Home Inspection Services     

 

  

Inspections

             

Pre-Listing Inspections

NEVER BUY A HOME BASED ON A PRE-LISTING INSPECTION!!!!!!!  

Housechek does not perform pre-listing inspections.  Based on over 18 years of inside industry experience, it is the opinion of Housechek Ltd owner, James Christie, that pre-listing home inspections are a counter productive tool used by the real estate industry to minimize deficiencies and reduce home buyer protection. The fact that many pre-listing inspections are hired by and paid for by listing real estate agents, there is a pre-existing agreement between the inspector and the real estate industry that the inspection is going to be fast and is not going to provide the same level of quality as an inspection being paid for by the consumer, the person buying the home.  Many home inspectors do pre-listing inspections for a reduced rate to the real estate industry, and brag that pre-listings can be done in 90 minutes.  No consumer is being protected when a home inspector walks through a house in 90 minutes.  For this reason, pre-listing home inspections are little more than confirmation that the home inspection industry and the real estate industry are conspiring to both limit and reduce consumer protection.  Never ever has there been a time when our government needs to step up and properly regulate the home inspection industry.  The self-regulating home inspection associations in Ontario need to be kicked out of the beds of the real estate industry.

 

    

                Pre-Purchase Inspections                        

In 1992, when James Christie first began inspecting homes, the average home inspector in the GTA was taking 3.5 to 4 hours to complete a home inspection.  However, by 2010, the average inspection company has reduced inspections time to 2 to 2.5 hours.  How can this be?  The answer is simple, pressure from real estate agents.  The real estate industry is forever looking for home inspectors that do inspection fast. Agents know that the faster the inspection, the less chance of the buyer finding out all the problems, and therefore the less likely that a deal with fall through. 

The biggest problem with the home inspection industry in 2010 is that individual inspectors want to keep their real estate agents happy, so the agents will recommend them to future clients.  Inspectors who take longer and fully disclose all defects are considered "kill dealers", and real estate agents avoid these inspection companies like the plague. 

Housechek's Pre-Purchase Inspections take a minimum of 4 hours to complete.  James Christie, Housechek Ltd., simply does not concede to agent or home seller pressure  regarding the time it takes to complete a home inspection.  As the person buying the home with a conditional clause giving you the right to have a home inspection, you also have the right to hire a home inspector that will thoroughly evaluate the home, not simply do a quick walk through. 

The average Housechek inspection takes 4.5 to 5 hours for a 2,500 square foot house.  The reality is that houses with problems take more time to inspect as well as it is imperative that the buyer is confident that he or she fully understands what is wrong with the property, as well as what it will take to properly correct any deficiencies found.  If that takes an extra hour, considering the value of a home, that is time well spent. 

Why anyone would want to use a home inspection report from a home inspector that has quickly walked through a house in 90 to 120 minutes defies logic.  An inspection report generated from complacent observation can only provide restricted information, not constructive feedback.  

Pre-purchase inspections include all aspects of the property, including;

- exterior lot grading and drainage including adjoining property infrinements

- fences, retaining walls, landscape structures, trees, flower beds.

- foundation, exterior structure including walls, roof, siding, windows

- exterior electrical components

- shingles including flashings, soffits, fascia, and eavestroughs  

- interior structure, including the attic

- all finishing components of the dwelling

- plumbing supply lines and sanitary drains

- interior electrical components

- signs of environmental defects such as mould and infestation 

- heating and cooling systems including carbon monoxide testing if compatible