Things That Often Fail a Home Inspection

If you are looking into buying or selling a home, you will undoubtedly want to familiarize yourself with home inspections. Home inspections are performed by licensed inspectors and are usually paid for by the buyer. The purpose of this is for the home inspector to bring attention to possible issues with the home. The inspector will evaluate the house, looking for plumbing, electrical, structural, and mechanical problems. Home inspections, however, tend to be on the expensive side. As such, if you know what typically fails a home inspection, you can save yourself some money. In order to help with this, we have put together a list of things that often fail a home inspection, and we hope you find it helpful.

Faulty foundations and drainage issues

Needless to say, foundations are pretty important for a house. And as such, one of the things that often fail a home inspection is having a faulty foundation.

You might notice doors and windows begin to stick or visible cracks in the foundation or around doorways. Or a sloping floor somewhere in the house. Faulty foundations tend to be some of the most expensive repairs, so buyers shouldn’t bother with such a home.

On the other hand, sellers should try to fix the issue before it escalates. Usually, it’s bad drainage that causes this issue. Surface grading, which is poorly done, causes inadequate drainage, leading to foundation damage. So, if there’s anything first-time homebuyers should keep in mind, it would be to avoid homes that have these issues. The repairs can cost around $10,000 to fix, which isn’t worth the effort.

Cracked foundations can be caused by bad drainage, and it’s an issue that is quite expensive to solve.

Alt-tag: Close-up of cracked asphalt.

Bad roofing

It’s essential to remember that asphalt shingle roofs last from 15 to 20 years. Severely neglected roofs can be extremely expensive to replace and even lead to severe structural damage over time. Therefore, this is an issue that could easily fail a home inspection. In fact, experts from excalibur-movers.com state that some people are even forced to move out of a home in extreme cases of faulty roofing. Fortunately, this is an issue that is easy to solve in its early stages. Simply repair damaged flashing and shingles where they appear. If your house has ventilation, remember to re-caulk the spots where pipes penetrate the roof. As for home-buyers, if you notice that a potential home has bad roofing, you’re better off avoiding it. Typically, the effort to have it fixed will cost you a lot more than you might expect, and it generally is not worth the bother.

Problems with plumbing

Certain types of pipes (those made from polybutylene, specifically) have been discontinued due to their high failure rate. As such, home inspectors will report pipes made from incompatible plumbing materials. On top of that, generally damaged pipes, backed-up sewage systems, and malfunctioning water heaters are common issues that fail home inspections.

While not as expensive as repairing foundations or roofing, fixing plumbing can get pretty pricey if the problem escalates. Thus, you should consider upgrading your plumbing or at least fixing visible leaks and unclog drains if you intend to sell your home. Finally, reseating your toilets and installing wax rings is a great idea, as it can increase the value of your home. If you’re looking into a home with plumbing issues, you should keep in mind that, although they’re not the most expensive problems, they can escalate pretty quickly.

Plumbing issues can lead to serious problems if not addressed as quickly as possible.

Alt-tag: Close-up of the yellow valve.

Poor maintenance

Just on their own, cosmetic issues aren’t too troubling. For instance, things such as cracked caulk or peeling paint might not seem too bad, at first glance. However, an accumulation of these minor problems indicates poor home maintenance and can reveal more significant issues. And this, in turn, can lead to closing delays: until those issues are revealed and repaired, buyers cannot proceed with closing or moving in. So, if you have to wait, make sure you have a plan B.

What’s more, while these issues by themselves aren’t costly to sort out, they can gather up and stress you out in the long run. Fortunately, for anyone looking to sell a home, this problem is easy to fix. Try replacing broken appliances and lighting fixtures and brand-new coats of paint. This can give the house more appeal at first glance and prevent the accumulation of problems in the long term.

Pests and mold

If there is anything that can fail a home inspection immediately, it’s an infestation of pests or mold. Termites especially can send potential buyers running, as they can do a lot of structural damage quickly. As such, it’s imperative to deal with them as soon as you spot them. On the other hand, mold is a danger to your health and an indicator of leaks or drainage issues. There are many things to think about before buying a home, and whether or not the house has an active infestation should be one of them. Both mold and pests can escalate to extensive infestations quickly. And once this happens, it takes a lot of time and money to solve the infestation. Therefore, dealing with them as early as possible is the best choice of action for home sellers. As for the buyers, it’s best not to deal with those at all.

Mold and pest infestations can escalate very quickly. And when they do, they take a lot of time and effort to sort out.

Alt-tag: Close-up photo of a brown rat.

Things that often fail a home inspection – conclusion

There are many issues that can easily lead to home inspection failure. Some of them are more expensive to fix, but all of them can be dangerous if left unattended for a while. Thus, if you’re a home buyer, you should pay attention to these issues. And, if you’re a seller, you should try to have them fixed before they escalate into serious problems. We hope you found this list of things that often fail a home inspection helpful.

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