Your Ultimate Final Walk Through Checkout Checklist

What is a final walk through?

Although a final walk through isn’t a home inspection, they’re just as important. A final walk through gives home buyers a final chance to inspect the house before the official closing. The purpose of a walk through is to ensure that the property is in the exact same condition in which you agreed to purchase it. This includes all agreed on repairs and any other conditions you had agreed to.

Most often final walk throughs are completed by the home buyers and their real estate agent, together they will walk through the house room by room. But you can also bring along another person in the form of a home inspector to ensure the home you’re closing on is in a good condition and if any extra repair may be necessary. Home inspectors can help you identify other potential issues you may not be aware of since they have a checklist made for home inspections. The last walk through is extremely important and is the last chance to ensure the property is in a good condition and that the seller has complied with all agreements for the sale.

Final Walkthrough: A Checklist Of What To Look For

Look to ensure all agreed repairs have been completed
Make sure the seller’s belongings are no longer present and they completely moved out
Double check all lock, windows and doors
Look over all appliances

These are the basic 4 steps you need to take when doing your final walk through, this will ensure that the seller has met all the conditions and expectations you initially set. If something isn’t completed or to your satisfaction, you have every right to voice your concerns to the seller before closing on the home.

It’s important to voice any concerns you have before you move into the home, once the sale has been closed and you move in it will most likely be too late to bring up any issues you may have found. It can seem overwhelming so it’s important to prepare a through checklist of things to look for beforehand

During your final walk through, take time and bring a list of what repairs you agreed on and check them off as you walk through the house room by room. While in each room make sure to check the sealing on the windows to ensure they close and unlock/lock easily, and that there are no holes or issues If you notice something seems a little “wonky” jot it down on your list so you remember to bring it up later on. Ensure that all the doors close tightly and that they lock securely as well.

Final walk throughs deserve a thorough inspection

Finally, it’s important to remember that this is a major purchase and your final walk through deserves plenty of diligence on your part. Walking through the home with both your real estate agent and a home inspector can help guarantee that your new home won’t come with any extra unwelcome surprises.

Integra Inspection Services is the leading provider of home inspection services throughout Calgary. Our commitment to our clients is evident by our honest and thorough Calgary home inspections. Our service is available for residential buildings, including homes, townhouses, and condos. Whether you are a buyer, seller, or a realtor, we conduct complete home inspections to determine if your property has any structural flaws and to prevent future costly repairs. Our Calgary home inspections include infrared thermal imagine on every inspection for an accurate, detailed inspection. For all of your home inspection or commercial property assessment needs, we can help. Schedule your inspection with Integra Inspection Services.

Home Inspection Calgary: Pre-listing inspection cost

If you are thinking about putting your home on the market, you should begin to inquire about pre-listing inspections and how they can ultimately aid you in selling your house. By getting a pre-listing inspection conducted, you and your realtor can begin to gauge the condition of your property and if any underlying concerns should be tended to. This inspection can lead to invaluable improvements you can make to your home to increase its market value and appeal to potential buyers. Though a pre-listing inspection is not required to sell your home, it will prove incredibly helpful in identifying any elements that could derail the selling of your home.

Find out the benefits of a pre-listing inspection, what this venture entails, and the total cost of this pre-listing home inspection Calgary.

Why get an inspection

Before you list your home, hire a professional home inspector to examine your property to seek out any explicit and underlying issues where repairs are needed that can help you in the long run. Any repairs and problems in your home will eventually crop up, and obtaining a pre-listing inspection is a worthy investment to avoid any unwanted surprises in the future.

Of course, this inspection is sometimes not needed. If your home is relatively new, or if you were a crucial part of its building process, problems within the structure and property are unlikely to be found. But if you have moved into an older home, getting a pre-listing home inspection is highly recommended by relator professionals.

A professional performing a pre-listing inspection on a home

What a pre-listing inspection covers

Ultimately, the homeowner is the one that decides how extensive a pre-listing inspection needs to be. If you only want a professional appraisal to focus on the cracks in your roof, that is the only area they will look at. But a pre-listing inspection can cover the estimated lifespan of a roof, the water quality on the property, identify hazardous materials such as asbestos and mould, look at the state of the windows and doors, and the quality of the foundation.

