Halifax Home Inspector Today
Tuesday, August 26th, 2008 Subscribe To Our Feed
As a first time home buyer, you are constantly being told that buying a home is one of the biggest financial decisions you will ever make. So that your decision is an informed one, you are also advised to consult with a Halifax home inspection professional. Easier said than done!
With an abundance of independent Halifax Home Inspectors and a myriad of Halifax home inspection franchises, it’s hard to sort out the good from the bad…the amateurs from the professionals.
To assist you in the process, here are:
The 10 Most Important Questions “You” Should Ask
When Hiring A Halifax Home Inspector!
1. How long have you been in the Halifax home inspection field and how many inspections have you performed?
Try to gain insight into their specific home inspection experience. Determine how many years of actual full time
home inspection experience they may have versus construction or related trade experience. There is a difference!
Generally speaking, the more inspections completed, the better! There is no substitute for actual experience. Seasoned, professional Halifax home inspectors may have performed more than 1000 inspections.
2. What qualifications do you have?
Beware…home inspection is still totally unregulated in Canada.
Seek out people who belong to a provincial association and who have taken inspection courses such as: defect recognition, building sciences, and home construction.
CMHC now recommends that you hire a “Registered Home Inspector” or RHI who is a member in good standing with a Provincial Association.
The highest and most prestigious home inspection designation available today is through the Canadian Association of Home & Property Inspectors (CAHPI). If you hire an inspector who holds the new CAHPI - National Certificate Holder designation, you can be assured that you are dealing with a true Professional who has specialized training in defect recognition and undergone a full peer review test of their inspection expertise, techniques and reporting skills.
3. Do you participate in continuing education programs to keep up your expertise?
An inspectors’ commitment to continuing education is a good measure of their professionalism and expertise. Advanced knowledge is especially important in cases in which a home is older or includes unique aspects requiring additional or updated training.
4. Do they specialize in residential inspection?
Make sure the inspector has training and experience in the highly specialized discipline of home inspection, which is very different from inspecting commercial buildings or a construction site. If you are buying a unique property, such as a historic home, you will want to ask whether the inspector has experience with that type of property.
5. Will I be permitted to attend the inspection?
The answer should be yes. A home inspection is a valuable educational opportunity for you as the buyer to better understand a home’s condition. An inspector’s refusal to let you attend should raise a red flag.
6. How much time will you spend doing the inspection?
On average, an inspector working alone inspects a typical single-family house (1800-2500 square feet) in 2-3 hours (dependent on property age and condition). Anything significantly less may not be thorough and should raise a red flag.
Tip: Some home inspection services include not only structural inspection – such as foundation inspection and septic inspection, but “extra services” as well, such as pest inspection, and a check for radon gas. For that reason, it is important to critique a home inspector and ask what services are included before hiring one.
Bottom line…an inspector should be willing to stay, as long as it takes to complete the inspection to professional standards.
7. What type of inspection report do you provide and how long will it take to receive the report?
Ask to see samples and be sure you can understand the inspector’s reporting style. Regardless of the report format, a good report should contain comments specific to the subject property and should provide both observations and recommendations. Remember, it’s not the length of the report…it’s the information contained within that is important!
Equally as important, is the verbal explanations that you receive during the inspection process. Having an experienced inspector who will offer commentary on all aspects of a home, is willing to answer your questions, provide maintenance and energy saving tips, and offer details about remedial actions needed and their approximate costs is worth it’s weight in gold!
Most inspectors provide their full report within 24 hours of the inspection.
Fact: Poor drainage is the most common problem found by home inspectors. To improve drainage, you may have to install a new system of roof gutters and downspouts or have the lot re-graded to better channel water away from the house.
8. Are you associated with any real estate or construction company?
While many real estate professionals provide their clients with names of Registered Home Inspectors who are members of CAHPI, others often recommend inspectors who are not. Knowing whether a suggested reference will prove a truly unbiased opinion is often difficult to determine. It is always suggested that consumers do their own investigation.
CMHC offers tips on hiring a qualified Halifax home inspector, advising consumers to beware of real estate agent recommendations. “The only alliance home inspectors should have is to their professional association,” the CMHC web site states, “and their only allegiance should be to the home buyer.” Ask for qualifications and proof an inspector has a recognized certificate, the CMHC urges.
9. Do you do home repairs or improvements?
Some provinces permit inspectors to provide repair work on problems uncovered during the inspection. However, other provincial associations forbid it as a conflict of interest. Under their professional code of ethics, professional home inspectors are not permitted to be affiliated with any other construction or house related trade. While they may provide you a personal opinion based on past experiences, they should recommend that you obtain 3
independent quotes from qualified contractors.
10. What Do You Charge for a Halifax Home Inspection?
A question that almost always gets asked first, but, in fact, should be one of the last and least important in your decision process.
Ask all the previous questions first to determine the Halifax home inspector’s level of expertise and professionalism. Most professional, qualified inspectors generally charge from $300 - $500 for an average sized home within the city (fee’s may vary for size and location variations).
Looking for the right house, condominium, or other type of residential property can be a difficult process for those who are not experienced in the many technical aspects involved. Generally speaking, home buyers have to make a number of decisions, which are both emotional and technical in nature.
Hiring an experienced Halifax home inspection professional to assist will give you peace of mind and is well worth the expense!
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