What to Tell Clients About That Leaky Basement

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