Home Inspection Calgary: Pre-listing inspection cost

If you are thinking about putting your home on the market, you should begin to inquire about pre-listing inspections and how they can ultimately aid you in selling your house. By getting a pre-listing inspection conducted, you and your realtor can begin to gauge the condition of your property and if any underlying concerns should be tended to. This inspection can lead to invaluable improvements you can make to your home to increase its market value and appeal to potential buyers. Though a pre-listing inspection is not required to sell your home, it will prove incredibly helpful in identifying any elements that could derail the selling of your home.

Find out the benefits of a pre-listing inspection, what this venture entails, and the total cost of this pre-listing home inspection Calgary.

Why get an inspection

Before you list your home, hire a professional home inspector to examine your property to seek out any explicit and underlying issues where repairs are needed that can help you in the long run. Any repairs and problems in your home will eventually crop up, and obtaining a pre-listing inspection is a worthy investment to avoid any unwanted surprises in the future.

Of course, this inspection is sometimes not needed. If your home is relatively new, or if you were a crucial part of its building process, problems within the structure and property are unlikely to be found. But if you have moved into an older home, getting a pre-listing home inspection is highly recommended by relator professionals.

A professional performing a pre-listing inspection on a home

What a pre-listing inspection covers

Ultimately, the homeowner is the one that decides how extensive a pre-listing inspection needs to be. If you only want a professional appraisal to focus on the cracks in your roof, that is the only area they will look at. But a pre-listing inspection can cover the estimated lifespan of a roof, the water quality on the property, identify hazardous materials such as asbestos and mould, look at the state of the windows and doors, and the quality of the foundation.

Benefits

The benefits of getting a pre-listing inspection completed are vast when you’re trying to sell your home. When getting a pre-listing inspection, you can expect to attract more buyers, mainly if your inspection report is fair and the home’s condition is proven to be excellent. Because professionals have inspected the condition of your home, this will also speed up the selling process of your home. Once you have finished doing the necessary repairs to the home to be in prime condition, the rate at which your home will sell will accelerate. This inspection will ultimately save you time from doing future repairs and will make your home much more valuable.

Cost

While the price of the pre-listing inspection will depend on the location and size of your home, the average cost will amount to about $340. Of course, there are other elements to factor in that will affect the price of your pre-listing inspection. For instance, if you are only getting your roof or foundation looked at, expect a much lower cost than if you were to get the entire home and property inspected.

To gather more crucial information on pre-listing inspection matters, contact a home inspection Calgary professional to schedule an inspection at the home you wish to place on the market.

Integra Inspection Services is the leading provider of home inspection services throughout Calgary. Our commitment to our clients is evident by our honest and thorough Calgary home inspections. Our service is available for residential buildings, including homes, townhouses, and condos. Whether you are a buyer, seller, or a realtor, we conduct complete home inspections to determine if your property has any structural flaws and to prevent future costly repairs. Our Calgary home inspections include infrared thermal images on every inspection for an accurate, detailed inspection. For all of your home inspection or commercial property assessment needs, we can help. Schedule your inspection with Integra Inspection Services.

Even if you’re not planning to sell your home anytime soon, it’s good to have a pre-listing home inspection done. A pre-listing home inspection will allow you to make any necessary repairs, updates, and minor renovations prior to putting your house on the market. Hiring a qualified Calgary home inspector can save you a lot of time, money, and stress.

What are the Benefits of Pre-Listing Home Inspections?

Enhance Your Curb Appeal

Even if you’re not putting your house on the market for several months, there is no reason to let it go to waste. You won’t get more money for your house by neglecting to make necessary repairs and improvements. A good home inspector will point out areas in your home that can be improved and updated to make it more attractive to potential buyers. The inspector may also recommend fixes you hadn’t considered as important to its marketability.

Gain an Advantage Over Other Sellers

By having a pre-listing home inspection done, you’ll be ahead of the game when it comes time for selling your home. Your inspector will point out any needed repairs and renovations and provide suggestions for potential buyers. The result is a house that’s more attractive to those looking to buy real estate in Calgary. Having a professional inspection report puts sellers on the level of motivated sellers.

Save Money

An inspection prior to putting your house on the market will help avoid costly repairs required as a part of closing a deal. By identifying any potential problems before presenting your home to potential buyers, you can save money by addressing these problems way in advance. The inspector may also have suggestions on making repairs more cost-effectively, which can result in a lower sale price for your home.

