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Carol Williams, Retired Agent / Broker / Prop. Mgr, Wenatchee, WA (Although I'm retired, I love sharing my knowledge and learning from other real estate industry professionals.)

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Rainer
80,653
Linda Guess
Keller Williams Tri-Lakes Branson, MO - Branson, MO
Branson area real estate sales.

On new construction the trusses were broken to make room for a late installation of air conditioning and heating.

Mar 01, 2016 10:07 PM
Ambassador
3,169,508
Liz and Bill Spear
Transaction Alliance 513.520.5305 www.LizTour.com - Mason, OH
Transaction Alliance Cincinnati & Dayton suburbs

An attic full of mold in one home (successfully mitigated and our buyers are there still), and structural bowing in basement wall (buyers walked away on that one).

Mar 01, 2016 10:12 PM
Rainmaker
5,216,409
Wayne Martin
Wayne M Martin - Chicago, IL
Real Estate Broker - Retired

Sewer not connected is not as bad as serious termite infestation! The windows were falling out!

Mar 01, 2016 10:54 PM
Rainmaker
4,572,183
Michael Jacobs
Pasadena, CA
Pasadena And Southern California 818.516.4393

Carol -- mine is similar to yours.   Property was in an area that not yet entirely on sewers but it in the mls and in the seller disclosures it was stated connected to sewers.   Inspection reveals a septic system that hadn't been pumped(obviously) and was causing significant damage.  

Contract canceled.  

Mar 01, 2016 10:44 PM
Ambassador
5,049,450
Jeff Dowler, CRS
eXp Realty of California, Inc. - Carlsbad, CA
The Southern California Relocation Dude

A cracked slab - $80-100K to fix because of shifting ground, etc.

Mar 01, 2016 10:32 PM
Ambassador
2,684,109
Fred Griffin Florida Real Estate
Fred Griffin Real Estate - Tallahassee, FL
Licensed Florida Real Estate Broker

Off-grade house, the subfloor was completely rotten under both bathrooms.  In order to repair it, the tiled tub/showers would have to be removed, the commodes and vanities would have to be removed, etc.   About $35K worth of work on a house worth less than $200K.

Mar 01, 2016 10:10 PM
Rainmaker
921,504
Annette Lawrence , Palm Harbor, FL 727-420-4041
ReMax Realtec Group - Palm Harbor, FL
Making FLORIDA Real Estate EZ

The worst one was not detected.

But, like you, the remodeled bath simply drained beneath the house.

The worst?  House water line connected to reclaimed water. For YEARS! Yep, the purple pipe was connected to the white pipe.

Just think of ALL the people that failed, from beginning to end, to do their job.

Of course a home inspector does not excavate to make such a determination. A community gathering at the house is what started to investigation. "Why does your water stink?"

 

 

Mar 01, 2016 10:09 PM
Rainmaker
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Peter Mohylsky, Beach Expert
PMI. Destin - Miramar Beach, FL
Call me at 850-517-7098

Flees in home I was showing.  I went home and took a shower.

Mar 02, 2016 07:46 PM
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Patricia Kennedy
RLAH@Properties - Washington, DC
Home in the Capital

Roots from a hundreds of year old tree were shoving the basement wall inward. 

Mar 02, 2016 12:43 PM
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Debbie Laity
Cedaredge Land Company - Cedaredge, CO
Your Real Estate Resource for Delta County, CO

I use to list a ton of REOs. I will still list them when I have time. The last one I listed had skunks living under the house. I've seen so much. I can't even begin to write about it. 

Mar 02, 2016 12:40 PM
Rainmaker
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Lyn Sims
Schaumburg, IL
Real Estate Broker Retired

Horizontal crack in the basement wall. It was actually heaving but you couldn't notice it.

Another one where the sump pump sent out the water & it gushed right back in from the crack in the foundation. It was actually funny but sad that the seller 'never noticed it before'.

Mar 02, 2016 07:41 AM
Rainmaker
5,583,278
Barbara Todaro
RE/MAX Executive Realty - Happily Retired - Franklin, MA
Previously Affiliated with The Todaro Team

wow...I can't imagine topping your defect.... that's unbelievable....

