Having a Home Inspection Before Buying on PEI

You will have heard it so many times - not to buy a home without having a home inspection. Many people, especially men, believe that they know all about houses and home repair and think that they can look at a prospective home and do this job themselves. Generally this is not a good idea unless you are a licensed contractor and home construction is your job.

There are a number of home inspection services on the island to choose from and they are mostly accredited by various associations such as the Canadian Association of Home & Property Inspectors. Make sure that you choose an accredited service.

While inspections will vary from service to service generally it is a 3 hour process and you will get a report taking into consideration the condition of walls, ceilings, floors, roof and foundation, wall coverings, grading, elevation, drainage, driveways, fascia, trim, doors, windows, exterior lights and receptacles. Home inspectors will look at the roof and attic and may be able to give you an approximate (but not guaranteed) estimate on roof life. They will also check plumbing, electrical, water heaters, furnaces, air conditioning, duct work, chimney, and fireplace if any

Home inspectors will concentrate and be able to answer your questions regarding roofs in poor shape, furnaces and problems they may develop, foundation problems and that is a particular interest in PEI as many of our foundations are clay and some look worse than they are (in fact some are downright scary), as well as moisture and drainage issues which again is largely a feature of basements. While a home inspector may be able to suggest that a home is a candidate for a mold problem, don’t expect them to diagnose this, and if you suspect mold run a mile anyway.

Your offer to purchase should be contingent on an acceptable home inspection. If the home inspection shows a lot of repairs are needed to the property you can then decide to either walk away from the home or to re-open negotiations. If you begin to re-negotiate you may either ask that certain repairs be done by the vendor before closing or you can negotiate a decrease in the agreed upon price to cover the cost of doing the repairs. Most choose the latter method, reduced price, as this gives them control over the work being done and who does the work. Obviously it is not in the vendor’s best interest to ensure a good repair job if it is going to cost them more and they can get it done for less.

Usually first-time buyers are put-off by a long list of repairs and will shy-away from homes and properties requiring a lot of work but the more experienced home-buyer will understand that this need not be a deal breaker if the price is right.

It is a grey area whether you should have a home inspector look at a new home. With home warranty programs sometimes buyers feel well protected and feel that they only need call the builder if something needs fixed. However new construction experiences in some provinces and PEI real estate have shown that a good home inspection may still be a prudent choice and worth the money.

Contractors do make mistakes and there are times when corners are cut. It is definitely a good idea to inspect a new home to see what the general construction practices have been and from this you can get an idea if you want to buy.