Why We Now Scope Sewer Lines Before You Buy

By Cynthia Quarantello

Cynthia Quarantello is an award-winning Real Estate Agent specializing in buying and selling homes throughout the Triangle area. She holds advanced degrees in advertising, marketing, and business, which enable her to provide exceptional service to her clients.

Imagine closing on your home, moving in, and within days, the water starts kicking back up the drains. The culprit is buried underground, between the house and the street, and a standard inspection would never have caught it.

It’s a problem we’re seeing more and more across North Carolina, in brand-new construction and older resale homes alike, which is why we’ve started scoping sewer lines before our clients buy.

On new construction, the culprit is usually leftover debris. It’s surprising in a brand-new home, but construction materials sometimes get into the line and clog it. The buyer moves in, everything seems fine, and then suddenly the water’s kicking back, and what’s holding it up is debris left behind during the build. It’s not something you’d ever spot on a standard walkthrough.

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On resale homes, the problem is often tree roots. We have a lot of beautiful trees here in North Carolina, and over time, those roots find their way into the sewer lines. They get in, they clog things up, and clearing it can turn into a very expensive repair, the kind of cost no buyer wants to discover after closing.

That’s exactly why we’re now recommending this new scoping equipment to some of our sellers and to absolutely all of our buyers. A quick scope of the line before you buy can catch a problem while it’s still someone else’s to fix, instead of becoming a costly headache once you’ve moved in. It’s a simple, smart step that helps protect your home and your wallet. The same forward-thinking approach goes into how we help buyers prepare for an older home and everything that comes with it.

Call us at (919) 830-9051, email us at Cynthia@cqrealtygroup.com, or visit trianglencrealestateblog.com. You can also DM us anytime. A quick conversation now can save you a major expense down the road.