Common Problems

The Most Common Problems Found During Home Inspections
Buying a home is always a stressful affair and home inspections can put a damper on any enthusiasm that remains. Homeowners may find a house that they absolutely love and they eagerly anticipate buying it. However, there are times, in which the beloved home is riddled with problems. This is especially the case with older homes.

At Double Check Inspections, we found that some problems happen more often than others. Here’s a list of those problems:

#1. Electrical Wiring
Faulty wiring is fairly common in all kinds of homes. In most cases, it’s simply a matter of reversed polarity where the wires of hot and neutral are placed in incorrect terminals. Another issue that arises regularly is double taps in the electrical beater box. Correcting such issues is very easy and doesn’t cost much.

#2. Heating Systems
Dirty heating systems are also fairly common problems that are discovered during an inspection. Ideally, homeowners should service the boiler or furnace system every year to keep it in good shape. Unfortunately, this essential maintenance is almost uniformly neglected. This negligence can lead to poor water pressure.

#3. Plumbing
Finding leaky pipes under the sink and around the toilets is a common problem too. This is more common in older homes than in newer ones, which use copper water mains instead of galvanized metal.

#4. Exterior
It’s important to inspect the exterior of the house, especially the roofs and the siding. The most prevalent exterior problem is with the roof shingles and the fascia. It’s not uncommon for certain sections of fascia to be missing or the shingles being at the end of their life.

#5. Windows
Problems with windows don’t just affect the aesthetics of your home, but also increase your energy bills due to bad insulation. Unfortunately, inoperable windows are commonly found in home inspections. Broken sash cords are the main cause of this problem and can be easily replaced. Sometimes the windows aren’t properly sealed either.

Aside from the issues mentioned above, problems with chimneys and fireplaces, water heaters, electric entrance cables, fan ventilation, etc are also fairly common. Usually, most issues discovered during the inspection occur due to improper maintenance, and can be easily addressed.