Real estate is ever evolving and changing

I have talked about the sewer scopes for the past 10 years, but only in the last few years have they become more common. I encourage a sewer scope even when the home is on a septic system. If the home that a buyer is making an offer on is on a septic system (on-site sewage), the Septic addendum says that the septic system must be inspected within the last 12 months. When a septic contractor comes out to inspect the septic tank, that is all they are inspecting. They are NOT inspecting the sewage lines from the home to the tank, and honestly, that is where we see a lot of problems.

Last year, I had clients who were buying their first home. The home they fell in love with was on a septic. A home might be on a septic because the sewer line is not available, or when the sewer line came through the homeowner at the time chose not to hook up to the sewer. Yes, when the sewer becomes available to a home on a septic, the current homeowner CAN choose NOT to hook up to the sewer, if the current septic is in good working condition. However, if the septic fails, the homeowner (at the time of the septic failure) cannot put in a new septic. They must hook up to the sewer.

My clients had an accepted offer on the home that had a septic inspection only 6 months prior and the septic inspection said that the tank looked great. I advised my client to have a plumber do a sewer scope and a radon test.

I advised my clients to have the sewer scope done by a licensed plumber. Some inspectors do sewer scopes, but they are not licensed  lumbers. Having a licensed plumber do the sewer scope means having it done correctly.

Now the radon test. What is this? Radon has no color, smell, or taste and is a radioactive gas. It comes from the natural decay of uranium found in nearly all soils. It typically moves up through the ground to the air above and into your home through cracks and other holes in the foundation. I highly advise a radon test, especially when any part of the home is underground, like with a basement, tri-level, or split level homes, and homes with a slab foundation.

Thankfully, my clients listened to me. Radon levels considered safe must read 4.0 or lower. The radon levels in this home were about 30.0… over 7x the safe amount! The sewer scope also failed as it was not draining from the pipes.

Radon mitigation isn’t too big of a deal and usually not too expensive. In this case, it was $1650. The failed sewer scope was a whole other problem. My clients requested that, due to the failed sewer scope, the seller have the septic repaired or get the home hooked up to the nearby sewer. Unfortunately, the septic could not be repaired as the drainfield was not working. Because the sewer was nearby, a new drainfield could not be put in as the septic had failed. What is the cost of this? The bid the seller received was $12,000.

I would not let my clients close before the sewer work was done, even though it meant we would need to extend closing by 3 weeks. As the plumbing company started the sewer hook-up, they found that the sewer line at the road was at a higher elevation than the plumbing for the home. Now, it wasn’t just the plumbing from home to the sewer that needed done, it was the plumbing IN the home as well! The $12,000 bid turned into $49,000!

What if my clients had closed before the sewer hook-up was completed? The bid the seller received for the sewer hook-up ($12,000) meant the work couldn’t be done for two weeks past our original closing date. If my clients had closed on time, and not listened to me when I said that they should wait until after the work was done, my clients would have been responsible for this difference ($49,000 – $12,000 = $37,000) because only $12,000 would have been held back from the sellers. What if my clients had NOT done the sewer scope? After living in the home for a while, the backyard grass where the drainfield is would have been very lush….and smelly. My clients would have found the drainfield had failed and they would need to hook up to the sewer. They would have been responsible for that $49,000 + bill to hook up to the sewer.

This is why it is important to do the inspections, even when they cost more, and why it is important to listen to your Realtor – even when you might not like what we have to say. One of the most important things I have learned in Real Estate is that we are always learning. Every deal and home is different and it is ALWAYS better to be safe than sorry.