Used to think a pre-inspection was a waste of money. One sale changed my mind.

Bought my first house in Edmonton back in 2019 and skipped the pre-inspection. Just figured the buyer's inspection would catch everything. Then I tried to sell that same house last year and the buyer's inspector found knob and tube in the attic I had no idea about. Cost me $4,200 to fix it and delayed closing by two weeks. Now I always tell people to spend the $500 before listing. Has anyone else had a surprise like that pop up after a buyer's inspection?

2 comments

2 Comments

ericp671mo ago

@alice242 that buyer dodged a bullet with that bungalow. Unpermitted reno plus knob and tube is like finding out your dream car has a rusted frame AND the check engine light on. Four thousand two hundred bucks stung but at least I got to sell the place. Can you imagine being the guy who bought that bungalow from Alice and finding out later? That poor sucker probably paid for someone else's free basement remodel.

alice2421mo ago

Oh man, that's almost exactly what happened to me except I was the buyer. I put an offer on a cute little bungalow and the inspection found knob and tube too, plus an unpermitted basement reno. The seller had no clue about either thing and it almost killed the deal. I ended up walking away because it was just too much hassle and money. So yeah, $500 upfront sounds like a steal compared to what can get dug up later. I tell everyone I know to do it now too, even if they think the place looks perfect...