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I have spoken with the seller in regards to your request. In the past,when there have been high moisture readings in the crawl space, a vapor barrier would cut down on high readings on moisture content. The seller has looked over the inspection report and there is no mention of any high moisture levels in the crawl space. The seller has lived in the house for 12 plus years, and has not had any issues in the crawl space with moisture levels without a vapor barrier. The seller feels that fixing 25 items out of 27 requested items is acceptable. The home is 12 plus years old and is a used home. It wont be perfect by any means, but the seller is willing to make what he feels are the necessary repairs for the new homeowner.
I am copying the verbage from the general contractor who is replacing the back door, which is the cause of the water intrustion. After looking at the back door, the general contractor states that replacing the door will take care of the source of the leak.
Replace back double door(when we replace door this will repair leak)
Can I please get everyone's thoughts on the seller's response with regards to the vapor barrier and the general contractor's statement about the door being the cause of the water intrusion. I'm just a little credulous about both, but I'd like to hear an objective response. Thank you!
I would get two estimates of having all of these issues repaired. Start first with the water intrusion problem; maybe a sump pump or French drains would solve that. Get quotes from good contractors for the other subfloor etc. problems and have the house treated for mold.
Deduct the total of all that from the final sale price and get the seller out of the equation. That way you can use your own contractors and know it's done right.
If the seller won't agree, I'd walk away from the deal.
Hi QuilterChick!
I agree with everything you say as far as getting quotes from good contractors and getting the seller out of the equation, but its probably too late for that now as the earnest money deposit is due tomorrow. As you said, I would have preferred to have my own contractors do this to make sure it was done right. The seller is using his own contractor/s and of course I am naturally skeptical. I really dont know what to do being a first time home buyer. I've come so far and I'd hate to walk away now and I dont know if I should over a vapor barrier. I'm more concerned about the water intrusion and damage it has done and my overall faith in the seller making the other repairs and as you said, getting the job done right!
I don't think anybody has enough information to say for sure. The bigger question is, do you want to buy this house. All houses, to one degree or another, are as is. You have to decide if the house is worth the price you are paying, given its condition. I have to say, if I were given 27 repair items, in this market, I would cut you loose. My gut is the seller feels like they've really gone the extra mile for you and you are just trying to whittle the price down and down, whether that is true or not. ie they have lived in this house happy enough without fixing those 27 things.
You are asking the anonymous public to help you negotiate your contract.
You have already been fed a fair amount of junk, and you stand to get more.
What does your agent say?
What does your home inspector say?
They have much better grasp of the specifics than anyone on this site has.
As usual, Mike is on point.
None of us has seen the house so it's impossible to tell where the water is coming from. 25 plus items to be fixed does sound like a lot, but maybe it's all really minor stuff. As previously mentioned, an afternoon and a hundred bucks and you can have a vapor barrier in there. Honestly, if you search on crawlspace here, you can find instructions on how to do it better than the seller would.
I agree with everything you say as far as getting quotes from good contractors and getting the seller out of the equation, but its probably too late for that now as the earnest money deposit is due tomorrow. As you said, I would have preferred to have my own contractors do this to make sure it was done right. The seller is using his own contractor/s and of course I am naturally skeptical. I really dont know what to do being a first time home buyer. I've come so far and I'd hate to walk away now and I dont know if I should over a vapor barrier. I'm more concerned about the water intrusion and damage it has done and my overall faith in the seller making the other repairs and as you said, getting the job done right!
You can "stop action" anytime you want before handing over that earnest money. I rather doubt this seller has a line of people waiting to overpay for a problem house. ! Do you have a buyer's agent? or are you using the seller's agent? You should be getting this kind of advice from your buyer's agent.
Mold and ground water drainage issues are nothing to mess with. You said earlier that there is a ground water problem; if that is true, that is a real problem that has to be dealt with prior to closing, or you get a reduction in the price to deal with it yourselves. It is always best to use your own contractors that you are paying. The seller simply wants you to close asap and cash the check. If they were there for 12 years, they should have taken care of all problems before putting the house on the market !
You sure about those numbers chief? I don't know how you'd possibly maintain the crawlspace under 50% humidity.
"Relative Humidity" is the key phrase. In the cooler seasons, it will be less than 50% naturally, but in the warmer seasons the level spikes as higher temperatures and air moisture content drop the dew point leading to condensation on cool surfaces such as ducts, insulation (cooled radiantly from the living area above) and plumbing lines. The most cost effective way to keep it under 50% permanently is to seal the vents, 100% vapor barrier on the ground and a dehumidifier.
Quote:
Originally Posted by LuvmyBella
This is the seller's response:
I have spoken with the seller in regards to your request. In the past,when there have been high moisture readings in the crawl space, a vapor barrier would cut down on high readings on moisture content. The seller has looked over the inspection report and there is no mention of any high moisture levels in the crawl space. The seller has lived in the house for 12 plus years, and has not had any issues in the crawl space with moisture levels without a vapor barrier. The seller feels that fixing 25 items out of 27 requested items is acceptable. The home is 12 plus years old and is a used home. It wont be perfect by any means, but the seller is willing to make what he feels are the necessary repairs for the new homeowner.
I am copying the verbage from the general contractor who is replacing the back door, which is the cause of the water intrustion. After looking at the back door, the general contractor states that replacing the door will take care of the source of the leak.
Replace back double door(when we replace door this will repair leak)
Can I please get everyone's thoughts on the seller's response with regards to the vapor barrier and the general contractor's statement about the door being the cause of the water intrusion. I'm just a little credulous about both, but I'd like to hear an objective response. Thank you!
The water intrusion at the back door is what caused the wood decay. They are likely replacing or repairing the flashing with the door assembly removed. This is a pretty common issue. The fungal growth on wood mentioned in the 1st post are all the evidence needed to say air moisture levels are elevated unless it was only localized to the area where the water was leaking through the rear door. Wet, rotted wood will obviously have mold growth as well.
They're fixing the major issues. For the rest, you may need to hire sacredgroves to come in and install vapor barrier and seal your vents. Not major work. Every house is going to have SOMETHING that needs to be addressed.
I have to say, if I were given 27 repair items, in this market, I would cut you loose. My gut is the seller feels like they've really gone the extra mile for you and you are just trying to whittle the price down and down, whether that is true or not. ie they have lived in this house happy enough without fixing those 27 things.
I don't think anybody has enough information to say for sure. The bigger question is, do you want to buy this house. All houses, to one degree or another, are as is. You have to decide if the house is worth the price you are paying, given its condition. I have to say, if I were given 27 repair items, in this market, I would cut you loose. My gut is the seller feels like they've really gone the extra mile for you and you are just trying to whittle the price down and down, whether that is true or not. ie they have lived in this house happy enough without fixing those 27 things.
Sort of my thinking as well.
When we bought in 2007 our inspection list had something like 30 issues listed. My wife and I cut through it and picked out only those few that would truly be an obstacle to moving in on Day 1 of ownership. Although the sellers didn't have to do so, they waited in the attorneys office the day of the closing so they could meet us and thank us personally for being so reasonable.
Honestly, after having bought and sold two houses (and on Long Island no less) we were prepared for something less than perfect (I can fix my own leaky faucets and patch holes in walls I'm going to paint right away) and only expected the seller to take care of the hairy stuff (which coincidentally included installing a vapor barrier and dehumidifier in the crawl space).
If you like the house, buy it. Working with a seller willing to address over 90% of the documented issues is a gift, not a risk.
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