Surprise problems can cost new homeowners after closing. Here's what to look for.

Salvatore Motta spent an August morning feeding a minuscule camera into a sewage pipe leading to a Southampton home's septic tank holding the home's waste. He had spotted something that often spells disaster for many homes on Long Island: a break in the pipe.

Motta, president and CEO of the Melville-based drain specialist Quick Drain, said that broken pipes are the most common issues he sees in a home's sanitary system — which funnels waste from the house to a septic tank and cesspool.

These breaks, which can allow waste to leak into the ground and cause backups, are also something homebuyers miss when touring a home, because buyers often need to hire a licensed specialist to inspect a house's sanitary system rather than expect their home inspector to do the job, Motta said.

If the seller didn't properly maintain their sanitary system — by regularly cleaning out the septic tank, for instance — the new homeowner can see backups and overflows.

"We try to raise awareness as much as we can to new homebuyers, because once you buy this property, you are responsible to clean your septic tank every few years," Motta said. "If you don't, you're going to lead into major, major problems down the road."

Most home inspectors will check a home's roof, drainage, heating and cooling, electrical work and crawl space, and run water to check for any leaks. But there are some issues that a regular home inspection won't always cover — making it crucial for would-be homeowners and real estate agents to spot problems before buying.

Problems can be particularly costly in today's housing market, where median home prices routinely break records on Long Island. The median price for a home in Nassau County hit $880,000 in July, a 2.9% increase from the same month one year ago and just below a record high of $890,000 hit in May. In Suffolk, the median price sat at $750,000 in June and July — an all-time high.

With those rising prices, the 20% down payment on a home on Long Island has shot up as well: $150,000 for a home in Suffolk, and $176,000 for a home in Nassau at those median prices.

Those high prices can leave first-time buyers cash-strapped after closing, making repairs even more costly. A warranty may cover some issues in new-construction homes after closing. For the most part, when something breaks, it's the new owner's problem, not the seller's.

"Not only are you buying a house with a broken pipe and maybe a failed septic system, you're also buying a potential environmental hazard that you may not be aware of because it's underground," Motta said.

Angela Prince, a Bay Shore-based real estate broker at Prince & Associates Realty Group, and other agents recommended putting aside a few thousand dollars for surprise costs and maintenance after closing on a home — though the amount ranged based on the size of the home and how much someone could save.

Prince recommended putting aside $10,000 to $20,000 for emergency fixes to a house in the first year after buying. Doris Kennedy, a real estate broker with Kennedy LI Realty, said she'd recommend putting aside the same amount, if you have it, and possibly more for older homes.

Septic and cesspools

Buyers looking to purchase a home not connected to a sewer line — like many in Suffolk County — need to be on the lookout for issues with the septic or cesspool system, said Jeffrey Jimenez, a licensed real estate salesperson based out of Hauppauge with eXp Realty.

One of Jimenez's clients had their main septic line crack underneath the house about a year after purchasing their home, which required digging up the concrete foundation for repairs. The cast-iron septic line was old, Jimenez said, and home inspectors don't often look at those systems.

Older cesspools can also pose problems, particularly if the seller hasn't emptied theirs in a while, said Katie Schimpf, a real estate salesperson with Daniel Gale Sotheby's International Realty.

A cesspool that overflows or leaks can cause unsafe wastewater to leach into the ground — even if you don't notice it right away, Motta said.

"It could be such a slight leak that you won't even notice," Motta said. "You don't know how contaminated the soil might be around the house."

Hot and cold

Patrick Hall, an associate real estate broker with Branch Real Estate Group based in Sea Cliff, said just two days after his brother bought his first home over two decades ago, the boiler died.

He recommends that homebuyers concerned about particular systems — such as heating, cooling or sewage — get them checked out immediately by an expert.

Home inspectors will check a building's heating and cooling systems and run water through all of the home's faucets and showers, but months can pass by the time a buyer closes on a new home.

During that time, it's possible for heating and cooling systems and plumbing to develop issues or leaks, said Norma Dispenza, a real estate salesperson with Howard Hanna Coach Realtors based in Smithtown. Dispenza said one of her clients had a home inspected, but still had a pipe burst about four months after closing on the property during a cold snap in 2015.

A burst pipe during cold weather would be almost impossible to predict — or prevent, Dispenza added.

"When they do a home inspection, it's whatever is visual, and that was a pipe that was inside the wall and not insulated," Dispenza said, adding that she recommends clients get home insurance and a home warranty, particularly if the home has old appliances or systems.

Some buyers may also want to upgrade their new home's water filtration system — by installing either a tap with filtered water for cooking and drinking or a full house filtration system, which is a growing trend on the Island, said Mary Beth Darcy, a real estate adviser based in Rockville Centre at Daniel Gale Sotheby's International Realty.

A whole-house water filtration system can cost anywhere from a few thousand to $10,000 dollars, said Dan Rossi, the owner of Rossi Home Inspections.

Green is good — sort of

Many homeowners don't realize how expensive it is to landscape a property — everything from mowing the grass to removing trees costs money, said Cory Knopf, an associate real estate broker at Compass.

"People don't realize the cost of landscaping, or how hard it is," Knopf said. "It's not an easy job to keep your grass green."

Landscaping may seem cosmetic, but properly landscaping around a home can actually help maintain it in the long run. Trees can serve as a way for animals to get onto a roof and into a home, and shrubbery can trap moisture near the base of a house, which can cause damage over time.

But landscaping can cost more than many homeowners expect. Removing trees, for example, can cost thousands of dollars, Prince said.

"Landscaping is the biggest thing that looks like it may not cost a lot, but could."