Take extra care when selecting an Ottawa home inspection company

Home Inspection Ottawa

Taking the Guesswork out of choosing a

Reputable Building Inspector in Ottawa

Take extra care when selecting an Ottawa home inspection company

Most people looking for a home inspector simply type in home inspection Ottawa or home inspectors Ottawa and roll the dice. You should take the same care in selecting your home inspector that you did when you chose that beautiful house with the perfect yard. You thought about location, square footage, proximity to schools, parks and other amenities. Why would you want to risk it all by hiring an inspector that might not be qualified to give you an accurate assessment of the home you’re ready to buy?

Anyone can throw out a sign and say that they’re a certified home inspector, but certified by whom? The OAHI (Ontario Association of Home Inspectors) has a membership system based on levels. These levels specify what amount of training and expertise an individual has. The higher the level , the stronger the educational and experience requirements become.

Any member of the OAHI has to be up front about what level they are currently at within the membership ranks. They must adhere to a code of conduct set by the organization and risk losing their membership if they fail to do so.

What does this do for you, the consumer? This gives you some leverage when investigating the inspector’s qualifications. If he tells you that he is at the RHI level, and you find out through calling the OAHI that he is still only an applicant, you can let the OAHI know that this particular individual is not being truthful about his membership level. With the risk of losing membership, most inspectors will be more inclined to be truthful about their level of experience.

As we all know, anyone can pass a test, but nothing can replace real life experience. By virtue of sheer numbers, an inspector accredited with the RHI or Registered Home Inspector level has seen and experienced many more unique scenarios than someone who has only completed two inspections. Someone who is new to the profession, may not recognize potential issues during the inspection. What he writes off as being of no consequence, an experienced inspector may recognize as a potential disaster.

Many people have learned this lesson the hard way. Their dream becomes a nightmare when they find out that the home they thought was perfect, is actually endangering their lives. Not only are the financial risks great, but the emotional and physical toll that it can take on you and your family can be just as devastating.

Do your research and select an inspector wisely. This will save you much pain and heartache in the future.