A Homeowners Guide To Selling a House With Water Damage
Water damage accounts for 24% of annual home insurance claims, according to Forbes Advisor. Whether the source of the issue is a leaky pipe or a flood caused by a storm surge, selling a home with water damage can affect your home sale. Often, water damage isn’t detected until a home inspection.
Top-performing real estate agent Christy Friesen of Wichita, Kansas, recalls a time when her client learned their home had severe water damage after a buyer’s home inspection.
“I had a case where an inspector in the crawlspace discovered that the water line in the back of the refrigerator had been leaking — possibly for months,” she explains. “Some of the beams and the floorboards had to be redone.”
Selling a house with water damage can significantly affect your home sale. But with preventive guidance, sellers can avoid a crisis that can potentially cost thousands of dollars.
Common causes of household water damage
During a home inspection, an inspector will assess the condition of a home, looking for safety issues and health hazards such as water damage that can cause the growth of black mold. Many home inspections also check for corroded and rusty pipes, which also can lead to leaks and water damage. Before you put your house on the market, make sure to check your home for the most common sources of water damage:
Rusted and leaky pipes
Leaking faucets and toilets
Water sewer issues
Backflow and cross-connection problems
Leaking pipes
Many issues can contribute to leaking pipes such as age, freezing, corrosion, and rust, which can affect your sale. Another cause of leaking pipes is improper pH balance levels in your water, which can dissolve the copper in pipes. The proper pH balance should be 6.5 to 8.5 for drinking water. Acidic water too low or alkaline too high can be unsafe to drink.
