We just closed a transaction with a client in Anderson who bought the most wonderful ranch house.
During the offer period, it was noted in the disclosures that the house had a disclosed sewer backup in 2014 and that they have not had issue since. I also noticed that they had a mature, 25 year+ Silver maple in the front yard. I informed my client that it was my opinion that we inspect the sewer in addition to the house, which she was receptive too because she just replaced a sewer in her current house in Clifton.
The buyer hired Zins Plumbing, a local Cincinnati company to camera the drain. They discovered a major root intrusion and major break in the sewer line. Zins Plumbing was very professional and marked the location in the front yard and recommended that Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD) to be called and they would see if the blockage went into their sewer main.
It is the homeowners responsibility to keep the house sewer to the street clear of roots. This is mentioned in multiple documents found on the public service website- http://www.msdgc.org
MSD only becomes involved when the pipe is compromised, cracked or shifted from alignment, within the Right of Way (ROW).
In our case, the pipe damage was deemed within the ROW and its depth was over 15’ below the surface. The estimate to perform this repair was well over $10k.
The cost of inspection was $200, the cost saved was peace of mind and over $9800. That’s a nice return on investment and something that in my opinion more Buyers and Sellers should investigate as they do maintenance on our homes. Knowledge is Power, and as always be careful out there buying and selling real estate!
