Chapter Nine

  The Home Inspection

    Depending on the size of the house, plan on spending three or more hours. You should try to be there, although I have filled in for absent clients who are too busy to attend. In those cases I have given them a full report of my own, plus the inspector's.

*Per Section 2, Chapter 87YY of the Massachusetts Home Inspector Licensing Bill signed November 24, 1999, a real estate agent cannot recommend a specific home inspector, he/she must supply a complete list of home inspectors provided by the Board.   Only a Buyer Broker can recommend a specific home inspector to the buyer.

A basic home inspection should include the following:

EXTERIOR:  Roof, siding, chimney, trim, gutters and downspouts, perimeter drainage and grading, basement windows, window wells, exterior faucet, electric service entry, exterior outlets, exterior lighting oil fill pipe and vent, walkways, driveway, decks/porches, patios, retaining walls. 

GARAGE AND BASEMENT:  Garage:  foundation, floor, wall, sill, automatic door openers, primary doors, fume barrier, primary door, fire grade sheetrock, roof.

Basement:   Foundation, floor, crawl area, basement windows, load bearing girders, support columns, sill, subfloor, joists, wall framing, chimney, bulkhead, water penetration and dampness.

CENTRAL HEATING AND COOLING:  Thermostats, fire grade sheetrock, emergency shut off, exposed flue and damper from the heat plant, burner/gun, fire box liner, boiler, circulator pump, zone valve, pipes.  Furnace:   heat exchanger, circulator fan, filter, duct work, space heaters, fuel tank.    Cooling system:  Compressor, evaporator unit, service line, condenser drain, temperature at service line, temperature at air intake-outlet, electric disconnect, compressor slab.

ELECTRIC SYSTEM:  Accessible wiring, service panel box, junction box covers, switch and outlet covers, smoke/fire detectors. 

PLUMBING SYSTEM:   Supply (municipal or private), waste (municipal or private), visual condition of accessible feed lines and connectors, visual condition of accessible waste lines within structure, main vent stack, accessible well equipment, laundry tub, washer/dryer connections, hot water heater, interior sewer ejector pump.

KITCHEN:  Sink water flow, counters, cabinets, walls, ceilings, windows floor, electric outlets, heat source, baseboard/radiator/diffuser.

APPLIANCES:  Stove top and oven, ventilator, dishwasher, disposal.

INTERIOR:  Door:  main, rear, side, sliding door, fireplace, stairway (basement), stairway (interior), halls, skylight.  Baths:  sink, tub/shower, toilet, GFI/electric/fan, tile/fiberglass wall, window, floor, door, heat source.

Interior rooms:  ceiling, windows, walls, floor, door, electric outlets, heat source, baseboard/radiator/diffusers.  

ATTIC VENTILATION/INSULATION:  Access to attic, structural supports, roof backings, ceiling joist, flashing, chimney, insulation, ventilation, whole house fan, evidence of water penetration.  

  Pest Inspection

    Your home inspector should check for any insect infestation.  If you are getting an FHA loan, a pest inspection certificate will be required.

    Typical pests to be encountered are termites and carpenter ants.

     These creatures exist to eat wood, so they must be dealt with or serious damage can be done to your home. Termites are almost a half an inch long and resemble large ants. Up to five million of them can live in a colony.  Left untreated, they can weaken and destroy a home structure with the damage going on for months or years if you are unaware of them.

     Termites obtain their nourishment by eating cellulose materials such as wood, fabric, paper and fiberboard.  They thrive in conditions where the soil is moist.  A single colony is able to consume large amounts of wood in this environment.

     In structures where the wooden portion of the building comes in contact with the soil, chemically treated wood should be used.  It is also important to remove all scraps of lumber from the exterior grounds and under the crawl space and to not store firewood close to the house.    

    Carpenter ants do not eat the wood but they hollow it out to build their nests. They live in rafters, walls and any other wooden items they can get into.  They also like soft and damp wood and will tunnel into it to make their nests.

