Pre Purchase Home Inspections for Edmonton, Alberta.

Alberta Home Inspection is your go-to for pre-purchase inspections of homes that you are buying in the Edmonton and  area. A home inspection is an important step in the home buying process, and makes sense not only for single-family homes, but also multi-family, townhomes, and condos.

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Buyers of homes in Edmonton, including  all of our towns and seek out home inspectors in order to gain an understanding of the problems and condition of their investment. 

 

Many buyers are aware of the importance of a home inspection, but don’t quite know what to expect from a home inspection or what inspectors look for and assess. 

 

 A warranty inspection should be performed prior to the expiration of the home warranty contract so that you can address repairable issues with the builder while the warranty is in-force. Otherwise, you may be fully liable for the repair costs on your own should you allow the warranty to expire prior to discovering defects.  

 

Home inspectors are licensed by Alberta province, and are required to inspect and report on certain items, as detailed in the Home Inspector Code of Ethics. 

 

The code of ethics is a very minimal set of standards, and we exceed them in terms of detail of the inspection, quality of the home inspection report and service to our clients before and after the inspection. 

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During the home inspection, we will inspect all of the major components of the home, usually starting with the exterior of the structure.  You are welcome to follow along during the inspection and ask any questions that you might have.

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After the inspection is complete, a summary of any problem areas will be reviewed with you, along with items that are considered maintenance or upkeep items.  The final report will be delivered via email, and can be viewed online or as a PDF file that you can download and print, if desired.  Compared to most other home inspection reports, ours appear to come from the modern age, and include great photos of any problems, and explanations of how they can be corrected.  We make sure you will get Quality Home Inspection.

 

What Does a Pre-Purchase Home Inspection Include?

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We start the inspection at the outside of the home

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After meeting you or your real estate agent, we typically start our inspections on the outside of the home.  Depending on weather and schedules, sometimes we shift around the order of the inspection. 

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The Grounds of the House are Inspected

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A home inspection doesn’t just include problems with the structure of the house itself.  A good inspector will pay close attention to issues on the surrounding property that may affect the safety, longevity or structure of the home.

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• Drainage of water from precipitation, sump pumps and runoff from neighboring property

• Overgrowth of trees or shrubs that may affect the structure of the house

• Driveway, sidewalks and other walkways

• Retaining walls

• Decks and Patios

 

We Move on to the Exterior

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The exterior of a home is critical in keeping water, bugs and other animals out.  Weather and time can create big problems with the exterior, so a large part of the inspection is focused there.

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• The condition of the roof, including shingles and flashings

• Trim and soffits

• Gutters and downspouts

• Siding

• Doors & Windows

• Electrical service entrance

• Electrical outlets

• Water faucets

 

The Attic Inspection is Next

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We make special effort to gain access to all unfinished attic spaces, simply because they can reveal a lot about the integrity and condition of the home.

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• The underside of the roof is assessed.  Signs of water damage are of particular importance.

• Adequacy of roof ventilation

• Condition of visible electrical wiring

• Plumbing vent stacks

• Depth and type of insulation

• We determine if bathroom and kitchen vent fans are properly vented

• Presence of moisture or mold growth

 

We Move Indoors

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The interior inspection includes the areas of the house that are usually occupied.  We move throughout the house, inspecting many items as we go

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• Kitchen

• Bathrooms

• Laundry room

• Fireplaces

• Electrical outlets, lights & ceiling fans

• Visible plumbing

• Condition of walls

• Condition of floors

• Windows

• Stairways

• Fire alarms and carbon monoxide (CO) detectors

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Electrical Inspection is Critical

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We pay special attention to items that may affect the safety or health of our clients, and the electrical system is by far the most important area in terms of safety. 

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• Service disconnect/main breaker

• Main electrical panel/breaker box

• Grounding

• Branch wiring

• Outlets/receptacles

• Ground Fault Circuit Interupters (important safety devices near water)

• Lights

• Switches

• Ceiling Fans

 

We Assess the Plumbing

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Plumbing and its effects on the home are inspected as we move through the home, but the basement is special because this is where we often see leaks that start high up in the home.

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• We locate and inspect the main water shutoff valve

• Water supply and drain pipes

• The visible portion of the main water line

•  We assess if the water flow and drainage are normal

•  Basement sump pumps, their drain lines and safety

•  The condition of any basement utility sinks

•  We take of the types of pipe used in the home, and special considerations with each

• Natural gas or propane supply pipes

• Water heaters, including storage tank, tankless, air-source heat pump and geothermal

 

Heating and Cooling are Next

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Furnaces and boilers tend to last a long time, and the quality of installers varies wildly.  We take our time inspecting these systems, along with central air conditioners.

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• Safety of ventilation piping and their connections

• Operation of all thermostats

• General functionality of forced-air furnaces and boilers

• Registers and radiators are checked, using thermal imagery, to ensure that they are operational

• The operating condition of furnaces, identifying problems with burners,

• Condition of the external air conditioner system

 

The Foundation Structure Visible from the Basement & Crawlspace

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No inspection can be considered truly complete unless the foundation of the home and other components visible from below are checked out. We access all basements and crawlspaces, as long as we can get into them.

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• Poured concrete, cemement block, cinder block, stone and wood (they exist) foundations

• Floor structure

• Insulation on foundation walls, rim joists and the subfloor

• Basement concrete slab

• Cracks in the slab or foundation

• Water entry

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On-Site Review of the Home's Condition

 

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The interior inspection includes the areas of the house that are usually occupied.  We move throughout the house, inspecting many items as we go

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• Kitchen

• Bathrooms

• Laundry room

• Fireplaces

• Electrical outlets, lights & ceiling fans

• Visible plumbing

• Condition of walls

• Condition of floors

• Windows

• Stairways

• Fire alarms and carbon monoxide (CO) detectors

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The Home Inspection Report is Finalized

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Your report will be completed and delivered to you electronically within 24 hours of the inspection. We are happy to discuss with you any questions about the report, either right away or months down the road.

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• The report is web-based and mobile friendly

• Links to download the report in PDF are also sent to you

• Descriptions of findings and recommendations are clear, and include clear photos

• The report is easy to share with your real estate agent, and we can send directly to them

• The report includes a summary view, that includes all major problems in a condensed form