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Did you know that we've already been to the house? We've seen it, plotted out where the deck, pool, hot tub, outdoor kitchen, and my raised beds garden are going. The house is.......a house. Nothing special, but exactly the way we both expected it to be. I've been living in houses over 3000 sq ft, so going down to 1000 was kind of a shock, but that's what we had been looking for.
I would add one cautionary note for anyone trolling the bottom of the housing market. Beware of meth houses. I've got a friend who works for an environmental outfit that oversees rehabs, this is what it consists of: replace appliances, HVAC, ceiling fans, countertops and carpet. Paint everything else, including the inside of the cabinets and the vents from the HVAC, there's enough of a market that they contract the vent system to a company that does nothing but paint meth house vents. After that it's considered okey-smokey, they send a few wipe samples from various points (walls, cabinets, etc.) to a lab for analysis and as long as they come back negative for meth the house is released for sale. Usually for really, really cheap. The "seal it in" approach might be OK if you never refinish/remodel anything but I'm not sure how it'll hold up if ya start sanding the doorframes or ripping out cabinets.
pardon me, but uh!? I don't understand what you're saying (seriously). As far as I know, I've got above average intelligence, but what you are saying, just went over my head. Can you explain what you're saying? Why should it matter if one buys a house that was a meth lab?
Sorry for the stupidity on my part, but this is new to me and I would like to get a better grip on it.
I would add one cautionary note for anyone trolling the bottom of the housing market. Beware of meth houses. I've got a friend who works for an environmental outfit that oversees rehabs, this is what it consists of: replace appliances, HVAC, ceiling fans, countertops and carpet. Paint everything else, including the inside of the cabinets and the vents from the HVAC, there's enough of a market that they contract the vent system to a company that does nothing but paint meth house vents. After that it's considered okey-smokey, they send a few wipe samples from various points (walls, cabinets, etc.) to a lab for analysis and as long as they come back negative for meth the house is released for sale. Usually for really, really cheap. The "seal it in" approach might be OK if you never refinish/remodel anything but I'm not sure how it'll hold up if ya start sanding the doorframes or ripping out cabinets.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ladyshasta2
pardon me, but uh!? I don't understand what you're saying (seriously). As far as I know, I've got above average intelligence, but what you are saying, just went over my head. Can you explain what you're saying? Why should it matter if one buys a house that was a meth lab?
Sorry for the stupidity on my part, but this is new to me and I would like to get a better grip on it.
Thanks!
The parts highlighted sums it up for me....I would NOT want any part of a previous meth house due to the fact that fumes could be a hazzard down the road for my family....
pardon me, but uh!? I don't understand what you're saying (seriously). As far as I know, I've got above average intelligence, but what you are saying, just went over my head. Can you explain what you're saying? Why should it matter if one buys a house that was a meth lab?
Sorry for the stupidity on my part, but this is new to me and I would like to get a better grip on it.
Thanks!
It's not stupidity on your part at all. It's something that most people probably don't even think about. Check out this story from CNN about a couple in Pennsylvania who found out the horrors of what happens when you buy a former meth house:
---
its - possession
it's - contraction of it is
your - possession
you're - contraction of you are
their - possession
they're - contraction of they are
there - referring to a place
loose - opposite of tight
lose - opposite of win
who's - contraction of who is
whose - possession
alot - NOT A WORD
It's not stupidity on your part at all. It's something that most people probably don't even think about. Check out this story from CNN about a couple in Pennsylvania who found out the horrors of what happens when you buy a former meth house:
Thank you JMT for your kindness! I will indeed look up the site you gave.
I would never have thought about looking into the fact that a property was a former meth house and that it could pose any risk/problems if I were to purchase it. There's something to learn here and I want to learn. Thanks for helping!
I just read the article that you suggested. All I can say is WOW!! In that article it was saying that even tho those people had the house inspected and did everything that they thought was right, it still didn't show up. In fact, unless a person actually contacts an inspection company that knows how to do a meth inspection, it doesn't get done.
Also, the article stated that there are no states that require disclosure of meth lab, so, a realtor could list a meth house and not even know it and the people who had the meth lab are not even lying about it, because they are not being asked!
Also, the article stated that there are no states that require disclosure of meth lab, so, a realtor could list a meth house and not even know it and the people who had the meth lab are not even lying about it, because they are not being asked!
[LEFT]Illinois Property Disclosure Form that all sellers must fill out when listing their home........
Meth labs: the latest in real estate disclosures - Love in the Time of Foreclosure (http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/love-in-time-of-foreclosure/2009/11/has-meth-been-made-in-the-house-im-buying.html - broken link)[/LEFT]
However as in the case below....the owner denied it was a meth lab....sooooo buyer beware....
J&M Message #25 Quoted Genteelheart then added comments on each part as follows:
Originally Posted by genteelhart
I am reasonably adept at reading real estate ads (my husband was in contruction for many years, my uncle is a home inspector) and I know what things like "fixer upper" and "needs a little TLC" and "handyman special" really mean. But I'm also finding a fair number of "move in ready" and "fully remodeleds", too.
