyer during a home inspection is extensive and fast paced. Above all else, Jim is cognizant that consumers need a home inspector who is not in the back pocket of the real estate industry and that homebuyers need an inspector that genuinely places the home buyers interests above all others. Unfortunately, Jim is quite aware that integrity in the home inspection and real estate industries, is a rare commodity.
What the majority of consumers simply do not realize that the home inspection industry in the Province of Ontario is completely unregulated. Virtually any individual in the province can hang out his or her shingle tomorrow and claim to be a "qualified" home inspector. In an age where a moderate house in an expensive area of the GTA can push the million dollar mark without much effort, our government continues to be asleep at the helm.
Ontario Association of Home Inspectors
What the Province of Ontario does have is an organization known as the Ontario Association of Home Inspectors. OAHI is a self-regulated organization that accepts dues from home inspectors to be a member.
Over the years, James Christie has heard numerous complaints from consumers regarding the treatment received from not just OAHI registered home inspectors, but the organization itself. In fact, the Better Business Bureau has current complaints regarding the manner that OAHI conducts itself. Jim has had a few experiences with OAHI qualified inspectors. In one instance, after a client had made numerous calls and sent emails to and received emails from the OAHI concerning the total incompetence of an OAHI registered home inspector, James Christie contacted the OAHI posing as a consumer. After specifically asking if the home inspector in question had any complaints against him, the OAHI representative point blank lied on the telephone and stated that no complaints had been made about the home inspection company in question. When James identified himself and asked how an OAHI employee could make such a statement, the OAHI representative told James Christie that he was "playing games". An OAHI willfully lies about one of its fee paying home inspectors, and James Christie is the one "Playing games". As far as James Christie is concerned, the OAHI mandate has little to do with consumer protection, and a lot to do with the protection of the home inspection industry. By the time James Christie was done, the shoddy OAHI qualified home inspection was out of business, and 21 months later, his client (who had to move out of an unsafe house for two years, while still paying the mortgage and taxes, of course) finally received financial compensation from the incompetent inspectors insurance company.
If anyone would like to see the loop holes that OAHI leaves for its inspectors, please click here to view a copy of the OAHI's Standards of Practice. What James Christie finds most disturbing is the statement made under section 13.2 B (8), where it states that OAHI inspectors are not required to follow any sort of regulatory code. This, as far as James Christie is concerned, is a clever way to quietly convey that although the house being inspected is required to be built to the Ontario building Code and the Ontario Electrical Safety Code standards, OAHI regulated home inspectors are not required to inspect to those standards. In effect, this means that an OAHI inspector can deliberately fail to disclose defects that are in direct violation of minimum code requirements and there is nothing the the homebuyer can do after the fact. Since real estate property is based on a value that is quality and condition-based, not having known building code defects disclosed, effectively over-values a property and the homebuyer is left holding the bag. When inspecting houses to standards that are below code standards, the OAHI is protecting the home seller from defects that exist within the dwelling. This is simply not right.
s