Went to an open house last weekend and it totally changed how I view 'move-in ready'

I walked into a 3-bedroom ranch in a suburb of Columbus that was listed as 'updated and move-in ready'. The realtor was all smiles pointing out the fresh paint and new carpet. But then I checked the basement and saw a big crack in the foundation wall with old water stains running down it. The furnace was from 1989 too. Now I'm thinking I need to bring a contractor to every house I look at from now on. Has anyone else had a listing totally mislead them like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

mila_murphy1d ago

Wait is it really fair to blame the listing agent for a foundation crack they probably didn't even know about? I mean most sellers aren't getting basement wall scans before they put the house up, and old water stains don't always mean active leaks. @fionamurphy is right that you should always get your own inspection, but calling fresh paint and carpet "covers" feels harsh when some people just want to update their house before selling. The real misleading listings are the ones with hidden mold or structural work that was done without permits, not old furnaces that still run fine. Honestly I've walked into plenty of "fixer uppers" that were way more honest about their problems and still ended up being money pits, so sometimes a little paint and carpet is just normal house prep.

robin8961d ago

Oh totally! Found a leaky pipe behind "fresh" drywall myself. So frustrating.

fionamurphy1d ago

Bring your own inspector from now on, seriously. I learned that lesson the hard way after buying a place that was "totally updated" and ended up with a 12k roof replacement six months later. Those fresh paint and new carpets are just covers for problems they don't want you to see. A good contractor will check the bones of the house before the fluff. It costs a couple hundred bucks but saves you thousands. Don't trust the listing agent's smile.