For the most part, all the real-estate agents I have worked with to this date. Hard working, honest, and ethical. Today I have met a real estate agent that wants me to sign off that everything is okay, even though it isn’t.
Today a real estate agent is acting unethical. Here’s the scenario.
I was called out to inspect a septic system for a real-estate agent. Agent was representing the seller.
I dug up the tank. The septic tank is almost a 100 years old. Homemade. The access lid to the tank fell apart, and dropped into the septic tank.
I told the agent, and she was upset. Actually wanting me to bring my labor down to help on the cost of repair. I did. I quoted nearly $550.00 to have a new lid poured and a riser brought the service for future ease of access.
She declined and wants a new lid poured with no access. I explained to her that their needs to be access into the tank. Health Department is requiring 3 years for inspections and the lid needs to come off.
She said that this was costing too much money. There was nothing I could do. The lid is homemade, crumbly and 100 years old.
She is hiring an excavator to drop a 48 inch lid onto the tank with no access points. The lid is made by Hanson and weights 1700 lbs. I explained that this is too heavy for this old tank. There is no re bar in this concrete. And even if it worked and the tank survived the lid placement, there’s no way in. The new home buyer is going to be stuck with a tank that no one can access. This did not seem to phase her. She is so worried about the sale falling through, that she is willing to give the home buyer’s a future headache.
If her repair goes through, the home buyers have this to look forward too.
1. upon notice of inspection, will have to have a tractor or excavator present to open the lid, it weight 1700 lbs. Then decide if they want to fix it right, or just put it back, and hopefully the tank survives the lid removal and replacement.
2. They back up someday and need an emergency pumping. This happens. But we would not be able to pump the same day. We’d have to schedule an excavator to be there and have that excavator wait for us to complete our job, to put the lid back on. Then the homeowner will decide, will they fix it right, or will they put the 1700lb lid back on? Will the tank survive the Removal and replacement?
If we just fixed this right, it would cost about $550. Concrete company to pour a new 48″ lid, and precast a 24″ access lid, install a lightweight fiberglass riser, and 24″ fiberglass access lid.
With our repair, 2 screws and your in.
1. County sends out an inspection notification, 2 screws and your in the tank. Done
2. Back up and needs an emergency pumping. 2 screws and your in the tank. Done
Now if you were the home buyer, which of the two would you buy?
Would you be upset if the real estate agent wasn’t honest about this?
Let me know your thoughts,
Thanks for reading,
Ronnie
