The 4 inspections

  • General Home Inspection covers roof, structure, major systems that are visible inside the house, including the sewer line.
    • Can take 2-4 hours depending on size of home and whether a condo, row home or detached home.
    • Typical cost:
      • $300-400 for condos
      • $400-600 for houses
      • For re-inspections of repairs made by Seller, after the inspection negotiations are concluded, ask the Inspector for their reinspection fee amount, which is usually less than the initial inspection.
  • Wood Destroying Insects (aka Termite) Inspection will determine if there are or were active wood destroying insects in the home, if they caused and damage, and if the home was previously treated.
    • If the home has evidence of such insects and no signs of treatment, the inspector will recommend treatment.
    • In Pennsylvania, it is common for the Seller to pay for treatment with a transferable warranty for which the Buyer would then pay an annual premium to protect them financially if the termites return. If that happens, the Buyer would then get a free termite treatment.
    • Any damage from pests would be negotiable with the Seller like any other repair.
    • Typical cost:
      • To inspect: under $100
      • To treat: $800-1200
      • Annual premium for the warranty: under $150.
  • Radon Inspection for higher levels of radon than recommended by the EPA. Radon is a gas that comes up though the ground from naturally occurring uranium pockets in the ground. See here for more information: http://www.radon.com/ and http://www.dep.state.pa.us/ and search “Radon”
    • Typical cost: $150 or less
    • Cost to remediate: $1200+
  • The 4th and critical of inspections is the Soil/sewer line video inspection that will scope out the condition of the cast iron soil line as it exits the house and goes into the public sewer in the street.
    • A cracked soil line might not be detected until you have a back up in the house and will costs $4000 or more to replace.
    • Typical cost to inspect: $225 through Active Sewer & Drain or around $300 if the inspection company has the ability to test.
    • This inspection is covered by the General Home Inspection contingency so you don’t need to elect another type in the Agreement.
    • Alternatively, the Buyer can purchase sewer line insurance from the Philadelphia Water Department for about $7 per month.