When buying a house make sure you get it inspected!

Bnorth

Active VIP Member
Joined
Dec 18, 2010
Messages
10,846
Reaction score
21,063
Location
Salmon Arm
i have met a couple out here with zero construction experience . its like the little government collage boy telling a logger that has been falling tree's for over 25 years how to cut a tree, then the logger hands the saw to the collage boy and says well u show me how to do it then ? and little collage boy says i cant ive never run a saw . lol
I'm just a little college boy Willy. Can you show me how to run my Husky 3120XP?
 

X-it

Active VIP Member
Joined
Jan 8, 2007
Messages
7,915
Reaction score
18,049
Location
Prince George
What really bothers me is when the building inspector is not a certified carpenter, in the first 10 seconds you can tell if he is or is not.. it is that obvious. Their lack of knowledge gets them in real trouble in no time, even faster when jerk with them.
 

TylerG

Super Mod Geek
Administrator
Moderator
Joined
Nov 7, 2006
Messages
31,479
Reaction score
29,337
Location
Parkland County
id gladly get that if it was available... my home inspection was 2 hours tops... home is 30 years old... problem is home inspection are set up by realtors who wanna sell the house and don't give a crap about the buyer!

you actually don't have to let the realtor set up the inspection, you can tell them you'll set one up yourself and just call them with date and time to have them inform the seller of when they are coming. That's what I did when we bought our place..... well kind of, we bought from a guy I work with who basically gave me a key to the place and told me to go and look as often as I wanted and do whatever, the "realtor" that he had "hired" to sell the place was the biggest douche bag I've ever met, and almost as pushy as a used car salesmen so I did as much as I could without him actually there.
 

sledneck_03

Active VIP Member
Joined
Nov 20, 2008
Messages
2,356
Reaction score
1,571
Location
saskatoon
saskatoon is booming for those who do not know, and because of it everyone who could jumped on the realitor band wagon and the inspector band wagon, a couple guys i know did it just cause you "take a short course, look over the house and get $400, and your not liable if you miss anything" Those are the people that are inspecting your houses, same with Realtors that do next to nothing and are getting $10,000-16,000 for selling your house and finding you a new one, they know nothing other than they get big cash for selling.

A good friend of mine has built houses and hes a Realtor and his saying is a builders experience, and its true, when we looked for houses he pre looked over the whole place and showed me areas that may be of concern, would an inspector found the same stuff? yah but i didnt have to pay a guy that just took a **** course to make some quick cash, the Realtor should almost pay for the inspection them selves to ensure they make their thousands of dollars.
 

KawisakiRider

Active VIP Member
Joined
Feb 23, 2009
Messages
390
Reaction score
492
Location
Beaumont
They actually are liable even with the "contract" you sign. I went through all of this BS, inspector came while is was out of town working, passed house, 3 months later problems. Long story short he missed some glaringly obvious things so I threatened to sue.
We settled out of court and it covered all of my expenses for his error.
He works for one of the big inspection companies.
So if anyone has similar circumstances dont be afraid to pursue legal action, they worst they can say is no.
I will never again hire an "inspector"
 

plio7

GBCA Member
Joined
May 5, 2009
Messages
9,878
Reaction score
10,322
Location
Calmer, formerly of the GBCA
please done listen to mike holmes.....that guys a phuckin idiot too. pretty sure he just spent a year memorizing the Ontario building code and now thinks he's a construction god....its easy to walk into a place that's half finished as see whats wrong when the wall and ceiling are already torn apart, and you've gone in before the cameras to investigate for a week......hate that guy
after watching all the shows on tv about this issue it sure is scary buying even a new house. when I bought my house 17 years ago I knew it had issues but we fixed and now so far so good. lots of crap out there and the owners have no problem selling that crap!
 

Mike270412

Golden Boy
Joined
Apr 29, 2008
Messages
29,458
Reaction score
48,436
Location
GBCA
Jealousy rears it's ugly head!
please done listen to mike holmes.....that guys a phuckin idiot too. pretty sure he just spent a year memorizing the Ontario building code and now thinks he's a construction god....its easy to walk into a place that's half finished as see whats wrong when the wall and ceiling are already torn apart, and you've gone in before the cameras to investigate for a week......hate that guy
 

somethingnuw

Active VIP Member
Joined
Apr 22, 2011
Messages
1,038
Reaction score
1,087
Location
High Prairie
please done listen to mike holmes.....that guys a phuckin idiot too. pretty sure he just spent a year memorizing the Ontario building code and now thinks he's a construction god....its easy to walk into a place that's half finished as see whats wrong when the wall and ceiling are already torn apart, and you've gone in before the cameras to investigate for a week......hate that guy

oh man now i have to find a new hero!
 

green-horn

Active VIP Member
Joined
Oct 19, 2009
Messages
1,079
Reaction score
2,388
Location
TOYTOWN
:realmad:I have had a "Holmes" inspection done, and would not recommend them:nono:. Overpriced and UN-knowledgeable home inspector.
 

