New homeowner’s nightmare
Colorado homeowner, Debbie Hill recently noted a leak coming from her foundation. When purchased, the home had sat vacant for an extended period of time and the inspection didn’t reveal any issues with the foundation.
She called a repairman and together, they realized the leak was not water, but honey leaking from the foundation and in the walls of the home as a bee colony of 60,000 was established in the home. The summer temperatures caused the honey to melt and has since caused a major mess.
The homeowner is currently being assisted by a local bee guru, but notes he can only assist pro bono to a certain extent and is seeking aide from others willing to help.
There is no word as to whether or not the homeowner has any bee allergies, but we would speculate that due to her calm demeanor, it is unlikely.
Real estate practitioners and inspectors are well groomed to look out for known issues of homes for sale, especially after remaining vacant, but amber leaking from the foundation probably isn’t at the top of the list.
The American Genius is news, insights, tools, and inspiration for business owners and professionals. AG condenses information on technology, business, social media, startups, economics and more, so you don’t have to.
Sara Bonert
August 2, 2011 at 1:07 pm
We had something similar happen at one of our rental properties – it is very expensive to repair (in a time when there is supposed to be a bee shortage no less!). Plus the person doing the repair work has to do a perfect job because we were told that bees pass down the knowledge of knowing where the hive is from generation to generation – so they keep coming back for years. If there are any cracks at all, they will find them and the process could start again.
Lori Luza
August 2, 2011 at 2:06 pm
How could the inspector miss this one? Couldn't he hear or "feel" them?