New Homes Need A Sewer Scope

Do you think because you are buying a new or newer home the house doesn’t need a sewer scope? Well think again. What I’m about to tell you will change your mind on whether new homes need a sewer scope.

I am the listing agent on a nice little ranch home in the Stroh Ranch neighborhood in Parker, CO. The house was built in 2001 so it’s only 12 years old. It’s been well cared for and never had any major issues outside of Colorado hail storms. The home on 12392 Nate Circle in Parker, CO had over 30 showings and 8 offers in the first day of being on the market so you know it is nice. Anyway we accepted the best offer which was over $6,000 over asking price and were headed to closing.

Crew repairing a broken sewer line.

When the inspection time rolled around and the buyer’s agent called to tell me that they were going to go ahead with a sewer scope and I have to admit that deep down I was thinking “really, do new homes need a sewer scope?” Bear in mind that I always advise my buyer clients to get a sewer scope and I do this in writing and have them sign it before they offer on any house. However, the truth is that most buyers don’t do sewer scopes on new homes. They just feel like it’s a waste of $200.

New Homes Need A Sewer Scope

Sure enough 23 feet down the line there was a separation. Not huge but about 8 inches where the pipes were pulled apart.

Yesterday the repair crew came out to make the repairs and the experienced foreman told me that it appears that the separation was like this from day one. He estimated that the landscapers or most likely the graders that back filled and corrected the grade of the property most likely pushed dirt into the hole and caused the separation. So, for 12 years there has never been a proper flow of the sewerage from the house to the street.

How much money did a sewer scope save the buyer in the long run?

I’d say yes new homes need a sewer scope. Paying out $200 for a sewer scope saved the buyer $4,500 in repair costs that probably would have become a major problem down the road. Nice investment for the buyer and of course the seller wasn’t thrilled but they understood that this was a repair that had to be made to sell the house.

So even if the house you are buying is new or newer you should still pay up for a sewer scope. Sewer scopes should be a standard part of any home inspection process because even new homes need a sewer scope.