Home inspections, engineering reports, pre-list checks can help avoid big expenses later

It's officially fall and homeowners are looking at their houses and considering what needs fixing, patching or replacing before winter.

But hiding beneath the floorboards, roof tiles and shingles could be a smattering of problems, from mold to massive structural issues only an expert can find.

Despite Long Island's hot seller's market, buyers won't necessarily forego inspections, but rather opt to take on the cost of any smaller problems that may be revealed during the process. A top-to-bottom home inspection can reveal problems great and small, for buyers and homeowners alike. With an investment of several hundred dollars, a buyer, seller or an inquisitive homeowner who's curious about their home, can accurately assess the condition of their home, and get ahead of spending much more money in the future.

Whether you're a buyer who wants to know what they got themselves into, an owner who wants to sell soon or you just want the peace of mind of a clean bill of health, here are some options, what they can cost and what bigger headaches they help avoid.

What happens in a top-to-bottom inspection and what does it cost?

Before selling her 75-year-old home in Nassau County in June, Christine Garvey didn't want any surprises with what a buyer's inspection might turn up, so she hired Glenn Helder Home Inspection Service.

"I was selling the house and Nassau County is a very competitive market," said Garvey, who has since moved out of state. "And I was trying to reduce any back and forth in negotiations over 'well, this needs to be fixed' or 'that needs to be fixed.' I was looking for it to be as clean of a deal as possible."

Having tended to the upkeep of the house in her 15-plus years of living there, Garvey noted that her inspection turned up just a few minor issues: one outlet that didn't work and a few others that were ungrounded.

"I really did it for peace of mind and to have some power at the negotiating table if and when it came to that," Garvey said, noting that if they'd found anything major, she would have addressed it.

Having the home inspection ahead of time and knowing what I was dealing with was huge for my sanity and getting the deal done.

— Christine Garvey

In the scheme of things, Garvey believes the inspection, which cost about $500, was worth the expense for the peace of mind it afforded her.

"I did not want to leave anything to chance," Garvey said. "We were very motivated to sell. We just wanted to get it done and get out of there. So having the home inspection ahead of time and knowing what I was dealing with was huge for my sanity and getting the deal done."

Glenn Helder, who's based in Huntington, is hired to do home inspections for a variety of reasons: for buyers, for people looking to sell now or in the future or for people who just want to update their home so there are no major problems later.

The average inspection, Helder said, takes about two hours onsite, plus an additional three hours to write up the report and will cost about $550. A larger house can take four hours to inspect and cost between $800 and $2,000.

"The average cost is probably around $650," said Helder, adding that you must be a licensed New York State home inspector, although licensed engineers and architects can do inspections without needing the additional state home inspector license.

Diving deeper with an engineer

As an engineer, John Weiburg of Massapequa-based GreenTauk Engineering and GreenLink Inspections, inspects everything required by the NYS Home Inspection Standards of Practice.

"As a professional engineer, we are looking at areas such as structure much differently than a home inspector, as we design framing and foundation plans and can recommend structural repairs," said Weiburg, who is also president of the Long Island chapter of the American Society of Home Inspectors.

Typical cost for an engineer examination at GreenTauk Engineering and GreenLink Inspections

$850 for a 2,000-square-foot house

"We will also look at onsite wastewater disposal systems (if present), fire sprinklers and bulkheads as we prepare plans for all these items," said Weiburg, whose inspection fees usually start at $850 for a 2,000-square-foot house. "These are typically outside the scope of the standards of practice, but are included by us due to our familiarity with them."

There can be hidden or latent defects behind closed or finished walls and ceilings, such as structural, electrical and plumbing issues that are not accessible during a visual home inspection, Weiburg noted.

"There are some tools such as infrared technology that can be utilized to determine a potential leak," he said. "However, all auxiliary tools are dependent on the training of the user and the quality and calibration of the equipment."

Over the years, Weiburg has come across significant problems that have prohibited a sale from occurring, such as severe structural problems in crawl spaces caused by repeated exposure to high humidity and flooding.

