Top Five Reasons Home Inspections Fail

Trying to sell your home? Before you go too far down the road, check out what home inspectors say are the most common problems that might end up killing the sale.
Step 1:
Plumbing Issues
If you talk with home inspectors, they’ll mostly often tell you that plumbing issues are what come up most during a home inspection. The most obvious thing to look for is any kind of leaking around any exposed pipes.
Step 2:
Fixing Plumbing Issues
This is something that you can do yourself;
check out every faucet for leaks especially the laundry connection for your washing machine, which is a common problem area. Also if your home is built in the 70’s or 80’s, you may have PolyButyline pipe. PolyButyline has been proven to fail, and is a definite red flag in every home inspection.
Step 3:
Electrical Outlets
Electrical concerns are also at the top of the list. Again, let’s start with the obvious. Home inspectors will find a lot of outlets that are loose or that don’t work, and the new owners will want these repaired.
Step 4:
Plugs and Sockets
In addition, inspectors will point out if key plugs are not GFCI circuits. Ground Volt Interrupters are a type of plug that basically shuts down when a surge is occurring. And with most homes, they are now a requirement for most rooms such as the kitchen, all bathrooms, and any outdoor sockets.
Step 5:
Breaker Boxes
Home inspectors say they also find many homes with improperly wired breaker boxes with breakers that are not the right size or do not fit.
This is a real concern in older homes that may not have been updated. With all the new demands for power; computers, televisions, appliances, you have to make sure an older electrical box has enough capacity to handle it.
Remember, more than 40,000 fires a year are caused by faulty electrical systems. So the new buyer will want to make sure there are no hidden dangers.
Step 6:
Heating System
Home inspectors say they also find many problems in the heating system.
Most home owners think that all they need to do is change the filter every few months. Potential buyers may want to see if you’ve done annual maintenance, such as where a professional has done a burner adjustment to make sure it’s burning properly, and has checked the unit for structural integrity.
Any leak in the piping or the unit could result in a dangerous gas leak or even carbon monoxide poisoning.
This is a critical inspection point for home inspectors.
Step 7:
Roofing And The Attic
Problems on the roof and the attic also routinely turn up in a home inspection report.
On average it costs more than 1,000 dollars a year to heat and cool a house. Many home owners don’t even know it, but they may not even have enough insulation in their attics leading to high energy bills as their heating systems works harder to maintain a consistent temperature.
Insulation requirements are different throughout the country, so the easiest thing to do is to go online and do a search for insulation calculators. On your roof, besides torn and cracked shingles, inspectors also say there has been flashing that has not been properly installed allowing water to seep into the house.
Step 8:
Drainage
And rounding up the top 5 is drainage.
Home inspectors also find many issues related to improper drainage. If the grating around your house doesn’t carry water away it will likely cool against the foundation and possibly seep in, in areas just like this. If you’ve got water in your basement, any water in your basement, it will likely kill the deal.
Also, home inspectors say that they find many gutter systems that don’t carry water far away enough from the house. That means, it might flow right under your homes foundation, causing the problems that gutters are meant to prevent.
In many parts of the country mold is a big problem associated with moisture in the house. Mold is a health issue and it must be dealt with. Getting your home ready to sell involves more than a thorough clean. By checking out these things ahead of time, you’re going to head off some surprises that may come up in the middle of the deal.