That $400 inspection saved me $8k on a duplex in Garneau

I put an offer on a place near the U and the home inspector I hired spotted some weird grading in the backyard. Turned out the previous owner had patched a foundation crack with just caulk. Water was pooling right against the wall during heavy rain. Got the seller to knock off $8k for the repairs and now I'm wondering if I got lucky or if most inspectors catch stuff like this. Anyone else had a small inspection find turn into a big discount?

3 comments

3 Comments

johnthompson10d ago

Nah you just got lucky, I once paid $500 for an inspector who told me my house had "good vibes" and missed a leaky roof.

finley_bennett2811d ago

My buddy had a similar thing happen with a place in Old Strathcona where the inspector noticed a weird smell in the basement (turns out it was a slow sewage leak behind a finished wall). The seller had to knock off like $6k to fix it and my buddy got a whole new basement reno out of the deal. So yeah, you definitely got lucky but those good inspectors earn their keep with that kind of find.

dixon.amy7d ago

Most inspectors catch stuff like this"? I dunno, I'd take that with a grain of salt. I've had inspectors miss obvious stuff like a rotting deck that was literally held together with hopes and prayers. The caulk on the foundation thing sounds bad, yeah, but unless the grading was causing actual water in the basement during the showing it might not be as serious as it feels. Sometimes sellers just cave because they don't want to deal with it, not because it's a real $8k problem. Could've been a $200 bag of dirt and some elbow grease to fix it yourself.