My client asked, "Do you think the toilet it still leaking?"
We were inspecting a house that had been vacant for some time. It was being sold "As Is," with no repairs to be made to anything.
Sometimes that's because the bank won't do anything more to the house and you are buying the house as it comes.
And sometimes it's because the seller knows there are a lot of problems and simply isn't in a position to fix them, or doesn't want to.
In Virginia there are no disclosure laws, and it is a so-called Caveat Emptor - buyer beware - state.
Sellers have no obligation to say anything about anything, so the home inspection is a very important part of the purchase process.
From the basement we could see under the powder room toilet. I had already found it to be very loose on the floor, and had talked about how that could cause leaking, and damage. Going downstairs we saw evidence of previous leaking. Hence the question.
I HAD NOT FLUSHED IT YET FOR A REASON.
We saw the damage underneath and it was time for the flush test. I flushed it twice.
Leaking is quite evident in person, but photos do not show what the water is doing very well.
But with a thermal camera the leaking and the results become colorfully evident. Mighty Mo makes things come alive, and the images are definitive.
The dribbling onto the drain pipe and then wood framing is evident in the left image. And where it ends up, and the resulting puddle on the floor can be seen in the right image.
Does the seller know about this? Certainly.
My recommendation: whether disclosure statements are required or not, a home inspection should be considered to be an essential part of the home-buying process. Inspectors are there to test, and observe, and report. The house is the house. Houses reveal themselves. The home inspector is not there to "kill the deal." The home inspector is there to help the buyer with more understanding about what is being purchased. Getting a home inspection is a buyer best practice.
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