Before you purchase a property, which is probably going to be the largest investment you will make in your lifetime, take a little time to have a closer look at certain areas of that property which may escape the notice of the first-time buyer.
A prime example is making sure to check the drains before you sign the agreement to buy a new house. Check your drains with JM Jetwise
Drains tend to escape pre-purchase inspection. Often buyers rely on estate agents for information on the state of the property, including important plumbing fixtures such as drains. This is not to say that you will not receive a full and frank disclosure of the state of the drains if there is an issue, but as with most things, a closer inspection is usually a good idea.
There are a number of reasons that prospective homebuyers shouldn’t ignore the state of the drains on a property.
Firstly, a preliminary visual inspection is always a good idea. However, drainage problems can hide out of sight, many plumbing and drain issues are taking place somewhere beneath our feet. Underground pipes that bring potable water to the home and transport waste water away from it are subject to many different types of damage – and many will develop over years, until one day they fail.
The consequences of a drain failure can be immensely disruptive to the lives of those in the new home – and enormously costly to rectify.
So, the solution is to inspect those pipes. Of course, the average homeowner (or, in this potential homeowner) does not have the skills, experience, or equipment to conduct an inspection of buried pipes, which is often where drainage problems will strike.
The solution is obviously to bring in someone or some company that has the experience and tools to ensure that the drain inspection is carried out professionally.
Advising a homeowner that an external party should be brought in to conduct an inspection of anything will usually be met with horror by a property owner who sees a dwindling bank balance in his mind’s eye. As the potential buyer, insist on that inspection. It’s worth noting that the cost of the inspection can be negotiated off the sale price.
The buyer should always be aware that it is in the interests of the property owner to agree to an inspection – it speeds up the conveyancing process. And homeowners might want to consider paying for an inspection prior to putting the property on the market. The documentation stating that the plumbing is in acceptable condition should be an important part of any sales pitch.
Many professional drain inspection companies will use CCTV in order to map out the drain network. This technology provides an opportunity to establish the condition of the piping. The CCTV probe/camera is fed into the piping system through an access point and controlled by a drainage engineer above ground who will take extensive notes – including the location of any potential trouble spots.
When all is said and done, the potential buyer should insist on a pre-purchase drain inspection. Ignoring the issue may lead to severe financial hardship.
