The One Thing I’ll Never Let Slide on an Inspection Again

A few months ago, my client Susan moved into a beautiful home in the Overlook neighborhood. Like a lot of Portland homes with character, it came with a list - waterproofing in the basement, French drains, a fence to add, a roof to clean. The kind of stuff that’s totally manageable when you know it’s coming.
But there was one item on the inspection that we both decided to roll the dice on: galvanized plumbing on the water main.
We talked about the risk. She understood it. We made a call together and moved forward.
Then it leaked, which led to a $30,000+ bill from the city. Which she is currently pushing back on.
Thankfully, Trinity Plumbing came through like champions, responded immediately, got it handled, and Susan is now working through next steps with the city. She’s still standing, still in her home, and honestly still talking to me, which I’m grateful for.
But here’s what this situation permanently changed for me as her broker:
Galvanized mains are no longer a “we’ll deal with it later” item. They’re a “we’re dealing with it now or we’re renegotiating” item.
Galvanized pipe corrodes from the inside out. You can’t see it deteriorating. It doesn’t announce itself. It just… fails. And when it fails, it doesn’t care that you just moved in.
If you’re buying a home — especially in a neighborhood like Overlook with older housing stock — and the inspection flags a galvanized main, that line item deserves a serious conversation. Not a shrug. Not an “it’s probably fine.”
Susan and I both walked away from this with a hard-earned lesson, and I’m sharing it publicly because my job isn’t just to get you to closing. It’s to make sure you’re protected long after I hand you the keys.
Trinity Plumbing, thank you for showing up when it mattered most.
And Susan, you’re a champ. I’m rooting for you.