Home Inspection FAQ

Knowledge, skill, training, equipment, background and experience of our home inspector aside; you need an unbiased, unemotional, third party, professional inspection of your home or potential home. Our service indicates maintenance or repairs, suggestions, where equipment normal controls are located, potential safety issues, items needing close monitoring, areas needing further evaluations and much more.

A home is the largest purchase most people will ever make, so it only makes sense to find out as much as you can, to avoid costly surprise repairs and problems with your new home.

Our full home inspection service covers literally the entirety of the home. Akin to a roof to foundation. It covers many systems, subsystems and components of the home both structural and non-structural. You can find a comprehensive list on out homepage.

Yes. We use infrared cameras on all our full home inspections. Thermal imaging shows characteristics of objects we cannot sense, touch or see. Different materials emit energy as thermal radiation which can only be captured by a thermal camera. This helps us perform a thorough inspection and offer you the best inspection possible. If your favourite inspector isn’t, you are not getting the full picture!

No we typically do not. In fact no Home inspector does. This is the job of the municipal building inspectors as part of the approval process when the home was built or renovated.

While we are abreast of Canada building, plumbing, fire and electrical codes, we do not inspect or review your home for code compliance. Home inspectors are NOT code inspectors or building officials. We may mention and refer concerns and consultations to the AHJ(Authorities having jurisdiction) as a courtesy and most especially when issues, concerns, defects observed may compromise the safety of the occupants or significantly affect the value of the property whether or not they are built to code. In fact we usually do not mention the word code.

The primary objective of a home inspection is to report material defects that may have a significant impact on the value of the property or pose an unreasonable safety risk to the occupants or both.

A material defect is a specific issue with a system or component of a residential property that may have a significant, adverse impact on the value of the property, or that poses an unreasonable risk to people.  The fact that a system or component is near, at or beyond the end of its normal useful life is not, in itself, a material defect.

A home; a single unit providing complete and independent living facilities for one or more persons, including permanent provisions for living, sleeping, eating, cooking and sanitation.

In the inspector’s opinion, a condition of an area, system, component or procedure that is judged to be a significant risk of injury during normal, day-to-day use. The risk may be due to damage, deterioration, improper installation, or a change in accepted residential construction standards.

Caution! Do not skip an inspection simply because the home is brand new.
Because it is a brand new home, EVERYTHING should work as expected and this is not always the case as we have observed with new home inspections we have completed. Also there may be cosmetic issues which should not be because when you move into a brand new home, it is expected that it is just that – Brand New.

You waited quite sometime for the home to be built and in turn the home should reflect all the perks of being the first occupant.

Yes. We are certified by the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors(InterNACHI) to perform home inspections in Nova Scotia. InterNACHI is the largest home inspection body in the world. There is currently no local licensing for Home inspectors in Nova Scotia. Our inspector has competed the home inspector training, home inspector certification and home inspector exam from the Internachi home inspection school. See https://internachi.edu/

Our Home inspection report is a written communication (including image, videos where necessary) of any material defects observed during the inspection and also general notes and observations. We categorize our reports in such a way that it is simple to read, understand and get out the most important part (the summary section).

Our home inspection report could be ready immediately after inspection. For quality assurance, we usually send out reports within 4 – 6 hours, however would give you an instant summary of our inspection with which you could have further discussion and negotiations immediately.

Our reports are sent the same day.

No. We do not within 12 months of the inspection. We abide by strict code of ethics.
We do not participate in any referrals or rebate programs. Any referrals are based on our top quality work and value additions.

Doing any of the above constitutes a conflict of interest according to our training and Code of Ethic.(Opens in new window)

By accessible we mean, a system or component that, in the judgment of the inspector, is capable of being safely observed without the removal of obstacles, detachment or disengagement of connecting or securing devices, or other unsafe or difficult procedures to gain access. It will be wise to have such restrictions removed before the inspector comes in so we are able to do the best home inspection possible and leave no stones unturned.

Four or fewer residential units. We inspect residential properties. Give us a call or email us for pricing or if you have any questions.

No, if you are not able or do not want to. However we recommend being present where possible so you could ask questions and get live answers. If you are not able to make the inspection, don’t sweat it. We work in your interest only and will conduct a proper inspection of your property and send you a detailed report.

Yes. It is imperative to maintain the value of your home with safe practices and maintenance. We highly recommend you subscribe to our bi-weekly home maintenance newsletters. Subscribe Now