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When do you need a home inspector? Does Mattamy have a home inspector? Will Mattamy tell you when to hire a home inspector? Where can i Find a trusted and a very good inspector?

Sorry for being such a dumb a_s!

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micate

It's okay. I used a guy named Michael from Regal Home Inspections. 905-875-4550.

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What is the difference between ignorance and apathy? I don't know and I don't care.

Hey micate, I feel compelled to help you put here, especially on this topic. First to answer your questions,

•No, Mattamy does NOT have a home inspector that I know of and
•They'll certainly not tell you or advise you when to get one either.

Think of it, they don't want you to find any potential issues or problems with your home, they'd rather you do it yourself, tell you "you're saving tons of $$" and you'll end up finding small minor things like paint blemishes and nail-pops and like most normal home owners, miss the crucial issues (if any).

My wife and I used a (IMO) good, knowledgeable, trustworthy and professional company that seem to have been in the industry for a long time.
We have nothing but good results from them. The company is called New Home Inspection Inc. Several other owners in our subdivision used them too with positive results!
They did our PDI, which I believe is important and our 30 day, which is even MORE important. I can't believe some people try to do these things on their own. Here's my thinking, you've just spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in a large investment like your home so therefore you'll want a professional checking for any problems. Especially how the builders are these days.
We'll for sure use them to get our 1 year inspection done too.

That TARION new home warranty thing is very complicated in my opinion (IMO). They'll handle all that stuff for you when you got to deal with TARION.

The number is (416) 577-6960. Trust me; you'll be happy you did.

Cya

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B.

Hey Renee, good to hear you had a positive experience with that Inspection Company, like we did.

Cya,

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B.

Should I hire an inspector during my PDI? When should I hire One??????

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micate

Put it this way, it is up to you. Remember that the home passes inspection every step of the way, so it is up to you if you want to shell out the money.

For the most part that's true NKMAC, but I've seen and heard of friends of mine that had a house that was passed by the city inspector when it shouldn't have. It was a structural inssue that was very serious. Afterwards, when the chief inspector was called out and looked at it, even he said it should have NEVER passed.
Some builders (not all) have site supers that become ....let's just say...."too" friendly with the inspectors that come on site to pass certain things. They sometimes get "gifts" and/or "favors" and in return the supers get passed inspections.

micate just something to think about, not to sound like an alarmist, but it is a dark side of the industry, even though it might be very rare.
I'm sure your builder Mattamy wouldn't be doing that.

As for your other question micate, it doesn't hurt to get a home inspector for the PDI but not many people do. I did, but that's because I'm overly cautious.
I would highly recommend you get one for the 30 day inspection at least. I would at least give them a call about 1-2 weeks before the PDI and just talk to them over the phone to get an idea of what the PDI inspection is all about ..get the pros and cons....then decide.

Cya,

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B.

Chovaz, you just answered your own question. Use the Hardwood example and apply it to the whole house.

Cya,

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B.

I'm glad i read this post as our closing in 2.5 weeks. We took a peek into our townhome and there were alot of holes and dents in the drywall, light switches on backwards and crooked, wood trim chipped, etc.

Now I'm thinking it would be a good idea to get a home inspector. how much should it cost for a home inspector approximately?

MRUB

mrub,

The types of things you described (holes, dents etc) are the things that you can see for yourself at your PDI. It is all covered under your warranty. That is what it is for, you show them what you want fixed and most of it will be done asap if it hasn't already been fixed before your PDI. We have ours later today.

MRUB, Renee is correct. It depends on the size of your home.
Renee is also hits the nail on the head when she said before to think of the cost of an inspector as the closing fee(s) of the house itself.
I found the problem with the PDI is that 95% of people that do the walk-thru with the builder rep are:
• Most are so excited about seeing the finished product that they actually miss the "important" things.
• Most are too preoccupied with the dents and scratches that once again, they miss the important things.
• Some people just plain and simple don't know what to look for due to lack of knowledge of houses or being a 1st time new-home buyer (like myself).

Builders love it when owners find a simple crooked light switch and totally overlook the bad stain job on their $4,000.00 upgraded oak staircase.

Hope that helped MRUB.

Cya,

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B.

I paid $380 (it was $371, but I have my guy an extra $9 anyway) for the 1-year, and it was well-worth it considering the defects they found and the potential problems thwarted. Also, after finding the things we found, I wouldn't trust any Ontario Building Code inspector as far as I can throw them.

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What is the difference between ignorance and apathy? I don't know and I don't care.

I say to hire an inspector only for the 1-year. Between the time you move in and the first year, if you encounter little problems along the way like I did with things like a malfunctioning toilet and squeaky doors, the Mattamy crew is generally good about helping with those things. At least that was the case in my experience.

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What is the difference between ignorance and apathy? I don't know and I don't care.

Anthony, my builder said the same thing, but they usually say that to discourage home owners bringing 6 children and 20 family members just to see the house. I'm sure if you talk to your Mattamy rep. they'll allow you to bring an inspector, especially if you tell them you've hired one.

As a matter of fact, my builder told us NO CHILDREN......which I fully understood and agreed with.


Cya,

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B.

What type of hidden defects can an inspector find that the home owner can't? I'm completely against a Home Inspector for a "new" home, don't throw your money away. Take the time as a home owner and read over the Tarion warranty and educate yourself. They have a very good website. You spend a year in your home, a home inspector spends an hour. You may have to pull out the ladder and crawl in the attic but thats life.

For those who have had an inspector what have they found?

Do they cut holes in your walls? Do they pull trim off the windows? Do they pull apart every electrical box in the house?

I can justify an inspection on a 10 year old home that may need a new roof, windows or furnace but a not new home that has passed inspections throughout the building process.