As a buyer and seller of real estate since 2003, I’ve learned that getting a home inspection before each purchase is one of the most important steps in protecting yourself. You want a professional — someone who’s inspected hundreds of homes — to review your potential property for at least an hour before you submit an offer or close escrow. Otherwise, you could be in for some nasty, costly surprises after you move in.

That said, after hiring an inspector for my first two purchases — a condo in 2003 and a house in 2005 — I stopped using them. By then, I’d done a couple of remodels and learned a tremendous amount about plumbing, electrical systems, and general construction. And through that experience, I came to realize something fundamental about homeownership: everything is fixable with enough time and money.

In the past, seeing a dent or hole in a wall used to bum me out. Now I know patching, sanding, and painting are simple weekend projects. After opening up the shower wall to replace plumbing, I realized leaking pipes are straightforward to fix. And after removing old knob-and-tube wiring in my previous 100-year-old house and fishing modern Romex through the walls, I discovered electrical solutions are straightforward.

The longer you’ve owned a home, and the more remodeling projects you’ve taken on, the better you get at conducting your own informal “home inspection.” Bring a friend or your real estate agent along, and you’ve got multiple sets of eyes scanning for red flags. You can even print out my post, 10 Issues to Look For Before Buying a House, as a guide during your walkthrough.

Still, even for seasoned owners, it’s easy to get blindsided.

A Home Inspector Helps You See Straight

The problem with home buying is that emotions can cloud judgment. When you fall in love with a property, your brain releases all sorts of chemicals that make you ignore obvious flaws. It’s like dating. You overlook the fact that he’s 35, lives with his parents, and is deep in debt because he’s so charming.

A professional home inspector has no emotional attachment. Their job is to see what you can’t, or won’t, see. They’re the sober friend telling you to maybe slow down before you make a six- or seven-figure commitment.

In 2022, I fell head over heels for a home. It felt like the perfect place to raise a family. Even though I couldn’t quite afford it, I was so enamored that I briefly considered borrowing money from a friend — something I’ve always avoided. The price was too steep, and I didn’t want to be beholden to anyone, so we passed.

A year later, the house came back on the market at a lower price. With the rebound in stocks, we could now afford it on our own. We got into contract and spent roughly 15 hours over two years inspecting every inch of the property — five people, including my sister, her boyfriend, and the listing estate agent who sold me my previous home.

We found and fixed leaky interior pipes, did extensive water testing, and even brought in a mold and water specialist. Everything looked solid.

Our escrow lasted 2.5 months, and we thought we’d covered everything. But we hadn’t.

Overlooked Issues That Could Cost Up To $20,000

Despite all that effort, we still missed a few details. Here are three that stand out and what they taught me.

1) The Washing Machine Flood

Soon after we moved in, we ran our first load of laundry. The washer and dryer was new, so we didn’t bother testing them during escrow. All we did was see if they turned on or not. How could anything be wrong?

Forty-five minutes later, we came back to find the laundry room flooded. Water everywhere. What the hell?!

The seller’s handyman quickly diagnosed the problem — the washer’s filter had been installed incorrectly, causing water to leak out during the spin cycle. Would a professional inspector have caught that? Maybe. Maybe not. But it’s the kind of thing an experienced inspector might notice during a test run, or at least suggest you check before closing.

The fix was free, but the cleanup was annoying and the experience was stressful. It’s a good reminder: don’t assume “new” means “working.” Test every appliance thoroughly before you buy.

2) The Loose Gutters

San Francisco winters are rainy and windy. We bought the home in fall, so we had to trust the roof and drainage systems would hold up through the season. The first winter was fine. The second, not so much.

One blustery night, I heard an odd rattling above our bedroom. At first it was intermittent, but soon it became a clanking, metal-on-wood banging sound that kept me awake. Finally, I called a roofer to check it out. He discovered the gutters were pulling away from the fascia, held mostly by short nails instead of deep screws. Over time, the wind had loosened them.

The repair was simple — $350 to remove the nails, replace them with long screws, install new brackets, and reseal one section to stop a drip. Money well spent. There was no way I was climbing that roof myself.

Would a home inspector have caught it? Probably not. Most inspectors don’t climb onto roofs, and you can’t tell from the ground whether gutters are faste**Fundrise**. Finally, to build greater wealth, pick up a copy of his upcoming bestseller, Millionaire Milestones: Simple Steps To Seven Figures. It’ll be the best personal finance book you’ll ever read.