Summiteer

Active VIP Member
Joined
Nov 8, 2006
Messages
5,883
Reaction score
3,508
Location
Whitecourt, Ab
I have been to a couple of houses in the past year to fix stuff that home inspectors completely missed on an inspection. Both Pillar to Post and Amerispec. Seems that they go around with their flashlight and plug tester and call things like wrong polarity on a receptacle but miss open splices in the basement ceiling. One house had garage fed with 2 separate 2 conductor cables with no grounds in them. One last week had teck coming into the house, too short to reach the panel so the guy spliced them in the open ceiling, no JB, nothing. The teck outside was buried shallow enough that you could feel it when you walked over it. Home inspection report had a plug that need to be rewired in the living room. Best bet is to get a tradesman in to look.
 

JayBec

Active VIP Member
Joined
Feb 11, 2009
Messages
571
Reaction score
38
Location
Edmonton, AB
bought a house last year, older house but great potential, inspector went through said everything was good except for my electrical had to upgraded upstairs, ok fine, then he says that there is a hole in the living room ceiling.. and asks me "was there a fire place here " , a patch job on the roof that lines up with hole in ceiling, freaking genius, but I let it go, and had to leave for work, long story short the last year I have been dealing with a leaking basement, one of the cracks was a cover up job by the old owners and was not disclosed and the other crack the inspector should of found...but didn't, called the inspector to get paperwork so I can follow up and get lawsuit going, all of a sudden theres no record, except for the paper that I have...im getting mad talking about this...inspectors r scabs....that is all !!
 

Trashy

Super Moderator
Moderator
Joined
Nov 16, 2008
Messages
132,844
Reaction score
105,517
Location
Fort Macleod
please done listen to mike holmes.....that guys a phuckin idiot too. pretty sure he just spent a year memorizing the Ontario building code and now thinks he's a construction god....its easy to walk into a place that's half finished as see whats wrong when the wall and ceiling are already torn apart, and you've gone in before the cameras to investigate for a week......hate that guy

X1,000,000 :rolleyes:

Mike Holmes, doesn't know chit, and has probably hurt the used home industry more than helped it!!! I started spraying 2lbs spray foam insulation 2 years ago (BASF chemical and holmes endorsed). Pretty much every private or custom job we do, the home owner apparently knows more than me. Cause they have watched every episode of holmes!!!!

I have been in the housing construction industry for 32 years this summer, I don't claim to know everything and no one can. The best thing you can do (IMHO), is take as many people as you can to view your next possible purchase. What you and I might not see, someone else will. I bought my acreage used, I did my own inspection, and have no regret's. Other than I should have had the ground inspected, I have found so much chit buried under the dirt and gravel.

One more thing I would NEVER do, is buy a former Show Home. They are slammed together soooooo fast, because the builder needs to make their quota for the year. That the care and attention that is needed and required, does not exist!!!!
 

Apex162

Active member
Joined
Mar 17, 2008
Messages
144
Reaction score
25
Location
edmonton
bryan baeumler is realistic and Holmes isn't, who could afford Holmes but he is right. At least they are calling out all these fly by night contractors out there and explaining the cost if
it isn't done right. If your jealous of these guys you may be one of these fly-by outfits out there.
 

LUCKY 7

Active VIP Member
Joined
Jan 17, 2009
Messages
7,331
Reaction score
11,002
Location
Sparwood
I just got a house inpected in Cranbrook this past weekend . It took the guy 6 hours to do it and another hour with us explaining the report to us. The guy was from Fernie. Well worth every penny!!!! Very professional in every way. The prevoius owners of the house even commented on how good he was. So glad we found a good one.There are lots of bad ones out there
 

ferniesnow

I'm doo-ing it!
Joined
Dec 2, 2008
Messages
112,562
Reaction score
86,604
Location
beautiful, downtown Salmon Arm, BC
I just got a house inpected in Cranbrook this past weekend . It took the guy 6 hours to do it and another hour with us explaining the report to us. The guy was from Fernie. Well worth every penny!!!! Very professional in every way. The prevoius owners of the house even commented on how good he was. So glad we found a good one.There are lots of bad ones out there

So are you moving or is this a retirement income project?
 

storm1972

Active VIP Member
Joined
Aug 15, 2010
Messages
14,054
Reaction score
5,595
Location
Liard
Getting an inspection done these days is almost a joke, keep in mind people the cost to get it done, and your inspection is only going to be as good as that dudes coffee he had that morning.
Your far better off finding a reputable contractor or carpenter that has been doing homes for a while and asking him /her to have a look, after all the carpenter has to know a lot about the plumbing / electrical and other trades , basically overseeing all of them
 

LUCKY 7

Active VIP Member
Joined
Jan 17, 2009
Messages
7,331
Reaction score
11,002
Location
Sparwood
No I am not moving..It's actually for my mother in-law. I was helping her as she is 75 years old and we didn't want her to get ripped off. I might buy it from her in about 20 years from now.maybe
 

LUCKY 7

Active VIP Member
Joined
Jan 17, 2009
Messages
7,331
Reaction score
11,002
Location
Sparwood
The bad part is on the August long weekend the moving from Nelson will be getting done. I really hope the Tundra is up to it. lol Maybe you should lend me your new 3/4 ton truck? what do you think ?
 
Top Bottom