What you need to know to bring sewer line inspections to your customers.

The goal of any home inspector is to identify potential problems and protect their clients’ investment in a home. Inspections are a vital step when purchasing real estate, helping buyers to feel secure in the integrity of a house and its systems.

Traditional home inspections do not always include an evaluation of the sewer line. This is an unfortunate oversight and can cause real problems for homebuyers. The last thing any family wants is a failure in a sewer line to cause their beautiful home to flood with wastewater. Home inspectors that help guard against such issues by offering sewer line inspections have much to gain in customer satisfaction and business reputation.

What are the benefits of adding sewer line inspection to a home inspection business?

Home inspectors are always in high demand. The caveat? There are plenty of people to choose from. Sewer line inspections offer an opportunity to deliver better service than the competition and thereby position yourself as an expert. Sewer line inspections also represent a new revenue stream to add to the business.

Recommending sewer line inspections also helps defend against issues blowing back on a home inspector. Imagine that shortly after a home inspection that didn’t include a sewer line assessment, the family moves in and the sewer line malfunctions. Sadly, such issues are all too common in our area.

The average cost of sewer repairs in the Denver front range is $7,500, but severe damage can cost up to $25,000. That’s enough expense to get any client upset. Bring on the negative online reviews. The fact is, frustrated customers don’t realize that sewer line inspections aren’t standard. As unfair as it may be, some homebuyers will point a finger at the home inspector and ask why they weren’t apprised of the need for this service.

DIY is an option—but it’s no walk in the park

So now you understand the importance of sewer line inspections and see the benefit of adding them to your service lineup. You might be thinking, “Why don’t I get trained and do these inspections myself?” Let’s chat about that.

Home inspectors can perform sewer line inspections, if they have the right equipment and training. But therein lies the problem. Sewer line inspections require expensive, high-tech cameras. You will need at least two of these so you always have a backup. Can you afford the costs?

More concerning is the time it takes to build expertise. Older sewer lines, in particular, can be difficult to diagnose and repair options aren’t always straightforward. Not every flaw you see on camera demands a fix, either. It takes experience and good judgment to know which ones do.

Ask yourself, how comfortable will you be evaluating sewer line issues and recommending that your client approach the seller with potentially costly maintenance or repairs? Would you put your reputation on the line?

Beyond the technical considerations, you’re also busy! Do you really have time for training and practice? Could you actually fit sewer line inspections into your existing schedule?

Why not instead add the revenues immediately, with no up-front cost or effort, by working with a sewer line inspection company?

Which sewer line inspection company should I partner with?

If the above concerns have led you to believe it’s time to partner with a sewer line inspection company, how can you go about selecting a quality provider? Know that you will come across two different kinds of sewer line inspection providers.

First, there are independent companies, like Sewer View, who only perform sewer line inspections. Then there are plumbing and repair companies, which offer a mixed bag of services. These might include sewer line inspections and various repair work, such as digging up and fixing sewer lines, cleaning out clogs, and performing other maintenance.

Oftentimes, you will notice that an inspection from a plumbing company costs less. You may think that partnering with them is advantageous, as it would save your client money. But there’s a catch. These companies often “make back” the discounts they offer on sewer line inspections by recommending unnecessary work to earn themselves a bigger payday.

That’s why you should always insist on an independent provider. When a company only does sewer line inspections, there’s no incentive in finding problems that aren’t there. An independent provider can supply an honest, reliable evaluation that you and your client can trust. Sewer line specialists also boast the best technicians and equipment, not to mention expertise developed over the course of thousands upon thousands of inspections.

Summary

There’s a lot to know about sewer line inspections, so let’s review:

• Any house can be affected by sewer line problems. Getting a sewer line inspection is just good sense. Home inspectors can improve and safeguard their reputation by recommending them to homebuyers.
• Some home inspectors invest in equipment and training to perform sewer line inspections themselves. Most, however, prefer to add the service and the revenues without going to such effort and expense. Partnering with a sewer line inspection company is the easiest way to bring sewer line inspections to clients.
• Independent sewer line inspection companies make for the best partners, because they have no financial interest in recommending maintenance or repairs. A provider like Sewer View can give you and your client an expert, unbiased assessment of the status of the sewer line.

Sewer View strives to make sewer line inspections simple and convenient and we work with home inspectors to help integrate our services in a seamless fashion. We also offer discounted pricing to home inspectors and never add surprise fees when we arrive on site, even when access to the sewer line is difficult.

We know you have choices when it comes to sewer line inspection partners but we would be pleased if you would consider Sewer View. Simply contact us to discuss in greater detail the many advantages of incorporating sewer line inspections into your business and how we could work together to bring this service to your clients.