Inspection Services

Feeling pressure to skip the inspection?

In a heated Seller's market, many properties have multiple bid situations and sellers tend to lean toward offers that do not include a home inspection...why? Well because they are nervous that defects they are likely unaware of, may be identified and cause the deal to fall apart. While you can see why a Seller may not want a home inspection, this means Buyers are not gathering valuable information about the property they are buying which could spell problems down the road.

The federal government is working toward protecting the interests of homebuyers with the Home Buyers Bill of Rights which is projected to include a client's right to a home inspection. Some provincial governements have already enacted their own laws.  Several industry associations and major players have also locked arms to educate the general public on the risks of skipping a home inspection and advocate for this right with the formation of Canadian Home Inspectors for Consumers (CHIC). While the rest of Canada is getting close to protecting this right, we aren't there yet; so in the meatime there are some alternatives buyers can use.

Informational Inspection: Buyers can ask their realtors to include an "informational inspection" in the offer. This is a complete professional home inspection that includes a written report but regardless of the report findings, it cannot be used to cancel the offer or ask for repairs. In other words, the buyer is waiving their right to use the home inspection as an out. You may be wondering why a Seller would chose to allow this when they have no inspection offers coming in but there are reasons to allow the inspection, especially if it has no impact on the sale. Buyers entering the sale with eyes wide open helps to avoid post sale litigation that may happen if Buyers discover issues they were unaware of.  This in fact benefits all parties including the realtor - who occasionally may be viewed as encourgaing a client to skip the inspection just to close a sale, while most often that is not the case. Realtors want their clients to be happy after the sale closes and refer them to their friends and family. A home inspection helps this happen. 

We always recommend a complete home inspection be included as a contingency in the offer process but when this isn't possible, an informational inspection will provide valuable information to help buyers avoid unexpected surprises down the road and allow them to priortize and budget accordiningly for any required repairs. 

Post Sale Inspection: