Home Inspector Blog

With the red hot sellers market we are in it can be nearly impossible to get a home inspection as a buyer. Sadly this has lead to grief for many home buyers. There is however some hope for buyers and that comes in the form of the pre listing or pre sale home inspection.

What is a pre sale home inspection? This is a home inspection performed by a home inspector for the buyers and is often done to...

8 ways home inspection can prevent costly repairs

Home inspections are a visual examination of a home from roof to basement. Buying a house is an earnest investment. Before you purchase a home, one of the main things you should consider is to be evaluated by a professional home inspector.

It’s an essential step in the home purchase process that notifies buyers of what they need to consider before...

Overview of Hot Water Boilers Hot water boilers have been used for decades and can be found in both old and newer homes. The primary difference to a common gas or electric furnace is that water is heated and distributed throughout the home in pipes and radiators instead of forced air flow. The heat source is typically electric, oil, wood, gas or propane and may include supplemental solar heating. ...

A roof of a house is designed to protect the building from weather invasion like rain, wind, snow and hail and against falling objects. Without proper maintenance or a regular roof inspection, minor problems can become disastrous. There are many ways to cause a roof to leak or fail. Here are some common problems that can affect roofs

Flashing failure Flashing problems can happen to any kind of roo...

Overview of Boilers Both older and newer homes I have found boiler heating in use. The term boiler is generally applied to systems that transfer radiant heat throughout a home using water/steam as opposed to circulating forced air convection heat like a furnace. The name is left over from the days when all in home radiant heating systems used steam.

Both steam and hot water boilers are commonly fo...

There have been 270 species of mould identified in Canada. Health Canada recommends that all mould, regardless of species be cleaned and that the underlying problems which enabled the growth of the mould should be dealt with immediately, to prevent potential health issues. Mould needs moisture and organic material to start and thrive. Leaky pipes, roofs, or windows can provide the moisture it tak...

How do electric furnaces work?

Here in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) our homes’ heating equipment is vital. Not only will it keep our loved ones warm and prevent catastrophes such as burst pipes, our HVAC system is also one of our biggest contributors to monthly expenses and a costly system to replace in the home. Having a clear understanding the system you have, its maintenance requirements and ...

Home Inspector Overview of Heat Pumps

In recent years, heat pumps have become more and more common as an economical and environmentally friendly option to both heat and cool your home. They are referred to as geothermal heating when the outside source is in ground. Our home inspectors are trained to help you understand heat pumps, their benefits and potential concerns.

How Heat Pumps Work

Heat p...

Yes, its that time of year when we are turning on the heat. Most of us are familiar with the common gas furnace but as a home inspector, I see all types of heating types. Over the next couple of months, I will be posting about other types of heating that homebuyers can expect to run into when looking at homes.

Electric Furnace as part of your Home Inspection

How do electric furnaces work?

Here ...

Inspec Homes Home Inspectors would like to welcome our newest home inspector to join the team, Ron Wiseman, Home Inspector Oakville. Ron Wiseman was born in Oakville, Ontario. His family moved to Mississauga where he was raised. Upon starting his own family Ron and his wife decided to move back to Oakville to set down their roots. Ron is our home inspector in Oakville and the surrounding area, a...

This home inspector knows how important AC on these hot and humid summer days. It is important for the home buyer to know the state of the AC before they move it. Home inspectors will inspect AC as part of the home inspections.

Overview of Air Conditioners

Although not essential to a home climate system in Canada, air conditioners are found in nearly every home to combat the inevitable heat wav...

Decks are exposed to all the elements from outside including rain, snow, wind, heat, and cold. You will want to give your deck a tune up to keep it from deteriorating.

If you have an older deck that needs some fixing up - where do you start? If the wood and support footings on the deck are still in good shape, it’s likely that a few fixes will do the trick. However, if the deck shows signs of rot ...

So your home repair list didn’t get completed again this summer. Instead of lamenting the list and beating yourself up why not just go another route? Move on and concentrate on important items to be completed in preparation for winter.

Furnaces are real workhorses throughout the winter months and home owners should make it a point to have an annual heating system inspection and service visit from ...

Inspec Homes Home Inspections is proud to announce that Jamie Lusted is joining our team of home inspectors. Jamie will be a home inspector in the Newmarket and Aurora area. He brings to the team extensive knowledge and experience he gained working in the construction industry for the past 15 years. Jamie has built numerous homes and has done countless renovations, and he is excited to apply his kn...

Inspec Homes Home Inspections would like to welcome our newest home inspector, Ken Jackett to the team. Although new to us Ken as a home inspector, he has been working as a home inspector for over five years serving the Trenton, Prince Edward, and surrounding areas. Ken will continue to serve these areas moving forward and we are very excited to add his knowledge and experience to our team.

Ken Ja...