Benefits

The benefits of getting a pre-listing inspection completed are vast when you’re trying to sell your home. When getting a pre-listing inspection, you can expect to attract more buyers, mainly if your inspection report is fair and the home’s condition is proven to be excellent. Because professionals have inspected the condition of your home, this will also speed up the selling process of your home. Once you have finished doing the necessary repairs to the home to be in prime condition, the rate at which your home will sell will accelerate. This inspection will ultimately save you time from doing future repairs and will make your home much more valuable.

Cost

While the price of the pre-listing inspection will depend on the location and size of your home, the average cost will amount to about $340. Of course, there are other elements to factor in that will affect the price of your pre-listing inspection. For instance, if you are only getting your roof or foundation looked at, expect a much lower cost than if you were to get the entire home and property inspected.

To gather more crucial information on pre-listing inspection matters, contact a home inspection Calgary professional to schedule an inspection at the home you wish to place on the market.

Integra Inspection Services is the leading provider of home inspection services throughout Calgary. Our commitment to our clients is evident by our honest and thorough Calgary home inspections. Our service is available for residential buildings, including homes, townhouses, and condos. Whether you are a buyer, seller, or a realtor, we conduct complete home inspections to determine if your property has any structural flaws and to prevent future costly repairs. Our Calgary home inspections include infrared thermal images on every inspection for an accurate, detailed inspection. For all of your home inspection or commercial property assessment needs, we can help. Schedule your inspection with Integra Inspection Services.

Asbestos exposure can cause serious and lingering health issues that vary in severity. Although it was once commonly used in constructing buildings as insulation and is still present in older homes today, this substance is no longer used due to its hazardous nature. Consulting both a doctor and scheduling a home inspection in Calgary if you think asbestos exposure is present in your place of residence can help reduce your chances of developing chronic health issues.

Because of the threat of lung scarring conditions caused by asbestos, knowing what steps you should take in case of asbestos exposure is important.

Consult healthcare professionals

If you think you have been exposed to asbestos, you should consult your healthcare provider. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one-time or brief exposure to asbestos is usually nothing to worry about. If you feel any effects from short-term exposure, they should subside after a short period of time. Consult a doctor to get examined where medical experts can determine your risks of developing asbestos-related health issues to relieve any worry. Having been exposed to asbestos, even only briefly, you should wash your body and your clothes to further eliminate any threat.

Unknowingly being exposed to asbestos for long periods of time can be more cause for concern. While lung issues typically won’t materialize for 5-10 years after long-term exposure, you should still seek a doctor to monitor your symptoms.

Home Inspection

Since asbestos exposure can often occur in your own home, you should get your home inspected by professionals. Home inspection professionals will assess the asbestos condition in your home, advise you on what action you need to undertake, and will contain the exposure for you. It is highly advisable to let professionals handle this substance to minimize your exposure.

Symptoms

Asbestos exposure can eventually manifest into lung conditions where symptoms are often shortness of breath, chest pain, and a perpetual cough. Coughing up blood and weight loss can be linked to asbestos-related diseases that can become quite severe, like mesothelioma and lung cancer. If you have any lung-related symptoms, you should seek medical help as soon as possible.

Treatment

Unfortunately, it’s impossible to reverse any damage done by asbestos exposure. While there are no known cures to eradicate lung scarring caused by asbestos, treatments are available to reduce symptoms and minimize any potential disease from progressing. Treatments like oxygen therapy can help you breathe more easily, and hazardous habits that can worsen your lung health, like cigarette smoking or vaping, should be stopped immediately.

Radiation, surgery, and chemotherapy will be recommended for severe lung conditions.

When it comes to buying a house, there’s a lot more to your home than just four walls and a roof. Your major appliances are like organs, keeping your home habitable. And your furnace is much like the heart of your home, keeping warm air flowing through the winter months. But that’s not all there is to HVAC. Air conditioning keeps your household cool in the blistering heat, provided it’s part of the integrated HVAC system; many homeowners are making AC a new priority.

A home inspection is not HVAC maintenance, but it might be even more important. A critical part of your home inspector’s professional process ensures that your HVAC system is worth its part of the home’s purchase price that you’re bidding—before you sign on the dotted line.

What Is HVAC?

