PSA: Our inspection day in Charlotte turned into a $5,000 surprise

We were so excited for the final walk-through of our first house, but the inspector found major water damage under the kitchen sink that the seller never mentioned. The repair quote came in at over five grand, which we had to scramble to cover before closing. Has anyone else gotten hit with a huge hidden cost right at the end?

3 comments

3 Comments

carter.gavin1mo ago

Our inspector in Raleigh caught a similar leak, but we negotiated the seller's credit to cover it.

alice891mo ago

The seller credit is definitely the way to go. When we bought our place, the inspector found a leaky pipe in the basement that was slowly staining the concrete floor. It was a small thing but the inspector told us it would only get worse over time. We typed up a repair estimate from a local plumber and sent it to the sellers. We ended up getting a $700 credit at closing, which covered the fix plus some extra for peace of mind. That credit is a lot better than having to fight with a contractor later. Good inspectors really do pay for themselves in situations like that.

jamesm381mo ago

Nice move getting that seller credit, @carter.gavin. That's the way to handle it. My inspector found a slow drip under the kitchen sink during my last place. It looked small, but he showed me the water damage on the cabinet floor. We got the sellers to knock a grand off the price to fix it right. Good inspectors are worth every penny for catching that stuff.