Who’s to Blame?

We’ve been waterproofing homes for 3-decades and homebuyers ask us who’s to blame for not telling them the house they just bought has a leaky basement. It generally begins with blaming the Realtor and then quickly on to the Home Inspector before ending with the Seller. So, which is it?

Is it the Realtor? No. Realtors can only garner information from the Seller and most Realtors will see the house, for the first time, when you do. How ‘bout that Inspector? Sorry but no! The house has usually been given a cosmetic going over, maybe even some new lumber, carpet or fresh paint, long before the Inspector does his job. So if it were not leaking while there, the Inspector wouldn’t have a clue. 

So it’s gotta’ be the Seller, right? Partially but only partially, there’s also someone else. To explain; certain laws apply, but the Seller generally has an obligation to disclose all issues that affect the property. Yet they tend to ‘forget’ some of those issues thus leaving you with those problems.

Okay, so who else is to blame? That would be you, the Buyer! Prior to closing you are given a document disclosing all negative issues the Seller has listed. Most Buyers merely skim over this important document in a hurry to close. It should be read and questions should be asked before closing. Questions should be asked about things you see and things you don’t see on this document. Don’t buy a pig in a poke! And remember you’re buying a house, not problems! Good luck.