Buying a house with the water turned off

[jamesmom]

I usually lurk here but you are all such a great source of knowledge and insight that I feel I can share my dilemma here.

We are looking to buy a new house and found an 8-year old house we love in a great neighborhood. It is a 2 storey single family home. However, the water has been turned off at the mains for goodness knows how long (The current owners were posted to Belgium for a year ago and have been looking to sell their house since).

Should I even consider making an offer on the house?? I am concerned about the state of the pipes inside and outside the house from the water being turned off this long, and any possible long term damage to the house and pipes. Also, Can anyone point me to good sources of information about house plumbing.

Thanks in advance!!!

[MamaMolly]

Wow, I agree that is really odd. Who knows WHAT is lurking in those drains! Doesn't the water in them help to make the seal? That might be super icky the first time it is turned on...not sure I'd want to witness that. Yuck.

I think the water would have to be turned on for inspection. If you are serious about it then maybe the seller will agree to have it turned on? The whole thing is weird, but it wouldn't be a deal breaker. IIWY I'd ask friends or colleagues for the name of a reputable plumber (or heck, your real estate agent should know one!) and ask their take on the situation. It would be worth the $$$ to me, if I really wanted the house, to hire my own plumber to come in and get his opinion.

GL!

[khm]

Will you be able to have the water turned on for inspection?

This is happening a lot due to foreclosures. The houses get winterized, water turned off. When buying such a house, the bank that owns the houses WILL NOT turn the water on for inspection. A plumber can test the pipes without having the water turned on. It's a pressure test. It is highly, highly recommended.

I'm sure a plumber in your area is well-versed. I'd give one a call and find out how reliable the pressure tests are (assuming you can't get the water turned on before writing an offer) and how much they will cost.

Additionally, find a realtor and a home inspector who has worked with foreclosures (or other long-empty houses) and they'll be able to walk you through the common pitfalls.

Good luck.

[rachelh]

Need to be really quick cuz I am at work but a few comments...

1) It will be very very hard to get a mortgage with the water turned off. They might even have grounds to deny the loan based on that.

2) Not sure where the home is but if it has a well or septic system an inspector might not inspect/comment on the conditions of those systems

3) My first step would be to contact the local health/buidling department. If it is a well system the health department should be able to help you/steer you in right direction

Rachel

[OSURPh]

We made an offer on a bank-owned property in the fall. The water had been turned off for several months. Before our inspection, we had the water company turn on the water at the street (to run water from the street to the house). We had to make sure that all faucets were closed (including the outdoor ones), then DH turned on the the main water line that was in the basement. The one faucet that we forgot to close was the one in the laundry room for the washing machine. Water started pouring out, but luckily, we were able to close it quickly. After the inspection, we paid a plumber $150 to "winterize" the house--basically turning off the water line, pumping water out of the pipes and putting anti-freeze in the sink traps.

Hope that helps! Please feel free to PM me if you have any other questions.

Laurie
DD 11/03
DS 9/06

[khm]

1) It will be very very hard to get a mortgage with the water turned off. They might even have grounds to deny the loan based on that.


It must depend on the area. I'm a new realtor and we have not seen any conventional loans denied due to the water being turned off, and such sales are becoming sadly common.

FHA loans are more restrictive, but they also end up going through, but usually require a more work / fixes. They have some really weird check-lists that must be satisfied. Like, once they weren't going to let one in our office go through because the hot and the cold handles on a basement sink did not MATCH each other. The realtor ran to home depot bought a handle set and it went through.

The plumbers just do a pressure test that will show if the pipes have a leak. Since this home is not a foreclosure, you'll probably be able to get the water turned on at some point after your offer has been accepted.

Foreclosures are generally as-is, which is why the pressure test is such a good idea. If the pressure test comes back bad, then you can walk away. If you accept the house "as-is" without testing, the problem is then yours.

[Moneypenny]

We purchased a house with the water turned off. It's very common around here because vacant homes need to be winterized. It was just stipulated in the offer that the water would be turned on and plumbing inspected prior to closing. We had no problems with the loan at all (or with the plumbing).

[DebbieJ]

Ask your realtor to talk to the city and get the water turned on so you can make sure it's okay.

[jamesmom]

Wow, thank you so much for the great advice! You have all been unbelievably helpful.

This has given me a lot of food for thought. I am going to print out this thread and use it as a guideline on how to proceed. We will probably make an offer that includes a plumber check of the pipes before/after the water is turned on.

Thanks again!
Lin