List the expensive things an inspection might miss

[Marian Smith]

What is expensive to miss when buying a house? Here is my list, I hope you guys will add to it.

1. FPE breaker box....stab-lock breakers are reputed to fail and the breakers are no longer sold except used ones on ebay. I have heard insurers on the east coast wont insure a house with this type panel. Dallas has hundreds of thousands of houses with these (NPC homes) and the paper reported on this issue.

2. I think you have to request a Lead based paint screen. They sell kits at Home Depot. The problem here is contractors, for example window replacement guys from big boxes, will test and if positive your install price wtill go through the roof because they have to wear suits, tape off and sheet over everything, etc.

3. Ditto asbestos in popcorn ceilings.

4. And there is some sort of plastic plumbing that was used in the 60s or 70s and maybe even the 80s that didn't perform as expected...it is garbage. But I do not know whether it is in the walls or to the street nor how to recognize its use.

5. We also bought a little old lady house that smelled of mold (washer leak) pet urine and smoke. After priming and painting everything we realized the HVAC vents smelled like smoke...worse than when we bought because (I guess) we bought in a mild winter and the house had been aired out and the HVAC was not running because it wasn't needed. I never run the system while renovating because I want to minimize dust in the system so I didnt realize until virtually finished and running the AC. We bought a Clen-aire gel cube thing at Ferguson's to put in the return and it really helped. But I think it would take a coil cleaning, coil replacement and/or new ducts to truly remedy the problem because when the system turns on after having been off for an hour or so it blows air with a subtle hint of stale tobacco smoke. It just lasts a short while, nonetheless...nasty.

We don't usually get inspections so we look for aluminum wiring; patched spots, fake vents etc around plumbing stacks to indicate prior termite treatments and ......what do you look for? Thanks.