Both buying and selling a property is a very serious and intense process. Hundreds of thousands of dollars are at stake, not to mention we’re talking about the place you and your family will be living for at least the near future. In our last post, we went over common historic home issues. In this post, we’re going over some common home inspection issues that can affect any type of home.
Home inspection services are an important part of this process. They provide both buyers and sellers with important information about the property. These inspections can reveal any issues that should be fixed before listing & things that buyers can ask sellers to fix before buying.
Home inspectors will inspect the entire home from the plumbing to the foundation to the roof.
This will give you a better understanding of what to expect and what we’re looking for.
Roofing materials wear down over time, which can expose your home to pests, water damage, energy issues, and other serious problems. Because roofs are complex parts of the home, there are a number of issues that can pop up, which is why “roofing problems”, in general, are so common to find during a home inspection.
Common problems:
Knob and tube wiring was the go-to electrical wiring method for homes built between 1900 and 1950. This type of wiring is not only seriously outdated, but it’s also considered to be dangerous as it can easily cause fires, power surges, and more.
These power surges can harm your appliances and electronics and can lead to further damage to the home.
Any home discovered to have knob and tube wiring can also have insurance problems since many insurance companies will not insure homes that still have this type of wiring.
Dry rot is when the wood in your home begins to rot & wear away thanks to certain types of fungi. This type of rot often appears to be dark brown and lacking a visible or obvious form of moisture (hence the name dry rot).
However, for dry rot to occur, there needs to be some moisture for the fungi to survive. And, indeed, upon further inspection, there is usually some sort of water damage somewhere in the home that’s causing the rot.
Without proper insulation and ventilation in the attic, a whole slew of problems can result.
Poor insulation & ventilation can lead to high utility costs and overall poor energy efficiency in the home. These things can also lead to roofing issues including troublesome ice dams, water damage, mold, and more.
Older homes often see the most problems with these things as time causes the insulation to wear down and require replacement.
Another problem with older insulation is asbestos. Until the 1970s, asbestos was commonly used in homes and commercial buildings for insulation, fireproofing, and other building materials.
When it was discovered that it can cause serious health problems (like cancer and permanent respiratory issues), it was banned in new building construction.
However, any asbestos that was installed prior to that could still exist in your home or property, especially in residences as insulation.
In order to protect your home from water damage and foundation issues, you have to make sure that excess water drains away from your home. This is usually done with sloping of the surrounding land to divert water away.
A common problem home inspectors find is that the land is either not sloped enough or it’s sloped improperly resulting in excess water diverting towards the home. This can cause the water to seep into your foundation leading to structural damage, cracks, moisture issues (like rot, mold, etc), and more.
Believe it or not, these are just a few of the common home inspection issues we can find. At MKC, we’re extremely thorough and detailed in our inspections looking at everything from electrical wiring and plumbing to windows and doors.
Learn more about what you get with each of our home inspection services here. No matter what service you get, you’ll receive MKC’s attention to detail, dedication to our work, and a clear & understandable inspection report.
Contact us to learn more.
Contact MKC Associates to schedule your home reinspection and keep the purchase process moving quickly!
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