Ted came highly recommended to us from the ever popular and powerful email group "Parents on the Drive", and it became obvious as to why very quickly. With the blistering hot Vancouver market, it seems that some people are being pushed in to buying their home with no inspection. We were not willing to take that chance and lucky for us Ted was available with less than 2 days notice. Unbiased, unaffiliated, uncompromised and detailed to the max, Ted inspected an old home we bought over the course of 5hrs. And as one time renovator and builder, Ted was the perfect man for the job. In the end Ted gave us honest feedback about the minor and not so minor quirks that come with purchasing a 104 year olds house (I am sure the realtor selling the home had wished he would've just disappeared). Ted helped us feel less naive and more informed as to what will come ahead for us as the new owners. Its really great to see a professional like Ted take their important job so seriously.
- Approximate cost of services:
- $700.00
- Company Response
Hi Michael, I really appreciate the feedback and account of your inspection experience. As you found out, even in a red-hot market you can still do a pre-open house inspection (do a 3 to 4 hour inspection prior to the hordes arriving at 1 or 2 PM. ) Fortified with my conditional assessment you were able to proceed with confidence. You knew exactly what you were purchasing and made your offer based on, well based on everything like the fact that it's very difficult to purchase anything these days, calculated cost of repairs, aesthetics and other amenities. For a 100-year-old house you are lucky that nothing serious had happened to this home. Other homes of this vintage are often a patchwork of Jerry-rigged repairs ready to self-destruct just from looking too closely. We did an open house inspection which is a one day abbreviated inspection process, my full inspection is a 2 day process. This is what purchasing real estate has come to, every time the market turns red hot a 1,000,000 people come out of the woodwork wanting to get a piece of the action, it's like one of those migratory or cyclical insect swarms or when a cicada brood matures and emerges by the millions. It seems like everybody else frantically runs around and through every open house as if the sky was falling. Do yourself a huge favor, keep your head from blowing up by getting an open house inspection. Deborah, Thanks again, you were a real pleasure to work with, instead of getting into a crap-shoot you approached purchasing with informed confidence. Sellers are more likely to choose a buyer who has taken a good look at the home prior to making an offer. People purchasing blind (no inspection) might experience buyers remorse and try to sue the seller for undisclosed deficiencies. A detailed home inspection can protect everyone.
Remember to contact me and with photos so I can direct and monitor your projects to an efficient and cost effective solution. Happy trails ... Ted Gilmour