Home Inspection Checklist for Alberta Buyers

A home inspection is one of the best few hundred dollars you will spend. But not all inspections are equal, and the report is only as good as what the inspector looks at. Here is what matters in an Alberta home.

What to ask your inspector

Make sure the inspector is certified (look for a recognized association such as CAHPI or InterNACHI) and that the inspection includes a thermal scan and the roof. Ask how long it takes — a proper single-family inspection takes two to three hours, not forty-five minutes.

The areas that matter most

• Foundation and basement. Look for cracks wider than a credit card, signs of water staining, efflorescence (white powder), and whether the grading slopes away from the house.
• Roof. Ask the age of the shingles. An Alberta roof takes a beating from hail; check for lifted or missing shingles and ask about the insurance history of the home.
• Furnace and HRV. Have the inspector run the heat and the heat-recovery ventilator. Ask the service date of the furnace — annual servicing is common and expected here.
• Windows. Open and close every window. Failed seals show up as fog between the panes, which is common and not always cheap to fix.
• Electrical. Ask about the panel size and whether there is any knob-and-tube or aluminum wiring. If the home was built before the late 1970s, ask about asbestos in the insulation or attic vermiculite.
• Plumbing. Run every tap and flush every toilet. Check under sinks for past leaks.
• Attic. Look for frost in winter, adequate insulation depth (Alberta wants R-50 plus), and blocked soffit vents.
• Permits. Ask whether the deck, basement development, or garage was built with permits. Unpermitted work is a red flag at resale.

The things we check ourselves

On top of the inspection report, we walk the property with you and check the boring but expensive things: grading and drainage, driveway condition, fence lines and property boundaries against the real property report, and whether the neighbourhood has any planned development that would change what you are buying.

Timing in your offer

In Alberta, inspections normally happen during the conditions period of your offer, usually five to ten days. Leave yourself enough room for the inspection plus time to review the report and negotiate any fixes before the condition deadline. If the inspector finds something serious, you can ask the seller to fix it, ask for a price reduction, or walk away — that is what the condition protects.

Questions about a specific home you are looking at? Call Joshua at 403-305-9167.