Sharing this so other buyers don’t get caught in the same trap.
During inspection, a licensed plumber quoted $13k to fix a serious sewer issue. A week later, the seller brought in a new “quote” for under $2k, claiming the first one was wrong. No details, no verification just a number that made no sense. Our agent said that the plumber who gave the original quote « was a scammer », that he was fired and that it’s « was going all over Pittsburgh ». We verified with the company’s owner and none of that was true. However, they avoided explaining how and based on what they issued the low quote or address the discrepancy.
We decided to get another independent inspection from the A+ BBB accredited company and that company estimated the real repair cost at around $26,000. Basically, the cheap fix would have patched a tiny section, created a visibility of a fix, and the next owner would inherit a $20k+ repair later.
The scariest part? Everyone were pushing us to move forward with the cheaper quote just to close faster. If we hadn’t double-checked, we’d have closed on a house that looked “repaired” but wasn’t.
Takeaways:
• Always get your own inspection and quotes.
• Ask for documentation and photos from contractors.
• Don’t trust vague “repair complete” claims without proof.
• If your gut says something’s off, hit pause.
Trust but verify — it might save you tens of thousands. The house just went back on a market.
We almost bought a house with a hidden $25k sewer problem — don’t make our mistake
byu/InitialEnthusiasm316 inRealEstate
Posted by InitialEnthusiasm316
27 Comments
This is a lot of words to say “good idea to get a sewer scope on properties that are over a certain age, and have trees near the line”
Not really an uncommon scenario. Always do your due diligence when buying a home.
Always join the inspector, don’t annoy him but definitely be there for crawl space, roof, attic, etc.
This kind of thing happens often with older homes. You’re lucky to catch it and yeah, for sure. Don’t ever skip the sewer scope. Regardless if you scoped it and didn’t find anything, you’re bound to run into something else. You’re still not in the clear. Homeownership is not a walk in the park.
But you didn’t make a mistake
I hope you get a new agent after this. One who had your best interest in mind ..
Another takeaway: your own agent tried to scam you. Fire him, if you can.
yes, if you’re buying a 20+ yr old house and trees are abundant, it’s worth getting an independet sewer scope
> Basically, the cheap fix would have patched a tiny section, created a visibility of a fix, and the next owner would inherit a $20k+ repair later.
if there was only a section (tiny or not) that needed repair – everyone with a sewer line and trees nearby is inheriting a repair “later”.
If a company told you “no, there’s more than 1 area that needs repair now, and here are the pictures”, that’s what you go by. If they were “selling you a solution” then not so much
yep…I felt pressured in a hot market and bought anyway without getting a second inspection…lets just say my family has been staying with me a week at a time to help me repair because I do not have an extra $20,000. It is both sewer and electrical for me. I fucked up but I have blue collar relatives thankfully.
Fire your realtor. Sounds like a used car salesman not a supposed fiduciary that NAR likes to advertise.
Good on you for backing out when you did. When you’re in that post-inspection period, when everyone on both sides is pushing you to close and emotions are high, it’s easy to say “F it, we want this house.” Seems you dodged a bullet by being able to disengage and back out.
Don’t EVER deal with the sellers contractor. Hire your own inspectors. Have your realtor give you a couple of inspectors, not their favorite.
Keep in mind that a house inspection is a very basic inspection. They have very little training. Most people can’t afford to hire a roofer, plumber, or electrician to inspect each piece of the house.
Regarding sewer repairs or any repairs. Agree on a price, get it from the seller, and hire your own contractor. You are the contractors client. Otherwise, the seller is the client, and they have moved on and don’t care.
Working sewers since 1997. Hate stories like these.
Would it make sense to put the 2k quote in writing, and then pay that plumber 2k to fix it?
Like, should inspections from qualified service-persons be “executable”, that way they can both (a) guarantee their quote, (b) maybe get some business from it, and (c) have incentives aligned?
I had a house where the buyer did just that. They insisted on full cost of repair per their quote. I told them to walk. They didn’t. You are not buying a new house!
Wait. The greedy fuggs of a realtor tried to screw you over to make a buck because the market is creeping. Here’s me not surprised. Also dump that realtor!
Thank you for sharing
Never ever trust the opinion of a realtor. They sniff the big commission paycheck and their only goal is to do whatever to close that deal. They are not building professionals and any realtor that spreads a baseless rumor as an argument is not ethical.
So your saying not to trust real estate agents, even your own lol.
Wow. I haven’t see a morality story or a lesson on Reddit in a while.
Looks like AI slopthr way it’s written
I’d absolutely fire realtor. Also file complaint.
I live in Pittsburgh. $26k is absurd to replace a sewer line. The $13k was probably more accurate, though I can’t speak to the quality of the contractor. $2k …depends on what was wrong and the prescriptive fix – sounds sus. I say this not so you think you made a mistake (you didn’t), but so that when you do purchase a house and run into issues you don’t get taken advantage of.
Definitely smart to follow up with their quote to make sure it’s not just hot air, which it sounds like it was. Do you mind sharing the names of the various companies and what each was proposing, and who the realtors are. PM is fine, but I certainly want to know who to avoid.
Just dealt with something similar. Beautifully remodeled older home. However, my spider senses were going off. There was literally NO way to see what the original foundation was because they parged the entire outside and inside, and drywalled the basement. Disclosures said it was a poured concrete basement signed by the agent-owner. Great, I asked my agent to reach out to the prior owner to see if they had photos. They did, and it was sure as shit not concrete. It was a fucking brick foundation with clear water intrusion. I had never been so pissed. Thankfully, the broker made it right and refunded my inspection costs and released the escrow funds. Lo and behold, the disclosures (containing no less than 9 material misrepresentations) were never fixed and it looks like some other pour soul closed on it. I’m inclined to reach out to the new buyer and see if they need representation.
Oh, that’s really shameful on both the seller and the agents part. A real estate agent is there to be your friend and work for YOU. That is ridiculous of them to try and push you to close on a property, they should never rush a client or lie to them. I’d replace him and also stop by the real estate office he works at and file a complaint, who knows how many people he’s done this to in the past or may do to in the future.
Also BBB is a pay to play racket. Personally I start searching the local FB page for recommendations and cross reference what I find there with Google reviews.
Actually it’s not unusual to cut out a rotted pot and put in a new part that’s done all the time. If you already own the home and it was discovered on your watch what will you have done replace the entire pipe from the house to the street for $20k -$25,000 or repair the part that’s broken that would probably last for many many years.
What sewer problem costs 25k?