Mar 02, 2016 07:23 AM
Rainmaker
3,986,258
William Feela
WHISPERING PINES REALTY - North Branch, MN
Realtor, Whispering Pines Realty 651-674-5999 No.

Yes, saw that one before, We don't have termites so I have seen most everything else.  Mold is the worst

Mar 02, 2016 06:13 AM
Rainmaker
4,800,082
Gabe Sanders
Real Estate of Florida specializing in Martin County Residential Homes, Condos and Land Sales - Stuart, FL
Stuart Florida Real Estate

A settling foundation that resulted in some huge cracks. (Hidden by the sellers.)

Mar 02, 2016 03:50 AM
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Nina Hollander, Broker
Coldwell Banker Realty - Charlotte, NC
Your Greater Charlotte Realtor

It's always been something strucural or mold-related.

Mar 02, 2016 03:36 AM
Rainmaker
5,772,575
Ron and Alexandra Seigel
Napa Consultants - Carpinteria, CA
Luxury Real Estate Branding, Marketing & Strategy

Carol,

Rarely saw any major defects in commercial real estate...If anything we had to review, they were title and easement issues, that sometimes needed additional surveys and clarifications.  We mostly dealt with quality individuals...A

Mar 02, 2016 03:24 AM
Rainmaker
1,466,207
Michael Setunsky
Woodbridge, VA
Your Commercial Real Estate Link to Northern VA

Carol Williams One that caused a lot of problems was a high concentration of lead in the water. The property was on well water and it turned out the pump in the well was leaching lead into the water. The cause was lead solder joints on the pump. Danger was the owners did not know this and had little children. The fix for the buyer was to replace the pump and install a whole house water filtration system.

The buyer was doing an FHA loan and they required testing the well prior to closing. Everything worked out and to my knowledge everyone is still healthy.

Mar 02, 2016 02:32 AM
Rainmaker
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Chrissi Chapman Topoleski
Coldwell Banker Realty - Woodbridge, VA
Helping agents live an exceptional life!

A sunroom attachment that was about to fall off the house. 

Mar 02, 2016 02:06 AM
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Joe Pryor
The Virtual Real Estate Team - Oklahoma City, OK
REALTOR® - Oklahoma Investment Properties

Structure.

Mar 02, 2016 12:53 AM
Rainmaker
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Joan Dickie
Keller Williams Premier Realty - La Crosse, WI
Keller Williams Premier Realty

Sewer is baaad.  I have actually heard of that before.  My worst would be serious foundation issues.  Everything else has been fixable.

Mar 01, 2016 11:54 PM
Rainmaker
4,434,127
Gita Bantwal
RE/MAX Centre Realtors - Warwick, PA
REALTOR,ABR,CRS,SRES,GRI - Bucks County & Philadel

Termites

Mar 01, 2016 11:48 PM
Rainmaker
4,882,355
Richard Weeks
Dallas, TX
REALTOR®, Broker

Bad termite problem

Mar 01, 2016 11:34 PM
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Bob Crane
Woodland Management Service / Woodland Real Estate, KW Diversified - Stevens Point, WI
Forestland Experts! 715-204-9671

Knowing that everything is fixable is important when buying investment properties.

Jun 01, 2019 09:46 PM
Rainmaker
634,482
Kathleen Luiten
Resort and Second-Home Specialist - Princeville, HI
Kauai Luxury Ocean Home Sales

100% of the interior wood support had to be replaced due to termite damage. You could see through the studs, riddled with holes!

Mar 04, 2016 04:39 PM
Rainmaker
5,868,554
Joan Cox
House to Home, Inc. - Denver Real Estate - 720-231-6373 - Denver, CO
Denver Real Estate - Selling One Home at a Time

I have heard sewer lines were not connected, but never seen this personally.   One home I showed had such structural problems, every bedroom had cracks horizontally on every wall.   

Mar 02, 2016 10:16 PM