What should I find out about before buying a first time hous

amother

Ecru

Thu, May 23 2019, 8:04 pm

I paid more for a very well recommended inspector and nearly all these things were checked by him and included in his report. He also turned on the a/c and the heat and all faucets, even turned on the built in microwaves and the dishwasher. Some specific things like lead he told me specifically he doesn’t do and you have to hire a special “lead guy” for that.
This thread should at least give you a good check off list for when you meet with your inspector.
Definitely try to be there during the inspection, go through the whole house with him, my guy pointed out a lot of stuff and I learned a lot about what to look for and about little things with the house. He showed me where the water shut off valve was, where the dryer vent leads out, things like that.

amother

Jade

Thu, May 23 2019, 8:15 pm

studying_torah wrote:

No inspectors don't check for mold or the roof the hot water tanks the cooling or heating system (at least not the one I had).
Also try to go in sunny & rainy weather to see both the natural light or lack thereof and to see if there are any leaks or drainage issues .
Also check the condition of the gutters.

We just recently had a home inspection on a house we were going to buy. our inspector checks all those things mentioned besides for mold...

amother

Firebrick

Thu, May 23 2019, 9:53 pm

Quote:

We just recently had a home inspection on a house we were going to buy. our inspector checks all those things mentioned besides for mold...

Same here. Our inspector also had an exterminator come out and check for rodents, bugs, termites...
And he brought out a separate inspector to check out our in-ground pool.
Everything was included in his fee

muffinsmommy

Thu, May 23 2019, 10:20 pm

Get a sewer line inspection (separate than your general inspection). This can be one of the most costly repairs on a home (average 12-20k to replace/reline). We had this done before we bought our house and the pipe was collapsed in several places. We insisted the owners fix this.

ectomorph

Thu, May 23 2019, 10:46 pm

amother [ Jade ] wrote:

We just recently had a home inspection on a house we were going to buy. our inspector checks all those things mentioned besides for mold...

How much was the fee?

Lead inspection is 400-500
Asbestos inspection is about 500

ectomorph

Thu, May 23 2019, 11:07 pm

Also make sure you have a financial cushion for last minute expenses. We had about 10k of surprise expenses.

It was all sorts of random things like the doorknobs were decorative instead of actually closing anything, no bars in closets, replacing locks, appliance failure upon moving... Some stuff was predictable but a lot wasn't.

FranticFrummie

Fri, May 24 2019, 4:03 am

muffinsmommy wrote:

Oh my gosh YES! This happened in my first house, and I found out that my insurance only covered things inside the foundation line, not the property line. The sewer pipes were 90 years old, made of clay. A large fir tree had grown right through it. It cost me a small fortune to repair.

I also bought my first house in the summer. That winter the roof leaked in 9 different places, the basement flooded so high that it put out the pilot light on the furnace, so we had a damp house and no heat. I just sat down and cried.

4,000 to repair the roof,10,000 to install a drain system and sump pump.

No to mention the old knob and tube wiring, and miles of lead pipe to be replaced.

I bought the house "as is" for $72,000, an sold it for $250,000. A few years of hard work and living in a construction zone, but in the end I found it very satisfying. Talk about a learning curve!