Leaky basement-would you buy?

[Anonymous]

Our house has a partially finished basement and concrete block storage area/laundry. We occasionally get slight water on the ground in the concrete block section. We've lived with it for years, and just put everything 2" up on shelves. Not a problem.
Once a year we get some puddles but just suck it up with the wet vac. Nothing is damaged.

We are ready to list the house. Is it necessary to put French drains in to sell it? So expensive! Can we list it knowing this problem? Everyone I know has water issues in the basement-and just hides the fact when they sell.

Would you put French drains in?
Would you buy it knowing about this slight water issue?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are ready to list the house. Is it necessary to put French drains in to sell it? So expensive!

Necessary? No. Advisable? Maybe.

Can we list it knowing this problem?

Yes. But you have to disclose it.

Everyone I know has water issues in the basement-and just hides the fact when they sell.

DO NOT DO THIS.

Would you buy it knowing about this slight water issue?

We did. Well, we knew about a slight water issue, but it was actually a major water issue. My husband is a litigator and we would have sued them if they hadn't been stationed overseas for a number of years which made it difficult.

[Anonymous]

No, I wouldn't buy a house if the owner was letting water in the basement, particularly if it was fixable by something as simple as a french drain. You know that this is a minor problem and that there is nothing else going on in the basement, but the buyer doesn't know that. They might even think you are a neglectful owner or something.

[Anonymous]

I would not buy a house with a leaky basement, and I would definitely sue the owner who sold me a house without disclosing such a problem!

[Anonymous]

Oooh I am :37 and I missed the part where you said you wouldn't disclose this. That's awful, and are you thinking of doing this in the DMV? Because that's like begging for a lawsuit.

[Anonymous]

I've bought several houses with leaky basements. They are old, and all houses this age (70+ years) have leaky basements. But all the owners disclosed the leakiness. If they had not disclosed it, we would have grounds to sue. We wouldn't have sued, though, because the problems were so slight, more trouble than it would be worth. But always disclose! Some people won't buy, but others will. Depends on the neighborhood, price, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Would you put French drains in?
Would you buy it knowing about this slight water issue?

The key for us was that we understood what steps had been taken to fix the issue and had an idea of costs or maintenance needed going forward. For example, we do get water coming in from the cellar steps if leaves clog the drain. There is also a drain in the utility room floor. DH will make sure the drain at the outside steps stays clear. We know anything sitting on the floor in the utility room could be at risk but also know keeping the drain clear can prevent water from coming in. I would chalk that up to how the house is built. The more problematic issue was the water damage in the middle basement room. I think the grading alongside the house was looked at. The previous owner had improved it some, but that was one of the first things we did when we moved in.

Anyway, I would not expect to move into a house and assume I need a wet vac at the first heavy rain. I would be pissed if the owner didn't disclose it. I don't think you have to put in French drains either - if the water is really as small time as you say, the prospective owner may be willing to live with it OR it could be a negotiation point where at worst you split the cost of putting in French drains. I was purchasing a townhouse with plastic pipes that were known to leak and worked it out so the seller paid half and I paid half and it was fixed before I moved in.

[Anonymous]

I would never want to buy a home with a leaky basement. All of us have allergies and asthma.

OP, please, PLEASE disclose and let potential buyers make an informed decision.

[Anonymous]

We bought a house that had had a flooded basement the owners had repaired very well. We would not have bought if we had not been confident in the repair. By coincidence we went under contract just after a massive storm and there was not evidence of water, no musty smell, etc. by contrast there was another house with a moldy smelling basement that we passed on.

[Anonymous]

I would not buy a house with those outside stairs going down into a basement door. There are so many problems with houses I would not buy a known wet basement. If it was wet once or twice and remedied then perhaps. Who lives in a house for years without attempting to fix basement water?

[Anonymous]

I would install the French drains to avoid any future problems but I also think it depends on the price range of the house and whether it's in an area with high demand. If it's going o be torn down, don't do anything. And recently I've seen beautiful, older homes that were perfectly livable torn down.

[Anonymous]

I would not buy a house with leaky basement. I would be wondering how bad is the leak and why the heck the owners lived with it without fixing the problem (wondering what else they did not take care of). I would consider suing the sellers if I find out that they knew about the problem and did not disclose it. I do not agree that every old house has this problem. we bought our 90+ year old home 3 years ago, we have an unfinished basement and went through at least 2 hurricanes with not a single drop of water.

so I think you should either fix it, or just disclose the issue to the buyer

[Anonymous]

To one of the pps--Everybody does not have water issues in the basement. The house my parents have lived in in Fairfax has had zero basement wetness---going on 35 years in that house.

Neither of my houses have any wetness in the basement--not a drop...even after derechos, snowmaggedon, etc...

I did rent a house that used to get massive water in the basement after rain---it was disgusting. I have a few ruined items because landlord was not as fortcoming as they should have been.

Now in the current market, low-inventory---it may not be a deal-breaker at all.

[Anonymous]

We were in this situation and we fixed the problem. It was expensive but cheaper than a lawsuit. I can't tell you how many people suggested that we not fix it and not disclose it but that did not sit right with us even though that is exactly what the prior owner did to us.

Fix it and get a transferable warranty. That way you're off the hook if there is a problem later.

[Anonymous]

I would NOT put French drains in.
Honestly, it is hard to say if I would or would not buy your house, given that specific issue. You need to weigh all the other variables, ie cost, location, schools, condition of the rest of the house, how much $$$ needs to be spent right away, etc. Tough call.