Home inspection service, which is an important and well-established service in the USA, Australia, and Western Europe is now available in Estonia. Our experienced construction and real estate specialists carry out inspections on apartments and houses, but also on new real estate developments and warranty works to provide home buyers with information to make a safe and calculated purchase.
What is a Home Inspection?
In simple terms, a home inspection is an assessment of a home. It is a thorough visual inspection of the technical systems and build quality of an apartment or a house. A home inspection protects the interests of the client during a home purchase – it helps to determine if the price is justified, shows hidden defects, gives information on necessary repairs and all in all, helps the client to save time and money. The information that a home inspection provides can help a homebuyer determine if they want to make the purchase and helps to negotiate the price.
To give you a hint, why one would need a home inspection, have a look at the following sketch:
The video is a funny one but only for people who don’t have these problems themselves. Besides the humor, it emphasizes the dangers that may not be visible on the surface for people who don’t have previous experience with construction and real estate. The most common problems, which emerge in houses and apartments all over Estonia are:
- Dated electrical systems and wiring
- Mold in the bathroom due to insufficient ventilation
- Inadequate water insulation
- Leaking pipes
- Pests (roaches and rodents)
- Broken floor heating systems
- Congested and faulty chimneys etc.
How can home inspection help when buying an apartment in a new development?
In the Estonian real estate market and especially in Tallinn, a large portion of pre-construction apartments are already sold before a shovel even goes into the ground. This means that when you buy an apartment, the sole source of information for the customer is the developer’s words and informational materials – the floorplan, the apartment plan, the price list, the presentation of the project, etc. How to make an informed purchase decision based on a two-dimensional drawing?
Home Inspections help to anticipate potential problems or design flaws in the case of pre-construction apartments. The cost of the home inspection for pre-construction apartments depends on the size of the apartment – a thorough analysis is more time-consuming in the case of a larger apartment. Once the builder has installed the technical systems of the shell and core, we can carry out a preliminary inspection on the site.
Is the construction warranty of your new apartment about to end?
After the initial purchase, the real estate developers usually provide a 2-year construction warranty. During this time, the builder is obligated to fix any construction defects that arise. The end-of-warranty inspection helps the owner of the apartment or house to determine whether there are any problems, the repairs of which are the builder’s responsibility – most commonly molding, cracked wall or ceiling corners and faulty floor heating. In worst cases, there is visible moisture damage in the bathroom or the electrical system is problematic.
During the End of Warranty Inspection, the home inspector will examine and determine whether there are defects that are subject to modification by the builder in the warranty and provides information on potential problems in the future. This means that the homeowner does not have to spend their time or money solving problems, as this is the responsibility of the builder.
Ehistuskaitse Büroo – specialists with more than 20 years of experience in the construction market
Ehituskaitse Büroo is determined to provide a full range of Home Inspection services in Estonia. We believe that everyone does not have to be a specialist in every field. Just as you trust your doctor with your health, and your mechanic with your car, your home inspection is best left to Ehituskaitse Büroo. Are planning on buying or renting a new property in Estonia? Our Home Inspection Report enables you to make smart choices – and save time and money by avoiding problems down the road.
