North Shore & Sunshine Coast Home Inspection Blog

Full disclosure.  My very first residence with my young family was a mobile home. It was in Labrador Canada. It was a harsh climate where the ice did not come off the lakes until June. We had mushrooms growing on the shag carpeting.  Regardless, it was ours and we were happy.I know that the corre...

A listing agent called the other day and asked for a price to do an inspection the same day. I replied that I would get back to them within 5 mintues. After checking my schedule, travel time and the location I called back to confirm that I could indeed be there later that afternoon.In this case t...

Just finished a home inspection on a really well renovated one-and-a-half storey mid-seventies house with a great inlet view. It was tastefully updated and nicely staged. However the following made my senses tingle. There were multiple heating sources including forced air furnace, baseboard heati...

Last week I ran into a situation which was interesting. The buyer purchased a property with the intention of demolishing the house on it and rebuilding. No inspection was requested by the buyer. The seller issued a disclosure statement stating that there was no buried oil tank and that a clearanc...

Most of us know that when our electronics fail there is usually recourse to a 1 year warranty and sometimes we purchase that extended warranty too. We claim on the warranty because the item has obviously failed and immediately affects our use or enjoyment of the item.Well new homes also carry war...

An offer was made on a home in West Vancouver, by walking on the lot but without the buyers entering the dwelling. Since it was being purchased for redevelopment (tear-down), there was no need to see the building close-up or the interior. However the property was rented and the term of the rental...

When purchasing a property with potable water supplied from a well, it is prudent to test the water for both bacteria and chemicals. Test labs supply a test kit (cooler, ice pack and sample vial). You have 24 hours to get the sample back to the lab, so sample Monday through Thursday. Kits and ana...

It is now fairly common to find a mortgage helper suite in a home. I always check for the safety issues. In particular, forced air systems need to be inspected carefully. If the natural gas furnace is common to both the house and the suite, then there should be a fire-rated damper in the ducting ...

Many buyers are looking at energy savings and are considering a heat pump for its versatility to provide both heating and cooling. However always ask the heat pump provider for an energy and payback calculation. It may come as a surprise, but a modern high efficiency furnace with a dedicated air ...

The other day I had a buyer call me and ask about a 50 year old two bedroom condo under 1000 square feet, asking price $650,000. The buyer did not have time for an inspection as the bid closing was literally within hours. However the buyer did want to ask about some issues that could be expected....