HVAC stands for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning. Many homes have all three systems, but homes with just a furnace and ventilation are a bit more common depending on where you live. If your home-to-be is in Calgary, the term is interchangeable with furnace. If the furnace has problems, a given home’s HVAC system might not be worth much.

What Problems Can Home Inspectors Identify Due to Poor HVAC Systems?

If you’re lucky enough to be looking at your dream home, but the HVAC system is in disrepair, the experience of living there might not be pleasant. The furnace might make a lot of noise, and it might not move air, whether cooled or heated, in an efficient manner. In extreme cases, it could pose a natural gas hazard. Repair or replacement must be done by HVAC professionals.

How Can Home Inspectors Help You Understand a Listed Home’s HVAC System?

Naturally, if an HVAC system has been poorly maintained or it’s entered the final stages of its life-cycle, the overall value of the home is less than advertised. Replacing a furnace isn’t cheap. If replacing such a critical component of an HVAC system is totally necessary, you might want to bring that point into price negotiation for the home. Calgary home inspectors can give you an unbiased opinion on its condition and the likelihood of failure in the near future.

Signs the Home Needs a New HVAC System

As mentioned above, noise and slow-moving air are signs that the motorized blower component has struggled for months, if not years. Motors need lubrication on moving parts and a clear pathway through ducting to ease the load. Dust blowing out of the vent openings on the home’s floor are signs the ducts are clogged, and the motor has been overworked. There’s more to it, but those are some of the first indicators home inspectors look for.

Calgary Home Inspectors Help You Appraise an HVAC System’s Worth

In some cases, home inspections, or even condo inspections, require a look at the HVAC system. Inspectors lend you a sharp, trained eye not just on the structure and life-supporting fixtures of the home but also on the plumbing and electrical systems.

Your HVAC system transforms natural gas and electricity into a habitable temperature, but not without sophisticated components in need of responsible care. If that’s lacking, you might need a home inspector’s professional advice to confidently negotiate on the offer you’ll be making.

Integra Inspections is a Home Inspection Company in Calgary that provides unbeatable service for home inspections. With over 15 years of experience and the latest technologies such as thermal imaging, you can count on Integra Home Inspections to get you the facts and have you ready for your next home!

When it’s time to buy or sell a home, one of the core steps in the process for both the buyer and the seller is to get a professional home inspection from a Calgary home inspector. Home inspections in Calgary are about more than just checking off a task on your to-do list. They’re about ensuring everyone is on the same page regarding the state of a property before a sale. But what exactly does a home inspection uncover?

In today’s post, we explore the main reasons why you get a home inspection in Calgary.

Benefits of Home Inspectors

To the untrained eye, Calgary home inspectors don’t do much other than walk through a home looking for problems to uncover to make sure a sale can go through. However, their work provides valuable insight for home buyers and sellers that can impact their decision-making process. Let’s take a look at why home inspections are important.

Uncover Structural Flaws

The structure of a home is one of the most important components of a home and is one of the top reasons to have a home inspection completed by a trusted Calgary home inspector when buying a home. By performing a home inspection, you can determine if there are any structural issues, and if so, whether or not you’re willing to take on the future costs of fixing those problems.

Forecast Future Expenses

Homes can be expensive to maintain, and there are always risks of stumbling upon unforeseen expenses. However, a home inspection in Calgary can help you forecast the potential for future costs. Take structural flaws as an example. Without the knowledge gained from a home inspection, you could end up buying a house that could have cracks in its walls within ten years. By performing a home inspection, you can avoid having large expenses in the future by identifying them today.

Help With Negotiations

If you’re buying a home, sending in a Calgary home inspector can even help you negotiate a lower price. If the home inspection uncovers previously unknown issues with a house, the sellers might have a tougher time finding a buyer than expected. That means you have the opportunity to leverage your willingness to buy the home as it stands to get a better deal.

Calgary Home Inspectors Bring Peace Of Mind

Perhaps the biggest benefit of all is the peace of mind you get from a home inspection. Buying a new home is expensive, and no one wants to buy a house without knowing what they’re getting into. Home inspections give you the knowledge and peace of mind that you need to enjoy your home to the fullest.

