Basement Waterproofing Costs Less When Done ASAP - 4th Post in the Buyers/Homeowners Common Link Series

Just to Recap This Blog Series

This is my fourth post within a blog series focusing on the disdain for wet basements that owners and buyers share and how we can address issues in a basement quickly to benefit the current homeowner and potential buyer. No one wants a wet basement, but it can be difficult for a homeowner to navigate when and how to address water when it hits the basement. 

So, say there is a homeowner who has water every year. This is something I am seeing recently coming through our leads. But then the breaking point hits and there's more than just a leak the whole basement is resembling a bath tub. Of course, hindsight is 20/20, so besides just saying, "see, so-and-so should have just fixed that the moment there was a leak." I wonder how many people ever take care of any issue when the issue is just revealing itself. Perhaps the issue even comes and goes and isn't that prominent. I think most people aren't negligent but rather internalizing a conversation about whether this is worth the price right now and that is what we will be discussing in this post. 

What I Mean When I say "Cost" of Basement Waterproofing

Fixing your wet basement will cost you less if done before thinking or even listing your home for sale. I don't mean that we would charge you more just because we know you are selling your home, etc. What I mean about the cost is that when things are just between you/your family and us, the repairs are not full of pressure and a realtor and potential future owner. Once you enter the real estate market for your home you want to be certain that you have disclosed everything as well as done due diligence over the years you have lived in the home for your own sake but also for the sake of the future owners. 

So how would it cost more just because someone wants to buy the home and the work wasn't done?

Let's play it out:

Say Bill owns a home and finds water in the basement. Not a ton or anything but enough to notice and make Bill wonder how long that's been happening, if it could get worse, and how much will it cost to fix? Anyway, now say Bill has us come out to do an estimate. They give a great price, Bill knows it too, but he just doesn't want to pay for it right now especially because there's no guarantee it will happen again or get worse...in fact the water hasn't come in again since the time between his call to make the appt and his actual appt. 

Next year rolls around and Bill gets a new job that requires a move. He and his family are so excited. They are talking to their realtor and say they have had a tiny bit of water in the basement but only once. The realtor asks if they had an estimate and repairs done. Bill says yes to the estimate no to the repairs. You can hear a pin drop as everyone processes the magnitude of that choice that seemed no big deal just a year ago.

So Bill can rush to get another estimate and the repairs made or wait to hash things out with the future buyer. Either way the buyer is going to have big leverage...and odds are good Bill won't get as much in return as he probably could have gotten had he got the work done immediately.

Also, doesn't it look a whole lot better to see that the owner of the home you want to buy had an issue, got an estimate then paid for the repair? Doesn't it look like the kind of person you want to have taken care of the home you want to buy? It doesn't make the homeowner feel good to think about what other estimates Bill may have received that he didn't think were necessary at the time and will pop up for the new homeowner. Sometimes one decision can be blown out of proportion during house buying- and this is certainly one that will most certainly be used against the seller. For example, Bill can say there was only a tiny bit of water and only once, but no one is really going to believe that even though it is the truth. But, someone will believe the repairs are made and the basement is waterproofed- and that is the best way to enter the real estate market. 

Conclusion

There's more to the cost of home repairs than just the monetary aspect, but also the impression it can give a future buyer and also the trust you build in how you have handled your home repairs in the past. I know as a homeowner myself that I want things to cost as little financially as possible. I mean I want a deal on everything- and I also admit that isn't always possible. When it comes to basement waterproofing our products maintain their value and we aren't changing our prices the way stores and other kinds of product change prices. The only thing that really changes is what is happening when you get the work done- is it a low stress situation or do you wait until it is a stressful decision? We never recommend waiting just because we have seen what can happen. But, everyone has the freedom to make a choice and we are always here whether you want to have the work done sooner or later. 

We just want everyone to be in the best situation possible, that is honestly why we are sharing all of this information in this blog series. We are people just like you and we aren't trying to pull one over on you when we present you with a quote. We are simply presenting you with the monetary price for the products and labor. We hope this proves helpful for someone to provide an easier home selling situation in the future- should that become your future.