Any tips on what to look for on a flooded basement

[Kenneth Picha]

Hi,

I will be doing a walk through of a HUD home with a flooded basement. The basement flooded because the electricity was cut to the house during a storm. The basement has not flooded since then. I will be doing a walk through of the house and would like to get some input on what to pay attention to or potential costs I may encounter.

Thanks

[Jon Holdman]

Its not just a matter of removing the moldy smell. You need to remove the source. Having been the victim of a storm induced basement flood, I'm very familiar with this. There are a number of steps that should have been taken right after the flood. Both FEMA and CDC have detailed information on their sites. Flooring and wall covering should have been removed to above the water level, along with anything that would retain water (e.g., insulation.) Then the place should have been drained, thoroughly cleaned and dehumidified until the framing was dry. Only then should it have been rebuilt. Given you notice a moldy smell, something wasn't done that should have been. So, now you'll need to do those steps. You're going to have to remove flooring and wall covering to locate the problem and then fix it. Depending on the extent, you may just need to remove all flooring and some of the wall covering and proceed according to the FEMA or CDC guidelines.

As far as an inspection, that might be worthwhile if you have a specialized inspection.  OTOH, that may just give some expensive remediation company a chance to offer you expensive services.  I spoke to a couple of such companies after my flood and my jaw dropped at the prices they quoted.  General purpose home inspections, in my experience, really have only one purpose.  To get evidence to negotiation a further discount with the seller.