Fiancee and I stretching to buy a house. OK in our situation? (Boston: apartment, loans)

[Shrewsburried]

Originally Posted by canwedoit

any advice on what to look out for during an inspection?

That you're getting value. Given the heated market (i.e., limited ability to negotiate improvements), I'd forgo an inspector if you have a reputable friend/family member who has experience with construction/remodels. I found my "highly recommended" inspector to provide minimal value, limiting his interaction to flagging non-compliance or indications of issues. I'm sure this was due to legal concerns, as speculating on the scope of issues could come back at him if the reality proves to be something greater. Nothing he pointed out was something I, a medical device developer, couldn't deduce.

I invited a friend who has 30+ years of building/remodeling experience and his input was exponentially more helpful in terms of providing short term and long term concerns and associated scope of effort.

IMO, inspectors are useful for negotiations with seller, if lender requires, or if you're incredibly naive. If minor non-compliances or issues come out, don't expect the buyer to negotiate given the competitive market.

[bugelrex]

Originally Posted by MrLinderman

This beauty in Newton is only 619!

https://www.redfin.com/MA/Newton/48-.../home/11432812

An almost identical house on the same street just sold a new months ago for 675
https://www.redfin.com/MA/Newton/24-.../home/11432825

If there is nothing 'structurally' wrong with that one, it might be worth considering if 'education' is your absolute top priority as I don't know if you can get into a better school district within a similar commute distance to Boston for 619k

I believe its less than 10 mins walk to elementary and middle school, and 10 minute bicycle ride to Newton North....

[BostonMike7]

Originally Posted by Shrewsburried

That you're getting value. Given the heated market (i.e., limited ability to negotiate improvements), I'd forgo an inspector if you have a reputable friend/family member who has experience with construction/remodels. I found my "highly recommended" inspector to provide minimal value, limiting his interaction to flagging non-compliance or indications of issues. I'm sure this was due to legal concerns, as speculating on the scope of issues could come back at him if the reality proves to be something greater. Nothing he pointed out was something I, a medical device developer, couldn't deduce.

I invited a friend who has 30+ years of building/remodeling experience and his input was exponentially more helpful in terms of providing short term and long term concerns and associated scope of effort.

IMO, inspectors are useful for negotiations with seller, if lender requires, or if you're incredibly naive. If minor non-compliances or issues come out, don't expect the buyer to negotiate given the competitive market.

Would have to agree. My inspector was terrible and didn't point out anything I already didn't know. He sure felt necessary to tell me about the gap between the top and bottom rail of a railing for 10 mins...but missed the termites living INSIDE the furnace that I found later that spring. (and since removed).


I've tagged along on a few inspections when my parents and sibling recently bought. Same case. The inspector didn't point out anything your average person with construction experience couldn't see.




House across the street sold last month. I'd like to know who they used as an inspector because they spent FOUR hours going through this 1500 SF ranch.

[MikePRU]

Originally Posted by BostonMike7

Would have to agree. My inspector was terrible and didn't point out anything I already didn't know. He sure felt necessary to tell me about the gap between the top and bottom rail of a railing for 10 mins...but missed the termites living INSIDE the furnace that I found later that spring. (and since removed).

Termites inside the furnace? Never seen that before.

The thing most people don't understand about inspectors is that they're doing a very shallow dive into the house. They really don't do any disassembly and the majority of them won't physically​touch the roof for liability reasons. Really, they're just there to raise red flags so that you can do further investigation.

The issue is that many buyers do the have the knowledge that you or a home inspector have. Many first time buyers I come across couldn't even find the filter on a C/A system if I asked them to. There are many repeat home buyers that only have a slightly more in depth knowledge than that.

Appraisers are another real estate professional that the majority of the public doesn't understand the function of but that's a whole other thread.

Originally Posted by BostonMike7

House across the street sold last month. I'd like to know who they used as an inspector because they spent FOUR hours going through this 1500 SF ranch.

Some inspectors feel like they have to put on a show to justify their fee. I listed a house last year and we had a 5 hour inspection. That inspector is a known deal killer. He scared the bajeezus out of those buyers and they cancelled. The next buyer used a different inspector and didn't end up asking for a thing afterwards.

Pretty sure the first inspector charged them $1K+to inspect a 2K sq ft home.

[BostonMike7]

Originally Posted by MikePRU

Termites inside the furnace? Never seen that before.

Very odd. The exhaust for the furnace had a drain line to take away condensation and, well, drain it. Was a rubber line that ran down to the concrete slab the furnace sat on. Well the termites came up out of the slab, found the tube, and contructed mud tubes up the rubber line into the bottom portion of the exhaust and even branched out from there. Had a great source of moisture for them to live happy and free inside the furnace..even as it ran during the winter (I assume they went into the ground) Discovered it in the spring when a winged termite swarm came out of the furnace.

Had to completely disassemble the furnace and flushed a few thousand termites down my slop sink after clearing the mud tubes. Think I spenty 4-6 hours disassembling and cleaning. I also removed drywall and studs in the area, but found no traces in the wood. I treated the wood, drilled some holes in the slab, treated the soil on the outside wall, and replumbed the drain line. No signs since and I'm always inspecting the area.

Very odd, and I never would have caught it had I not seen the swarm and started poking around the furnace. Wish I took pics.


Fortunately that was the only surprise after purchasing the home.

[canwedoit]

What the both of you say is kind of discouraging. Sounds like we can only get lucky given our lack of real experience with these things. I thought the whole point of a home inspector would be to give you the very expertise that you two say they don't give you.

Hmm...

[Boston_Burbs]

Originally Posted by canwedoit

What the both of you say is kind of discouraging. Sounds like we can only get lucky given our lack of real experience with these things. I thought the whole point of a home inspector would be to give you the very expertise that you two say they don't give you.

Hmm...

home inspectors are good to build off of to get more in depth quotes. If they see something wrong, you can get a more technical professional out there to get the real answer.

[miu]

How old is the roof on the house? New roofs are expensive.

[canwedoit]

that's one of my main concerns. 20 year old asphalt shingle. visually it looks fine, but I'm no inspector, plus I've never had to think about it so I don't know what things affects its life expectancy.

normally I wouldn't care about the roof, but since it'll take us about a year to two years to save up 10% of the house cost I'd rather not have to deal with a random 10k+ expense.

[BostonMike7]

Originally Posted by canwedoit

I thought the whole point of a home inspector would be to give you the very expertise that you two say they don't give you.

They just don't get as in depth as many people think. They point out potentials, and you can follow up with a real contractor that specializes.


Honestly, my experience was a fluke, don't lose sleep over that. What might happen is an inspector tests the electrical outlets and discovers there is no ground in many of the plugs. From there, you can get an electrician to come in an take a peek and he might tell you there is no ground wire present in many circuits and it will take $10K or so to require the house. At that point, you can walk, or ask for a credit or negotiate.


In your case, if you are worried about the roof, get a roofer to take a peek and pay him a few hundred for his time. He might say the shingles have 5 years left...or 20. But if you sleep better at night, now is the time.


Other than that, welcome to the joy that is being a homeowner. My parents had to do a new roof ($8K) and new furnace ($7K) in the same year. Definitely keep a healthy reserve.