Wasted $800 on a home inspection that missed everything

I bought a house in the south side of Edmonton last spring and paid $800 for a full home inspection. The guy spent maybe 3 hours poking around, and his report looked thorough enough with photos and notes. Turns out he completely missed a failing hot water tank (it started leaking within two weeks) and some sketchy electrical work in the basement that was not up to code. I ended up spending another $1,500 to fix the water damage and redo the wiring, plus the $800 I wasted on his inspection. Now I kinda feel like I should have asked more questions upfront, like how many inspections he does a day. Anyone have a recommendation for an inspector in Edmonton who actually catches stuff?

3 comments

3 Comments

shanel132mo ago

You mention "a cracked furnace heat exchanger that could have been dangerous," but honestly, how often does that really happen? I've lived in old houses my whole life and never heard of one actually killing anyone. Seems like inspectors and contractors love to scare people into spending more money than they need to.

the_max24d ago

Remember when my uncle thought a "funny smell" was just old carpet and ended up with his entire house flagged by the gas company? They found a hairline crack in his heat exchanger during a routine meter check, said it was leaking carbon monoxide at low levels for months. He never got sick but the repair guy told him that stuff builds up slow and can knock you out while you sleep, so I figure better safe than sorry.

the_elizabeth2mo agoMost Upvoted

The thing is, even a good inspector can miss stuff if they're rushing, but three hours for a whole house does feel short. My neighbor used one of those big franchise companies and had a similar experience, they missed a cracked furnace heat exchanger that could have been dangerous. Maybe ask if they do thermal imaging or spend a full half day on site, and check their Google reviews for the specific complaints about missed issues not just the star rating. A proper inspector should also let you follow them around and ask questions while they work, not just hand you a report at the end.