What Home Inspections To Do Before You Buy

Never purchase a home in Colorado Springs, or anywhere for that matter, without having an inspection.

A home inspection allows you to negotiate with the seller about the serious issues you may find or allows you to escape your contract all together if there are too many serious structural problems, safety issues, etc.

Although you, as the buyer, will be paying out of pocket for the inspections, getting inspections is crucial in the buying process so you know if you will have serious issues to deal with after you purchase the property. Since you are the one paying for the inspection, there are a few inspection options you can choose. 

Here is a list of 5 of the most important inspections to do before you buy your new home in Colorado Springs.

General Inspections

General home inspections are the most common home inspection done. 

A general home inspection will cover features of your Colorado Springs home that are visible to the eye. This ranges from roofing, driveway erosion, safety concerns such as fire and carbon monoxide alarms and various other things. 

Your inspector will then write a report detailing his/her findings and recommendations of how to proceed to bring the home up to standard.

A standard home inspection will cost around $500 – $700.

Before choosing your inspector, be sure to look over their reviews and credentials.

Sewer Scope Inspection

Unlike a regular home inspection, sewer inspections deal with problems not visible to the eye that may be underneath the house.

Oftentimes, sewers don’t show signs of any problems until it’s too late. Usually sewer companies, such as our team at Whitney Sewer & Drain Cleaning, aren’t called in until drains are backing up or even worse flooding your home with sewer water.

Our team at Whitney Sewer & Drain Cleaning in Colorado Springs performs sewer drain line video inspections by using high tech cameras to go beneath the surface of your property. This allows us to see if the water and waste are flowing in the right direction, if maintenance needs to be performed or if there are any disruption such as tree roots that need to be cleaned out and repaired.

Sewer repairs can be in the thousands of dollars depending on the damage done, while an inspection can range from $100-$250. It may seem unnecessary, but you’ll be thankful you spent the money if you buy a home with major damage.

Radon Testing

A naturally occurring radioactive gas, radon can increase the risk of lung cancer. 

According to the EPA nearly 1 out of every 15 homes in the U.S. has elevated radon levels and scientists estimate that 15,000 to 22,000 lung cancer deaths nationwide each year are related to radon.

Radon gas can build up in enclosed spaces, such as basements, and with so many basements in Colorado Springs homes, performing radon testing as part of your home inspection is wise.

Radon tests take 48 hours to show results and can be anywhere from $100-$200.

Lead-Based Painting

In 1978, the federal government banned the use of lead-based painting. However, many homes in Colorado Springs built before 1978, and even some after, still have lead-based paints in them. 

Lead-based paint can cause serious health conditions, even death. Replacing lead-based paint jobs is not cheap, so if you’re looking at an older home in Colorado Springs you should consider getting a lead-based paint inspection.

Chimney Inspections

Many homeowners want a wood-burning fireplace and their home, just don’t forget about getting a chimney inspection before closing.

Some older chimneys don’t have the proper liners or the structure could be falling apart. Both of these problems could cause serious damage and health issues. 

A chimney inspection will be able to see these problems and can make sure that your chimney is running smoothly.

Sewer Home Inspections in Colorado Springs

If you’re purchasing a new construction or a resale home in Colorado Springs, it’s important to remember that while the home itself may not have any issues by just looking at it, you never know what’s lying underneath.

As we mentioned, sewer problems can cost thousands of dollars to repair and often go unnoticed especially if you purchase a home with only 1 or 2 residents and you move in a family of 5. 

Before you purchase your Colorado Springs home, make sure to get a sewer drain line video inspection done. 

Whitney Sewer & Drain Cleaning has served the Colorado Springs area since 1972. Our focus is to provide our customers with excellent levels of service from your first call to the end of your inspection. To schedule your sewer inspection, contact us today.