As climate change continues to bring stronger summer rains and hurricanes in North America, it is important to stay vigilant of how to protect your home from a flood. Older homes, or homes that live in flood plains (much of Southern Ontario) are susceptible to leaky basements. Here are some important things to consider post-flood whether you are a buyer or a seller.
Advice For Buyers Post-Flood
If you haven’t yet closed on your new house, rest assured: the sellers owe it to you in the same condition that you saw it in. If there is water to be pumped out, drywall to be replaced or newly uncovered leaks, it’s the seller’s responsibility to fix them.
• Call your real estate agent and ask them to confirm if your soon-to-be house had any water damage (ideally have that confirmed in writing). If there was any damage, get details and find out the remediation plan.
• If you have any buyer visits left, consider going to visit as soon as possible. While you should always save one visit for the day before closing, it’s important for you to see for yourself what happened if at all possible.
• Don’t panic! Your real estate agent and lawyer (unfortunately) are experienced in dealing with this kind of thing and pre-close issues (unfortunately) happen more frequently than you’d imagine.
Advice For Sellers Post-Flood
If you’ve already agreed to sell your house but have yet to close and a big flood happens in your neighbourhood, you have some important work to do. You are responsible for fixing any problems resulting from the flood – essentially, your buyer should be getting your house in the same condition it was in when they agreed to purchase it.
• Take the time to carefully inspect your house. Look for water, leaks, damaged drywall or floors. Water damage may not be confined to the basement, so take the time to look through your entire house.
• Call in the professionals if need be –for post flooding remediation and water proofing.
• Let your real estate agent know what’s going on (and if you have a serious problem, it won’t hurt to call your lawyer).
• Be prepared to disclose what’s going on and recognize your requirement to fix things – dealing with this now is way easier than dealing with it three months from now when there’s black mold and thousands of dollars in damages.
Stay dry, folks!
With the recent heavy rainstorms, this is a timely topic! A couple of my clients who are about to list their homes for sale had some basement flooding and we discussed what steps they should take. My advice to them depended on their individual situations and the extent of the damage. If you also experienced any water damage from that recent storm and would like to know next steps you should take, call me at 905-683-7800.
Thanks for reading today’s BLOG!!!
Brian Kondo
Sales Representative / Team Leader
The Brian Kondo Real Estate Team
Re/Max Hallmark First Group Realty Ltd.
905-683-7800 office
905-426-7484 direct
brian@briankondo.com
www.BrianKondo.com
www.BrianKondoTeam.com
Homesellers - Find Out What Homes in Your Neighbourhood are Selling For! You can receive a FREE computerized printout of ALL recent Home Sales and Current Listings in your neighbourhood. Click here!
Best Buy Hotlist - You can receive a FREE list of the 10 Best Buys in your
specific price range sent to you at No COST or OBLIGATION.
Click here!
Your Home Sold Guaranteed or I'll Buy It!* No Gimmicks! For a Free Special Report that Details my Guaranteed Sale Program, visit: www.BriansGuaranteedSaleProgram.com.
Remember, your referrals change lives! We donate a portion of our income on every home sale to a great worthy cause like SickKids Hospital. To find out more visit: www.ReferForSickKids.com.
If you or anyone you know is considering making a move in the next little while, give me a call or pass on my number ... 905-683-7800 (Office) or 905-426-7484 (Direct).
#FloodedHouse #FloodPrecaution #FloodControl #FloodManagement #FloodMitigation #FloodPrevention #FloodRiskReduction #HomeSellersGuide #HomesellersTips