My 24 yr old son is buying a 1950 home on a short sale for 120k. It is not wrecked and has been updated and taken care of, so the deal is not as great as many short sales.

The house was winterized and the city will turn on the water for one hour for the inspection. The seller won't pay any plumber fees etc.

There is no reason to think there is a problem. Do we need to hire a plumber to de-winterize or can we do it? The realtor says her plumber will charge $250 to re winterize. 2 bath, no dishwasher, gas hwh. Is an hour enough time? The meter is disconnected at the shut off valve. I have no idea who is reconnecting that, I think the inspector does not wish to be liable (for leaks and resulting damage)

I read a pressure test can be done on the water lines, but that won't tell us about the drains. How much would that cost? Our inspector doesn't have the equipment. I'd hire a different inspector, but this one is scheduled and aware of the situations etc.

I'm tempted to skip the whole thing and cross our fingers. The inspection is $400, adding plumber fees really hikes it up and son doesn't want to throw money away. We are in Nj. Any advice?

Also, how is the pressure test done? Can anybody with an air compressor do it or is there special equipment?

Thanks.