You’ve bought a home that you love. Everything seems pretty legit but you decide to have an inspector come in to check everything out anyway. To your surprise, your new place completely fails the inspection.
Just because a house seems like it’s perfect that doesn’t mean that there aren’t problems with it that are hiding beyond the surface. You didn’t notice these problems when you were buying the house because you were looking at it with rose colored glasses. This is why it’s recommended to have it checked out before you buy.
To help you get ready to have your new home checked out and understand what the inspector is telling you to fix, here are a few reasons why your place may fail house inspections.
1. Basement Moisture
Unless you go through the measures necessary to completely waterproof your basement then it’s inevitable that moisture will sneak its way in. This is because your basement is below ground level.
The soil puts more and more pressure on your basement walls until they can’t keep the water out anymore. The reason why a damp basement may cause you to fail an inspection is that it becomes a breeding ground for mold. This mold can cause a variety of health problems for you and your family.
On top of this health hazard, water damage doesn’t exactly do wonders for the structural integrity of the basement. The walls could crumble.
2. HVAC Problems
Many things can go wrong with your HVAC system. Your home wiring may not be up for the task of heating and cooling your entire house or you could have cracked ductwork. It could be a matter of the system being installed incorrectly.
This can and will make you fail inspection because it’s a fire hazard for one. For two, you can become sick from the extreme temperatures that come from your home not heating and cooling itself properly.
3. Roofing Issues
Roofing problems are one of the most expensive issues to fix and can quickly make you fail a home inspection. This is because roofing problems have sort of a domino effect.
If the structure of your roof is unsound, that will lead to water getting into your home, water which causes water damage, which leads to further structural problems. Also, the last thing you want is for your roof to cave in on you because the previous owner didn’t keep up with it.
If you have a chimney this is another part of your roof that will be heavily inspected. Depending on how old your chimney is, deep cracks could be beginning to form. This will cause you to fail because this means that there is a real possibility that your chimney will collapse soon.
4. Moisture in the Attic
Another area of your home that is prone to mold and mildew is your attic. If the insulation was poorly installed that can cause moisture to build up because the attic is right under your roof.
Again, mold and mildew on top of being gross and hard to deal with can also cause a variety of health issues for the people living in the home.
5. Electrical Problems
The most common electrical problem that can cause you to fail an inspection is overfusing. Overfusing is when there is an unsuitable match between wires and the corresponding overcurrent protection. When this happens a fire can easily break out.
Your electrical system has to be up to date to meet certain standards. So, if the wiring in your home is off such as in the case of overfusing, this can be a serious danger later on.
6. Building Structure/Foundation Issues
The building structure is one of the first things that most inspectors are going to look at. Obviously, if there is too much structural damage then nobody can live in the home, including you.
Things like heavy cracks in the wall will make you fail inspection because they can result in larger cracks later on and cause the walls to collapse on you. Inspectors will also look for jammed locks and doors.
If a fire breaks out you need to be able to escape the building. It’s a little hard to do that if your doors jam up.
7. Rotting Wood
If the home that you’ve bought is fairly old then there could be cases of wood rot. Rot happens overtime when moisture has been allowed to sit and fester in wooden structures. If left unchecked, your floor could collapse when you step down.
Damp wood is also an ideal home for termites and other pests that can be expensive to get rid of. Rot doesn’t just affect your floors. Your door frames and walls can also fall victim.
8. Security Problems
When we say security problems, we don’t mean problems with your security system. This part of the inspection is more along the lines of, do the locks on your doors and windows function?
The inspector will also check out your smoke alarm to see if it’s up and fully functional and your carbon monoxide alarm.
Reasons Why You May Fail Your Next House Inspection
House inspections are necessary whether you’re selling your home or buying a new one. There are plenty of things that could cause you to fail. It’s better to know about them now before they cause someone to get hurt.
Use this quick guide on home inspections to become familiar with these problem areas before your home is looked at.
Do you need to have a home inspected before you buy it? Schedule an appointment with us today.