Buying a house will
always be a major investment you need to prepare yourself for. But
while the place you had in mind may look perfect, it pays to dig
deeper into its history – especially if its in a community that's
decades old. Moisture and drainage problems are indeed givens for
home inspection, there are other issues to look for depending on age.
If the house was built
anytime in the 1990s, you have to inspect whether it has a NOX rod
consolidated furnace – this is an immediate red flag because its
heat exchangers can crack and spew carbon monoxide. Houses built
between 1984 to 1990 may have defective ABS pipes made of recycled
plastic; these are very costly to replace.
On another aspect of the
piping front, houses built from 1942 to 1958 often contain Orangeberg
pipes, which are made of papier mache. If your prospect house falls
under that category, your inspector must study it by video camera to
determine the presence of Orangeberg pipes; repairing these often
costs up to $5,000. Houses built when William McKinley or Harry
Truman was president need more scrutiny in the electrics – they
have knob-and-tube wiring, which is insufficient for the power load
of today's appliances; consequently, they are potential fire hazards
in wood houses.
A house that has
weathered years may still be capable of so much more if it is worth
renovating. A credible home inspector can unearth any issues and
prevent disaster from striking.
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