Preparing Your Home for A Seller’s Home Inspection:

It is typically the seller's responsibility to get the home ready for the inspection. The listing agent should notify the seller of these expectations. The following suggestions will help get the home ready for the home inspection, and minimize the need for the home inspector to make a return trip to the home, which may cost an additional fee.

• All utilities need to be turned on (available to the device) and all gas appliances need to be ready to run (pilot lights must be on).
• Access needs to be cleared to areas like attics, crawl spaces, electric panels (main service panel, disconnects and sub-panels), water heaters, furnaces, air conditioners etc.
• Closets need to be cleared if access areas, such as to the attic, are located within closets. The home inspector is not required to move personal property.
• Keys should be available for any locked areas, such as the crawl space.
• The inspector should be notified if there are any occupants of the home that may be sleeping, such as infants.
• Aggressive or "escape artist" animals should be removed from the property to allow full, unencumbered access to all areas that are to be inspected (the complete structure, including interior spaces, garages and exterior areas).

What Do You Do After You Have Made A Bid?

You have finally found the perfect house for your family. You have already made your bid and now it is simply a matter of waiting. What do you do next? Get a home inspection of course!

Overlooking this key step can be a costly affair in the long run. A professionally conducted Toronto home inspection will reveal the real picture of the property that you are vying for. Uncover hidden problems or problems waiting to happen through the lens of a certified home inspection. That being said, how can you be certain that you are getting a quality home inspection?

Seasoned home inspectors will often boast several years of experience with a history of having completed hundreds of home inspections. A good home inspector will also be able to provide you unbiased customer testimonials along with samples of home inspection company reports for your perusal. Feel free to ask a prospective home inspector any questions you may have regarding his qualifications before employing his services. A good indicator of quality is also the amount of time spent on a typical home inspection. Thorough inspections cannot be realistically completed within an hour. If a home inspector is advertising very low prices or a complete inspection in little time, be warned that you will receive sub par service that may overlook many problems. A good home inspector will not rush you and will give you the attention you deserve to help you make the right choice.

AllMax home inspectors have an overwhelming record of home inspections completed along with a trail of highly satisfied customers. We consistently receive excellent reviews from customers who recommend our business to their friends and family. We have built a reputation for ourselves based on the quality of our work and constantly exceeding customer expectations. Call AllMax today for your next home inspection! You will be glad you did!

Tips to Avoid Moisture Intrusion in Your Basement:

Water infiltration is every homeowner’s worst nightmare. Unfortunately, it is far too common and serious of an occurrence to just wish away. As a home owner, what can you do to protect yourself from the horrors of water damage? One of the best things you can do right now is to invest in an AllMax Toronto home inspection!

Only an AllMax Toronto home inspector will be able to properly survey you property to identify portals of water entry. We will scrutinize your property and recommend solutions for how you can minimize water damage and prevent water infiltration from happening again. Some of the tips that you can take advantage of include:

1)    Ensure that all grades point away from the home. This will prevent water from collecting around the foundation of your home.

2)    Water from gutters should be drained into wells that are located at a considerable distance from the house.

3)    Ensure that grass clippings do not build up around your home. These can serve as water reservoirs over time as well as increase the grade over time.

4)    Seal off cracks in your foundation walls. Survey your windows and doors for damaged caulk and replace if necessary.

5)    Maintain sufficient ventilation through soffit and roof vents to allow moisture to escape from your home.

6)    Fill in low spots to prevent water buildup around your property.

7)    Keep gutters clear to facilitate proper drainage. Otherwise, the water may leak into the framework of your house.

These are just a few of the tips that you can use to keep your home free of water damage. While these tips will definitely help, you still require the attention of a certified home inspection to fully address the many nuanced causes of moisture intrusion. An AllMaxhome inspection in Toronto can save you thousands of dollars in the long run from repairs resulting from water damage. Call AllMax today for your next home inspection!

Tips on Controlling A Cockroach Infestation:

Cockroaches are one of the most common insect infestations to plague a home. Once these hardy creatures take refuge on your premises, it can be very difficult to get rid of them. Even worse, if you have just bought a home, you may miss a hidden cockroach problem until it is too late. What can you do to make sure that roaches do not become your neighbors inadvertently? Call an AllMax home inspector today.

An AllMax Toronto home inspector will be able to uncover a roach infestation no matter what level of severity. Even a mild problem can quickly spread like wildfire which is why this must be spotted and addressed before the keys land in your hands. Unfortunately, mild infestations can be well-hidden with a good paint job or band-aid solutions that do not resolve the issue. This is where an AllMax home inspection in Toronto would be the surest way to alert you of a possible problem with your property of interest.

To manage a cockroach infestation, a few handy tips will help. Employ pyrethin before calling the exterminators. After your house has been adequately sprayed, placing boric acid in hotspots of cockroach activity can help control an infestation. Ensure that moisture does not collect on kitchen surfaces and that regular vacuuming and cleanliness are a part of your routine. It is also important to seal all access points into the house such as bathroom crevices and cracks in the wall as these will readily house a cockroach infestation.

An AllMax Toronto home inspection will give you the most value for your dollar without compromising quality. We know how important it is that you find the right house for you and your loved ones. We treat each of our clients like family. AllMax is amongst the most recognized home inspection companies in the industry. So call AllMax today for your next home inspection in Toronto!

Mold and Your Home:

Moisture penetration is bad enough. Any homeowner can attest to the thousands of dollars that are spent in repairing the havoc wrought by moisture intrusion. But did you also know that moisture penetration can also be hazardous for your health? If you ever suspect your home of having a mold problem, you can be fairly certain that the root cause is due to moisture. One of the best preventative measures that you can take before mold invades your home is to obtain an AllMax home inspection in Toronto.

Mold can exacerbate symptoms in people with asthma, allergies or other pulmonary conditions. Once mold is present in your home, there is no surefire method to eliminate it completely. You can only manage and control the problem by limiting moisture penetration. Some of the ways that you can address a mold problem include cleaning up any areas covered with mold as well as identifying sources of water entry into your home. Mold growth will diminish if indoor humidity is greatly reduced. This can be accomplish by simply airing out areas in your home that either generate moisture or are hotpots for moisture buildup. Air-conditioners and dehumidifiers also go a long way in reducing indoor humidity. A good rule of thumb is to use exhaust fans each time you are cooking or cleaning. Damp surfaces should be dried up immediately to prevent mold growth.

These are but a few of the tips that can keep mold out of your home. The best investment you can make for your home as well as the health and safety of its occupants is to invest in an AllMax Toronto home inspection. An AllMax home inspector will be able to uncover access points for moisture and offer solutions to help you manage your mold problem. Call AllMax today for your next Toronto home inspection.