Pool Party Anyone? In the basement...

Springfield, MO · Member since 2014 · 252 posts · 117 votes

While inspecting a house today I found this

The tenant I was speaking with of course said that it was his roommates and not his. He said, "he's had a couple party with some girls over." I bet he has.

Needless to say it's gotta go. Creates a bit of a humidity problem.

My favorite...the inflatable palm tree.

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Steve Babiak

Real Estate Investor · Audubon, PA · Member since 2009 · 13k+ posts · 8k+ votes

10y

I especially like the power cords dangling overhead; this tenant almost got a Darwin Award nomination :)

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Aaron HowellBusiness Member
Real Estate Agent · Crozet, VA · Member since 2014 · 436 posts · 223 votes
10y
Aaron.. You're such a party pooper !!! I agree with you completely.
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1 Reply
Bryan O.
Specialist · Lakewood, CO · Member since 2014 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
10y
Sounds like some investor got jealous! ;)
*shudder*
0 Reply
Jon Holdman
Rental Property Investor · Mercer Island, WA · Member since 2008 · 22k+ posts · 14k+ votes
10y
There's a story here...
0 Reply
Kevin Smith
Investor · Greenfield, IN · Member since 2015 · 58 posts · 27 votes
10y
At least they didn't set it up upstairs.
1 Reply
Steve Babiak
Real Estate Investor · Audubon, PA · Member since 2009 · 13k+ posts · 8k+ votes
10y
I especially like the power cords dangling overhead; this tenant almost got a Darwin Award nomination :)
5 Reply
David Dachtera
Rental Property Investor · Rockford, IL · Member since 2014 · 4k+ posts · 2k+ votes
10y
Is it close to the sump at least?
Seriously - that's like having a constantly flooded basement. Mold, mildew and other problems will propagate throughout the house.
Have any ceiling fans? Are the blades drooping?
Run a siphon hose to the sump and let it drain and get pumped out. S'gotta go, man!
0 Reply
Aaron Wyssmann
OP
Springfield, MO · Member since 2014 · 252 posts · 117 votes
10y
No ceiling fans down there but definitely the smell of humidity. The tenant said that his roommate comes down and puts the chemicals in and turns the pump on every so often. It is going to take some time to pump it all out.
0 Reply
David Dachtera
Rental Property Investor · Rockford, IL · Member since 2014 · 4k+ posts · 2k+ votes
10y
If there are any ceiling fans in the rest of the house, are the blades still straight?
As their first rehab, a couple in my investing group bought a foreclosure house where the roof had been leaking for about three years and the plumbing had frozen and burst. The mold was inches thick on the walls and the ceiling fans looked like upside-down tulips.
Here's a picture from a local house where the basement flooded after the power was turned off and the sump stopped pumping out...
Notice the fan blades drooping...
1 Reply
Jon Holdman
Rental Property Investor · Mercer Island, WA · Member since 2008 · 22k+ posts · 14k+ votes
10y
Go to a tool rental store and rent a submersible pump. You can buy a small one at Home Depot or whatever, but the rental units are MUCH stronger. One pumped four feet of water out my 900-ish sq.ft. basement in a few hours. You'll spend more time renting the pump than using it.
4 Reply
Aaron Wyssmann
OP
Springfield, MO · Member since 2014 · 252 posts · 117 votes
10y
@David Dachtera I've seen fans like that for sure. The ones upstairs are still ok. He said it has only been down there a couple months but we both know that I'm sure it has been much longer.
0 Reply
Marc M.
Contractor · Rockville, MD · Member since 2014 · 423 posts · 135 votes
10y
But can the stripper pole stay?
1 Reply
David Dachtera
Rental Property Investor · Rockford, IL · Member since 2014 · 4k+ posts · 2k+ votes
10y
Originally posted by @Marc M.:

But can the stripper pole stay?
It has to - it holds up the first floor... ;-)
1 Reply
Aaron Wyssmann
OP
Springfield, MO · Member since 2014 · 252 posts · 117 votes
10y
@Marc M. Lol...I love it.
@David Dachtera you're completely right, it can't come out. Then there would be a house with no basement which means no pool which means no ladies which means no college boys as tenants.
Sorry, I couldn't resist :)
0 Reply
Ingrid J.
Investor · Tromsø, Norway (Europe) · Member since 2015 · 431 posts · 194 votes
10y
@Aaron Wyssmann Now if that isn't the landlord story of the year. The inflatable palm tree is indeed the best part.
1 Reply
Dana WhickerPro Member
Investor · Fernandina Beach, FL · Member since 2014 · 557 posts · 374 votes
10y
So awesome.
0 Reply
Todd Campbell
Investor · Mc Lean, VA · Member since 2015 · 75 posts · 48 votes
10y
When I first read the title I thought of a friend of mine whose tenant's son used the water pipe in the basement as a pull up bar. When it broke, he simply walked upstairs and closed the basement door. The basement filled up to nearly the second topmost stair. Thanks for sharing, I will surely pass this one along to my friend.
3 Reply
Renea Steward
Massage Therapist · Chicago, IL · Member since 2015 · 613 posts · 84 votes
10y
@Marc M.
Shaking My Head... well they didn't put in an Olympic size pool.
Enjoy as you prosper.....
0 Reply
Donald Capwell
Rental Property Investor · Mesa, AZ · Member since 2015 · 149 posts · 52 votes
10y
Great!
0 Reply
Brian Holt
Mifflinburg, PA · Member since 2015 · 65 posts · 12 votes
10y
Great story! Thanks for sharing. Can't believe I never thought of that in college.
1 Reply
Luca Gobbini
Investor · Nixa, MO · Member since 2014 · 21 posts · 11 votes
10y
That's a fantastic story... I guess the problem of renting to college students. Higher risk higher reward...
0 Reply
Aaron Wyssmann
OP
Springfield, MO · Member since 2014 · 252 posts · 117 votes
10y
@Todd Campbell Now that is a great story. I can't believe he shut the door and left it. Thanks for sharing.
0 Reply
Scott Weaner
Rental Property Investor · Yardley, PA · Member since 2008 · 1k+ posts · 561 votes
10y
Well, I have bad news for you Aaron.
I happen to know for a fact that the pool is an Emotional Service Pool. You have to allow it.
5 Reply
Matt R.
Blue Springs, MO · Member since 2015 · 481 posts · 313 votes
10y
If you can somehow convince the city to show you the monthly water bills, you can probably figure out exactly when it went in. :) Or, at least, compare the meter reading now to the one from the last time you paid the bill, and then judge that against "normal" usage for however many people live there.
If you're on really good terms with the local fire department, and maybe if this house has a garage in the basement, they may be able to help you pump that pool out. Fire departments that operate out in the sticks, beyond the reach of hydrants, almost always have the equipment for this - it's basically a hard hose that hooks up to the input side of their fire engine pump. That hose tends to not be very long, though... like 20 feet max.
(If they get a fire out in the country, they set up a porta-pond next to the fire engine, which is basically a rubberized canvas swimming pool. The hard hose goes from the pond to the fire engine, and tanker trucks from the fire station dump water into the pond and then go back for more water.)
1 Reply
Joshua DiazPro Member
Rental Property Investor · Bronx, NY · Member since 2015 · 269 posts · 165 votes
10y
Are you going to at least keep the tree??
In all seriousness, that's pretty wild. I wonder what other goodies you will find in the future.
0 Reply
Aaron Mazzrillo
Investor · Riverside, CA · Member since 2011 · 2k+ posts · 3k+ votes
10y
I wouldn't leave until that was empty and waded up in the trash. That is the upside of California - no basements.
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