Plumbing Contingency?

[Reese Thompson]

My business partner and I are in the process of trying to purchase a duplex.  We noticed on our walkthrough that there is a cast iron sewage pipe in the basement that has a crack in the "U" before it goes through the wall and underground outside.  Since this could be a pretty substantial fix, we wanted to get a quote from a plumber before we made an offer.  Apparently the plumbing business is booming or we're just not asking right because we can't get anyone to quote this job yet. 

Now we're getting a little nervous that somebody else will tie up the property before we do.  We're contemplating making an offer, contingent on the inspection of course, but to make sure that the inspector notes the cracked pipe on the inspection report so that we can still address the issue.

I know this isn't really the hardest issue to overcome, but I want to know what you experts have to say about it.  Does anyone have any experience with a similar situation or ideas for how to handle this?

Thanks in advance!

[Terry Mewhinney]

Hi, is the crack going into the wall, if so a little bit more trouble, if there is room to cut the cracked cast iron out in the basement much easier. If the crack is going down the pipe through the wall you will have to dig it up outside as well so you can cut that section out. How far underground is it where the pipe exits the building. Is there concrete outside or bare ground, a lot of factors go into the fix. You might even need to get a plumber to camera the line.  Just a few suggestions. As for getting a plumber out there, some plumbing companies give free estimates, if not you might have to pay someone a service call fee to come out and take a look. Good luck