Pre-Purchase Sewer Inspections for Home Buyers

A standard home inspection does not go inside the sewer lateral. That line is buried, it is the homeowner's responsibility all the way to the city main in most jurisdictions, and replacing it is one of the most expensive repairs a house can hand you. We offer sewer camera inspections for prospective home buyers as a tool to bring clarity and peace of mind, and if necessary, to display and document any lingering issues with a sewer line.

For an inspection we pull the cleanout or access the line at the most sensible point, run the VeriSight Pro camera the length of the lateral, and record the whole pass to USB. You get the footage and a description of what we saw: root intrusion and how heavy, offset or separated joints, bellies holding water, the pipe material and its apparent age, and whether the line is clay tile, cast iron, Orangeburg or plastic. Where there is a defect, the foot counter and sonde locator tell you how far out it is and roughly where it sits in the yard.

This matters most in exactly the neighborhoods we work in every day. Raytown, Independence, Grandview and the older parts of Kansas City are full of well-built mid-century homes sitting on original clay laterals with 60-year-old trees planted over them. The house can be immaculate and the line can still be a five-figure problem — or the line can be perfectly sound and you can stop worrying and close.

Inspections are typically scheduled inside the option period, so call early: (816) 313-0800, or Bob's mobile at (913) 208-3541. We will tell you what we find without telling you what to do about it — that part is between you, your agent and the seller.