Should I Get a Sewer Scope Inspection? | Top Tips for Buying a Home in the Olympia, WA/JBLM Area

Is there any way to tell if the sewer line is in good condition? Especially if it's your first time, you should know about sewer scope inspections. This video shows you why I recommend them to all my buyers on city sewer!
Welcome to the sixth video of my series, "Homebuying Unboxed: Fresh Tips for Homebuyers!"
I’m REALTOR® Scott Tompkins, and I’m here to guide you through the homebuying journey, providing valuable insights and tips along the way. In this series, I give you a comprehensive understanding of the entire process, from our initial meeting to the moment I hand you the keys to your new home.
A sewer scope inspection is when an inspector uses a fiber optic camera to inspect the sewer line, and it can save you big time.
As a real estate professional since 2018, I've seen these inspections prevent buyers from buying homes with major sewer line issues...or give the seller the opportunity to make repairs.
As I mention in the video, one of the craziest sewer line stories I heard involved a family that thought its home was connected to city sewer. In fact, they were paying the city for being connected to city sewer.
Once their only toilet backed up, they learned that they were actually connected to a septic system! Of course, they hadn't ever pumped the septic system...in the ELEVEN YEARS they owned the home!
If they'd gotten a sewer scope when they bought, they could have avoided this entire situation! Here's a link to the story:
www.kgun9.com/...
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Thanks for watching, and happy house hunting!
Scott
P.S. Make sure to check out my next video, "Closing Day! When Do I Get Keys?" in which I walk you through the final steps in a purchase transaction before I get to hand you keys to your new home!
Scott Tompkins, REALTOR®, Your 360 Agent, John L. Scott Olympia
Serving the Thurston County (Olympia/Lacey/Tumwater) and Pierce County/JBLM Area
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Transcript:
Hi, I’m REALTOR® Scott Tompkins, and welcome to Real Estate Unboxed: Fresh Tips for Homebuyers.
Today’s topic? Should I Get a Sewer Scope Inspection?
As we discussed in my video on inspections, once you are under contract with the seller, your timeframe to conduct inspections starts. Depending on how hot the market is and what inspections you want to get, you can plan on about a week for this.
One specialized inspection that can be cheap insurance is a sewer scope inspection, where an inspector uses a fiber optic camera to check the condition of the sewer line, typically from the home to the city sewer connection.
Should you get this inspection?
That’s your decision, but sewer line repairs can be complex and costly, so this is an inspection that can provide considerable peace of mind for a small investment.
Some issues that an inspector can identify in your sewer line include
• Improper slope, which leads to poor drainage
• Faulty connections
• Corrosion, scale, or deterioration
• And cracks or tree roots
• And more…
Probably the craziest sewer line story I’ve heard of was a family that thought their home was connected to city sewer before learning after 11 years that they were actually connected a septic system. I’ll put a link to the story in the video description.
Now let’s go inside a sewer line, and I’ll show you what some of these issues can look like!
You can imagine how your wastewater would flow much more easily through a smooth surface like this…
Than through a rough, scaly surface like this one.
Here, the camera is underwater, suggesting poor drainage
Now THAT’S a tree root!
You can see where this sewer line has actually been crushed
That crack doesn’t look good!
I hope this video gives you an idea of some sewer line problems that a sewer scope inspection can discover. Knowing the condition of your sewer line will give you peace of mind-or put you in a much stronger position to negotiate repairs with the seller.
And remember, never, ever put cooking grease down your drain!
Be sure to check out my next video: Closing Day! When Do I Get Keys?
Thanks for watching, and happy house hunting!