Our letter to the editor of the Windsor Star has finally been published! June 17, 2019
In my 25 years of inspecting homes, I have seen the housing market fluctuate but never like what we have been experiencing in the last couple of years. A home buyer cannot make an offer to purchase a house with a condition of a home inspection, financing or obtaining house insurance. This has greatly affected the home inspection industry. In order to make a living, some home inspectors offer verbal walk through viewings with no written report or 5-point home inspections where only a portion of the home is checked. Many times, a written report is not provided, resulting in no liability on the inspector and if an issue arises in the future. The home-buyer is left with no defense and errors & omissions insurance coverage will likely not cover these inspections because the Standards of Practice set by the Home Inspection Associations were not followed. The Ontario Government protects car buyers with the Used Vehicle Information Package and Safety Standards Certificate. Yet, the governing bodies are not protecting home buyers. When contacted, the Ministry of Government and Consumer Services stated “The Real Estate Council of Ontario (RECO) is responsible for administering and enforcing the Real Estate and Business Brokers Act. RECO regulates the conduct of real estate agents and works to increase consumer protection in the real estate industry.” Sadly some home buyers find out that they can’t get house insurance or there are safety issues they were not aware of because they were advised to forgo a proper house inspection. Each home buyer should have a FULL home inspection performed by an Ontario Government-Recognized Home Inspector so that they can make an informed decision on their largest investment. If each offer-to-purchase had this clause, this would protect home buyers. Why did the Government regulate the car sales industry but wash their hands from protecting home buyers! Unfortunately, we are back to square one…Caveat Emptor (buyer beware). Brad Labute, RHI, NCH, ASHI-Certified Home Inspection Consultants Inc. 519-978-3885 www.homeinspect.ca
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Home Inspection Consultants' home inspectors will only perform home inspections and pre-delivery house inspections (PDI) that abide by the Standards of Practice and Code of Conduct set forth by the Home Inspection Associations. You can read more about this in my blog entitled 'A Home Inspector's Character'. Our house inspections and commercial building inspections consist of a visual inspection of the over-all structure of the building, as well as an examination of each system and component. In addition to going up onto the roof* and into the attic and crawl space*, each system is operated/evaluated and every room is carefully inspected by our building inspectors. The home inspection is objective & very educational and the home inspector always provides a detailed house-specific written home inspection report. The home buyer is always encouraged to attend the house inspection so that the home inspector can explain everything and answer all questions. 3 hours of your time can save you thousands of dollars and countless sleepless nights. *NOTE: Other home inspection companies in the Windsor and Essex County areas inspect the roof from the ground/edge and inspect the attic and crawl space from their access opening only! Our 25-years of experience performing home and commercial building inspections on a full-time basis, as well as our experience in the custom home-building industry, enable us to be uniquely qualified to perform home inspections on both new home construction and older buildings. Our state-of-the-art equipment and continuing education give Home Inspection Consultants the edge in Providing Peace of Mind. Our Chief Home Inspector, Brad Labute, was awarded the Most Meticulous House Inspector Award! Uncle 'Joe' is a great guy and has offered to take a look at the home you're thinking of purchasing. He's doing you a favour because it's free right?....wrong! Does he know about issues that house insurance companies have with certain plumbing and electrical? Yikes, you might win the bid on the house but find out later that you can't get house insurance! Or does he know what asbestos insulation looks like? Yikes, airborne fibres might be lurking throughout the home. Does he have the latest tools to inspect a house properly? A professional infrared camera costs thousands of dollars....is that what he is using? Even 'professional' (and I use this term loosely) Home Inspectors differ. Some interrupt your home inspection to book other inspections. Some home inspectors book so many inspections in a day that you are rushed through one of the biggest decisions of your life. Some do not go up onto the roof. Some do not crawl throughout the entire crawl space and attic. Many times I've seen a great roof from the ground or even the edge, but I don't find any issues until I'm right up there. Same goes for a crawl space...everything might look good until I go just a little further and BANG, there's wood rot or a burst pipe. Some Home Inspectors are doing verbal/cash home inspections which go against all Home Inspection Association's Standards of Practice. There's even a Realtor here in Essex County who is doing home inspections on the side! It takes years to obtain the knowledge of a competent home inspector. You didn't choose the cheapest house on the market, why skimp on the home inspection?
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AuthorI've come across a lot of interesting tidbits of information during my 29 year career as a home inspector. I've been told that I'm pretty meticulous and a good 'teacher', so hopefully you'll find some interesting information here.. Archives
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