    If your home inspector finds infestation of any kind, the seller should be made to deal with this. A simple treatment for termites or carpenter ants may be as little as $200.  But, if the extent of the damage that they have done to the wood is great, the bill could be into the thousands.  Before you agree to go through with a purchase of a home with this situation,  the seller should agree to have a pest control company treat for the problem, and they should also pay to have any of the damage the infestation has caused.

    When you take possession of the home, maintain an annual contract with the pest control company to eliminate future problems.

    Radon is a naturally occurring gas produced by the breakdown of uranium in soil, rock, and water.  It is also the second leading cause of lung cancer. The acceptable level of radon in your home is 4 Pico curies per liter of air or lower. This is the level that is normally found in the outside air.

    The source of the radon can usually be traced to floor openings in the basement such as drains, sump pump openings, floor joints and pores in hollow block walls. It collects in the basement with levels decreasing as you move up into the main areas of the house.

    Because radon is often drawn in through foundation cracks and other openings, the most important place to test it is in the basement. The standard for radon testing is to place two canisters  in the basement on a table or chair and away from any possible opening doors. These canisters will be left for 48 hours and will typically picked up by your broker and sent to a lab for results.

    When the radon test produces a reading of 4 Pico curies or higher corrective measures should be put into effect.  In this case, the seller should pay to have a radon mitigation system installed.  If the seller refuses to do this, under Chapter 93A, the home will have to go back on the market with a disclosure that there has been  a high radon reading on the property.

    The  most common radon mitigation system consists of a pipe that is inserted from the basement and up through the house to the air outside.  A fan in the pipe blows air out.  Radon is drawn through the pipe and evacuated to the outside air so that it can't enter the home.  Look for the system to have a gauge on it so that you can always tell that it is working.  It is common for radon mitigation companies to provide a life-time warranty on their systems.    

    Having a high radon reading is not a reason to walk away from a house.  Radon mitigation systems do work and they usually bring the radon levels down to 2 picocuries or less.  Since it will be continuously working to keep radon levels low, you'll have safety in your air quality plus the security of knowing that when you sell the property it will have a low radon reading.

     In 1978, the consumer Product Safety Commission banned the use of lead paint in houses. Prior to this, from 1900 to the 1940's lead was the primary ingredient in many interior paints due to its brightness and durability. From 1940 to through the 1960's the use of latex paint, which does not contain lead, became widespread.

    If the home you are purchasing was built prior to 1978, your broker will have provided you with the mandatory "Lead Paint Notification". The overall message in this disclosure is that a property this age may have lead paint, and actually, the older the property, the greater the likelihood is that it does have it.

    Although most of the focus has been on the effect of lead paint on small children, lead paint can  also be harmful to adults.  Lead dust which is caused from the normal deterioration of lead  from scraping, sanding or from simply opening and closing windows is dangerous when inhaled or ingested. The matter can be made worse from sweeping or vacuuming since this scatters the dust and makes the situation more volatile.

    For a number of reasons, children are more susceptible to the dangers of lead paint, partly due to their size and weight. They tend to put lead objects in their mouths since lead has a sweet taste to it. The lead is easily absorbed into their bodies, which are still growing and their nervous systems are extremely sensitive to the toxic effects.  Childhood lead poisoning can cause brain damage, damage to kidneys and liver and blood formation. It can lead to behavioral problems, slow growth, hearing impairment and headaches.

    Exposure in adults can cause high blood pressure, reproductive problems, nerve disorders and problems with concentration. Pregnant women should stay away from airborne lead since it can harm the unborn baby if ingested by the mother.

    A basic home inspection does not usually include an inspection for lead paint. This is a separate test with a separate cost involved. You will need to make the decision according to your situation whether or not you want to have the test done.

    You should be aware that the cost of deleading a property can be high. Roughly $25,000 or more for a single family house and $15,000 or more for a single rental unit.

