Calgary Answers · Buying · Conditions

What Does a Home Inspectioncondition let me do?

It is an information window and an exit. It is not a repair order — the seller is under no obligation to fix anything you find.

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Four things you can do with it

  1. Satisfy it. You are content, and the condition is removed in writing by the deadline. The contract moves toward firm.
  2. End the deal. If the inspection has genuinely changed your view of the property, you can decline to remove the condition and the contract ordinarily comes to an end.
  3. Go back to the seller. Ask for a price adjustment, a credit, or a repair before possession. This is a negotiation, not an entitlement — the seller can say no, and then you are back to the first two options.
  4. Ask for more time — to get a specialist in or a quote back. An extension needs the seller's written agreement.

Exactly what the condition entitles you to depends on how it is worded, and that wording is negotiable when the offer is written. If a lot is riding on it, that is a question for your lawyer, not a general article.

What it is not

Not a warranty. Not a code inspection. Not a guarantee that nothing will fail in year two. And not a licence to reopen the price over a list of ordinary maintenance — a long report is normal, and a seller who is asked to fix forty items usually stops negotiating rather than starts.

Use it for what changes the deal: safety, structure, water, and systems at the end of their life. Not for the cabinet hinges.

Using it properly

Attend in person — two hours with a good inspector teaches you more about the house than every showing combined. Add a sewer scope or a specialist where the age or the findings warrant it. Then get a real quote before you ask for anything, so the number you put in front of the seller is defensible. Our guide to reading an inspection report covers how to triage the findings.