Sucking Up Water Costs Big Bucks

Who ya gonna call?  There are times when only a specialist will do, and DIY won't do. 

Ah- HA.  So it wasn’t the water heater after all that flooded our condo.  When we spoke with Mr. Make-it-right on Tuesday we found out that one toilet had been tuned off.  The mystery is who turned it off, why, and when.  Also, why didn’t the overflow valve take care of water getting too high in the tank? 

Was it sabotage?  Was it the woman who calls every day to ask if someone else has bought it?  Or the woman who’s looked at it three times already?  The couple who are trying to sell a similar unit for more money?  Mr. Lucky and I like to think we have no enemies, but one never can be sure.  Perhaps we’ll never solve the Mystery of The Flooded Condo. 

Meanwhile, the big dry-out continues.  It’s over 90 degrees in there, but the air is in constant circulation to hasten drying.  The floors and lower walls have been treated with microbial agent to eliminate mold that may have started growing. 

The estimate for damage repair from Mr. Make-it-right and his cleanup people is $6000.  All because of a failed toilet, maybe a $2 part.  

I like to concentrate on the positive.  The positives here are that we will be able to upgrade the baseboards to a wider style.  We’ll be able to replace the small area of (out-of-fashion) parquet flooring with (always-in-style) ceramic tile.  We’ll have brand new vinyl in the kitchen and baths, but that vinyl was brand new already.  

Of course, we’ll have to fill out a new property disclosure form, because there is a question on that form about water damage.  One of the things we like about Ms. Speedy is she has ethics.  Some realtors would hide this information, and those are the kinds of realtors we hope we never have to deal with.

When you have a home on the market, I keep telling myself, there are bound to be some surprises along the way to the closing table.