Tuesday, July 16, 2019

When you've found your dream home after a long search, you can often feel immense pressure to make an offer ASAP.  However, it's important to pay mind to certain overlooked aspects of your home-to-be before diving in. One of these is plumbing.

"If you double-check the plumbing before making an offer on your dream home, you're setting yourself up for future success as homeowners," says Richard Hart, co-owner of Harts Services. "Forgetting to inspect crucial plumbing elements can easily lead to higher repair costs and other expenses down the road, but knowing what to look for while home shopping can grant a peace of mind for years to come."

Hart offers the following advice for checking the plumbing before closing the deal on a new house:

Check for water leaks. According to the EPA, one drip per second can waste 3,000 gallons of water in a year, and unseen leaks can significantly increase monthly utility bills. To check toilets, place a few drops of food coloring in the back of each tank, wait about 30 minutes and then look in the bowls to see if any color is present. Watch for condensation inside kitchen and bathroom cabinets, near the faucets, and look for warped or discolored areas on your walls and ceilings. To check the entire home, make sure no water is being consumed and write down the meter reading. Wait ten minutes, then check again. If there's a change, there is a good chance a leak is present.

Inspect the gas lines. If your potential new house uses natural gas for any appliances, it's important that you check all of the lines for leaks. Gas leaks are always dangerous, and can sometimes be deadly. Signs of gas leaks include a sulfur-like smell, slight hissing sounds around lines and/or wet, bubbling areas near exterior lines. Never attempt a do-it-yourself gas repair or move a gas appliance on your own. Instead, always contact a professional and verify their license before allowing them to perform gas work in your home.

Check to see if the house comes with a sump pump. Due to the wet and soggy nature of the Tacoma area, sump pumps are commonly implemented into basements. A sump pump is a mechanism used to remove water that has collected in a low-lying sump basin. By pumping the water out of the home, the devices help prevent basement flooding that can otherwise lead to tremendous costs, like repairing water damage, mold remediation treatments and replacing destroyed property.  

"Sometimes, homebuyers think of plumbing as one of those features that's safe to assume is working flawlessly," Hart says. "Unfortunately, that's not always the case – and it's a good rule of thumb to check on these things before you move in and become responsible for fixing them."Source: Harts Services

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