Home Inspections
Pre-Purchase Home Inspection for Future Home Owners
Pre-Inspected Listings (For Sellers)
Home Warranty Inspection or 11 Month Warranty
The ThermoPhoto Difference: We use technology to see what lies beneath
Inspections for all stages of home ownership:
- Construction
- Pre-Delivery
- Purchase
- Sale
- 11 Month Warranty
Welcome to the ThermoPhoto Inc. Home Inspection information website. A Home Inspection is an assessment of the overall condition of a home and property.
ThermoPhoto Inc. is an industry leader utilizing engineering inspection techniques and infrared thermography to perform the best and most comprehensive inspections available in London and the surrounding area. We use it to look for potential fire hazards, water damage, pest/rodents, basement and roof problems, and anomalies in the building envelope.
We are the go-to experts in residential and commercial inspections in Southwestern Ontario.
Our home inspections’ meet and exceed ASHI®, CAHPI®, OAHI® and CanNACHI® Standards of Practice and covers all major systems including the roof, insulation, electrical, structure, plumbing, heating, cooling, interior and exterior.
SPECIAL OFFER!
Free Infrared Thermography Scan as part of your Home Inspection.
ThermoPhoto Inc. Home and Building Inspections is licensed, bondable, and insured.
About Us – Highly Qualified and Experienced
Whether you are buying or selling a home, or investing in commercial property,
having the structure inspected by a professional building inspection company is crucial to making informed decisions. We understand the importance of a detailed and thorough building inspection and are committed to providing our clients with the highest level of quality and service.
Trevor Potter, Thermophoto’s lead inspector, has over two decades of experience in various aspects of the building trades and conducted over several hundred inspections. He is a ASNT-IR Certified Level 1 Infrared Thermographer.
The Technology
Infrared thermography is a heat sensory technology application which enables us to see what lies beneath the surface hidden from the human eye. The technology sees temperature differences which translates into finding situations even a keen inspector may overlook. It allows us to virtually see into your building envelope, behind walls, and in your electrical system.
For Home Buyers: Pre-purchase Home Inspections for Buyers
Buying a house? Need a home inspector?
Congratulations! A home in one of the largest and most important purchases you will ever make. The experience can certainly be exciting and rewarding, but it can also be a bit stressful as there are a lot of important steps to complete before the close of escrow. One of these important steps is to make sure that the house you fell in love with is as structurally and operationally sound as it is beautiful. Whether you are buying an older home or new construction, let ThermoPhoto Inc. Residential and Commercial Inspections help you through this critical component of the transaction by performing a thorough home inspection on your prospective home.
Before you turn a potential house into your home, get help with your decision by knowing the facts.
ThermoPhoto Inc. Inspections will help you make a well-informed buying decision. Our expert staff will help you in your decision with what may be your largest purchase ever. We have two engineers on call and a full-time certified home inspector to help guide you throughout the experience.
A little bit of knowledge can go a long way.
We will:
- Help you make informed decisions
- Reduce your risk
- Walk you step by step through-out the inspection process
- Provide customer support
We tell you:
- What needs to be repaired
- What needs to be replaced
- When it needs to be done
- Approximately how much it will cost
Pre-Sale Inspections of Listings for Sellers
Home inspections have traditionally been for the benefit of the purchaser. Pre-inspected listings benefit all parties – purchasers, vendors and Realtors.
A pre-listing home inspection offers real benefits for sellers:
- helps sellers avoid costly non-disclosure issues;
- provides sellers an opportunity to address necessary repairs at their own convenience;
- eliminates surprises and the hassles of making last minute repairs when these issues are
- presented by the buyer’s home inspector;
- reduces the likelihood of having to negotiate repair costs halfway through the transaction;
- saves time, as buyers often waive their home inspection if they feel confident the pre-listing home inspection was thorough.
Deals Won’t Fall Through
Home inspections, performed as a condition of the offer, can kill deals. Sometimes this is because the purchaser gets cold feet; sometimes there’s a big problem no one knew about. Sometimes it is because the house has been misrepresented; sometimes it is because the home inspector scared the purchasers by not explaining that minor and typical problems are just that – minor and typical.
If the home inspection is performed prior to the house being listed, all parties will be aware of the physical condition of the house before an offer is drawn. There will be no surprises after the fact. Deals will not fall through.
Pre-inspected Listings Avoid Renegotiation
In a buyers’ market, most houses have to be sold twice. It takes a lot of work to get a signed Agreement of Purchase and Sale. Then the home inspection is done and the purchaser wants to renegotiate.
If all parties know the condition of the house prior to the offer, there is no need for renegotiation. As most real estate agents know, renegotiation is very difficult. Vendors have already mentally sold the house; purchasers are suffering buyers’ remorse. Egos, pride and frustration can muddy the already emotional waters.
A vendor who pays for a home inspection will be further ahead than one who has to renegotiate. He or she may even sell the house faster.
Unrealistic Vendors
An inspection at the time of listing can also help a Realtor deal with a vendor who has unrealistic expectations about the selling price. The inspection report is good ammunition for explaining why you can’t ask top bucks for a house which is not in top condition.