You’ve listed your home, you’ve lined up potential buyers, you’re ready to close the deal, but you still have one major step to take before closing the deal; a home inspection. A proper walkthrough with a Calgary home inspector can be a make-or-break moment when trying to convince a buyer to sign on the dotted line. To ensure the inspection process is hassle-free, painless for the inspector, and won’t turn up any unexpected surprises, we break down below how to prepare for a home inspection.

Why Prepare For A Home Inspector?

One might assume that it’s not a big deal to simply call an inspector and have them arrive at your home to inspect it as is, with no need to prepare the house and property because Calgary home inspectors have seen it all before, and they know where to look and what to look for; it’s their job right? However, home sellers need to be aware that buyers will often accompany home inspectors during the inspection, and what they see could influence their decision to buy or buy at your asking price.

Calgary Home Inspector Preparations

Cleaning

As you might expect, the most important step to take when preparing for a Calgary home inspector is to do a thorough clean of the house in the days leading up to the home inspection. A dirty home can make it difficult for an inspector to find what they are looking for, and it can leave a bad impression on potential buyers by making it seem that the house and property haven’t been properly maintained over the years.

Prep Steps

Once you’ve made sure that your house is squeaky clean, there are a few more things you need to take care of before you leave and the inspector arrives. First, you need to have a plan to leave your home for at least 3 hours while the inspection is taking place; this might be a good time to run some errands or give that new restaurant down the street a try. More prep steps include:

Leave all interior doors unlocked
Ensure all pilot lights are lit
Remove pets (or place them in their crate)

If your attic hatch is located in a closet, you should remove items and clothing from the closet because the insulation will sometimes fall from the hatch during the inspection.

Obstructed Areas

Most Calgary home inspectors know their way around a house, but you can make their life much easier by clearing any obstructions to areas in the home that you know they will be inspecting. Remove any items or furniture that may be blocking access to your:

Attic Hatch
Electrical Panel
Furnace
Main Water Line
Hot Water Tank
Air Exchanger

Buying a new home can be one of the most rewarding moments of your life. Stepping into a newly purchased home inspires feelings of comfort, safety, and reliability, especially when you’ve hired a company to perform a complete home inspection. A home inspection offers incredible peace of mind, but not every homebuyer chooses to make the investment. Here are some pros and cons of that decision.

Home Inspections In Calgary

The Seller

Waiving a home inspection is mostly beneficial to the seller of the home. By waiving the home inspection, the seller is offered the luxury of selling to a buyer who is willing to take on a home exactly as it is. Meaning that the seller will have one less speed bump to worry about, negating the risk of inspectors uncovering unexpected problems that could cost the seller both time and money.

The Buyer

If a buyer decides to waive a home inspection in Calgary, they choose to expose themselves to a significant amount of risk. Calgary home inspectors are a crucial part of identifying both current and potential issues with a home. Houses can carry a considerable amount of hidden risk that anyone buying a home should be aware of.

Some of the items covered during an inspection are:

What (if any) structural work is necessary to ensure safety?
How long before the roof will need replacement?
How long before the furnace/air conditioner will need replacement?
Is the electrical panel properly wired? Any special safety concerns?
Are the insulation levels adequate?
Is the fireplace safe?
Basement leakage

Why Waive A Home Inspection?

There are really only two reasons why a buyer would waive the contingency for a home inspection in Calgary. These reasons are a) to speed up the buying process and close the deal as fast as possible or b) to increase the likelihood that the seller will accept their offer.

Since home inspections may reveal unexpected issues that could delay the purchase of a home, waiving the home inspection makes the process easier. Still, it can result in significant headaches down the road, both financially and emotionally. Sellers generally like to find a buyer as quickly as possible; this means they might be more willing to accept an offer from a buyer who is willing to waive the home inspection, especially in a competitive housing market.

Imagine you’ve found your dream home. Everything is perfect and exactly as you’ve always imagined. But because of competing offers, you’re forced to waive the home inspection to close the deal quickly. It might seem worth it at first, but six months down the road, you may rethink your decision when you have to replace the electrical or hire an exterminator.

Have you done radon testing recently? If not, you should contact a home inspector in Calgary who can help you perform the test. They own the expensive equipment and charge a flat rate for the test. It is convenient, accessible and affordable.