Trouble Spots Prelisting Home Inspections Help to Avoid

Unnecessary Repairs and Renovations

When you get ready to put your house on the market, it’s easy to get carried away with unnecessary renovations. Instead of spending extra money on upgrades that won’t attract buyers, address any major problems that may need to be repaired or renovated. On the other hand, you don’t want to get carried away by making unnecessary fixes.

Some buyers prefer houses without renovations so they can do them themselves or choose their own contractors if needed. An inspection well ahead of time allows you to prioritize renovations.

Potential Problems with Closing Deals

If your realtor is proactive, they might insist on getting the results of a prelisting home inspection before agreeing to sell the place. It really is win-win. It can help you avoid costly issues at closing by providing you with the opportunity to address any problems before they cause significant concerns about the listing price. Fixing these problems on your own won’t cost nearly as much as emergency repairs required at closing the deal.

Potential Legal Problems

If you neglect to address needed repairs and renovations upon selling your house, it can lead to legal problems. For instance, if the home inspector finds an issue with the roof and you didn’t disclose this information to potential buyers or their inspectors, there is a chance that the buyers will cancel the conditional sale. Further, malfeasance or negligence are remote possibilities, but having a pre listing home inspection report could safeguard you from significant legal exposure in those cases.

Pre-listing home inspections offer a number of benefits for those looking to sell their homes. You can improve your home’s curb appeal, gain an advantage over other sellers, and avoid potential legal problems by having an inspection done. You can also save money on repairs and renovations by addressing any major issues identified by the inspector. Additionally, pre-listing home inspections help avoid unnecessary repairs and renovations that potential buyers may not need. Call us your Calgary home inspector well before you list your home and make use of the one thing you can’t get when you’re selling your home: time.

Integra Inspections is a Home Inspection Company in Calgary that provides unbeatable service for home inspections. With over 15 years of experience and the latest technologies such as thermal imaging, you can count on Integra Home Inspections to get you the facts and have you ready for your next home!

You’ve listed your home, you’ve lined up potential buyers, you’re ready to close the deal, but you still have one major step to take before closing the deal; a home inspection. A proper walkthrough with a Calgary home inspector can be a make-or-break moment when trying to convince a buyer to sign on the dotted line. To ensure the inspection process is hassle-free, painless for the inspector, and won’t turn up any unexpected surprises, we break down below how to prepare for a home inspection.

Why Prepare For A Home Inspector?

One might assume that it’s not a big deal to simply call an inspector and have them arrive at your home to inspect it as is, with no need to prepare the house and property because Calgary home inspectors have seen it all before, and they know where to look and what to look for; it’s their job right? However, home sellers need to be aware that buyers will often accompany home inspectors during the inspection, and what they see could influence their decision to buy or buy at your asking price.

Calgary Home Inspector Preparations

Cleaning

As you might expect, the most important step to take when preparing for a Calgary home inspector is to do a thorough clean of the house in the days leading up to the home inspection. A dirty home can make it difficult for an inspector to find what they are looking for, and it can leave a bad impression on potential buyers by making it seem that the house and property haven’t been properly maintained over the years.

Prep Steps

Once you’ve made sure that your house is squeaky clean, there are a few more things you need to take care of before you leave and the inspector arrives. First, you need to have a plan to leave your home for at least 3 hours while the inspection is taking place; this might be a good time to run some errands or give that new restaurant down the street a try. More prep steps include:

Leave all interior doors unlocked
Ensure all pilot lights are lit
Remove pets (or place them in their crate)

If your attic hatch is located in a closet, you should remove items and clothing from the closet because the insulation will sometimes fall from the hatch during the inspection.

Obstructed Areas

Most Calgary home inspectors know their way around a house, but you can make their life much easier by clearing any obstructions to areas in the home that you know they will be inspecting. Remove any items or furniture that may be blocking access to your:

Attic Hatch
Electrical Panel
Furnace
Main Water Line
Hot Water Tank
Air Exchanger

Buying a new home can be one of the most rewarding moments of your life. Stepping into a newly purchased home inspires feelings of comfort, safety, and reliability, especially when you’ve hired a company to perform a complete home inspection. A home inspection offers incredible peace of mind, but not every homebuyer chooses to make the investment. Here are some pros and cons of that decision.

Home Inspections In Calgary

The Seller

Waiving a home inspection is mostly beneficial to the seller of the home. By waiving the home inspection, the seller is offered the luxury of selling to a buyer who is willing to take on a home exactly as it is. Meaning that the seller will have one less speed bump to worry about, negating the risk of inspectors uncovering unexpected problems that could cost the seller both time and money.

