Selling Your Home with a Wet Basement

Selling your home with a wet basement can be virtually impossible.  Many potential buyers are turned off by musty-smelling, damp, leaky and moldy basements.  They simply don't want all the hassles that come with it.  A wet basement is a sure sign of moisture problems for someone looking to buy a home and many times they prefer to stay away from buying these homes.  Therefore, we have some tips for you to use in your basement to get rid of your wet basement issues before you place your home on the market.  Also, solving the wet basement issues can give your home the much-needed boost for a difficult sale.

For basements that are mildly damp with some mold problems, you want to try to get to the root of the problem first.  Your basement walls are most likely not sealed correctly.  Therefore, every time it rains, any walls underground are allowing the rainwater to seep through the walls and into your basement.  Applying a few coats of cement wall sealant to the inside of your basement walls that are underground will help keep moisture from coming in.  You can also do this to the outside of the walls.  However, this will require a lot of digging.   You will also want to use a dehumidifier.  You can purchase one at any home improvement store.  Prices on dehumidifiers range from $250 on up to $5,000, depending on the square footage you need it to cover and the quality you are looking for.

For extremely wet basements, you can install a drainage system.  An interior drainage system is a great way to get rid of large amounts of water.  You install this system around the perimeter walls where the walls meet the floor.  Any water that seeps through the walls and floor are collected into the drain and flushed out of the basement using a sump pump.  Using this type of drainage system has huge advantages.  There is no costly exterior excavation needed.  Usually, exterior excavation costs two or three times more and does a lot of destruction to your landscaping at the perimeter of your home.  Interior drainage systems are less expensive and much easier to access in the event it needs to be serviced.

Just remember, no matter which method you need to rid your home of a wet basement, it's best to do it before you put the home on the market.  Starting the project around three months or earlier before you place the home for sale would be a great place to start.

Realtors  ~  Jackson, Mississippi Real Estate

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