Having a professional home inspector examine the house for hidden faults is now an accepted part of the process of buying a new home. As Nest DC Property Management says home inspections ensure that you do not blindly rely on what a seller says about their home when negotiating for a property. They help you avoid buying a home that will give you problems in the future.
Home inspections are done by an unbiased third party who takes a look at the main features of the home to access their physical condition. Including a home inspection as a clause in the sales agreement is standard practice when buying a new home. It means you can walk away from the deal without paying any penalties.
But as valuable as home inspections are, they do not check everything in a house. A home inspection is a visual inspection; the inspector does not go in-depth. Secondly, there are parts of the home that a home inspector will not check because they are not included in the scope of the inspection.
One of those areas is the sewer line. A home inspector will examine the plumbing pipes in the home, but they won’t go out of their way to check the sewer line. Does this mean you can proceed with the home buying without inspecting the sewer line?
Should you inspect the sewer line when buying a home?
Although home inspections are the standard inspections done during a house purchase, they are not the only inspections buyers can do. Buyers are allowed to do additional inspections if they are not satisfied with the outcome of the home inspection or if they want to investigate issues identified by the home inspection.
These inspections – called add-on inspections – serve to assure buyers that they have nothing to worry about with the home. Most sellers will not object to a buyer wanting to do add-on inspections unless they have something to hide. That means, as a buyer, you are allowed to inspect a home’s sewer line before you buy it.
Pros and cons of sewer video inspections
Because sewer lines are underground, inspecting them can be hard. No buyer or seller wants to go through the expensive process of digging a trench to inspect a sewer line. But there is an easier way to inspect a sewer line, through a sewer video inspection. What is a sewer video inspection, and what are its pros and cons?
To do a sewer video camera inspection, a plumber attaches a small camera to a flexible cable and inserts it into the sewer line. As the camera makes its way through the line, the live video feed is observed by the plumber. This inspection allows the plumber to see the condition of the pipes and any cracks, clogs, tree roots and debris in them.
Pros of a sewer video inspection
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Know the actual condition of the sewer line
A sewer camera inspection is the most effective way to gain access to a sewer line to inspect it; it takes the guesswork out of the process. You can view the sewer line without contact with the unsanitary stuff inside it.
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It is non-invasive
By eliminating the need to dig a trench in the yard, a sewer camera inspection saves you time and money. You do not have to deal with costly excavations or think of the expense of fixing the landscaping after the assessment.
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Pinpoint the exact location of problems
You can pinpoint the exact location of cracks, clogs and other issues in the sewer line. This is because the camera gives you coordinates of those problems and the depth of the pipe. That makes it easier to repair a sewer line break later.
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Provides a reference video
A sewer camera inspection provides irrefutable evidence of the condition of a home’s sewer line. You can use this to negotiate a lower price for the property. You may also use it to estimate repair costs for the identified problems.
Cons of a sewer video inspection
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Additional costs
The average cost of a sewer camera inspection is $285, but prices can range from $75 to $500. How much you pay for the inspection depends on the scope of services provided by the inspector. Doing a sewer camera inspection will increase your costs.
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Delays the purchase
It takes around one hour to complete a sewer camera inspection if there are no obstructions in the line. It could take longer if the pipe is severely corroded or there are tree roots and too much build-up. That could add to the time it takes to finalize the home purchase.
To conclude, should you do a sewer video inspection before you buy a house? Considering the money, time and trouble it can save you, a sewer video inspection is something you want to do before paying for a property.