"The owner then has the choice to repair or to price the house accordingly," said Weiburg , adding, "The Property Condition Disclosure Statement is required to be filled out by the seller to disclose any known potential issues."

For renovations, Weiburg recommends an inspection by an experienced home inspector coupled with review by a design professional, such as an engineer or architect.

"The design professional who is producing the plans should guide the owner through the renovation process, including any potential issues that may be encountered," he said.

Should you get your house inspected?

Whether a seller will do an inspection is their choice, notes Pamela Doyle, a broker with Daniel Gale Sotheby's International Realty, based in Cold Spring Harbor.

"Some people are nervous about what's going to come up in the inspection and others are not," Doyle said.

If a property has some deferred maintenance, the owner didn't touch up peeling paint or it looks like there was a leak under the sink, Doyle might suggest they take a closer look at that.

"But it really depends on the seller and their motivation to sell and timing of everything," Doyle said.

Most homeowners know about the bigger, more obvious issues, such as electrical issues that they would have an electrician address, Doyle noted.

"But most people would do the inspection prior to purchasing," she said. "It's more of a buyer's situation. I don't find a lot of homeowners do it before."

The inspection is not done for renegotiation, Doyle added.

"An inspection is to confirm what the buyer is seeing with their eye that they've made an offer on," Doyle said. "You're not looking to renegotiate those small items, but if there was water in the basement or the roof was leaking or something structural, that's a conversation for negotiations."

Getting an inspection before you even list the house

Benjamin Yousefzadeh's standard inspection rate

starts at $599

for a one-family home under 3,000 square feet and goes

up to $1,000

for a 10,000-square-foot home

In addition to buyers who utilize his services, Benjamin Yousefzadeh, a home inspector based in Jamaica, Queens, who has clients on Long Island, said he does pre-listing inspections for sellers, typically a month prior to listing the home.

"It's the same job as a [buyer's] home inspection: checking electric, plumbing, heating, kitchen, bathrooms, the roof, termite inspection — the whole nine yards," Yousefzadeh said. "But it's done for the seller's knowledge to see If there's any repairs that are needed, they try to get them done before the house goes on the market."

Generally, about 80% of the issues they find are not very costly to fix, usually less than $1,500, and can be addressed quickly, such as electrical issues, which are the most common thing he finds.

"Sometimes the electrical wiring is done incorrectly, mainly in the kitchen and the bathrooms," said Yousefzadeh, partly because the zoning changes have changed and now GCFI outlets are required in kitchens and bathrooms. Another reason: many homeowners hire unlicensed people who might cut corners when working with electrical wiring and connections.

Many heating systems on Long Island, especially in Suffolk County, are oil fueled, older and nearing the end of their life expectancy, Yousefzadeh noted.

Roofs are often older, damaged and in need of some repair, but do not necessarily need to be replaced.

His standard inspection rate for a one-family home under 3,000 square feet starts at $599 and goes up to $1,000 for a 10,000-square-foot home.

With a background in construction, Yousefzadeh, who is also a real estate broker, explains to buyers that most repairs will incur a minimal expense.

"If it's a major expense, I inform them," said Yousefzadeh, adding that whether or not the seller does the repairs or offers a credit to the buyer is a matter of negotiation.

Before moving into his circa 1930s home in Great Neck a few months ago, Navid Torbatian hired Yousefzadeh to do the inspection.

"The electric panel was overloaded that I had to get replaced for safety to not have a fire," said Torbatian, who paid $950,000 for the house.

"There was a leak in one of the pipes in the basement which we fixed. There's a chimney cap I still have to do. Some basic little things here and there."

The seller actually paid for the pipe leak, but Torbatian paid about $900 for new roof tile and $2,000 for the electric panel. He got quotes for about $2,000 for a new chimney cap, but hasn't replaced it yet.

Since there are so many people fighting for the same house, particularly in hot markets like Great Neck, Torbatian opted to incur the expenses himself.

"You just kind of have to take it as is and move on with your life," he said.