As a potential Home Buyer, your main job is to find a space that you want to live in.. through our due diligence we’ll make sure that the construction and strata (if applicable) works for you as well.
Once of the biggest aspects of due diligence is the Home Inspection! A home inspection is a standard subject clause in Real Estate Contracts if the Buyer chooses to include it, though I’ll always suggest we have it done since I’ve seen some potential purchases be terminated over negative results from a home inspection.
When considering a home inspection, you always want to make sure that you use a professional and licensed home inspector who is familiar with the area and types of products similar to what they will be inspecting for you. This ensures that they have a rolodex of other units and homes to compare to which offers a good idea of the quality of construction and level of maintenance. The home inspector will also be very knowledgeable about different eras of construction and the maintenance required as well as city requirements for construction. Vancouver has a mix of old character houses with a variety of maintenance and additions, 1950’s boxes, 1970’s Vancouver Specials, 1990’s boxes and renovated versions of all of these houses, along with a variety of different condo styles – all have their pros and cons, and good maintenance over time is key, which is what we’ll be trying to determine.
The home inspector should also use a thermal camera and moisture detector to any potential leaks, insulation voids and more. They might also be able to high level comment on potential renovations, giving you some idea of what might be a simple project vs a large project.
The home inspection should leave you with some idea what maintenance will be needed in the short term future and the overall quality of the property. Some properties are good quality but need some maintenance or replacement, whereas other might be bad quality due to poor workmanship or design. The difference is key!
Don’t fret over spending a few hundred dollars to avoid spending a many thousand dollars! Regardless of the results of the inspection, always have some money set aside fro unexpected maintenance since that can happen regardless of how good the inspection goes!
I have a variety of Home Inspectors to recommend, specializing in certain types of properties and areas, so let me know if you need a referral: [email protected] or 778-387-7371.
