Your Home Your Way | 2022

THE BRANDON SUN • YOUR HOME YOUR WAY • THURSDAY, APRIL 28, 2022

background, to do a walk- through with you.” If that can’t be arranged, another option for home- buyers is to request access to the property for an inspec- tion between the time when a deal goes firm, and possession date. While getting out of a deal after the closing date isn’t necessarily easy, it can poten- tially be done if an inspection turns up a major problem. “Buyers should discuss with their reps to see if they can get something like this into their agreement,” said Joe Richer, registrar with the Real Estate Council of On- tario. “Yes, ideally the home inspection would happen before, as a condition of the purchase, but there’s nothing to prevent it from happening immediately after it goes firm as well.” » Continued on Page 11

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“In this market — espe- cially the Toronto market but it’s also shifted to Ottawa, Barrie, Burlington, and else- where — it would be very rare to see a condition on a home inspection,” said John Lusink, president of Toronto-based Right At Home Realty. “Most realtors would be saying, ‘If you put that condi- tion in, you will never ever get a home in the current mar- ket.’” So is it still possible for buyers to protect themselves against hidden defects and costly repairs, and still ob- tain a home in an in-demand neighbourhood? Experts say yes, as long as they’re willing to think outside the box. Lusink said some buyers who know they won’t get a home if they make their of-

fer conditional on a home inspection choose to hire a licensed home inspector or someone else with specialized knowledge to come to show- ings and open houses with them instead.

“Doing a pre-inspection — yes, it has to be on your own dime — is still some- thing I highly recommend,” he said. “Find an expert, may- be a home inspector or some- one with a good construction

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