Your Plumbing Inspection was a Bit of Bad News in the Mail.

You were looking forward to celebrating  the return of light at tonight’s Winter Solstice celebration at the Illuminated Labyrinth. But you forgot about that when you opened the mail and found your home had flunked its plumbing inspection. You had put your home up for sale. But you never expected to find serious issues. Not only did the inspector find plumbing problems but he also found leaks.

A home inspection is a visual check of a dwelling’s major systems and structures, inside and out. While home inspectors don’t technically assign a “pass” or “fail” grade to a home, they do present their findings to the home buyer, who may withdraw an offer if there are red flags.

Among the issues the inspector uncovered in your home was old galvanized pipes. Those type pipes are prone to clogging. At some point, they become so clogged that they must be replaced.

The inspector also found dirt sloping toward your home rather than away from the house. If your yard is sloping toward your house rather than away, water will collect at your foundation. That could allow water to come in and create a space for mold and mildew. The solution is to regrade your yard.

The Inspection Was Not Good. Now What?

Now that an inspector has found issues with your plumbing system, what are you to do? If you are the buyer, do you automatically drop out of the sale or try to reach a better deal? If you’re the seller, do you drop the price and/or pull out of the deal?

Real estate advisors suggest your involvement should start at the beginning of the process. That is, you should attend the inspection. That way, you have a chance to talk with a professional about what’s happening with the house. It also gives your Realtor a chance to talk with another professional about possible issues, realestate.usnews.com says.

Your biggest choice after a home has flunked is to decide if you want to try to thrash out a new agreement.

If you are unable to reach an agreement then it’s time for one party or the other to call it quits.

One other choice is to call the trusted plumbing pros at Billy the Sunshine Plumber in Tampa Bay for possible advice on ways to remedy the problems that have been found.