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.
1st time home buyer, inspection showed several probs ..what next?!
1. The electrical wiring needs to be redone at the electrical panel, itself. The owner had 7 "double taps" and no main electric shut off, which is required by the local code. About 2-3k to fix
2. The oil heater is 37 years old, end of life but still works. The water heater is 8 years old, 10 year life expectancy. The AC is nearing end of life. The roof is about 4 years away from EOL.
3. There is an 'active' water leak in the master bathroom closet ceiling. Could be the roof or a leak in the plumbing to the bathroom above it.
4. There was a window in the basement that had so much outside water pushed against it, that the water line was about 12 inches high against the window. VERY rainy up here in PA right now. No leaks into the house though.
Should we ask the seller to fix these things? Should we walk away? All other aspects of the house are really great! The layout, the flow, the # of bedrooms, appliances, kitchen/bathrooms etc.
We have an agreement that allows us to walk away at this point. I'm curious to know what other folks would do in this same situation?
I'm about to close on a home with a 35 year-old hybrid pool (fiberglass walls w/ a concrete bottom) that needs resurfacing, a broken bracket for one of four steel supports that reinforce a wall in the basement and a roof with two layers of ashphalt shingles and the original cedar shakes, plus probably another $1500 in nickel and dime issues. We still want the house because it fits our needs and still beats any other home for $/sq ft and value. We did negotiate for a $7500 allowance for repairs, but that will just cover the roof repairs.
My recommendation would be to not worry so much over what everyone else would do. Get estimates for all the repairs, then go back to the sellers with an ammendment based on the full value of the repairs. Wait for them to counter and then decide if it still meets your needs and is a fair deal.
I would request that the sellers fix the electrical issues and the water leak. Everything else is working and there is no reason to expect them to replace things that work correctly.
Yikes. I'd ask them them to get it fixed, have them come down enough on the price to fix it myself, or walk. Probably walk, because I wouldn't want to buy my first home and have all of those issues. I already am paranoid about buying a "lemon".
1st time home buyer, inspection showed several probs ..what next?!
1. The electrical wiring needs to be redone at the electrical panel, itself. The owner had 7 "double taps" and no main electric shut off, which is required by the local code. About 2-3k to fix
I really really really doubt there is NO main shut off, as that would literally have KILLED the installer of the original box. More likely the main shut off is outside or in a separate cabinet. That is not uncommon for older houses but is no current code. There is probably no law that says you need to make the old house comply with current code, but it is a good idea. I would NEVER EVER listen to an inspectors estimate on costs for anything. If these estimates came from 3 licensed electricians that would hold some weight...
2. The oil heater is 37 years old, end of life but still works. Saw a house two weeks ago with an oil fired boiler that is 56 years old. If it works it'll probably keep on keeping on , not saying it is efficient, but..
The water heater is 8 years old, 10 year life expectancy. My mom's house has TWO water heaters, both with "10 year warranties". One is from 1969, the other from 1984. Both work excellently.
The AC is nearing end of life. And so is my 84 year old mother, how near, I have no idea...
The roof is about 4 years away from EOL. You have a terrible inspector. See a pattern here? Old things are NOT THE SAME AS BROKEN THINGS!!!!!
3. There is an 'active' water leak in the master bathroom closet ceiling. .
Could be the roof or a leak in the plumbing to the bathroom above it. THIS IS BAD! Seriously, even if it cheap to fix anything you have water leaking it is going to do lots of damage and potentially be a source of mold and rot. Get it looked at by a plumber first, as if it is a leaky pipe he can fix it fast, it might also be something stupid like a bad fan duct, which the plumber could also diagnose. but if ain't a leaky pipe or bad duct you will need a roofer and if the roof really is 26 years old it probably makes sense to do more than just patch it
4. There was a window in the basement that had so much outside water pushed against it, that the water line was about 12 inches high against the window. VERY rainy up here in PA right now. No leaks into the house though.Could be the roof or a leak in the plumbing to the bathroom above it. This is sorta could news, in that it proves the window is water tight and there are no leaks in the basement. Heck that might be a reason to buy it. OTOH the window well ought to have drain in the bottom and some deflector in top, but these are usually EASY fixes unless the drain is not just blocked but needs to be dug out and repaired. A good inspector ought have told you the difference.
Should we ask the seller to fix these things? The only broken thing in the leak in that bathroom, and MAYBE the electrical issue. I personally would want more info if I was the seller or buyer. Sorta shocked how crummy this inspector seems to have been
Should we walk away? All other aspects of the house are really great! The layout, the flow, the # of bedrooms, appliances, kitchen/bathrooms etc.
NOT ENOUGH INFO!!! The cost is what you need to think about and the cost to repair the problem with the leaky bathroom might be a couple hundred buck or less if it is bad fan duct, or thousands if it is a new roof. The electrical issues are worth getting estimates to upgrade to current, but this is really something that is very optional.
We have an agreement that allows us to walk away at this point. I'm curious to know what other folks would do in this same situation?
Thanks for your feedback!
In general your post highlights many of thing that I have seen from POOR INSPECTORS. They do not give sufficient context to what truly should be addressed ASAP and mention all kinds of things that are completely unremarkable in an older house.
Believe me if the electrical inspection showed open grounds, reversed hot / neutrals, evidence of arcing or other truly life threatening problems I would be the first to say have the seller fix it ASAP. An old panel that is unremarkable is not what you should worry about.
Water destroys houses. Find the source of it and fix it. Period.
If you like the layout , the flow, the appliances, the kitchen & bath and MOST IMPORTANTLY THE AFFORDABILITY I think you would be a little nuts to walk away over things that are relatively easy to address. If you think that you absolutely cannot afford to do anything about the leak and cannot budget for the eventual replacement of other items than you should be shopping at a lower price point.
Last edited by chet everett; 03-19-2010 at 03:41 PM..
The AC is nearing end of life. And so is my 84 year old mother, how near, I have no idea...
Now that was Soooo Funny!!
Chet has basically said everything, except that I would definitely have the Inspector explain the reasoning behind all of those "Life Span" comments. Where and how did the Inspector determine what life was left?
Yikes. I'd ask them them to get it fixed, have them come down enough on the price to fix it myself, or walk. Probably walk, because I wouldn't want to buy my first home and have all of those issues. I already am paranoid about buying a "lemon".
Almost no home is without it's issues. It's all a matter of degree. I've owned a 100 year old home, a 20 year old home and a 10 year old home. Want to guess which one had the most problems?
I'd get the leak in the master bath fixed as well as the water against the basement window addressed. As for the other issues, it's typical for older homes. Is the location really good and you are paying what it's worth? You don't want to overpay when the home next door is in top shape and is selling for the same price. But what I've noticed is older homes in older/established neighborhoods sell at a certain price no matter the age of the roof/water heater and things like that.
You also might as well ask for the electrical too and see if the seller will do that.
We are just replacing our roof this summer that was at the end of its life 7 years ago.
Many water heaters last 20 years with no problems. I have a listing where the water heater is from 1986 and going strong. Remember that life span is just that. People that maintain their homes well can extend those life spans and those that don't shorten them.
Also, I just replaced an entire electrical panel for $1,000. How can it cost $2-3K to repair one? I know there will be regional differences but that seems crazy high to me.
I personally don't see anything scary in there, but it is your money and your house. I agree with the others that 3 and 4 need to get fixed, but the others you might want to get some quotes for. Homes need maintenance. You are buying a house that might need maintenance sooner rather than later. Decide your comfort level with that and that will guide your decision.
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.
