Jeff Schellenberg, owner of Pillar to Post, says home inspections help buyers understand a house before they commit.
Schellenberg shared his experience inspecting homes in the region at the March 3 Rotary Club of Lloydminster meeting. He stressed the importance of knowledge when making one of life’s biggest purchases.
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“My job is to make sure you know everything I can point out about the house,” he said. “You have as much knowledge and information as you can to make that decision comfortably.”
Schellenberg said home inspections are visual assessments. Inspectors do not damage walls or move furniture to find hidden problems.
“If the roof is covered in snow, I’m not going,” he said. “I can get up there, but I’m coming down way faster than I want to.”
Inspections also have limitations. If an issue was not visible at the time, inspectors cannot predict when it might fail.
“I could drive away, and by the time I get to the corner, the water heater pops and floods the basement. I don’t know that,” he said, emphasizing accountability.
“If you can show it was something that was obviously there when I was there and I didn’t catch it, I’m on the hook for it,” he said.
Homeowners asked questions about roofing, heating systems and electrical panels. One asked about cedar shake roofing.
“Cedar shake life expectancy is somewhere between 40 and 50 years,” said Schellenberg. “But our weather is tough on any kind of roofing.”
Another homeowner asked about in-floor heating, which Schellenberg explained had issues in early 90’s plumbing with a brand name of KiTech.
“Chances are it’s not KiTech,” he assured. “If you’re not losing coolant from your system, then chances are you’re fine.”
Schellenberg encouraged homeowners to be informed and proactive. He also noted that although inspections are legally required, many insurance companies are now requiring it.
“Houses are more complex now than they used to be,” he said. “People specialize in their fields, but they may not know how to change the seal on a toilet.”
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