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The Most Overlooked Home Inspection Defects

overlooked home inspection defects

While the home inspection defects I am about to mention are not the most important… they are quite frequently overlooked and can easily turn into a huge problem if left unaddressed.

Be sure to check your home to see if you have any of these defects after reading this article!

Missing Anti-Tip Bracket

This is a bracket, typically installed on floors, for the oven so it does not tip over.

Tipping on an oven can happen if you place a large turkey on the rack or perhaps, a child or drunk friend decides the oven needs investigating. A child can very easily pull the oven door down to try to get on top of cabinets.

From 2011-2013, there were 18,900 injuries to children (ages 1-9) related to furniture and appliances tipping over.

Also, here is an article from Consumer Reports that explains how a child died in 2010 from an oven tipping over.

Anti-Tip Brackets for Ovens

Get yourself an anti-tip bracket now!

No Gutters

In a less dark note, we have gutters. Your home NEEDS gutters!

Gutters help protect your home from water intrusion and prevents soil erosion that contributes to structural damage to homes.

Vegetation & Mulch Too Close to the Home

I know having mulch close to the home looks pretty, but it attracts moisture and is a direct highway for bugs to enter your home. Furthermore, vegetation can not only hold moisture and bugs near your home, their roots can cause structural damage long term.

Take some time and replace any mulch that is within 4 – 6 inches of your home with rock. Also, trim or remove vegetation that is touching your home or rooted too close!

Pool Safety

I will try to make this one a little less dark, but from 2005-2014 there was on average 10 deaths a day from unintentional drownings (non-boat related). 1 in 5 of those deaths were children (ages 1-4). Source

So how do you make a pool safe?

  • Use an anti-entrapment pool drain
  • Install a baby-gate
  • Purchase a pool alarm surrounding the access doors to a pool
  • Buy a pool sensor/alarm that sits on the pool surface
  • Turn off the pool pump while you are swimming
  • Get a pool inspection to check for electrical safety issues
  • Always lock doors that have access to pools

Pool safety is serious. Take the precautions, you never know who will move into a home after you if you were to move.

Dirty Air Handler Filter/Coils

If you have a missing air filter or never replaced one, you should. Your filter cycles out allergens and mold (depending on the filter type). Also, installing a high quality filter helps your system (HVAC and your body) run smoother.

Check out this article that includes replacing your air filter. If your home inspector told you your coils are dirty, you should have an HVAC technician clean those too.

Concluding on Overlooked Home Inspection Defects

If your home does not have all the above repaired/replaced, you should look into it. Fixing these defects can keep other people safe and protect your investment!

Have a question? Comment below! 🙂