Why sewer inspection is a must before buying a new house

Getting a house inspection before buying a house has become common nowadays. This is particularly true if you are purchasing an older property and highly recommended if you want to invest in a recently built structure. The main reason for this is that you can be confident that everything is in order before signing the purchase agreement. However, most home inspections do not pay enough attention to the state the sewage system is in. For this reason, we will discuss the main reasons why sewer inspection is a must before buying a new house. 

Although there are ways you can fix leaks and smaller issues such as blocked drains, dealing with extensive, costly, and time-consuming repairs on the sewer lines a few years after you buy the property is something you want to avoid at all costs, especially when you have the means to do a thorough sewer inspection before you sign the papers. This small initial investment can potentially circumvent large and unexpected expenses down the road, making professional sewer inspection a wise investment.

How is a sewer inspection different from a home inspection?

General home inspections focus on reporting on the current state of the property, locating damages, and making notes of potential future issues with major components of your home. 

Therefore, a typical home inspection covers the overall framing of your home structures, the roof, and electrical and plumbing systems, and major appliances. As a result, you gain an insight into necessary repairs or replacements that need to be done, which can influence the final price of the property when you are negotiating with the home sellers or real estate agencies. 

At this point, you might be under the impression that a certified home inspection is more than enough of a guarantee for you to head into the purchase process. However, what many homebuyers may not be aware of is that a home inspector can detect a leaky faucet in the kitchen but can hardly gauge the underlying cause of the issue. 

A home inspection is an excellent way to locate surface issues, but not so good with assessing sewer lines.

Reasons to get sewer inspection before buying a new house?

There are two primary reasons why home inspectors overlook the sewage system. The first reason boils down to it being predominantly underground, which, naturally, makes it difficult for home inspectors to take a look. As unfortunate as this may be, there is no reason to leave such an important aspect of the property unexamined. 

The second reason behind the neglect of sewers in residential homes is that in most cases, home inspectors do not have specialized safety equipment, tools, or skills to conduct a thorough sewer inspection. Therefore, if you encounter problems after you buy your home, you should always hire a professional drain cleaning company with all of the necessary tools to fix your sewer lines. 

It is best if you do not attempt to fix drained pipes on your own. 

Having a home inspection is not a waste of money. 

This is not to say you should not have a home inspection at all. Since suburban life is a dream of many, taking all the necessary precautions to make your new home as safe as possible before you move in is a must. Furthermore, thanks to home inspections, maintaining your home in the suburbs in perfect condition is much easier than living in a residential complex where you depend on communal service inspections and other residents' behavior in the building. 

Therefore, home inspections are highly recommended because most home inspectors do have a lot of knowledge and competence when locating and assessing faults and damages inside and outside the property. In fact, a home inspector may identify which areas need a closer, more thorough inspection. 

However, while home inspectors are jacks of all trades, specific home systems are out of their area of expertise. Considering that the sewage system is a vast network of pipes and other complex structures, it is unrealistic to expect a general home inspector to locate problems in the sewer lines while only focusing on the plumbing system of the surface.

Fixing sewer lines can be extremely expensive.

If you are already set on buying a property and are getting ready to explore different options and moving services that will help you move in, you should definitely make plans for a quick sewer inspection beforehand. 

Since you probably want to move into your home without having to pay for extensive sewer line repairs a few years or months after the purchase, then a sewer inspection is the way to go - especially considering the fact they are inexpensive in comparison to potential repairs that you may have to pay for from your pocket.

A sewer inspection will locate if the underground pipes are rusty or leaky. 

Of course, the cost of sewer repairs can vary considerably, depending on the size and cause of the issue. It can amount to anywhere from a few hundred dollars to unclog a faulty or clogged sewer line or tens of thousands of dollars that will cover the expenses of excavating your backyard to locate and replace the pipe causing the problem. 

The bottom line is that a simple sewer inspection before you move in is a much less costly and nerve-wracking process than a comprehensive sewer repair. 

Final thoughts 

As a takeaway thought, be sure to carefully examine what the home inspection service you intend to hire entails. If it does not cover a sewer inspection and you have reasons to doubt the efficacy of your sewer lines, then a sewer inspection is a must before buying a new house and we recommend you do not cut corners in order to save money. A single inspection can be extremely beneficial in the long run.

 Guest Contributor: Sophia Perry