    Although some encapsulating measures can be done by an owner, the actual lead paint removal must be done by a professional. This is the law in many states but, even if it were not, lead paint removal is too dangerous to do yourself.  Improper removal of lead paint can spread lead dust around the home, making the situation worse. A list of lead-abatement contractors should be available from your lead paint inspector or from state or local agencies or you can call 617-727-7047 or 1-800-425-0004 for a list of licensed deleaders.

    Houses that were built in the 1970's and early 1980's were sometimes insulated using UFFI.  It was a wet foam material and was pumped into the walls through small holes where it hardened to form a layer of inexpensive insulation. Unfortunately, UFFI released amounts of formaldehyde gas into the air.  This colorless gas was known to cause health problems.  Some of  these included irritation to the eyes, nose, throat and also respiratory illnesses.

    Studies have shown that the levels of formaldehyde in the air have dropped significantly with the age of the insulation and, because of this, the UFFI laws on are becoming less stringent.   Sellers no longer have to have  a test done for the presence of UFFI and, soon, the requirements on disclosure will also be relaxed or gone, however; you may still have to fill out papers for the bank that ask about UFFI.     

    If the property you are buying is on the public water supply, the water has to meet certain standards. In 1974 the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) was enacted by Congress and established minimum standards for public drinking water.  In 1986, the law was amended to accelerate regulations. It also banned future use of lead pipes and other protections of groundwater sources for drinking water.

    Under the SDWA, water suppliers must test their water on a regular basis to ensure that it meets all of their guidelines. If it should fall short, they must notify all customers regarding the contaminants that are in excess.

    It's a good idea to get in touch with the water department of the town you are moving into and question them regarding the history of their water system and ask if it has ever failed to meet any SDWA requirements.

    If  you are purchasing a property with a private well, you should have the water tested for its quality and safety.  In fact, many banks require testing  if you are buying a property with a private well.

    Usually, the home inspector who does your basic inspection will have a service to send the water to a testing facility.  If not, you can find a water testing company in the yellow pages or over the internet.

    If you are testing a private well, you should ask for a comprehensive scan.  This would test for:   total coliform, fecal/e, coli, calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, potassium, sodium, alkalinity, chloride, chlorine, color, conductivity, hardness, nitrate, odor, ph, sediment, total dissolved solids, sulfate, turbidity, arsenic, lead, ammonia, radon, 61 volatile organics compounds including mtbe, plus the following pesticides: aldrin, a-bhc, g-bhc, chlordane, 4,4'-ddd, 4,4'-dde, 4,4'-ddt, dieldrin, endosulfan i, endosulfan sulfate, endrin, endrin aldehyde, heptachlor, heptachlor epoxide, methoxychlor, toxaphene.

    The water sample should be taken from the kitchen tap, since this is the area where people will drink from the most.  Run the tap for five minutes to flush standing water in the pipes.    There is also a test for the water pressure and the home inspector can usually set this in motion.  The test must be done over a twenty-four hour period of time.

     The most common problem with private wells is contamination from bacteria.  The cure for this involves chlorinating the water with bleach.  Of course, if the problem is more severe, there are number of water purification systems that may be installed.

     - A whole-house water treatment system (a water filtering and softening system) can be installed.  

 After the Home Inspection

What Happens When There are Problems?

     During your home inspection the inspector will point out any significant problems as he finds them.  You may want to keep a small notepad to jot these down as the inspection proceeds.  At the end of your home inspection you will be provided with a detailed, written report.    

    The usual protocol is for you to go over a list of issues with your broker. Your broker will then present the issues to the listing agent and negotiate the repairs or possible price adjustments.

     When the offer was written, you were given a specified date by which you had to have your home inspection results.   To keep an accurate record of the fact that you met this date, it is always prudent to put the issues and requests in writing and date the memo.  Depending on the outcome of the negotiations, any agreed upon repairs will be put into the purchase and sale agreement.   There, it should clearly state the repairs, quality of workmanship and time frame for completion.