Common Home Inspection Issues

Planning to sell your Tallahassee home? Thinking about buying a new one? If so, you’re going to need to think about home inspections. The American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI) estimates that 77 percent of homes get inspected before purchase.

If you’re buying, a home inspection will provide you with valuable information about what shape your prospective home is in. But if you’re selling, an inspection can create additional work for you as you may be asked to repair issues identified during the inspection process.

Whether you’re buying or selling a home (or assisting a buyer or seller), you can benefit from this guide. We will discuss some of the most common home inspection issues you might run into, as well as how to fix them.

What Happens During a Home Inspection?

A home inspection is an in-depth visual assessment of a property, specifically its physical structure, systems, and appliances. It can uncover anything from small repairs that will be needed soon to potentially huge problems like faulty wiring. Home inspections typically occur after a seller has accepted the buyer’s offer. The buyer is responsible for hiring and paying the inspector, and usually has a small window of time to walk away from the sale if the inspection isn’t favorable.

The following are some specific aspects of a home that the inspector will review:

• • HVAC System
  • Plumbing
  • Electrical System
  • Attic
  • Basement
  • Kitchen Appliances

The Most Common Home Inspection Issues (and How to Fix Them)

A home inspector could undoubtedly keep you entertained at a party by recounting all the strange things he’s seen during his assessments. However, some problems tend to show up in a home inspection more frequently than others, including those discussed below:

Roofing Issues

One of the most important tasks an inspector completes is examining the home’s roof. They typically climb on the roof to look for potential problems, including the following:

• collections of granules (a sign that the protective layer of your shingles is wearing off)
• leaky or clogged gutters (which can lead to foundation and siding damage)
• broken, cracked, or curling shingles (these issues can indicate the need for repair or in some cases, a complete roof replacement)
• missing shingles (must be replaced; otherwise, you risk mold, rotting, and other types of damage)
• moisture in the attic (a sign that the roof is leaking)
• moisture spots on the walls or ceilings (also a sign of a potentially leaking roof)

Solutions

Depending on the severity of the issues the inspector finds, you may be able to get away with simply replacing damaged or missing shingles to protect the roof from moisture damage. In more severe cases, they may recommend a full roof replacement (especially if it’s been close to 20 years since the last replacement occurred).

If there’s water damage inside the home, you’ll need to address the source (like patching a hole in the roof), but you’ll also need to assess the extent of the moisture. Depending on how much has been built up, you may need to do some repairs to the walls and ceiling to ensure stability and prevent mold growth. 

Improper Electrical Wiring

Roughly 51,000 house fires start annually because of improper electrical wiring. Not only is this issue dangerous, but it’s also expensive to fix, so it’s essential to know about it before moving forward with a home purchase.

Signs of improper electrical wiring include:

• frequently dimming or flickering lights
• strange smells coming from outlets
• sparking
• outlets that are hot to the touch
• buzzing sounds
• improper kitchen or bathroom outlets (these rooms should have ground fault circuit interrupters or GFCIs, which provide additional shock protection in areas where water runs)

When it comes to older homes, the inspector may also find that the electrical panel is outdated. An old panel cannot regulate electricity flow properly, which can lead to electrical overloads and fires.

Solutions

Never mess around with electricity by yourself. This is an aspect of home maintenance that can go wrong very quickly, so it’s best to leave it to professionals. An electrician can identify the source of specific problems like sparking or buzzing and make the necessary repairs. He can also replace the electrical panel if needed to ensure it’s up to code. 

Insufficient Insulation

Insufficient insulation can interfere with a home’s energy efficiency. It may cause you to lose warm air during the winter and cool air during the summer, both of which can lead to higher utility bills and a more substantial carbon footprint.

Home inspectors will not rip open the walls to check the home’s insulation. However, they will likely climb up in the attic to see how well it’s insulated (since a lot of air can escape through the roof). Some inspectors also use special infrared devices that help them identify poorly insulated areas (as well as other issues like leaks and hot spots from overheated electrical equipment).

Solutions

The good news is that it’s pretty easy to address insufficient insulation. If you want, you can even handle it yourself by renting an insulation blower from a local home improvement store (although some people complain that this process is messy).

If you don’t want to deal with insulation yourself, many repair professionals are happy to assist. The City of Tallahassee provides grants for increasing insulation and making the home more energy efficient.

Leaks and Clogs

The plumbing is another critical aspect of a home that inspectors check out. They will inspect all the faucets and drains and will also use a camera to look at the pipes to see if they are damaged, outdated, etc.

It’s fairly common for inspectors to come across issues like dripping faucets, leaky pipes, or clogged drains during their inspection. To identify these problems, they will look for common warning signs like water dripping continuously from a faucet or under the sink, or poor drainage.  

Solutions

Some minor leaks can easily be fixed with a little tightening or pipe repair wrap. More significant leaks may require a plumber’s help, though. The same goes for severe clogs. If you can’t remove the clog by simply snaking the drain, don’t continue messing with your plumbing. Let a professional step in so you don’t accidentally do more damage.

Outdated Plumbing

More serious than a leaky pipe or dripping faucet is outdated plumbing. Many older homes have pipes made from galvanized steel instead of copper, brass, or PVC. Galvanized steel doesn’t last as long as these other materials, meaning you may be more likely to experience serious plumbing issues like discolored or unsafe water and flooding. 

Solutions

The most straightforward fix for outdated plumbing is to repipe the home. This process can be quite expensive, but protecting the home from water damage and the residents from consuming contaminated water is worthwhile. 

Poor Drainage

If a home is poorly graded, meaning the ground slopes toward it, water can pool around the foundation instead of draining properly. Over time, this pooling will compromise the home’s structure and could even lead to a collapse.

Common signs of poor grading include wet, spongy soil, water seeping into the basement, dead patches of grass, and lots of mosquitos (they’re drawn to standing water).

Solutions

Soil grading–adding soil around the foundation to direct water away from the house–can help to combat drainage issues caused by poor grading. You can also install window wells to prevent water from entering the home.

Heating and Cooling Issues

The inspector will also evaluate the home’s Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system. If they notice that the home doesn’t heat up or cool down efficiently, or if they catch problems like strange sounds or unpleasant odors, they will make a note of those and report them to the buyer.  

Solutions

Sometimes, HVAC units just need to be cleaned thoroughly or have a filter replaced to start working correctly and efficiently again. In other cases, they may need more significant repairs or need to be replaced altogether. On average, HVAC units last 10-20 years, so if the house’s system is close to the end of its life, purchasing a new one may be more cost-effective.

What to Do After Discovering Home Inspection Issues

If a buyer learns about problems with the house following a home inspection, they have a few different options:

• Option 1: Move forward with the purchase, knowing that they’ll have to take care of some repairs after they close on the house.
• Option 2: Ask the seller to make some or all of the necessary repairs. Otherwise, the buyer will withdraw their offer.
• Option 3: Ask the seller for credits to cover the cost of repairs. For example, the seller may cover some of the closing costs, freeing up some of the buyer’s money so they can afford repairs.

If you as the buyer decide to ask the seller to handle repairs or pay some of your closing costs, be prepared for some negotiating back and forth before you settle on a solution that both parties accept. 

Do You Need Help Fixing Home Inspection Issues?

While we are focused on larger remodeling projects and don’t do home repairs we are happy to provide advice and referrals. 

Give us a call and we’ll do what we can to help.