Mike Holmes - The Holmes Inspection: Everything You Need to Know Before You Buy or Sell Your Home

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW

BEFORE YOU BUY OR SELL YOUR HOME

FOR MY DAD

WHY IS IT NORMAL FOR HOME INSPECTIONS TO FAIL?

My dad always said to me, Mike, never take advantage of people. Be honest. Keep your word and always do it right the first time. And that has always stuck with methats what should be normal in everything you do.

But thats not whats normal for far too many Canadians when theyre buying or selling a home. I get over a thousand e-mails every week from people who have serious problems with their homes: basements flooding, foundations sinking, additions without insulation, plumbing and electrical issues galore. But the number one complaintby a long shotcomes from people who discover major issues that their home inspector should have caught.

Home inspectors are not spotting the red flags right there in front of their eyes. And sellers are not always being honest about their houses, instead covering up problems or passing them along to unsuspecting buyers. In one house I inspected for this book, for example, the sellers not only covered over structural issues, they introduced a whole lot more problems when they renovated the house for a quick flip. There are so many issues that it will cost at least $150,000 to fix everythingin a $300,000 house that was passed by a home inspector.

Whos responsible for this mess? It looks like no one. The previous owner cant be held responsible (the law doesnt require him to disclose anything), the home inspector cant be held responsible (just check the list of things they cant or wont guarantee), and the government doesnt have any way of holding these inspectors accountable.

So normalfor home buyers, and for mejust keeps getting worse. And thats totally unacceptable. Im out to change that.

I want to see industry standards improve. I want to see more highly skilled, trained inspectors working in the field alongside the few inspectors who already really know their stuff. Ive met and worked with some excellent home inspectorspeople I wouldnt hesitate to recommendbut even they agree that something has to be done about the inspection industry as a whole. My father was an expert plumber and carpenter, but he knew when to bring in a pro. Likewise, I want to see licensed specialists brought in whenever home inspectors see something that could spell trouble, or whenever they find themselves beyond their own area of expertise.

For all those people who think its normal to expect a few nasty surprises from a new home, who think that you cant really expect a home inspector to find everything, Im here to tell you the truth. You should expect quality and integrity in a normal home inspection. You can do better than accept opinions in place of evaluations. You can expect a home inspector to give you a thorough assessment of every single part of any home and help you understand what it means.

The cost of an inspection like that may be higher, its true. But the possible hidden costs of a normal home inspection todaywhich often isnt worth the paper its printed onare far too high already: a bad home inspection can lead to surprises that you will pay for over many years.

My dad is gone now, but I know that hed be right by my side calling for change and for more integrity in the buying and selling process. Because normalin his book and mineis just another word for excellent or top-quality or as good as it can possibly be. Together, lets demand better home inspections. Lets demand that home inspectors give us more information, better informationall the information that people need to make informed decisions. Thats what a normal inspection should be.

Toronto, 2008

What I wish I had known beforehand is how much you cannot trust the home inspector. We almost died from an electrical fire.

K.T. (London, ON)

We hired an inspector before we purchased this house, and he pretty much said that everything was fine. He pointed out a few minor electrical things to look into, and when I brought an electrician in he found many problems in the utility room wiring that my inspector had missed. Later a plumber came in to install my dishwasher, and the first thing he said was, None of this plumbing is up to code. I know that inspectors arent supposed to be experts on everything, but it sucks to have tradesmen walk into one room and keep hearing the same thing: This isnt right.

R.R. (Toronto, ON)

I hear hundreds of stories just like theseand worseevery week. Can you see why Im so frustrated? People are getting home inspections done, theyre taking advice from professionals, and theyre still buying houses with big unexpected problems.

S o many problems that homeowners facethe ones they call in a contractor like me to fixcould be identified even before a house is purchased. The time to find problems is during a home inspection, but, way too often, thats not happening. This is a huge issue for homeowners, who are making the biggest investment of their lives without enough information. You just cant afford to go wrong with that investment.

Heres the good news: when a home inspection is done by a qualified, knowledgeable person before the deal is finalized, and when the buyer really understands what the inspectors report says, buying a house and maintaining it for years to come can be a no-surprises process that works for everyone. In fact, a good home inspection report can become the blueprint for your home maintenance plan.

But after more than two decades of working in this business and seeing too many situations go sour because of unexpected problemsmany of which should have been identified by the home inspectorI think its fair to say that somethings not working in this system. Its time for the home inspection industry to give better, more reliable service, and its time to give homebuyers the information they need to make really informed decisions.

Ive written The Holmes Inspection to help you make a wise investment. Im going to show you how to buy with knowledge and not throw your hard-earned dollars into a money pit. Ill show you how to find a reliable home inspector and give you a pretty good idea of what you should be looking out for or asking about when youre checking out a new home to buy. With a thorough home inspection report in your hands, youll have the negotiating power to buy a house for what its really worth.