Building permit question.... (Maricopa: loan, houses, neighborhood)

[maverick974]

I just moved here from Oregon and I'm looking at purchasing a home. I found a place that I like. Nice, clean neighborhood, good location for me, it has almost everything I was looking for and it's in my price range but it has some issues that worry me.
Someone in the past has added a patio room and also a seperate garage and it appears they didn't get permits for the additions. I called Maricopa county building dept. and they said that they have no records of permits being pulled for any of the work but they have no records past 1999 so if those additions were done prior to that, all is well. As a contractor, I know those additions probably aren't up to code. The guy I talked to at the building dept. said that I could even apply for some kind of permit that allowed those additions to be grandfathered.
The place is a fixer and it also needs new floors, some minor electrical and there is a plumbing leak as well as new plumbing fixtures because someone stole all the fixtures except the kitchen faucet. I'm not sure why they didn't get that one because it looks like it's a very nice one but who can figure out thieves.
I know what to expect as to the floors and such but I'm not sure about the lack of permits.
What do you think about the permit issues?

[AZ bound]

Sounds easy....
Get the permit that allows the additions to be grandfathered, do your fixes, and say goodbye to the rain

[MotleyCrew]

That seems to happen a lot with the older homes here. They will come and inspect, you will pay a fee, and they usually ask for a drawing to reflect the changes and the existing. Not that big a deal if you tackle it head on but if you ignore it and someone gets wind of it, they have the ability to run you through the hoops.

[Zippyman]

If you're getting a loan for the house, make sure to have a frank discussion with your lender before paying for an appraisal. A house in the condition you've mentioned likely wouldn't be eligible for financing except with a "hard money" lender. Or possible a 203k "rehab" loan. No sense wasting an appraisal fee.

As for the unpermitted additions, they are very common here - and if the quality isn't up to snuff it's often better to just toss those "improvements" into a dumpster.

[lovesaz]

You may want to recheck the grandfather part (doesn't exist). I had to get a permit for a building put up in 1985, after having lived here for 10 years. What ever you do don't build or construct anything without a permit, they (maricopa planning will double the permit cost if not done in advance.

Originally Posted by maverick974

I just moved here from Oregon and I'm looking at purchasing a home. I found a place that I like. Nice, clean neighborhood, good location for me, it has almost everything I was looking for and it's in my price range but it has some issues that worry me.
Someone in the past has added a patio room and also a seperate garage and it appears they didn't get permits for the additions. I called Maricopa county building dept. and they said that they have no records of permits being pulled for any of the work but they have no records past 1999 so if those additions were done prior to that, all is well. As a contractor, I know those additions probably aren't up to code. The guy I talked to at the building dept. said that I could even apply for some kind of permit that allowed those additions to be grandfathered.
The place is a fixer and it also needs new floors, some minor electrical and there is a plumbing leak as well as new plumbing fixtures because someone stole all the fixtures except the kitchen faucet. I'm not sure why they didn't get that one because it looks like it's a very nice one but who can figure out thieves.
I know what to expect as to the floors and such but I'm not sure about the lack of permits.
What do you think about the permit issues?

[wit-nit]

In some cases they'll make you tear all the improvements down and inspect it from ground up to make sure everything from start to finish is done by code as you re-build. This happened to a nearby neighbor of ours. It was very costly.

[Xorox]

I bought a home built in 1984 and the previous owner had enclosed an existing patio without a permit. Had no problem on inspection and review. Building an enclosed patio would be a different issue. I have seen several houses where the home owner has enclosed an existing patio.

[MotleyCrew]

Maricopa County is getting stinky about many things due to the economic crunch. They invested lots of $$$ for a new and improved GPS system and are going house by house looking for additions against their records.

[eparrini]

What happens in a case where, unbeknownst to you, your contractor didn't get a permit to build a pergola and now you must get the permit yourself. I have a complaint against this contractor with the ROC on other issues that are now pending.

[erikav]

I have this same question about the pergola being built and the contractor did not get the permit...probably the same guy! Does anyone know what to do in this case???