The 7 Most Common Problems Found During A Routine Home Inspection

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The Most Common IssuesFound During A
HomeInspection

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The Most Common IssuesFound During A
HomeInspection

• Damaged, Outdoor Heat Pump
• One of the most common issues that so many
• housing inspectors run into is the dreaded,
• damaged, outdoor Heat Pump. You may be
• wondering how such a device can become damaged
• in the first place.

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The Most Common IssuesFound During A
HomeInspection

• A heat pump is an efficient device that can be
  used
• for either heating or cooling your home. It pulls
  outside air in and processes it as needed,
• depending on the temperature outside.
• Understandably, many homeowners wish to hide
  their heat pumps behind shrubbery as not to
• distract from the charm of their home. What the
  home owner may not realize is that having
• shrubs or fencing too close to a heat pump can
  actually cause the device a restriction in
• airflow. This may burn up the motor and obscure
  the detection of a problem.

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The Most Common IssuesFound During A
HomeInspection

• Although not as common, having shrubs too close
  to the heat pump can also attract rodents
• that can nest in and around the device and eat
  through the wiring.
• Suggestion Keep any plants or obstacles at least
  3 feet away from the surrounding sides of
• the heat pump. Make sure to keep all shrubbery
  trimmed throughout the year. Doing so
• ensures that there is a good flow of air. Also
  make sure to periodically clean your heat pump

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The Most Common IssuesFound During A
HomeInspection

• Bad Plumbing
• Any typical home will have plumbing all
  throughout
• its construction, but this also means a higher
• chance of something going wrong in this
• Department.
• Commonly, house inspectors look for plumbing
• issues and many times find leaky pipes. The first
• sign and what they usually check for is mildew
• and/or mold around the potentially offending
  area.
• Sometimes a presence of fungus is even found,
• depending on the condition of the home.

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The Most Common IssuesFound During A
HomeInspection

• Another issue that is all-too-often seen is the
  use of the wrong kinds of pipes in plumbing and
• sometimes in an illegal manner.
• Suggestion If you ever decide to take care of
  your own plumbing just don't. Even if you
• are capable of a DIY plumbing fix, it's best to
  hire a professional with a lot of years behind
• him/her. This way you can insure that it will be
  done according to code and you can have the
• work documented to present to the inspector.

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The Most Common IssuesFound During A
HomeInspection

• Dry Rot
• The term dry rot can be a bit
• misleading. In actual fact this does not
• occur when wood gets dry, but rather
• moist.
• Dry rot is actually caused by a
• type of fungus and the biggest problem
• lies in the fact that although this fungus
• is a living organism it can lie dormant
• for some time regardless of the outside
• temperatures.

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The Most Common IssuesFound During A
HomeInspection

• But this type of fungi can turn out little, thin
  strings called hyphae which eventually group
• together to form what is known as mycelium.
  Mycelium can also interfere with mortar and
• bricks as well and it looks like a white cotton
  that spreads around wood.
• Once present this dry rot can crack lumber and
  eat large gouges into timbers.

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The Most Common IssuesFound During A
HomeInspection

• Electrical
• Newer homes usually get a pass when it comes to
  wiring
• issues, but not always. The knowledge of the
  electrician who
• was responsible for installing the electrical
  requirements for
• the home will always be where the buck stops.
• In older homes electrical issues are more common
  and one of the biggest issues that home
• inspectors face is underground wiring. But
  perhaps the biggest culprit in defeating the sale
  of
• a home is something called knob wiring.

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The Most Common IssuesFound During A
HomeInspection

• This was a common practice in homes that first
  introduced electricity and that were built from
• the late 1800s until the 1950s. It is viewed as a
  dangerous way to wire a home and many
• lenders have a policy against even taking a look
  at homes that have this kind of electrical
• work performed.
• Solution Try to have the knob wiring removed and
  having the electrical work in you home
• updated as not doing so may prevent buyers from
  being able to consider purchasing your
• home an option.

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The Most Common IssuesFound During A
HomeInspection

• Drainage
• Drainage problems are just a huge mess for so
  many
• homes and this makes it one of the number one
• issues that an inspector can encounter. Grade
  sloping
• is a big problem and eventually affect even your
  walls
• and other parts of your home.
• Trees growing within 6 feet of a foundation
• (regardless of size) can be pulling in as much as
  200
• gallons of water a week in the summer time when
  the
• leaves are green. This also means big trouble for
  your
• foundation if you don't have the proper drainage
  systems in place.

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The Most Common IssuesFound During A
HomeInspection

• Perhaps even worse is the fact that trees that
  don't have roots long enough to reach water
• will steal it from anywhere. As a result, even
  throughout Spring and Autumn these types of
• botanical headaches can be pulling water straight
  to your home's foundational structure.
• Noticing a very large presence of mold in your
  basement? Chances are that poor drainage
• around your home has caused this to happen.

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The Most Common IssuesFound During A
HomeInspection

• Solution Focus on your downspouts and gutters so
  that they carry as much water away
• from the home as possible and make sure clean
  your gutters regularly. Also do not have an
• sprinklers installed close to the home.
• Also consider installing a dry well. A dry well
  can be used to store excess water. They aren't
• particularly expensive, but you can also build
  your own. The good news is that they can be
• filled with various sizes of rocks to allow
  drainage into the ground need your foundation's
• wall, but also covered over with topsoil so that
  you can continue maintaining your lawn.

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The Most Common IssuesFound During A
HomeInspection

• Roofs
• The state of the roof is very important for
• a home inspector to take a look at. This is
• the very part of a home that keeps
• everything dry including us!
• The problem lies in the fact that the
• materials that make up a roof age with
• the rest of the home and can lead to
• expensive problems on down the road.
• Plus if the roofing materials were not
• properly installed when the home was constructed
  then this can obviously be problematic as
• well.

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The Most Common IssuesFound During A
HomeInspection

• Asphalt shingles have a longevity of anywhere
  between 15 and 40 years. They tend to curl
• once they are worn out. This eventually exposes
  the matrix which is the material that hold
• the shingles together. If this happens then water
  can penetrate through the shingles and
• cause serious damage and wood shingles have very
  similar problems.
• While although looking nice Terracotta and slate
  shingles don't come without their own
• problems as well. Although it's true that they
  can last for up to a century in the meantime
• they can be quite brittle and can easily shatter
  or crack.

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The Most Common IssuesFound During A
HomeInspection

• Solution Have your home assessed by a
  professional roofing company and consider their
• suggestions for addressing the problem.

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The Most Common IssuesFound During A
HomeInspection

• Walls
• There is plenty that can go wrong with how the
• walls are put together in a home. One
• unsuspecting issue is actually insufficient
• insulation wedged between the drywall and
• frames of the walls.
• Another all-too-common issue is cracking in
• drywall and stucco. If stucco is on the exterior
• walls of the home and it was applied correctly
• then it can last for years. If not then it can
  allow
• water to gain entry of your home from
• underneath.

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The Most Common IssuesFound During A
HomeInspection

• Identifying settling in the ceiling is also
  important, but it's also relative to note that
  not every,
• little crack or blemish is cause for alarm. As a
  home settles over time the walls may show
• signs of this and these can be quite minor.
• It's also not as relevant to identify tiny dings
  in the
• the drywall caused by the home owner. Mainly
  anything that is structurally alarming should be
• noted.

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