The cost associated with Calgary home inspectors who do radon testing varies depending on several different factors. These factors include experience, the company performing the work and the results of the test, among others. Let’s take a look at these factors and see how they influence the cost.

Calgary Home Inspector Cost Factors

Experience

The experience of the professionals you work with is also important. Using long-term trackers means that you can get reliable information about the current radon levels in your home. This process takes between three and twelve months.

Senior Black Man Construction Manager Inspection

Home Inspection Company

The home inspection company in Calgary you choose to complete the radon testing will influence the cost. Though there is a general price range associated with the service, some companies will be more or less costly.

The Results

The reality of radon testing is that it is an important part of regular home maintenance. With the help of a Calgary home inspector, most people find nothing out of the ordinary and can breathe a sigh of relief. For those who do find high levels of radon, however, it is a different story. They will have to pay to remove the radon, which is relatively simple but does influence the cost.

The Cost of Radon Testing in Calgary

Our Calgary home inspectors say the cost of radon testing is $65 including delivery. This is a great deal as you don’t have to purchase the equipment outright and you get an experienced eye checking the results. Get started by contacting Integra Inspections today!

Buying or selling a home can mean a lot of considerations. Whether it is finding a great home for your family or ensuring a great deal on your long-term home, you may have to consider a large set of data.

This includes considerations for the safety of the property. Of course, foundational and structural components should be checked in accordance with Calgary home inspection requirements. But, as we’ve discussed in the past, other concerns also exist, such as the presence of Radon.

Today we look at what Radon is, how to test for it, and most importantly, what causes Radon to actually enter our homes.

What is Radon?

Radon is an invisible gas that forms in the Earth’s crust. It rises from the ground and can get trapped in structures, such as homes and commercial buildings. It is also responsible for causing some forms of lung cancer, especially with excessive exposure.

The danger of radon gas - concept image with periodic table of the elements and magnifying lens

How to Test for Radon

Testing for Radon is a relatively simple procedure that can be done in conjunction with a Calgary home inspection. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Home Buyer’s and Seller’s Guide to Radon, “Radon testing is easy.” You can test the levels yourself with the right equipment or the professional services of a home inspector.

What Causes Radon to Enter Our Homes

Radon is a naturally-occurring gas that rises into the atmosphere from the Earth’s crust. If it becomes trapped during this process, such as by a ceiling or building interior, it will sit and become “stale” air. This may be harmful to our lung health due to the radiation it gives off, but it could also cause us to have trouble breathing in high concentrations.

It seems like there is always another risk to humans on the horizon. As we regulate personal transportation emissions, we discover trapped greenhouse gases in our soil. We switch to paper or plastic-less parcels and find straws as the seventh most common item on beaches. It feels like our very existence is at constant risk.

But what else is new? Humans have always had to fight, band together and innovate to grow and fend off our wildest predators and most dangerous environments. Comparatively speaking, standing a couple of extra feet away from the microwave (when in use) seems less invasive than keeping a well-lit fire to stave off wolves at the light’s edge. Still, though, caution must be observed.

Calgary home inspection is just one of the ways our society maintains its diligence and ensures our dwellings are safe for residency. However, only so much can be done at a home inspection, and living in the house will present different challenges as time goes on. One of these challenges is Radon, and we look at this dangerous gas in detail below.

The Basics of Radon

What is Radon?

Radon is “a radioactive gas that occurs naturally when the uranium in soil and rock breaks down. It is invisible, odourless and tasteless.” This information comes from the Government of Canada, who further explains that the process of diffusion removes the danger of Radon from our natural environment. Inside our homes, though, this gas may cause long-term problems to our health.

In particular, the government publication continues to state that Radon exposure is the leading cause of lung cancer in non-smokers. It gets into our home through fractured bedrock, groundwater evaporation and small openings in the structure of our buildings. So, how do we protect against this unseen danger?

How Calgary Home Inspection Identifies Radon

While every Canadian home will have some amount of Radon present at all times, the most effective way to ensure it is not hazardous is to test the area. The Canadian Government sets out a guideline for amounts not exceeding 200 Becquerels per cubic metre (200 Bq/m3), which can be tested with either a do-it-yourself kit or with the help of a radon measurement professional.

For more information on Calgary home inspections or to learn where you can meet a radon measurement professional, contact us today! We look forward to hearing from you.