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youngbuck_gw

buying a home - basement issue

youngbuck
17 years ago

hello y'all, i'm going to be buying a house in the near future. we're actually prepared to make an offer.

we plan on having an inspection done once/if our offer is accepted, but i was hoping for some input on this basement situation beforehand.

both times we've looked at this house it was after a recent rain, so the basement was particularly wet. i'm not too sure how it is normally (damp or not).

the most recent visit however, i looked more thoroughly and found a streaming leak in one corner, and most of the other corners were actively leaking as well. but in that one corner it is like a waterfall :(

the ground outside the house at this location does slope towards the house a bit and i'm sure adding some dirt to get the slope away from the house would help.

i'm just wondering if a leak this bad should be steered away from all together before an inspection is even done, or just wait and see what we find out.

any suggestions/input would be greatly appreciated. we're actually going to be starting some paperwork this evening so i suppose info asap would be nice :) thank ya's!

Comments (7)

  • actuary97
    17 years ago

    As someone who has owned several basement leaking houses

    They are no end of trouble, Very difficult and expenseive to fix and difficult to sell.

    However if you are married and your wife assist on buying the house, you have no choice. shoot her then run.

    Hope this helps

  • western_pa_luann
    17 years ago

    An indoor waterfall would make me run in the opposite direction!

    DH and I had earnest money on a house many moons ago. We heard there were underground springs in the area, and we had an 'out' in the paperwork regarding water in the house.
    That weekend, there were storms. We were planning to go to the house anyways - there was an open house that could not be cancelled and we just wanted to walk through 'our house'.

    Good thing we did.

    The basement was WET, not damp. An eight foor crack developed in the foundation.

    First thing Monday morning, we got our money back.

    We LOVED that house - location and floor plan. But it was not worth the future and certain hassle.....

  • worthy
    17 years ago

    "we're actually going to be starting some paperwork this evening"

    Commitment papers for the nearest state facility for the insane, right?

  • jasper_60103
    17 years ago

    youngbuck,
    it sounds like it could be some serious issues going on there. I would runaway, but I guess only you can say if this a showstopper for you.
    I think most folks would prefer a clean and dry basement.

    At the very least, the water issues should be addressed or compensated for. You may want to have one of those basement waterproofing contractors give you a assessment (and $$) of the situation.

    Just curious, how old is the home? what kind of foundation is this?

    Goodluck.
    -jasper

  • rjoh878646
    17 years ago

    If you want to buy this house get a quote from a reputable local basement waterproofing contractor, and have the amount knocked off the price of the house. But I think your nuts for wanting to buy it. A leaking basement can mean there are other serious problems with the foundation and drainage system around the outside of the house.

    If I were you I WOULD RUN AWAY FROM THIS PLACE FAST!

  • iamnodiy
    17 years ago

    I would buy a house that had a roof leak before I purchased one with a basement leak. If the house is built on property with a high water table you will also have water coming up from the floor. Also think about this, if the leaks could have been easily fixed why wouldn't the owner have had it repaired before the house went on the market?

  • cuddlepoo
    17 years ago

    We had some leaks in the basement when we moved in. DH dug out the cracks a little bit, patched them with the appropriate material from the hardware store. No leaks for years now in rainy Washington state. If it cost of $30 to fix I'd be suprised. There was an area in back that sloped towards the leaky are. I dug it out and changed the drainage situation in one day by myself. Cost $0. I love the basement and when we no longer have one I'll be sad. We didn't have a 'waterfall', but certainly developed puddles that are long gone.

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