The Buyer

If a buyer decides to waive a home inspection in Calgary, they choose to expose themselves to a significant amount of risk. Calgary home inspectors are a crucial part of identifying both current and potential issues with a home. Houses can carry a considerable amount of hidden risk that anyone buying a home should be aware of.

Some of the items covered during an inspection are:

What (if any) structural work is necessary to ensure safety?
How long before the roof will need replacement?
How long before the furnace/air conditioner will need replacement?
Is the electrical panel properly wired? Any special safety concerns?
Are the insulation levels adequate?
Is the fireplace safe?
Basement leakage

Why Waive A Home Inspection?

There are really only two reasons why a buyer would waive the contingency for a home inspection in Calgary. These reasons are a) to speed up the buying process and close the deal as fast as possible or b) to increase the likelihood that the seller will accept their offer.

Since home inspections may reveal unexpected issues that could delay the purchase of a home, waiving the home inspection makes the process easier. Still, it can result in significant headaches down the road, both financially and emotionally. Sellers generally like to find a buyer as quickly as possible; this means they might be more willing to accept an offer from a buyer who is willing to waive the home inspection, especially in a competitive housing market.

Imagine you’ve found your dream home. Everything is perfect and exactly as you’ve always imagined. But because of competing offers, you’re forced to waive the home inspection to close the deal quickly. It might seem worth it at first, but six months down the road, you may rethink your decision when you have to replace the electrical or hire an exterminator.

Buying or selling a home can mean a lot of considerations. Whether it is finding a great home for your family or ensuring a great deal on your long-term home, you may have to consider a large set of data.

This includes considerations for the safety of the property. Of course, foundational and structural components should be checked in accordance with Calgary home inspection requirements. But, as we’ve discussed in the past, other concerns also exist, such as the presence of Radon.

Today we look at what Radon is, how to test for it, and most importantly, what causes Radon to actually enter our homes.

What is Radon?

Radon is an invisible gas that forms in the Earth’s crust. It rises from the ground and can get trapped in structures, such as homes and commercial buildings. It is also responsible for causing some forms of lung cancer, especially with excessive exposure.

The danger of radon gas - concept image with periodic table of the elements and magnifying lens

How to Test for Radon

Testing for Radon is a relatively simple procedure that can be done in conjunction with a Calgary home inspection. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Home Buyer’s and Seller’s Guide to Radon, “Radon testing is easy.” You can test the levels yourself with the right equipment or the professional services of a home inspector.

What Causes Radon to Enter Our Homes

Radon is a naturally-occurring gas that rises into the atmosphere from the Earth’s crust. If it becomes trapped during this process, such as by a ceiling or building interior, it will sit and become “stale” air. This may be harmful to our lung health due to the radiation it gives off, but it could also cause us to have trouble breathing in high concentrations.

Finding the right house is a process. You look at a number of options and choose the one that’s best for you, but it doesn’t stop there. Due to the potential for unseen problems, it’s important to schedule a home inspection to make sure the home really is the best option for you, which means hiring a home inspector.

But you shouldn’t hire anyone. You have to hire the best one for the job. Here is how you can do it:

Prepare for the inspection by asking your Calgary home inspector these questions.

How Long Have You Been a Home Inspector in Calgary?

Experience is key when it comes to inspecting homes. Not only should inspectors have experience examining homes, but they should also be familiar with local conditions which can affect the life expectancy of building components. Get the most out of your inspection by working with a Calgary home inspector who has operating in the area for a number of years and is fully licensed and certified.

What Will You Inspect?

A home inspection should include a full view of the property, from foundation to roof. Specific requirements vary by area, but at a minimum your home inspector should check the following:

Structural elements
The electrical and plumbing systems
Exterior elements
The heating and cooling system

What Won’t You Inspect?

Follow up the above question by finding out what is not covered during home inspections. Understanding what won’t be checked gives you the opportunity to learn about common issues that you can check out yourself. Sometimes you may want to schedule a specialized inspection to cover certain areas that aren’t included under a regular home inspection.

What Problems are Red Flags?

Many of the issues marked by a Calgary home inspector aren’t deal breakers, but find out what sort of things you should be concerned about. If any of these problem areas show up during your inspection, ask the home inspector for more information.

Home inspection checklists and tips flood the Internet and make it seem like an easy task to perform yourself. Buying a home is a big purchase, though, so you want to think twice before deciding to tackle the home inspection yourself.

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