sewer scope & radon testing -- should it be performed?

[Neil Hohmann]

Hello,

We're putting a contract on a single-family home in Kansas City and I'm wondering if many buy & hold investors believe it's worth spending the additional money to perform radon testing and a sewer scope. This is a 3bd/2ba, 1200 sqft house built in 1957. We're out-of-state (even out-of-country) investors.

We will have the house inspected thoroughly and will check for termites, which are apparently prevalent in the area. Have any of you done radon testing for a rental? Should we spend the additional $ on a sewer scope based on the year/type of property? 

Thank you in advance,

Neil

[Malcolm Boston]

i will not buy a property without a video sewer inspection. if they refuse to allow it then drop your offer by $14k because thats what it will cost you to rerun the drain pipes in PVC if they are corroded or otherwise damaged. More if you have a frost line to deal with. A sewer line inspection (pull a toilet or go through the cleanout) will provide useful infornation on the condition of the DWV system and where the cleanout is if it exists. Useful information to know before you rent it out. Worth the money to me. i lost two years of rental profit due to corroded cast iron DWV pipe.