How to Use Your Home Inspection Report
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Unless you’re building a home from the ground up with an unlimited budget, there will inevitably be a few things about the home you purchase that you wish were different, or that you have to fix. When it’s time for the home inspection, it’s important to know how to use the information this tool provides. What you’re getting is an overview of the status of all the systems of the house to use at the time of purchase for both negotiation and for your own knowledge and planning. But you’re also getting a checklist of all the systems of your house that you can use for home maintenance and for planning future projects and improvements.
We’ve looked before at the five major areas of the house: the foundation, the plumbing, the HVAC, the electricity, and the roof. These are the most important systems of the house, and the most costly, and should be the first areas of concern when checking your home inspection report. Next, you can focus on the details. With that in mind, we’re doing a multi-part series on how to use your home inspection report, starting with the five major systems, and moving on to some of the details in the weeks to come.
Foundation Crack or Entrance to Narnia?
Corner foundation cracks are pretty common, but this one is …
not common. As in too large to let go unrepaired. Not only are critters easily able to access the crawlspace, but water — the foundation’s greatest enemy — is able to run right in under the house unimpeded through that gaping hole and wreak further damage. That crack is large enough to make the whole side unstable and in danger of crumbling.
A foundation crack like this on your home inspection report would be a big red flag. As a buyer you would want to have the foundation evaluated by a structural engineer and/or a foundation repair company, and get any available information from the seller about previous work.
There’s a Time And Place For an Accordion
And plumbing ain’t it. And yet here we are, over and over again. For some reason, DIY plumbers just love to throw an accordion pipe under the sink. Accordion-style pipes are bad for use in drains because it is easy for debris to get caught in the folds, and therefore clog the pipe.
If you find this on your home inspection report, it’s a pretty good sign that the house was worked on by an unlicensed plumber, and there may be other problems lurking. A thorough check by a professional plumber during your option period would uncover anything you might need to be concerned about before moving in.
Duct, Duct, Goose
This is a damaged length of flexible AC ductwork. Flexible ductwork is great for getting hard-to-reach spots and corners, when installed correctly. It is often over-used because it is cheaper than rigid ducting and easier to install. The problem with flexible ducting is that it can bend, sag, and as in the photo, break down over time, restricting airflow and reducing your HVAC’s efficiency.
If you found this on your home inspection report, you would want to have an HVAC professional out to give an estimate on repairs. If this duct is in this poor condition, the HVAC system has likely not been serviced in some time, and you may be in for more than just new ductwork.
An Electrical Mystery
This electrical mystery may need further investigation by an electrician, but the first and easiest solution is that the breakers are simply mislabeled. The inspector’s GFCI detector indicates the outlets are wired properly (that’s what that light means).
Since this home is new construction, the buyer will want to address this with the builder to make sure everything is wired and labeled properly, and signed off by an electrician before they move in.
The Roof, The Roof, The Roof is All Wet
And possibly in danger of fire, too, as nspector Tracy points out. Not only is the roof leaking badly enough for the rafters to be soaked through, but the water heater flue does not have enough clearance to combustibles and has charring on the wood.
If you found this damage on your inspection report you’d be looking for a few things. First, you’d want the seller to check with their home insurance about roof repair or replacement, depending on the extent of the damage, and hopefully that would also cover any damages to the attic as well. Next, you’d want a plumber to check the water heater to estimate replacing that flue.
When looking at the major systems of the house and talking about potentially costly repairs, you should get all relevant estimates and consult with your Realtor on how best to use your home inspection report to leverage negotiations with the seller. Then you can make decisions about how to move forward.
Check back next week when we’ll delve into the details of how to use your home inspection report: all the weird walls, freaky fans, and DIY dishwashers that home inspectors find.
