Buying/Selling Vacant Foreclosed Homes In Cold Weather Regions Not A "Winter Wonderland"

In the St. Paul / Minneapolis area of Minnesota, the Pioneer Press reports:

• [W]hether it's water heaters that have exploded like frozen pop cans, snow-covered walks and roofs, or indoor temperatures that make you want to warm up outside, unique promises await those who try to sell foreclosed homes during winter in Minnesota.

***

• Once inside, the potential buyer of a foreclosure will learn quickly whether the home has been properly "winterized." That means shutting off the water, draining pipes and emptying the water heater to prevent freezing, [...].

• Plumbers who do the work also will dump antifreeze down the kitchen sink and the toilet, [...] and drain water from radiators and the boiler where needed. Failure to winterize can result in burst pipes and radiators and even cracked toilet tanks.

• Potential buyers must have foreclosed properties "de-winterized" to perform good inspections, said John Piché, an agent with Century 21 Jay Blank in Roseville who specializes in foreclosed homes. That can mean anywhere from $100 to $300 to get water back into the house so a buyer can see whether the plumbing is in good condition. [...] Piché recalled one case where de-winterizing a foreclosed home revealed a broken release valve on the water heater. The valve had blown off, so the only way for the buyer to test the system was to pay $100 for a plumber to bypass the tank, Piché said. In the end, he said, the buyer opted against the purchase, because the de-winterization revealed cracks in the radiators.

For more, see Winter takes toll on efforts to sell homes in foreclosure (Burst pipes, snow-covered roofs, higher inspection costs add to buyer's burden).

Go here for more on freezing pipes in vacant homes. frozenpipetheta