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"This is a short sale. This 3 bedrooms but 1 is a walk through. There is a one car garage. Water main is broken under the side walk, buyer will have to fix".
real estate with broken water main, is this a bad sign?
Yes, that's definitely a bad sign! Expect to pay a few to several thousand dollars to get it fixed. Get some estimates before even considering the property.
Usually, the owner/buyer is responsible from the shut off valve to the house. The muni is responsible for the shut off vale away from the house.
The shut off valve could be in the small piece of sidewalk the street has although I don't see any metal cap that's usually on top of such an area.
I do see a large metal cap in front of the school across the street, even marked W. That may have a few shut offs underneath.
It can be that a shut off for a home is actually several yards away under city property...streets, etc...and the irony is if it was built that way the homeowner still pays for the work from the shut off to the house even if that area happens to be under otherwise-city roads. If that is the case for you, you'd pay for cutting through asphalt, sidewalk, etc.
If that one metal cover covers a few shut offs....a whole other can of worms.
Or your line could extend out back.
A nice historic home, nice deep lot and garage/shed. But you'd at least have to check where the water shut off is and go from there.
I have known several old homes like this where it's a few feet from the front door, which is worth looking into further. But this one.....eh.
Keep us updated on what you find out about the shut off location.
In this area, the main supply line isn't very deep & replacement isn't that expensive - $1,500 ish. I'd expect a main line in your area would be quite a bit deeper & portions of it would be hand-dig only, due to other utilities being close by (things like cable & gas lines). I wouldn't call it an "omen" of doom or anything, it's a pipe & an old one, so fix it & forget it.
Based on the property location, your water line should be at least 48" (or more) below the surface of the street.
Based on YWC tariffs, there should be a meter, stop **** and backflow on the line. That is the normal separation point between your responsibility and that of YWC. If they are located across the street in the valve box that cully saw, it could be a very expensive repair if lots of the street has to be closed and torn up. But, it may be those two small round plates in front of the house right at the curb. The only consideration is if its under the sidewalk, you will have added cost for having to close the sidewalk while work is going on especially if the line is deep, and maybe even special street permits.
So, go look at the actual property and try and locate the meter and stop **** which may be together as an integrated unit or separate but right next to each other. I would start at those two plates near the curb in front of the house.
Homes in York PA are relatively cheap (especially in that area) I grew up not too far from there. The water main may just be one of the many items if it's a neglected home. Proceed with cautions. I believe the home is far enough away from the historic area but do you research.
Yes, that's what I was looking for. Rabrrita, glad you pointed them out. I didn't see those little smudges up and down the street that I do notice now.
I have had neighbors who would shut off their water under those metal caps when the house was vacant. They told me the city is supposed to do it, and only for certain reasons, but no one seemed to mind.
I guess you have noticed all the new sidewalk work. And the utility markings. Several gas co markings (yellow). So you'd have to be very careful but at least now it looks like the water shut off is close to the house.
That said, utility markings are fair estimates. NOT the completely precise spot where the line is (I'm thinking more of the gas line now) but people working on your line should already be well aware of that.
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