Six feet of water and a divorce: a Grayslake ranch, bought as-is
The divorce was already splitting everything in two. Then the sump system failed while the house sat in limbo, and the basement filled with six feet of water. Nobody lists a house like that — and neither of them wanted to fund fixing it. We bought it exactly as it was.
3-bed, 2-bath mid-century ranch · 1,794 sqft · built 1955 — 18871 W Casey Rd · Lake County
The situation
What the seller was facing.
Divorce divides a household; water damage multiplies it. This 1955 Grayslake ranch — vaulted ceilings, stone fireplace, real hardwood, a genuinely good house — was caught in the middle of a separation when the sump system failed. By the time it was discovered, six feet of water stood in the basement.
A flooded house can’t be listed until it’s remediated, and remediation means money, contractors, insurance calls, and decisions — coordinated between two people who were finished making decisions together. Every option except one meant staying tangled up in the house for months.
The deal, day by day
From first call to closing.
The call
A divorcing couple with a problem bigger than the divorce: while the house sat in limbo, the sump system failed and the basement took on six feet of water. Two people separating their lives, now sharing a flood.
The walkthrough
We walked it with the flood damage still in place. No remediation demanded first, no "call us when it’s cleaned up." The damage was our problem to price, not theirs to fix.
The written offer
One number, as-is, with the full remediation and the cosmetic work priced in. Neither spouse had to put another dollar into a house they were leaving.
The closing
Both signed, the title company handled the split of proceeds per their agreement, and two people got to stop co-owning a flooded house.
Our part
How we handled it.
We bought it exactly as it stood — water damage and all. The remediation, the insurance question, the contractors: all of it moved from their side of the table to ours with one signature.
The offer was written with everything priced in honestly: the pump-out, the tear-out, the dry-out, and the cosmetic work the rest of the house needed. No repair credits, no renegotiation, no homework for either spouse.
The outcome
Where it left the seller.
The couple sold once, split the proceeds per their agreement, and walked away from both the house and the flood. No contractor bills, no insurance fight, no months of shared project management with an ex.
After we bought it
We really do fix these houses.
Six feet of water is a real project. We pumped the basement out, tore back everything the water had touched, dried the structure, and sealed it with proper drainage — then brought the rest of this genuinely good 1955 ranch back: refinished hardwood, new counters, an updated bath, fresh paint everywhere.
- Basement pumped out and flood-damaged material torn out
- Structural dry-out, then sealing and drainage work
- Full cleanout and haul-off
- Original hardwood floors refinished
- New kitchen counters (the oak cabinets earned their keep)
- Bathroom updated; fresh paint throughout
- Staged, photographed, and listed on the MLS
Facing something similar with a Grayslake house?
Same process as this one: drop the address, get a written cash offer within 24 hours, pick your closing date. Or call (224) 267-9324 — a real person picks up.
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