A roof of a house is designed to protect the building from weather invasion like rain, wind, snow and hail and against falling objects. Without proper maintenance or a regular roof inspection, minor problems can become disastrous. There are many ways to cause a roof to leak or fail. Here are some common problems home inspectors fine that can affect roofs:

Flashing failure: Flashing problems can ha...

As home inspectors we see it all the time, whether you are getting your house ready to sell or move into your new home, painting is top of the list of things to do. Let’s first talk about the seller. In this situation, people are typically painting their house as a low cost option to give it a fresh look and hopefully bring in some extra money on the sale of the home. If done properly it works li...

Spring weather is finally here and with it the rain. Most people don’t like the rain but we all know it brings with is good things, flowers, green grass, and all the things that make summer so beautiful. However, there is one other good thing rain can help with and that is letting you know if your gutters are working properly. After a long harsh Toronto winter with lots of snow and ice and gutters ...

The home inspection market has completely turned around from last springs crazy real estate market. This time last year Toronto and the GTA saw the hottest real estate market ever and with every home getting multiple offers the home inspection market was anything but hot.

This spring, however, is a different story, with home prices falling it’s become a buyers market and that means people can once...

Buying a new home is stressful enough and then add to the mix all the people who help you, your real estate agent, your mortgage agent, your lawyer, and your home inspector. Choosing the right people for the job can make a huge difference. Here a few tips to help you choose the best home inspector for your new home purchase.

Many people will have homes inspectors referred to them by their real e...

As home inspectors, we see the first hand all the issues the come with the warmer weather. It’s important to prepare your home as much as possible. With temperatures set to start rising, the ice and snow that has built up over the winter will start melting and in some cases causing problems. Here are some tips on how to get ready for this without experiencing roof and basement leaks and other unfor...

Even the best home inspector cannot predict how a home will behave in extreme conditions. This rapid winter thaw has created flooding problems are across Ontario and basements everywhere that are normally dry are suddenly flooding with water. The rapid onset of warm weather melted the snow on top of the still frozen ground. This leads to extreme water pooling in places that water would not normally...

The roof of a home is one of the most important parts of the home. As home inspectors, we know that the home inspections is probably the only time someone will inspect the roof. He is an overview of the roof and some of the common problem they have.

A roof of a house is designed to protect the building from weather invasion like rain, wind, snow and hail and against falling objects. Without proper...

Wet basements are a common issue especially in older homes. That damp feeling and musty smell are a sure indication of water infiltration and mold growth. Now, when I say water infiltration that doesn’t have to mean a giant crack in the foundation or a huge visible leak, although these things do qualify. The more common culprit are small cracks in the foundation or gaps between the foundation and ...

Is your home ready for winter? Snow, ice, and cold weather are part of life in Canada during the winter. Every year we prepare for winter, for ourselves, we break out our warm clothes and lip balms, for our cars we change over to snow tires and stock up on -40°C washer fluid, but what about for our homes?

There are a number of things big and small we can do to ensure our homes stay protected ove...

Air filters don't just help to improve the air quality in your home, they protect your heating system equipment from damage and improve its performance. It is the most important maintenance task for optimizing your heating system's energy efficiency. Energy savings, lower utility bills, and better indoor air quality are the three greatest benefits that you’ll enjoy when you replace your dir...

This is a reader's digest version of an information website called kiteccrusader.ca regarding defective kitec plumbing products. Kitec is a flexible, plastic-wrapped aluminum pipe with brass fittings and can be easily identified by its bright color. Some popular brands for Kitec pipes are: Kitec, PlumbBetter, IPEX AQUA, Warm Rite, Kitec XPA, AmbioComfort, XPA, KERR, Controls, and Plomberie Amel...

Is There Asbestos In Your Home?

As home inspectors we see asbestos all the time. Infact homes built before the 1980’s are very likely to have materials in them that contain asbestos. Asbestos can be found in a variety of products including but not limited to, roof shingles, siding, vermiculite insulation, ceiling tiles and coating, popcorn ceilings, Drywall and cement sheets, plasters, putties, ...

Proper ventilation of your homes attic and roof are very important for its health. Mold, ice damning, and water infiltration are all symptoms of poor ventilation. Most people think people think when it comes to proper ventilation more is better, but as can been seen in this picture too much venation can also cause issues too. All these extra protrusions can shorten the life of your roof, and increa...

Winter is coming and with it water damage. I see it every year, people forget to shut off and drain the water supply to their hose bibs. As seem in the picture a slow leak caused ice to build up and around the the hose bib. This can cause the pipes to burst and when the weather warms up the flooding starts. If you don't fix problems like this they can lead to major flooding in your home. As p...

While doing a home inspection in Keswick I noticed something strange on my thermal imager (see picture) you notice these things all to often during home inspections and it makes me wonder how home inspectors who don't use thermal imagers find problems like this. The floor in this case was not wet, in fact in was barely damp, but the cooling effect of water evaporating from the ground wasn't...