The Dream Home
We all dream of one day finding the perfect home. Most people have the image in our heads of what this home will look like and will spend much of our youth saving money so we can one day purchase our ‘Dream Home’. Imagine you find the home you have been searching for, and even better, it is within your price range. Everything, to the naked eye, appears to be in good shape and if the deal goes through you could be moving in next week. Amidst the excitement, you decide to waive the home inspection. The house appears to be in great condition, what could possibly go wrong?
Fast forward to a few weeks later and you are finally settled in to the home you’ve always dreamed of! You couldn’t be any more in love with the home you have purchased. But days following you begin to notice a few odd things. The sink in the kitchen and bathroom appear to be overflowing and not draining properly. Along with the improper drainage, there is a foul odor accompanied with it. You don’t think too much about it and use some drain cleaner to “fix” the problem. The next morning as you are walking out the door on your way to work, you step outside and the entire lawn in front of your home is soaked.
You call a plumber and he tells you that these are all signs that a sewer in your home has collapsed. A sewer line replacement with cost thousands of dollars to fix, going even as high as tens of thousands. All of your money is already going towards your mortgage, and it seems impossible now to be able to afford to fix the sewer line. Now your ‘Dream Home’, has turned into a smelly and expensive nightmare.
This whole scenario could have been remedied had the buyer required a quick but thorough home inspection, while saving themselves upwards of $10,000.
Another unfortunate consequence that could present itself when forgoing a home inspection is even scarier, and can even become deadly.
Imagine a similar scenario; dream home purchased, moved in comfortably with the family, things are going great! Years later, one of your children has the issue of a persistent cough and wheezing. After several cases of bronchitis, you decide to get the air quality tested in the house. They find that there are high amounts of radon, an odorless and deadly gas, in your home. Do not put yourself or your family at risk of this happening. The consequences of radon or other deadly substances lingering in homes is not worth saving a couple hundred dollars by waiving a home inspection.
A home inspection should be viewed as an investment as well as insuring the structure and safety of your home. Homes may appear to be perfect, but can have issues, just waiting to burst (literally!) that will only be seen with the trained eye and help of a home inspector’s equipment and knowledge.