Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Just wondering why does it have to be done in a year?
Everything is negotiable, but not every negotiation goes your way. If there is cause for the boiler to have to be removed, you probably have more leverage. Is there a covenant that provides for the neighbors to use the drive? If not, I would not allow them to use it IF you purchase the home.
Of course, everything comes down to price. Is the seller already at rock bottom compared to neighborhood prices?
It might just be determined by how badly you want to be in that neighborhood.
The thing is that the underground tank is an issue we would like resolved as soon as possible. This would decrease our homeowners' insurance rate and help us to feel safer. Plus, the boiler is very old, we don't want to let it sit there until it decides to die out on us in the middle of winter.
Plus a new boiler would save us money each month.
We too are concerned about the neighbors. There house is well-kept on the outside but we are wondering what it would be like to have to live beside them for decades and share a driveway they don't want to maintain.
You need to see the easement for the drive way to be sure you have the access you think you would have. My house was built in 1921 and has been maintained. No special extra to be done.
I would want the siding fixed ASAP so no more damage is done.
Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk
I'm glad you brought that up. I guess we will talk to the agent about the driveway. I would think it would be split "50-50" but who knows right?
I'm glad to hear your house is doing well. I've been reading so many negative things about old houses.
I think you are nuts for buying a house with a buried oil tank but that depends on your state laws. Out here the soil needs to be sampled before you can do anything to an underground oil tank to determine if it has been contaminated. It is an environmental hazard. If you have no leak, it isn't a big deal. If you have contaminated soil then you are looking at a $10k-$40k issue out here depending on how bad the contamination is.
What are your state laws regarding buried oil tanks? I'd make sure I know what they are before deciding that it isn't a big deal.
We are concerned about the tank too. I forgot to post that I'm in NY. Here they allow you to have the tank removed or certified abdandoned.
Even if we have it abandoned, we would pay higher insurance rates because it would still be underground on the property. I have read that it is best not to remove it due to the possibility of leakage during the extraction/disposal process. But we figure it's best to get rid of it altogether for safety and a reduced insurance rate.
I think I would just walk away b/c of the underground tank. Too many unknowns. The ONLY way I would buy is if the owners had it removed and certified prior to closing.
I think I would just walk away b/c of the underground tank. Too many unknowns. The ONLY way I would buy is if the owners had it removed and certified prior to closing.
Yeah. This is what my husband and I are thinking. We are going to ask them to remove it altogether. If they decide not to do so, we are prepared to walk away. In the end, it just would not be worth the risk.
I would not buy the home. I would walk away and make no attempt at negotiations with the seller.
The drainage of the water into the driveway and yard is not fixable. I would never buy a home with water drainage issues. You end up with mud and puddles when it rains and you are lucky if that is all it is. You could get erosion of land and have landscape issues as well.
the issue with the siding is major. water leaking behind the siding is not good. this could cause rot and mold under the siding and introduce termites, which like moisture. This is a real problem, not just a nice to have improvement that you can do as you please.
Hopefully you can fall OUT of love with this home. This could be a financial nightmare for several years if you buy it and it could cause friction in your life and in your marriage. It's not worth the headache unless it is 50% below market price. Then you fix it up and have a profit due to your investment and stress and hard work. Even if you don't lift the hammer, it is hard work coordinating, paying, scheduling and picking out these fix up items. Plus with the residing there could be the problems I mentioned above which will be more money and more stress.
I would not buy the home. I would walk away and make no attempt at negotiations with the seller.
The drainage of the water into the driveway and yard is not fixable. I would never buy a home with water drainage issues. You end up with mud and puddles when it rains and you are lucky if that is all it is. You could get erosion of land and have landscape issues as well.
the issue with the siding is major. water leaking behind the siding is not good. this could cause rot and mold under the siding and introduce termites, which like moisture. This is a real problem, not just a nice to have improvement that you can do as you please.
Hopefully you can fall OUT of love with this home. This could be a financial nightmare for several years if you buy it and it could cause friction in your life and in your marriage. It's not worth the headache unless it is 50% below market price. Then you fix it up and have a profit due to your investment and stress and hard work. Even if you don't lift the hammer, it is hard work coordinating, paying, scheduling and picking out these fix up items. Plus with the residing there could be the problems I mentioned above which will be more money and more stress.
Update: The seller is getting an estimate on tank removal in the next couple of days. According to the agent, if he has enough to take care of it out-of-pocket, it will be done prior to closing. If he doesn't have enough, he is considering giving us a credit. We won't be taking a credit though, not even if they put money in escrow to cover possible leakage issues. If that would be the case, we are walking. Really good point about the siding. Didn't realize all that. We have not spoken to the inspector yet about the official report. We also need to have the drain issue evaluated because it is potentially hazardous.
Update:
I've been released. The seller decided it would be too costly to remove the tank (it's under the patio). He "discussed" it with his lawyer and they decided that since the tank has never given any problems, there is no indication for removing it. He also feels that since he gave a "drastic" reduction in his asking price, he should not have to spend any more money.
It's all for the better because there was too much going on with that house. Thank you Lord for releasing me!!
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
