Expensive Problems Commonly Found During A Home Inspection

Expensive Problems Commonly Found During A Home Inspection

If you're skipping a home inspection it could be an expensive choice. In 2021 many home buyers in Wisconsin are skipping a home inspection due to the hot housing market and competitive market. There are very few home inspections don't find at least one or multiple expensive repair issues that will need to be repaired or dealt with after you purchase a home. Some problems are much more expensive than others.  Don't rely on the sellers disclosure. They only have to disclose what they know and often even when they are not honest it is difficult to prove they knew of a problem prior to selling the home. 

Homes are currently selling for record prices meaning that buyers need to put quite a lot of money down to buy the house. Often there isn't a lot of wiggle room left over for major surprise repairs to deal with after becoming a new homeowner. I listed the four most common and probably expensive problems to look for during the home buying process.

​1. Foundation problems are one of a home buyers biggest worries and rightly so. They are expensive to fix and significant issues can cost tens of thousands of dollars to fix. If you're not trained or experienced in what to look for you can miss some major structural issues or potential problems. Combined with sellers who paint the foundation walls or have finished basements, this can be a very easy problem to overlook and not be seen by a buyer. 

2. Roof problems can consist of several areas. Whether its roof material damage or poor installation to old roofing material that will need to be replaced shortly after purchase these issues can cost a lot of money.  Depending not he size and complexity of your roof it can cost tens of thousands of dollars.  If you're on a budget spending $15,000 to replace a roof two years after you move into your home could be disastrous.

3.  Chimney problems on homes with chimneys are one of the most common problems seen during inspections. Whether it's the outside of  the chimney where brick is deteriorating, chimney chase covers or chimney caps that are deteriorated, or damaged flue pipes these repairs can cost thousands of dollars and are not something most sellers are even aware of. Most sellers may have no clue there are significant issue with their chimney and thus won't list it on a sellers condition report.

4. Fireplace problems especially wood burning fireplaces are common finds. Many people do not regularly maintain their chimney by having it inspected and cleaned. If a flue pipe is older than 25 years there may be a good chance that the flue is damaged and needs repair. This is another repair that will cost thousand of dollars to fix. Other issues like cracked refractory brick and damper doors that don't function are another common issue that need repair.

While these four issues are some common expensive issues that are found during a home inspection, it is only a small list of issues that are found during a home inspection. While skipping a home inspection may make you a more competitive offer when purchasing a home, it may cost you a significant amount of money and put you in financial stress if you buy a home that has major issues.