Walkthrough today & basement flooded

[hrp22]

We are supposed to close on our house Friday.  The house is vacant.  We had a walkthrough scheduled today.  My realtor showed up a few minutes before me and when I walked in the door she said the basement is flooded.  It sounded like the sump pump was dumping water into the basement.  It's a finished basement.  I walked down there but didn't want to walk through standing water.  The water was a couple inches deep in the sump pump room (unfinished area) but also had reached the finished area and was soaked into the carpet.  

I had to leave due to a doc appt.  My realtor stayed and the seller showed up as well as a plumber.  The plumber got the pump working and the water was drained out and no longer pumping into the basement within a short time.  Seller was frantically calling basement flood restoration companies to get them out today.  Seller told my realtor that if carpet needed to be replaced she'd obviously take care of it.  There was some talk that perhaps the guy who installed the radon remediation system yesterday screwed something up with the sump pump.  (it's installed right next to the sump pump)  

So, what do I need to do to protect myself?  Realtor is looking into this as well, but I'd like to do some research.  Even if the sump pump is repaired/replaced, new carpet put in, basement is dry by closing...I'm afraid of mold developing in the future.  What if water reached electrical components?  Furnace? Drywall etc.?

I've had water infiltration in an unfinished basement and it didn't bother me.  

[rubytue]

I don't have much advice, other than I wouldn't close until I was comfortable with everything. Just want to express sympathy. That sucks!! I would be flipping out. I hope they can resolve it to your satisfaction quickly.

[livinitup]

I would not want to close Friday.

[lime]

Ugh, sorry you are dealing with this.

Another vote for not closing on Friday.

[tealblue]

It sucks but I would push back closing or ask that a chunk of money get put into an account to fix this. Hopefully it's nothing big and the seller or their insurance can fix this.

[redredwine]

NO. Do not close on Friday. We mad the mistake thinking our "possible water leak" was taken care of and we are now 6 weeks later are in the middle of a bathroom remodel as a result. This seems MUCH worse. Water is a big thing...not worth messing around with/rushing/etc.

[Deleted]

If the basement is finished the drywall and insulation needs to be ripped out and replaced.
Nearly this exact thing happened to us, except we'd been living in the house for 3+ years.
The carpet, padding, molding, insulation, and drywall were all removed and we replaced all but the carpet, opting for an epoxy coating on the concrete floor + area rugs instead.
We also had a battery-powered backup sump pump installed by a plumber.

[girlscout]

You are really lucky this happened when it did and not AFTER you were the owner!

I'd push back the closing till I was 100% satisfied that all was back in order and the issue has been corrected.

[badgergrl]

Mar 5, 2015 3:26:20 GMT -5 @mrsspunky said:

If the basement is finished the drywall and insulation needs to be ripped out and replaced.
Nearly this exact thing happened to us, except we'd been living in the house for 3+ years.
The carpet, padding, molding, insulation, and drywall were all removed and we replaced all but the carpet, opting for an epoxy coating on the concrete floor + area rugs instead.
We also had a battery-powered backup sump pump installed by a plumber.

This.  Don't let them say the carpet replaced is the only issue. Drywall has paper on it and molds like crazy. 

I am so sorry this happened to you but you should not close on Friday. 

[purpleminion]

Oh my goodness, I'm sorry you're having to deal with this. I agree with the others who said don't close until you're certain it will be taken care of thoroughly and to your satisfaction. The sellers are going to have to do all that even if you walk, so they're most likely not going to want the whole selling process over again. Stick to your guns!

[scout8]

Most likely, the seller's insurance will cover the damages. I wouldn't close until everything has been fixed. I would also make sure you figure out what caused the issue in the first place and make sure that has been repaired as well. Did you have a home inspection when you bought the house? I would call the inspector and discuss with him as well. He should be able to figure out the right questions to ask to make sure the repairs are being done correctly.

I would make sure you have a back up place to live. I don't think you will be closing on Friday. My guess is that it will take a few weeks for everything to be fixed since it will likely be going through insurance.

Good luck!

[badgergrl]

another concern- The seller will likely get a check from insurance and is going to have incentive to fix everything as cheaply as possible so they can pocket thre rest. I would potentially have your agent write a new addendum to contract outlining licensed contractor, level of carpet (or allowance if yu prefer) etc. this could be very messy.

[imojoebunny]

I wouldn't close until everything had been fixed, and I would have my own guy come in and walk through and take pictures. This happened to my brother, the French drain, that had never failed in the 7 years he lived in the house failed the day before closing. In his case, there was no drywall and it didn't reach the electrical, so it was just drying it out and he closed on time.

