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Pass Your Inspection

What Calgary home inspectors find, and what to fix first

Getting Through the Inspection Without a Renegotiation

An inspection is not pass or fail. It is a report, and every home produces one with things on it. What matters is whether the buyer finds anything that feels like a surprise — because surprises are what turn into price reductions after you have already accepted an offer.

The Real Goal

You are not trying to produce a clean report. You are trying to make sure nothing on it is news. A buyer who already knew the furnace was eighteen years old does not come back asking for money over it. A buyer who finds out during the inspection often does.

What Gets Flagged on Calgary Homes

Grading and drainage. Calgary's clay soils move, and ground sloping toward the house is one of the most commonly noted items. Often fixable with a few hours and some soil.
Poly-B plumbing. Common in homes built between the mid-1970s and late 1990s. Buyers increasingly ask, and some insurers surcharge or decline it. Know whether you have it before someone else tells you.
Furnace and hot water tank age. Both get noted regardless of condition. A recent service record does more to reassure a buyer than the age does to worry them.
Roof and attic. Age of shingles, ventilation, and whether the insulation is up to current levels. Calgary winters make attic issues visible.
Foundation cracks. Common here and usually not structural, but the word "crack" in a report worries people. Knowing which kind you have, and being able to say so, matters.
Aluminum wiring. Found in some homes from the 1960s and 70s. Insurable with remediation, but a buyer's lender or insurer may want to see a certificate.
Anything built without a permit. Basement development, a deck, a garage. It shows up here and again on the Real Property Report, and it is much better dealt with before you list.

Worth Fixing First

Anything cheap that reads badly: dripping taps, running toilets, dead bulbs, missing smoke detectors, loose railings, a furnace filter that has clearly not been changed. None of these matter structurally, and all of them make a buyer wonder what else has been neglected.

Then anything with a paper trail available: service the furnace, get the receipt, and have it ready. Documentation defuses far more than repairs do.

Not Worth Fixing

Large items you would be guessing at. Replacing a functioning twenty-year-old furnace rarely returns what it costs, and a buyer may have preferred the money. For big-ticket items the better play is usually to price accordingly, disclose it plainly, and let the buyer decide — rather than spend $8,000 to avoid a $4,000 conversation.

One Alberta-Specific Item

Radon levels in Alberta are higher than in much of Canada, and buyers ask about it more than they used to. A test is inexpensive, mitigation is a known and solvable job, and having a recent result to show is a straightforward way to remove a question mark. Worth considering if you are selling a home where the basement is a selling feature.

Want a Walkthrough Before You List?

We will walk your home and tell you what an inspector is likely to flag, what is worth fixing, and what to simply document and disclose. Far cheaper to know now than to renegotiate later.

GET A PRE-LIST WALKTHROUGH


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Dusko Sremac
#101 7710 5th St SE
Calgary, AB T2H 2L9
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