We're buying our first house and the inspector said we should get a sewer scope done separately for $250-350. Weve already spent like $600 on the regular inspection and im starting to feel nickel and dimed. The house is from the 1970s. Our realtor said its optional but recommended. My dad says he bought 3 houses without ever getting one and was fine. Is this actually necessary or is it just another way to squeeze money out of first time buyers?
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Let me tell you what happens when you skip it. Bought our house in 2022, didnt get the sewer scope because $300 felt like a lot at the time. Six months later our main sewer line backed up into the basement. Tree roots had basically destroyed 40 feet of clay pipe. Cost us $12,800 to replace the line. I will never buy another house without a sewer scope. Ever.
ok well that definitely puts the $300 in perspective lol
yeah trust me nobody is more annoyed about it than i am. the seller 100% knew too because they had a cleanout installed right before listing. we just didnt know what that meant at the time
1970s house means likely clay or orangeburg pipe depending on your area. Both have a lifespan and 50+ years is getting into failure territory. The sewer scope camera literally shows you the inside of your main drain line so you can see roots, cracks, bellies, offsets. Its the only way to know whats going on underground. $300 to potentially avoid a $10-15k surprise is the best insurance money you can spend during a home purchase imo.
We got one done on our 1960s house and it came back clean. So i technically "wasted" $275. But honestly knowing the sewer line was in good shape gave us so much peace of mind. Think of it like car insurance, you hope you never need it but youre glad its there. Your dads experience is from a different era, sewer scopes werent really a thing back then.
i mean if it comes back clean then you didnt waste anything. you paid for information. thats literally what inspections are
Realtor here and i recommend sewer scopes on any house older than 20 years. Ive had 3 deals where the scope found major issues that saved my clients from huge expenses. One was a completely collapsed line that would have been $18k. On newer homes with PVC lines its less critical but still not a bad idea. For a 1970s house its basically a must in my book.