Translating…
While some homeowners incorrectly assume that their town or city is responsible for the sewer lines, their burden ends at the street, where the home’s line connects with the city’s line. The rest is the homeowner’s responsibility. Making sure that the integrity of the line is intact can save the homeowner a lot of time, money, and aggravation in the future.
New homebuyers
When you place a bid on a home and it’s accepted, you want to get to the closing as soon as possible so that you can move in. First, though, you need the home inspection so that the bank will know that their investment is a good one. That’s also a good time to do a complete sewer inspection of the home as well.
If there are any potential problems with the sewer line, then you can request that the current homeowners pay for the repair. The last thing that you want is to move in and within a few months realize that the sewer line has a crack in it near the foundation of the house and gases are seeping into your home.
Construction companies and real estate agencies
If you build new homes or sell them, you don’t have a legal obligation to pay for a sewer line inspection, but accidents happen and things can get dropped down into the sewer line before everything is buttoned up. If no one admits to what happened, then you won’t know either. If the new homeowner moves in and has to deal with that issue and it costs them money, it will reflect poorly on you.
For real estate agents, looking out for your clients is going to be one of the best ways to generate future business through word of mouth referrals. By informing your clients that a sewer line inspection, though not required in the San Francisco area by law, is a good idea so that they will be covered should any damage be found.
The latest technology is used in these inspections. Small cameras move throughout the sewer system of the home and if a problem is spotted, a precise location can be noted, the severity and type of problem can be recorded, and you can then make a decision about the course of action you would prefer to take.
While too many homeowners don’t think about getting a sewer line inspection, having one done often saves a tremendous amount of time, anguish, and money in the future.