Buying a new home is exciting and thrilling, but often described by many as being fairly stressful. When you buy a home, how can you be sure that you are purchasing a solid structure? What assurance do you have there will be no surprising and costly expenditures in your near future? Some things are easy to spot, even by the most untrained eyes. Most people can detect broken windows, water damage, or a rickety, unsafe railing. However, there could be problems that are not easily identifiable unless you take your flashlight and crawl around deep within the bowels of the house. Dry rot, carpenter ants, faulty wiring, leaks, and mould are just some of the nasty problems that could be lurking beneath the freshly painted exterior of any house for sale. The sellers may not even be aware of the problems. Sellers could even be appraising their home too high based on the incorrect assumption that everything is working fine.
Luckily there are highly trained professionals who can help first time as well as experienced home-buyers ascertain the condition of any house being considered for purchase. Norm Hoessmann is a Comox valley house inspector, who recently hired me to shoot some pictures for his website. His job is to find those problems that might cost new homeowners unexpected investments in home repairs. Armed with his flashlight, a ladder, and a few tools, he will search through a house and give the potential purchasers a report of everything he finds. Homeowners can see the kinds of repairs needed and decide if they have found their dream home or a source of endless maintenance.
Finding a home inspector you can trust is an important step. Norm has created a website to help him connect with potential clients and real estate agents in the Comox Valley. To find out more about home inspections check out his website www.aardvarkinspections.ca
