Home Inspection
(The following is written with the permission of the Ontario Association of Home Inspectors)
obtained from Home Vision
What to Expect
Professional Standards
While there are no Provincial or Federal guidelines, home inspectors are generally expected to follow the Standards of Practice established by the Canadian Association of Home Inspectors (CAHI), widely recognized as the leading authority in the field. This is a document which specifies all the components of a home that are to be included in an inspection, from the roof to the foundation. The Standards are considered to be the benchmark of performance for home inspectors. A free copy is available by writing to:
Ontario Association of Home Inspectors,
Box 370, Station Z,
Toronto, Ontario M5N-2Z5
or by calling (416) 964-6203.
Ethics
To be sure that a home inspector is ethical and professional, consumers should ascertain before the inspection that he or she will NOT offer to do any repairs on the inspected property, and that the firm has no financial interest in the transaction, or in the real estate agent’s commission. Any indication of such conflict of interest activities should send up the red flag to tell consumers to look for another inspector.
Service
Home inspectors are generalists, much like medical General Practitioners. They know how the home’s many systems and components work, both independtly and together, and they understand how and why they fail. Consumers should expect the written report to describe the actual condition of the home at the time of the inspection based upon visual observation, and to provide an indication of the need for minor repairs.
What Not To Expect
Home inspectors do not do any destructive testing, nor can they see through walls, and so consumers should not expect their reports to include the condition of every nail, wire or pipe in the home. In addition, inspectors are primarily concerned with pointing out large expenses and/or safety related concerns, rather than small or cosmetic items, which are considered readily apparent to themselves.
Finally, home buyers should not expect the inspector’s report to serve as a guarantee that the home’s components won’t ever fail or need repair at some point in the future. No house is perfect, and they all need regular maintenance and repair.
What Qualifications to Look For
In recent years, literally dozens of groups and organizations have formed to capitalize on the marketing opportunities of this rapidly-growing profession. This can make the selection of a qualified professional extremely difficult.
To date, the Canadian Association of Home Inspectors and its affiliate, the American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI), are the only non-profit professional organizations in the U.S. and Canada which rigorously test home inspectors and their technical knowledge and diagnostic expertise in relation to residential construction. Membership requires experience prior to admission, as well as continuing education annually after admission in order to keep current with new technology and building practices. The names of members may be obtained by calling (416) 964-6203.
If the selection of a home inspector is made carefully and ahead of time, home buyers have one less detail to worry about during the chaos and excitement of finding a new home.
Sidebar
OAHI recommends that home buyers call several inspectors in their area and interview them in advance to ascertain their qualifications. Here are some important questions to ask;
1. Does the inspector belong to CAHI or a regional chapter?
2. How long has the inspector been in business as a home inspection firm:
3. Is the inspector specifically experienced in residential inspection?
4. Does the company offer to do any repairs or improvements based on its inspection? This might cause a conflict of interest.
5. How long will the inspection take? (The average is 2 to 3 hours.)
6. What will it include? (Get the specifics.)
7. How much will it cost? (The average is $250 to $500.)
8. Does the inspector supply a written report?
9. Does the inspector encourage the client to attend the inspection? This is a valuable educational opportunity, and he should welcome the client along.
10. Does the inspector participate in continuing education programs to keep his expertise up to date?
11. Obtain a list of past client references and contact them.
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