All Forum Posts by: Sarah Sullivan

Depends on if crawlspace or slab...depends on if you can find a dependable plumber you trust.  Keep in mind, many tradespeople are getting older and retiring and there's not many going into the business, so it could cost more to wait to replace.  Just a thought.

Depends on if you have cash reserves to cover the pipe replacement now; if not, you could save a certain amount each month to put towards eventual replacement.

I guess you just have to decide if you want to pay to have the pipes replaced now, or at an unexpected time in the future.  If there's not much else "wrong" with the property (or if it's relatively new), you might choose to go ahead and pay a plumber to get it over with.

Definitely use polybutylene pipes as a "negative" when negotiating the purchase price.

With inflation, tradespeople retiring, and the growing population moving to the area, it might well be less expensive to have them switched out sooner rather than later.  Only you will know which is better for your situation.  I like to "idiot proof" buy and holds to minimize repairs.

Best to you!

@Sarah Sullivan - We had an investor client purchase a 3 bed 1 bath brick ranch on a crawl space with fairly accessible plumbing fixtures. They decided to update the poly pipe as a part of the initial renovation before turning it into a rental and I think the cost ended up being around $2500. That said, there are a ton of factors that could push that price up or down. 

Personally, if the pipe fittings were not leaking, and did not show signs of significant corrosion, then I would probably leave them alone until there was an issue. I would absolutely use the pipes as a hit against the property when negotiating to try and justify a lower purchase price, but I would wait until there was a sign of failure to replace anything. 

If I were renting it out and not refinancing I wouldn't take that cost up front personally. Also, THe cost to change is hard to say is it on a crawl space, slab or basement. That is going to make a big difference in the cost. Also, what sucks is the sheetrock work etc. If its a rental house I would let it fly until I had a problem. Ive seen many properties with this issue and never had a problem or could be easily repaired