What to Tell Clients About That Leaky Basement

Rubber ducks floating in flooded space.Whether you’re working with a buyer or seller, it’s important to guide customers through steps to ensure the foundational soundness of a basement that tends to flood. To help you, NAR has compiled a list of action steps that both buyers and sellers can use to evaluate spaces prone to seepage.

What to Tell a Seller

  • Consider conducting a prelisting inspection.
  • Pay now—or pay more later.
  • Check for cracks.
  • Disclose, disclose, disclose.
  • Don’t assume a wet basement is hopeless or wildly expensive to fix.
  • Do it right—with permits.
  • Toss damp rugs.
  • Do not use automatic sprinkling systems that spray against the foundation.

What to Tell a Buyer

  • Check out the “grading.”
  • Ask the right questions.
  • Pay close attention to “finished” basements.
  • Talk to the inspector about moisture meters.
  • Ask about warranties.
  • Use more than one certified inspector.
  • Learn about an area’s “water table.”
  • Don’t assume the basement in a brand-new house is waterproof.
  • Check out the quality of the sump pumps and battery backups.
  • Get the sewer line inspected.
  • Look at doors and windows upstairs.
  • Take care of the gutters.
  • Check underground drainage systems.
  • Look at the roof.

Click here to read more about these important steps!

Courtesy REALTOR® Magazine