When you’re buying a home and you have your home inspection, you’ll receive a very detailed report that includes information about everything from tiny foundation cracks to the roof. You’ll get a lot of info about things that aren’t super important, but that can be used as a maintenance checklist, such as outlets that need checking or fixtures that need tightening. Other items may be more important, or even a pressing or dangerous condition that needs immediate attention — but is it a deal breaker?
It’s a lot of information to take in, and that’s why the inspectors at Green Scene always provide a video summary along with their reports to help clients better understand the report. You don’t want to be panicking over every little thing, or conversely, overlook something truly important. A home inspector is not there to tell you whether to buy the house. We’re there to gather information and present it to you. It’s up to you to decide whether a problem we find is a deal breaker or not. Today we’ll look at some examples of deficiencies we found in homes. You be the judge — is this a deal breaker?
Bathroom Renovation Fail
This otherwise very well-renovated home had this one oversight in the guest bath. It seems they forgot to measure the door clearance before installing that brand-new vanity. If the door hitting the vanity bugs you, you’d not only have to remove the vanity, but you’d have to get creative because there’s not much room in there since they added a shower. The easiest solution is to find a door that opens outward. Otherwise, you’re looking for a very thin sink, or relocating the toilet. Is this a deal breaker? If you really love the house?
Original HVAC
It’s August, and we all know the importance of a good air conditioner. Let’s say you’re at the top end of your budget on a home and your home inspector lets you know that the AC unit is like this one — the original unit from 1989. It’s running, but it has “reached the end of its life.” The seller isn’t negotiating. So while you know you’re buying a house with a working AC, it’s a working AC with hard-to-get refrigerant (read: expensive), that’s going to die at any time, so you have to take that expense into account. Angie’s List estimates the cost of replacing an AC unit in Dallas to be between $4500-$12,000 depending on the size and capacity. Is this a deal breaker?
Hard To Reach AC Unit
As you can see in the video, this AC unit is difficult and dangerous to get to. Not likely anyone is doing regular maintenance on this thing. The easy fix is if there is a spot in the house below where you can cut a new access point. That would bring it up to code and make it much easier to maintain. The hard fix would be having to relocate the system. A licensed technician won’t be able to repair or replace it as is because it’s not to code. Is this a deal breaker?
A Burned Part in The Electrical Panel
When you install an electrical panel, it comes with particular parts, like extra screws and whatnot, and if you lose or damage a piece, you’re not supposed to go grab any old parts from the hardware store to replace them. The Original Equipment Manufacturer, or OEM parts are essential in things like cars and electrical panels because they are designed specifically by engineers to be used by that particular machine or appliance, whereas other parts are not. Inspector Brian said, “It’s like using Chevy parts in a Ford truck.”
The screw pictured here is what happens when you use a regular screw in an electrical panel instead of an OEM screw. Is it a big deal? Is something burning in your electrical panel a big deal? Yes. Is it still a big deal, now that it’s already happened? We don’t know. How many screws were replaced? What else did this DIY electrician do when they were replacing screws? We’ll need a licensed electrician to know for sure. Is this a deal breaker for you?
I tried to pick some scenarios that would give you some food for thought. Homeownership is hard and involves a lot of responsibility. That’s just the truth. The more we know about the different systems of the home, the more we can make informed decisions when we’re both buying and then maintaining our homes. Knowledge gives you the power to protect your biggest asset (your home), and to plan for future expenses.
