Kitec Plumbing Did Not Impede Sale of Bridgeway Island Home

Kitec pipes were used in the construction of this Bridgeway Island home in West Sacramento.

I certainly did not set out to become a Kitec plumbing expert. In fact, I didn’t even know this seller lived in Bridgeway Island where Kitec pipes might be found.  I met her a couple of years ago when I sold her mother’s condo in Riva on the River. She and I just clicked.  She interviewed quite a few agents and selected me, which was a smart move, she says. She was so thrilled with the sale of that home that she promised when she got around to selling her home in Bridgeway Island, she would call me.

When I ran the comparable sales for her home last May, it dawned on me that her street was familiar. Sure enough, I had sold an exact model on the same street about a year ago. Her home was more appealing and had upgrades, including a professionally landscaped yard. It was the nicest house on the block, which is generally not a very good selling point. At first blush, it seemed worth about $429K, but when I saw it in person, I felt we should move the price to $445K.

Because I had sold that other home, I knew that the Reynan and Bardis homes in this particular tract at Bridgeway Island in West Sacramento were built with Kitec pipes. I had run into a bit of difficulty with the first sale. Those sellers had received a plumbing report when they bought a few years earlier.  That plumbing report assured them the Kitecx plumbing was all right. I suggested they call the same plumber and get an updated report so when we sold, the new buyers could be receive a copy of that report. It worked, the buyers for that first sale bought the home without requesting re-plumbing. Well, now that I think about it, they did request it, but we refused.

So, this seller called the same plumbing company. We received a report upfront and gave it to the buyer, along with the disclosures; The buyer initially freaked. Their agent was telling them things like: the Kitec pipes will fail, it’s not a matter of if but when. Which told me the agent found that verbiage on a website run by commercial interests who profit by scaring people. I read the same stuff. First, an agent should not be giving plumbing advice to a buyer unless that agent is a plumber.

We got around the Kitec issue, and the sellers breathed a big sigh of relief. No re-plumbing for this home either. Of course, the buyers asked for a credit for half of the replacement cost of the Kitec pipes, but we rejected that request. We closed last Friday, selling $10,000 over list price and strictly AS IS. My sellers were very pleased once again.