The Three Inspection Items I Won't Let Clients Skip

Standard inspection covers a lot. It doesn't cover everything. Three things I push for on almost every deal, even when the buyer is trying to save a few hundred dollars to get to the closing table:

Sewer scope

On any house older than about 1980, the sewer line from the house to the street is something you cannot see and have no idea about. Tree roots, cracked clay pipe, bellies in the line where waste pools — these are not visible from the inside of the house and a standard inspector doesn't open the cleanout. A sewer scope runs a camera through the line and shows you what you're inheriting. Cost: usually $150-250. Cost of replacing a collapsed sewer line: $8,000-25,000. The math is not subtle.

Electrical panel

Most inspectors will look at the panel and note what brand it is. They are not going to pull a permit history and they are not going to do a load calculation. If the panel is a Federal Pacific or a Zinsco — both common in houses from the 60s and 70s — that's a known fire-risk panel and it needs to be replaced. Insurance companies are increasingly refusing to cover homes with these panels. A licensed electrician can do a focused inspection for $200-300 and tell you exactly what you're looking at.

Roof

General inspectors are not roofers. They look at the roof from a ladder or from the ground with binoculars. For a roof that's older than 15 years, get a roofer up there. They can tell you within five minutes how much life is left and whether there are any active leaks. Cost: usually free, because they're hoping you'll hire them later. The information is worth it either way.

Three line items. Maybe $500-800 total. They have saved my clients five and six figures more times than I can count.