When it comes to purchasing a car or a home, it is always essential to go for a pre-check or a pre-purchase inspection. You are essentially investing a lot of money into a piece of real estate or even a collectible. So before you sign the dotted line and money changes hands, it is always a good idea to find out if the property has any issues, and you can utilize the inspection report to further draw down the price or even negotiate repairs. The pre-check can enable you to decide on the deal or to walk away from the same, which is why it is all the more important. The pre-purchase inspection is mostly a visual inspection and one that you can use to focus on certain areas, more than others.
-
Qualified professional
When it comes to a pre purchase inspection in Ottawa or anywhere else, you need to make sure that you are choosing the right person for the job. Yes, there are a lot of bad and good inspectors which is all the more reason for you to ask for their credentials, background, and whether they are affiliated with a professional organization, etc. You certainly don’t choose the first person to walk in through the door.
-
Get a cost estimate
When it comes to the pre-purchase inspection, the first thing that you need to do is to get a cost estimate from the inspector. Ask him to provide you with a list of what their pre-purchase inspection covers and find out if their work would cover leaks in the roof as well as cracks in the foundation. Assuming that the pre-check does this, you can use the inspection report as a negotiating tool to either reduce the overall rate or to get the buyer to pay for the requisite repairs.
-
Damp, mold, and other defects
You can ask the inspector to keep an eye out for signs of damp, as it often indicates mold in the immediate vicinity. And once the moisture is prevalent among the walls, it often causes mold and other forms of fungus to take root. Apart from this, you can also ask the inspector to find out if the foundation is still strong or whether there is anything for you to be worried about? And of course, ask the inspector to keep his eyes open for signs of water stagnation on the property grounds, as it can often preclude a more serious issue, such as foundation cracks, basement leaks, and much more.
-
Plumbing and wiring
It should be pointed out that a pre-purchase inspection offers you at best, a cursory look at the building flaws. It is not as detailed as you would like it to be, but it does raise several flags on important issues, such as plumbing, wiring, foundation, and more. You can then use this report to raise the issue with the seller and even use the pre-check inspection to determine if there were any cosmetic repairs done, ahead of the inspector’s visit. A cosmetic repair is often an indication that it is hiding a more serious flaw and you need to take a closer look at the same.
These are the things that you need to check out when it comes to a pre-purchase inspection and one that you would need to check out, well in advance of the purchase agreement.