Repairs Prior to Sale
Sometimes, the home inspection will reveal items which should be repaired immediately. A pre-inspected listing allows the vendor to repair the problem prior to putting the house on the market.
If the inspection occurs after the Agreement of Purchase and Sale, the purchaser could walk, renegotiate or, depending on the inspection clause, the vendor may have the option to repair. A repair done by an unmotivated vendor may not be the best repair and may not meet the purchasers’ expectations. This has caused more than one deal not to close.
Peace of Mind for The Purchaser
There is no doubt that part of the value of a home inspection is a guided tour of the house for the prospective purchaser. The inspection company can return to do a walk-through with the purchaser, if requested.
Reputable Inspection Companies
Pre-inspected listings will only have value if the home inspection company is perceived to be reputable, qualified and properly insured. Prospective purchasers will have little or no faith in a report done by someone they perceive to be in the vendors’, or Realtors’ pocket.
* We can post the re-sale inspection on our web page for your potential customers to view. It gives you as a Realtor an added sales tool.
Home Warranty Inspection
Congratulations! You are about to celebrate the first anniversary in your new home. Notice anything that isn’t functioning the way it should? Probably not!
Building a home is a very complex task. It involves many subcontractors, each working on different parts or systems of the home. Right or wrong, even the best of builders will learn to rely on the people that do work for him and take for granted that the work was performed correctly. To stay in business, some builders will cut corners in order to cut costs.
Unfortunately, things get missed. It may be something minor, such as a fixture that was not tested for leaks. It may be major, such as a framing member that was left out or installed incorrectly. Or worse, such as an electrical panel or fixture that was improperly wired which might work itself loose and cause a serious shock hazard or even a fire.
Many problems with a new home do not become obvious to the homeowner for possibly 2, 5 or even 10 years down the road. Warranties do vary but are typically for one year. Your builder was kind enough to offer you a warranty for your peace of mind. Your builder is betting that your warranty will expire before you find defects.
ThermoPhoto Inc. Residential & Commercial Building Inspections will perform an unbiased inspection of your home and provide you with a computer-generated report complete with recommendations, cost projections if not taken care of by warranty, as well as visual and infrared pictures. You can use this report to work with your builder to fix any defects noted. If you let your warranty expire, you will be responsible for the unseen repairs after the expiration date of the warranty, this could potentially cost you thousands of dollars in repairs.
Is time running out and your warranty is about to expire?
The Inspection Report
ThermoPhoto Inc.’s reports on the inspection are developed using the Carson & Dunlop Horizon reporting system. One of the key advantages to this report is that information and the condition of your home are broken down into laymen’s terms for you to understand.
In addition to verbal descriptions we include animated pictures, digital photos, and infrared thermograms explained in an encyclopedic format for you to identify and understand. This not only helps you understand a problem at hand but gives the requirements to have it fixed. No longer will you be at the mercy of contractors. Know what you are paying for and take charge of your home repairs. Call ThermoPhoto Inc. today!
How will a ThermoPhoto Inc. inspection and Horizon report benefit you?
To view one of the exceptional home inspection reports that customers and agents are raving about please click here.
A ThermoPhoto Inc. home inspection report will provide you with…
- An easy-to-read format
- No more handwriting issues
- No more big comments squeezed into a small area
- No more legends or symbols to decipher
- Color illustrations
- No codes or symbols
- No extraneous information included
- Quick links to reference materials
- Simple navigation to any section of the report through the tabs at the top of each page
- Easy to send copies to share with others.
Great for pre-listing inspections (the whole report can be accessed through a link to a web
page, and photographs can be integrated into the report)
The benefits to you are stronger than ever with ThermoPhoto Inc.!
- Inspection report delivered within the same business day; summary report onsite
- Carson Dunlop/Boulevard reference material included with inspection
- A Bottom-Line summary of important issues and findings
- Ballpark costs for repairs
- This is a ‘Green’ Report. No trees were harmed or injured during the reporting process.
Free Infrared Thermography for your Home*
ThermoPhoto Inc. Home Inspections offers free Infrared thermography to our clients.
The ThermoPhoto Inc. Home Inspection difference…
Infrared thermography is a heat sensory application which enables us to visually see temperature difference which translates into finding situations a keen inspector may overlook. It allows us to virtually see into your building envelope, behind walls, and in your electrical system. ThermoPhoto Inc. uses this technology in home inspections to diagnose your home and look for potential fire hazards, water damage, pest/rodents, basement problems, and anomalies in your building envelope.
Infrared thermography is utilized in many ways to create the most advanced home inspection possible today.
Benefits
- Locate potential fire hazards in your home.
- Find areas in your home that have excess moisture or unseen water damage.
- Help prevent the growth of mold.
- Find out the continuity of your building envelope.
- Inspect all electrical incoming lines, fuse boxes, outlets.
- Sky-lights are easily verified for intact seal.
- Roof will be inspected with infrared for water damage.
- Finished basement? No problem to inspect.
Please click here to view a presentation on what infrared thermography can do for your home.
* Free Thermographic inspection is available with purchase of a home inspection. (It does not include Thermographic Energy Audit (TEA]) and is restricted to water damage and electrical faults at time of inspection.)