Why You Need a Sewer Inspection Before Buying a Home

Sewer inspections are required as part of the POS (Point-of-Sale) in several cities and municipalities across the nation. However, it isn’t required everywhere, so some people don’t even think about it. After all, you’d assume that like all the major systems in the home, the sewer and water mains are working as they should.

Unfortunately, when it comes to buying a home and the aspects that you can’t really see (such as the sewer main), you should always take things with a grain of salt and get an inspection to ensure that you’re not walking into a huge repair expense. The average cost of sewer line repair could be anywhere from $4,000 to $25,000 or more, depending on what’s wrong and what needs to be fixed or replaced.

You might be able to get a full replacement for $5,000 or $6,000, but if the job requires excessive excavation, removal of old plumbing lines and weeping tiles, etc., the costs for labor can add up significantly. And even at the low end of the price range do you have an extra four or five grand to throw, literally, down the drain?

Getting a sewer inspection as a contingency for buying a home ensures that the seller covers any of these issues that arise. After the inspection, they will be given a list of repairs and/or replacements that need to be made in order to meet the demands of the sale agreement. If there is nothing wrong, you can move forward with closing and other steps.

If, however, there are problems found, they should be fixed as quickly as possible. Some buyers will dictate a repair timeline in their request for sewer inspections while others will assume that the sellers will act swiftly and efficiently. That’s a decision that you’ll have to make for yourself.

The important thing is that you take the time to get a sewer inspection so that you’re not walking into an unknown nightmare in the making. What if the sewer main needs a full excavation and replacement just a year after you moved in? Or even a month? Had you taken the time to get an inspection, you wouldn’t have had to worry about it. And, it wouldn’t be done on your dime.

So, before you buy any real estate, whether it’s required by local laws or not, request a sewer inspection from Elk Grove Village Sewer & Plumbing to ensure that everything is in good working order and not going to cost you a small fortune the first time you flush the toilet.