Hold Your Horses—One Inspection at a Time
By: Patrick Hooper
As a consultative company, we pride ourselves on our honesty and objectivity. In fact, we like to say that “We Get Paid to be Honest”—even though sometimes, we don’t.
Our consulting service doesn’t only begin after a customer agrees to hire M.I.S., but the moment they contact us. This is why we normally ask questions—to do our best to assure we do not charge a customer for an inspection that may have been unnecessary.
Pre-purchase sewer and drain line video examinations are a significant and growing portion of Mainline Inspection Services’ business, as well as a vital component of the real estate buying process. The potential cost of purchasing a property with a damaged sanitary infrastructure could cost thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars to remediate and should never be overlooked.
We get many calls from prospective home buyers frantically trying to schedule all recommended inspections to be completed on the same day. If the buyer is under a strict deadline to have all inspections completed, on a tight schedule or has a “reasonable expectation” that the property will not have significant structural issues—getting all inspections done at the same time is efficient and may make the most sense.
However, if time allows, we will advise customers to consider starting with and completing the “Whole House” inspection first, assuring that there are no significant issues that may lead to withdrawing the offer on the property. After the home or building clears the primary inspection, then it makes sense to move forward with the expense of additional inspections—including, of course, sewer/drain line examinations and assessments.
The more you know…………….