Which home inspections should a buyer have done?

Most buyers know that once they are in-contract to purchase a home that they should hire a home inspector to thoroughly check the home. However, there are other inspections or tests that the buyer may want depending on the specific home.

The Purchase Contract used by the Columbus Board of Realtors® mentions (but is not limited to) the following “inspections, tests or reports”: (1) insurability, (2) wood-destroying insects, (3) gas lines, (4) waste treatment systems and well water, (5) mold and/or radon and (6) lead-based paint.

Rather than going into great detail on this forum, here is a brief, non-technical description of these items:

• Insurability. Because of numerous national disasters, home insurers have tightened their rules for which homes they will insure or how much they will charge to insure those homes. Once a buyer goes into contract they should contact their chosen insurance agent to start the process to see whether the home can/will be insured. The insurer will check the CLUE report for prior claims and may even send out their own evaluator.
• Wood-destroying insects. The pest inspector will be looking for signs of damage by insects that chew wood such as termites, carpenter ants and carpenter bees. Those are the key insects in Central Ohio. Other areas may have different insects. The inspectors also look for the insects themselves … either alive or dead.
• Gas lines. This can be an actual inspection, although here generally it is covered with a warranty. There are several companies that offer a 12-month warranty that covers gas leaks or repairs within the home plus the lines to the street where the line responsibility then becomes the local gas company.
• Waste treatment systems, well water. These tests obviously cover rural areas where there are no city lines. The inspector will check to make sure the waste system is working properly or in the case of a septic tank, whether it needs to be pumped. They’ll also review the outflow system, such as leach lines. When checking the well water, they check purity and pressure.
• Mold, radon. Mold inspections are less common and may only be requested if there are visible indications of mold. Radon inspections are very common, especially if there is a finished basement or if the new owners plan to use the basement. The inspector will place a recording device in the basement for a 48-hour period during which the meter samples the air. The EPA has determined that a reading of 4 picocuries or below is a “safe” level. They recommend if the reading is over 4, that mitigation be done.
• Lead-based paint. Homes built after 1978 are not an issue, since that date is deemed to be the cut-off when lead was no longer used in paints. Agents are required to provide buyers with specific Federal government booklets explaining the hazards of lead paint, plus the seller must provide a lead-paint disclosure to a buyer who is considering purchasing the home. Based on this information, the buyer can decide whether they want a lead paint inspection.

The choice to have any of these inspections is the buyer’s responsibility. The buyer also chooses which company to use for the inspection and they also must pay for the inspection. Payment is required at the time the inspection is done. The exception to this, in Central Ohio, is the gas warranty. Often the seller will provide that or will have the warranty put in place at the time the home was listed.

Keep in mind that this information is only for the Central Ohio area. Customs differ from one Board to another even within a state. Your Realtor® will advise you on the “norms” for your given area.

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