Is it Worth Getting a Condo Inspection?

Are you looking at buying a condo and wondering if it is worth it to get a home inspection?

We invited Rocky Kwan of 2020 Master Home Inspections to share reasons why getting a home inspection is not only cost worthy but can even give you peace of mind as you buy a property.

Jared Chamberlain always advises clients to look into their budgets first. If all you have is $400 to $500, it is better to put it on condo document inspections. However, if you have extra cash, you should not skip the condo inspection because it could give you the security that you are putting your money into a good investment!

Condo Inspection Process

Having a condo home inspection is like having a maintenance service for your car. The mechanic looks into every part of your car to see if there is any repair needed. However, since cars are used more often, you can easily find common issues it may have.

When it comes to home inspection, people don’t usually know where and what to look for. That is where condo inspectors like Rocky come in. They look at homes day in and day out so they are familiar with common patterns or issues that may arise in a place.

Inspectors usually spend about two hours conducting a full extensive inspection of the home. They test all the appliances, check all the plumbing fixtures, inspect the electrical panel and make sure everything in the house works the way it should. And most importantly, they run a thermal scan to detect any anomaly.

If you buy a condo without doing a thorough inspection and you see a stain on your drywall, or there is something leaking, that means there is a problem underneath the walls. And if it is already showing on the surface, that means it is too late to fix it as it has damage inside.

Whereas, when you set an inspection before buying a condo, you can see right away if the apartment is in good condition. Condo inspectors can see indications before real problems happen through the thermal reading of the walls, ceilings and water lines.

If you see a giant blue bleed in the thermal scan, that means there is a leak that is likely spreading, and it requires further evaluation. If you don’t address something like that, over time, it will start to cause discoloration or staining on the ceiling and eventually, when it gets worse, it will start dripping.

Things to Look for During a Walkthrough

When you do a walkthrough in a condo, the first thing that you should do is check if all the appliances match. See if they all have the same brand, style, type and age. If you see that one item is brand new, for example, a dishwasher, that could indicate that there may have been issues with the old one, and the owner may have replaced it because there was a leak.

When you look at the bathrooms, you should also check baseboards and the walls instead of just looking at bathroom fixtures. See if there is any staining or sweating, especially around the bathroom fans or any swollen baseboards behind the toilet.

Again, see if there are any mismatched items like floor tiles or baseboards. That could be an indicator that the seller has renovated or replaced a fixture to solve some issues.

For bedrooms, make sure you look around the windows and underneath the walls of the windows. Check the window sills to see if there is any swelling, as that could indicate that a draft is coming through the windows.

Questions to Ask a Home Inspector

To prepare for the inspection, you can ask the seller if there is any history of repairs in the unit. That will help you and the inspector have a better understanding of what happened in the condo.

Once you know the history of the condo, you can proactively ask your inspector about water lines, electrical wires and stains on the wall. Make sure you also ask them to check the decks.

People usually spend a lot of time on their decks or balconies during summertime. Some even use it for socializing or partying. But it is also an area where snow can get in and affect your home. Although it is considered exterior, it is still part of your unit, so you must not forget to look at it closely to avoid any inconveniences.

Let your inspector peek through the neighbours’ balcony. He has to know if the unit above and below properly manages the water flow in their property. Also, make sure there are no cracks on the ceiling directly above your unit.

It doesn’t matter whether you are buying a condo unit in a new or old building. Newer doesn’t always mean better. It is always best to have peace of mind that you will not face a major issue once you move into your new condo because you have seen every inch of it during the inspection.

If you need help doing a condo inspection, you can reach out to Rocky Kwan at 403-383-9018 or check out their website for more information, www.2020mhi.com. And if you have any real estate concerns, you can always send us an email at info@chamberlaingroup.ca.