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I bought a house with water in the basement. When I first looked at the home, they had already re-waterproofed the exterior basement walls, regraded all around the perimeter and installed french drains leading the gutter water all of the way to the back of the yard. The agent said the water was there because of recently torrential storms causing water to come in through the basement windows.
Well, I loved the house, and decided to put in an offer, which was accepted. My inspector confirmed the water story the agent said, because there didn't happen to be any water in the basement when he inspected.
So, on the morning of the closing, my underwriters saw a picture with the water in the basement, and refused the mortgage unless a sump pump was installed. The seller agreed to pay for the sump and install that morning. THankfully, this all happened before I found out about the issue. So, on Day 1, I felt great, because I had just scored a free sump pump.
Fast forward one week, and there is a lot of water in the basement again; this time, without a storm coming through. So, it turns out that the water table is right underneath the floor to the basement, and the water was just coming up through the concrete. So, I then spent over $6K to install french drains in the basement. No water issues for 5+ years.
So, water issues are fixable, but be prepared to pay; even above and beyond what the seller is willing to do.
If there is water now, There will be water problems again in the future. Sump pumps fail and are recommended to be replaced every five years. If you don't plan on using it for a living space it probably won't be a big deal. Run a dehumidifier at all times to keep it from getting musty or moldy.
I looked at the place again today. The was no water in basement and foundation crack had been fixed. On my first visit there had only been a tiny amount of water in that spot. The water in the garage had been cleaned up. I met the neighbor whose garage is attached. Her garage was one big puddle. She says it happens all the time.....I ran!
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