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Hi - We are looking to buy a house in JC where the owner has made a lot of improvements to the basement like adding a bathroom among others. We do like the house. I am a first time buyer with limited knowledge but I did some research and found that such additions may have required permits from the city.
When I confronted the seller - he declined any knowledge of pulling any permits. The work was done by a licensed contractor but no permits were pulled. There are no currently open permits either. The house does have a CO from the time it was built.
We are in a dilemma on whether to go ahead with the purchase. The owner is demanding top dollar for the improvements / additions made by him. In this market, I know he would have no problem selling this house as he has multiple interests.
Should we pass this house ? Will the new buyer inherit any legal issues ? I am not sure what the consequences can be of buying such a property and what is the best course of action.
I and many other people I know bought houses that had basement improvements that included a bathroom. I would say go for it. If the banks OK the loan and the town does not find out then that is money you save. If there were permits for the extra bathroom and renovations then your taxes would go up. I would be more concerned about not having a CO for things you can see like an addition, dormer, fireplace, etc. Anything out of sight, especially in the basement is not a big deal to me.
I and many other people I know bought houses that had basement improvements that included a bathroom. I would say go for it. If the banks OK the loan and the town does not find out then that is money you save. If there were permits for the extra bathroom and renovations then your taxes would go up. I would be more concerned about not having a CO for things you can see like an addition, dormer, fireplace, etc. Anything out of sight, especially in the basement is not a big deal to me.
Yes, if the work was done well, and the bank doesn't raise an issue, I'm inclined to agree.
What is JC? Jericho?. You just hit the jackpot NO OPEN PERMITS. Your taxes will be less, my house had the same thing fully finished basement w/ a full bath and no c/o but no open permits either. I was able to buy w/o any major issues.
There is a gas fireplace that was added too but again in the basement . This is a 2 family house. I plan to live in one unit and use the finished basement only for my recreation but concerned about the city finding it during a tax re assessment and want to know what is the worst case ( fines, demolition etc ) that I need to prepare for.
Buy the house and setup the basement as your man cave. Stock it with a fridge dedicated to your beers and alcoholic drinks. Setup a fully-stocked wet bar, a 60+ inch TV with surround sound, a poker table, a huge couch for you and all your buddies and most importantly do not setup anything for the kids. This is your space and your space only.
Really all of the stuff should be permitted because you are going to inherit the problem if you go to do any future permit work in the future.
With that being said... If you don't mind dealing with the permit issues in the future then that's fine.
It really depends on the type of work though. A finished bathroom and basement is one thing but decks, porches, extensions or second floor additions should all have permits and I would not buy a house if any of those items are not permitted because of structural, lot coverage, and set back issues.
I would also hire a licensed plumber to verify any gas work that was done if it was unpermitted.
make sure you hire an inspector/ carpenter to inspect all the work done with a fine tooth comb. You don't want that fireplace burning down your whole house because it was done by a guy who didnt know what he was doing.
Not sure where JC is but I would run away. All you will ever need to do, including something as innocuous as a fence will require a permit in most locations. If they need to enter you r home for any reason you will be opening up a can of worms and it can be a costly one.
This may be an easy one too. Does the basement have an egress window or outside entrance? If not RUN, don't even think about it as if you need to file for a rental permit, they will not allow it without that.
Tell the seller you don't pay "top dollar" for unpermitted work. If it was not reflected in the price I might take a chance but not for a premium.
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