When Buying A Home-The Selection Of Inspections

When your offer is accepted on a home, one of the next steps you need to take is to get that home inspected.  Being that there is a limited time frame on the purchase contract to have inspections done in, I suggest to my clients to get the general inspection done right away just in case the inspector recommends having further inspections done. If the home is a single family residence (not a condo) then I tell them they may want to get a sewer inspection, especially if the front yard has a lot of trees or shrubbery.  And if the house has chimney's, I always suggest getting a chimney inspection (even though these can be a double edged sword).  There are a number of other types of inspections you may want to get as well including roof, HVAC, pool, geology, mold and other hazardous materials, structural or foundation, pluming, and the list goes on.  In most cases, the general inspector will go over as much as they can and point out the areas where a specialist may be needed to do further inspections (although most general inspection reports say you should have a specialist check out every area that can be looked at)  But two of the more common inspections I see that can be big red flags, and you should pay close attention to, are the sewer and chimney.  First off, I think every real estate agent should prepare their clients if the home they are looking to buy has a chimney.  Most chimneys here in SoCal, should just be considered decoration and not meant for real firewood or even gas logs usage. There are so many homes here that were built over 50 years ago and most chimneys have not been maintain or repaired over the years.  And on top of that, we have earthquakes here which always wreak havock on those.  So most chimneys need a good amount of repair which can run in ranges from $1,000 to $20,000 and upward in order to be in proper working condition.  Unless the chimney can do structural damage to the house (as in fall away from the house) then repairs may not be necessary and you may just have a nice mantel with a great location for a candle collection.  And to top that off, I run across chimney inspectors as well as sewer inspectors all the time that seem to give an extreme, over-exaggerated diagnosis of issues that may or may not be there.  Another good thing to look into is getting a chimney inspection done by someone who does not do the repairs as well so there is no conflict of interest. And on a sewer inspection, make sure you see the video camera go through the pipes and have the inspector go over what they see so you can see it as well.  As for any other inspection you may have, if an inspector gives you alarming news that seems to coincide with putting a big dent in your wallet, consider getting a 2nd or 3rd inspection.  Unfortunately, some of these inspectors are more out for work for themselves rather than giving proper diagnosis. So while it may cost you an extra $300 to get another inspection, it may save you thousands in the end if you can avoid getting unnecessary work done.  And as always, you may want to get recommendations from your realtor on who to call for these inspections and services since we may have some insider knowledge on whether they are on the up and up or just out for some extra $$.