For years now, we have been recommending that buyers have the sewer scoped during their home inspection period. For about $100, a guy named Dave and his colleague show up, head down the basement and stick a camera on the end of a long cable all the way down the sewer line until they hit the city pipes. When the buyer isn’t there, they make me watch it, or they make a video.
This week Dave found a sewer with a big sag in it in a house one of my buyers had under contract. He recommended that the line be replaced. That, among other things, was more than the buyer wanted to take on.
Birmingham, in particular, has negotiated some great savings on sewer replacement for it’s homeowners. If you are a Birmingham homeowner, be sure to call the city for information.
I was driving through the Rail District today and I saw two homes within a block of each other with freshly dug up front yard, a sure sign of a new sewer line.
As this week’s prospective purchaser wisely noted: “I would be really bummed if I had to spend eight grand on a new sewer. Nobody sees it. A new bathroom, now that is something different…”
A bad sewer does not have to be a deal breaker in a home inspection, but you should know what you are getting into.
Written by Maureen Francis
SKBK Sotheby's International Realty, 248.430.4450
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