I would not put carpet down again in a basement. I would ask for an allowance, instead of new carpet and put in tile. I think carpet in the basement, unless it is designed for it (some commercial carpets are very low pile and are designed to handle moisture) is pretty gross, especially if you put down a carpet pad.

I believe the sellers story. I have had some people do some stupid stuff.

[yentl]

The day we had our walk through (which was our closing day), I walked down to the unfinished basement and noticed the walls seemed moist. Then the sump pump kicked on. It proceeded to kick on and off periodically throughout our time there. The realtor checked and apparently the water bill for the past month was, like, triple the usual amount. The tenant thought it was because he accidentally left the hose on earlier in the month. In actuality, a pipe under the house had burst, was leaking water into the ground and into the basement. He hadn't lived there for a week or so and didn't realize what was happening.

Somehow we ended up getting a plumber out that day to give us a rough estimate on the work. We asked for 3x that to be put in escrow and closed on schedule. Almost all of the amount ended up being used for the repairs. HOWEVER because the basement is unfinished and the water was leaking into the ground, we were not worried about mold. In your case, I would be much more cautious. I would have someone come out and inspect any repairs for sure.

I'm so sorry about all this. I know from experience how stressful it can be! But the major silver lining is it is happening on the seller's dime instead of yours!

[msmerymac]

Mar 5, 2015 11:13:01 GMT -5 badgergrl said:

another concern- The seller will likely get a check from insurance and is going to have incentive to fix everything as cheaply as possible so they can pocket thre rest. I would potentially have your agent write a new addendum to contract outlining licensed contractor, level of carpet (or allowance if yu prefer) etc. this could be very messy.

In my experience, insurance gives you (actually, your bank) a check, minus about 20%. In order to recover that extra percentage, you have to submit receipts to prove you spent the money or use a contractor that is approved by the insurance company. It's kind of a PITA. 

But not a bad idea, anyway.

[Deleted]

I should not have read this. I am closing tomorrow and the walk-through is right before. It's freezing tonight so I have this fear of a busted pipe and would lose my mind. I'm so sorry but I wouldn't proceed with closing either. Are you living somewhere you can extend your stay?

[aurora]

Any updates?

I would also push back closing until it's been fixed. Sorry you're dealing with this.

[madringal]

Their insurance will likely not cover a penny, because this type of flooding isn't covered in most policies. This is life with a sump pump, if it goes out, your basement will flood. You cannot rip out carpet, drywall, etc each time. I get that you want it all replaced, but keep this in mind. Each time the power goes out, your sump pump will too. You need to get a generator ASAP.

I wouldn't close Friday, but I would not expect the dry wall to be replaced, or new carpeting.

[Deleted]

Mar 5, 2015 18:47:41 GMT -5 madringal said:

Their insurance will likely not cover a penny, because this type of flooding isn't covered in most policies. This is life with a sump pump, if it goes out, your basement will flood. You cannot rip out carpet, drywall, etc each time. I get that you want it all replaced, but keep this in mind. Each time the power goes out, your sump pump will too.

We have a rider on our homeowners insurance for sump pump failure. $10k max coverage, $1k deductible.

[badgergrl]

Mar 5, 2015 18:56:45 GMT -5 @mrsspunky said:

Mar 5, 2015 18:47:41 GMT -5 madringal said:

Their insurance will likely not cover a penny, because this type of flooding isn't covered in most policies. This is life with a sump pump, if it goes out, your basement will flood. You cannot rip out carpet, drywall, etc each time. I get that you want it all replaced, but keep this in mind. Each time the power goes out, your sump pump will too.

We have a rider on our homeowners insurance for sump pump failure. $10k max coverage, $1k deductible.

You need a battery back up in your sump and then baring a power outage for many days this will never happen.

I can't imagine how much mold carpet would have if it was left in after a flood. Yikes!

[Deleted]

Mar 5, 2015 20:39:33 GMT -5 badgergrl said:

Mar 5, 2015 18:56:45 GMT -5 @mrsspunky said:

We have a rider on our homeowners insurance for sump pump failure. $10k max coverage, $1k deductible.

You need a battery back up in your sump and then baring a power outage for many days this will never happen.

Which is exactly what we have, as I posted above.

[badgergrl]

Mar 5, 2015 21:32:14 GMT -5 @mrsspunky said:

Mar 5, 2015 20:39:33 GMT -5 badgergrl said:

You need a battery back up in your sump and then baring a power outage for many days this will never happen.

Which is exactly what we have, as I posted above.

Sorry! Bad quote there. I meant to quote the above stament that basements will always flood. Sorry !