pre-purchase inspection

Before purchasing a house, townhome or condo, you want to know what awaits you. Should you budget for roof repairs in the near future? Do the plumbing pipes need to be replaced? As all of these renovations are expensive, it’s best to understand these realities.

A pre-purchase home inspection can also draw attention toward certain aspects of the home that require further investigation. Is there a damp smell in the basement? If so, is it due to a problem with the foundation? This is the type of clue you should follow more closely before making the final decision to purchase the home.

A pre-purchase home inspection is a valuable asset, as the inspectors expertise is crucial to finding potential deficiencies. Since home inspectors have no personal interest in the transaction, they will present the facts as they are, and can suggest further evaluation by a specialist if needed.

A pre-purchase home inspection helps you get to know the property better, ensure the fairness of the agreed-upon price and plan what items should be prioritized.

Benefits of a Pre-Listing Home Inspection

Here’s why a pre-listing home inspection can be a good idea: 

1. When you know what’s wrong with your house before you list it, you have the opportunity to fix it in advance, so it doesn’t become an issue for potential buyers. 

Home Buyers (especially first-timers) can be easily spooked by minor issues and repairs. As a Seller, there’s nothing worse than when a Buyer backs out of a deal because of an easy repair; not only do you have to start the sale process over, but you also have to convince every future potential Buyer that the last deal fell apart over minor details, not because the foundation is cracked and the house is about to fall over.

2. You can’t accurately price your house unless you know what’s going on deep inside.  

If your house needs a new roof and 2 new bathrooms you need to account for that when you set your asking price. It’s never fun to have potential Buyers educate you about your own home during the negotiations –  that’ll cost you money and potentially kill the deal.

3. Pre-listing home inspections help you avoid re-negotiations after the inspection.

If your Buyer’s offer was conditional on a home inspection and the inspection reveals something you/they didn’t know about, many Buyers will try to re-negotiate the price. This will undoubtedly result in a lower price than agreed on. You can’t hide from your house – people will uncover the truth eventually. If you have a buried oil tank or Poly-B plumbing, it’s better to know it BEFORE you list, so you can account for any cost of fixes and set your asking price lower or complete the repairs ahead of listing.

Although it may seem odd hiring a home inspector before a major renovation project, not doing so can cost you a lot of money and grief later on.

We have seen the unpleasant results of poorly planned and executed renovation projects. Most people know that when you start a renovation project you should plan for unexpected surprises, and what we mean by surprises is costly unexpected expenses. What many don’t realize is that a lot of these “surprises” could have been avoided with proper advice from a qualified inspector. Often these surprises are caused by not having sufficient foresight, experience and knowledge 

Unlike a contractor, a Home inspector has nothing invested in your renovation project other than ensuring that you are making a fully informed decision. We can explain the proper order and priority in which your renovations should take place. Often expensive cosmetic changes to a home (a new kitchen or bathroom, for example) will do little to change a home’s value if there are serious underlying problems that come out in an inspection report when you decide to sell your home.

Over the years we has seen our share of “questionable” home renovations. We want you to be able to sit back in your new kitchen, deck or finished basement knowing you made the best possible home renovation choice.

With years of experience as a contractor combined with our education, training, and unbiased opinion, a pre-reno home inspection can mean the difference between a great home renovation and a disastrous one.