With a sewer scope inspection, not only will you be able to avoid costly repairs down the road, you can also request repairs of the current homeowner or negotiate a credit or lower price. Owner and inspector Jason Lee of NPI Middle Tennessee is a SewerScan Certified Inspector.

Sewer system problems can cause major issues for a home, and NPI can help diagnose them with the proven techniques and the latest technology. Your inspector can document issues like pipe obstructions, tree root intrusion and sewer line bellying that can be costly and even hazardous if left uncorrected.

WHO NEEDS A SEWER SCOPE INSPECTION?
Everyone can benefit from a sewer line inspection. But if any of the following describes the home you're looking at, a sewer scope inspection is especially important:

• THERE ARE TREES IN THE FRONT YARD. Tree roots are one of the main causes of sewer damage. They crawl into tiny openings and expand in the sewer line, latching on to other debris, such as grease or eggshell waste. This typically causes backups. Chemicals can sometimes kill the tree's roots, but the pipe itself might be damaged and require excavation to fix the problem.
• THE HOME WAS BUILT IN THE 1950s. Many homes in the 50s were made with Orangeburg pipes, which tend to disintegrate over time.
• THE HOME WAS CONSTRUCTED OVER 20 YEARS AGO. The line might be fairly new compared to homes built before 1950, but tree roots can still clog it up over 20 years or so, and this is a fairly common problem.