Buying a water-damaged house is like venturing into the unknown. Without detailed inspection, you can never know the true extent of the damage and how much water damage restoration you’ll need to perform to return your Rancho Santa Margarita home to a safe condition. As a result, this may put you off buying even a house that looks ideal for you with its design, layout and other elements.
And you have every right to be hesitant. Before making such an investment, it’s vital that you know exactly what risk comes with buying a home that has water damage. In order to make a wise decision, read through the rest of the article and you won’t leave anything to chance.
Should I buy a house that has water damage?
When checking a house for water damage, you really shouldn’t take a shot in the dark and assess the state of the home on your own. Instead, have a certified professional inspect the home and provide you with a comprehensive report of the damage.
Once you hire a contractor, they will move on to determining the scale and the cause of the damage. A seasoned expert will know what to look for and manage to discover any hidden damage and potential hazards – mold growth, foundation cracks, leaking windows, faulty pipes, etc. In addition, a professional will ask the owner a series of pertinent questions to get a full picture before the sale of the water-damaged home is closed. For instance, they may look to learn the following details:
- What caused the water damage?
- For how long was the water present before it was noticed?
- Was the water stopped at its source? How was the damage handled (structural repairs, mold remediation, etc.)? Were the plumbing, electrical, and HVAC systems examined for potential problems?
- Who carried out the restoration works (if any)? Are there reports available to present details about the restoration?
- Was any testing done to ensure that the water source and all structural damage were fixed, and all mold was eliminated?
- Who paid for the restoration? If it was the homeowner’s insurance company, will it cover any additional issues associated with the water damage?
As you can see, there’s a lot of ground to cover, which is why hiring an experienced pro is the safest way to go. Depending on their feedback, you’ll be able to decide whether or not you want to proceed with your purchase.
Even if you’re not interested in selling your house, having a reliable water damage expert by your side always comes in handy. For example, they could accurately establish the root of your basement water damage, whether your insurance policy covers floods and leaks in the basement, and many more critical details.
How much does it cost to fix water damage?
Besides the size of your house and how quickly you reacted, two major aspects determine the cost of fixing water damage – the category and the class of water damage.
There are three categories of water damage, ranked from the least to the most expensive to fix:
- Category 1 – reserved for clean water.
- Category 2 – damage caused by grey water.
- Category 3 – this one concerns black water.
On the other hand, there are four classes of water damage, also categorized from the cheapest to the costliest:
- Class 1 – a common example would be repairing a small leak in a faucet.
- Class 2 – water damage reaches class 2 when it affects an entire room.
- Class 3 – here, water has saturated ceilings, walls, floors, subflooring and insulation.
- Class 4 – damage is enormous in this case – materials such as stone, bricks and hardwood are saturated.
Dependable water damage restoration experts in Rancho Santa Margarita always come through for you
If there’s one emergency that’s absolutely nerve-racking, it’s definitely water damage. Luckily, that need not be the case any longer. Now that EHS is just a phone call away, handling water damage will go as smoothly as hiking at O’Neill Regional Park.
Our proficient and detail-oriented technicians will give 100% of their attention to restoring safety in your home every single time. Reach out to EHS and say goodbye to your water predicament.