Move in ready can mean they cleaned out the racoon mess and painted the walls. Fully remodeled may just mean a flipper with new kitchen appliances to replace the antiques that were rusting to the floor before. Or maybe that kitchen remodel means they painted the cabinets a nice white and added the cheapest grade granite for $200. We felt pretty adept, too, and in the end found our home using online sources as well as a real estate agent, but we also knew exactly where we wanted to live by putting in on the ground time in the community before we looked at real estate. Real estate adds, listings and written descriptions are not always what we think and often leave out details that can very well effect what you end up with, like lax or nonexistent building codes. Who and what went into building the original when it comes to that cheap housing? The first home we looked at was absolutely gorgeous, great property, even a great view BUT it was poorly constructed, and this explained the price. A few of the houses we saw were not quite what we expected just from the real estate pictures and descriptions, but the biggest thing you cannot "see" from anything on line or from pictures is the actual location and actual under the covers construction. The other thing that you won't "see" is what your neighborhood is like. Are you ready for the neighbor who target practices for days on end before bear season? Or the one who hauls his metal fishing boat out before dawn and rattles all over that gravel driveway on his way by your house, every weekend? How about Mr. Power Tools who never stops using his gadgets out in the yard or in his garage? Neither will be in the real estate description. How about being down wind by a mile or two from a factory or large CAFO ? You'll never find that in the description either but you will smell them if you come to that part of town
ZZ55 I think you may have taken my comments out of context and given them new meaning. Houses with quick cover-up fixes are everywhere and were especially bad during the height of the *quick flip for big bucks* market in every part of the country fed by all the home shows. The comments were not meant as a commentary on Knoxville area homes, although it can happen here, too. It was however addressing the more common mistakes people make when reading those wonderfully descriptive real estate adds thinking they know something about what those claims mean. People who successfully find a house to purchase without actually seeing it are extremely lucky if it works out considering how many people buy houses after looking at them and still wind up making serious mistakes. Those purchasing houses at the bottom of the real estate rungs of any area will always have to be extra careful because this is where neglected and poorly rehabbed houses will be more common.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ZZ55
Aw shucks ma'am! Thanks hikstar, you're mighty nice.
Knoxville is in the running, have some friends that are about to move there. We've found it to be a friendly place.
Our eldest lives in West Virginia, but its too cold and icy for this Texas Flatlander! A little snow, I'll try, but they get too much for us! Knoxville would put us just past half-way from here.
I'm glad it is still on the list. It is pretty convenient to a lot of places and for the most part has no extreme weather... except what this weird winter seems to be throwing at us.
Quote:
Originally Posted by NY Annie
Actually Hiknapster, there are some nice move-in-ready houses in my area of western TN that are priced in the $60K range. They aren't big, +- 1,000 sq ft, mostly with a couple of acres but no city services: well and septic; and taxes are running under $1000/yr.
And, as an aside, our moving date has been postponed for another year! We are bummed about it, but it's just a delay.
Annie while I still marvel at your luck, having spent no on the ground time and purchased a home, but I have seen too many bad news stories of great deals like those to believe even a few are good buys, especially when taking into account yarddawg's post below:
Quote:
Originally Posted by yarddawg
I would add one cautionary note for anyone trolling the bottom of the housing market. Beware of meth houses. I've got a friend who works for an environmental outfit that oversees rehabs, this is what it consists of: replace appliances, HVAC, ceiling fans, countertops and carpet. Paint everything else, including the inside of the cabinets and the vents from the HVAC, there's enough of a market that they contract the vent system to a company that does nothing but paint meth house vents. After that it's considered okey-smokey, they send a few wipe samples from various points (walls, cabinets, etc.) to a lab for analysis and as long as they come back negative for meth the house is released for sale. Usually for really, really cheap. The "seal it in" approach might be OK if you never refinish/remodel anything but I'm not sure how it'll hold up if ya start sanding the doorframes or ripping out cabinets.
For some reason the rest of the quotes didn't follow along.... but Meth house disclosure are starting to be mandatory in a few states and there are some websites with some good info for those looking to buy a home. This one seems to be pretty good, if pretty scary reading!
It seems there is an ever increasing list of things for buyers to be aware of!
Quote:
Originally Posted by NY Annie
Did you know that we've already been to the house? We've seen it, plotted out where the deck, pool, hot tub, outdoor kitchen, and my raised beds garden are going. The house is.......a house. Nothing special, but exactly the way we both expected it to be. I've been living in houses over 3000 sq ft, so going down to 1000 was kind of a shock, but that's what we had been looking for.
I'm so sorry to hear that you will have to postpone making the permanent move to your new home. It sounds like you have the perfect place planned out.
Check out Townsend, TN. Also look in and around Gatlinburg or Sevierville. You may not want to be in Gatlinburg or Sevierville proper, as they are both big tourist towns, but there are many beautiful little towns near there. I could also suggest some fantastic little towns in Western North Carolina, but you stated you want to be in the state of TN. In my opinion, TN is a fantastic state and wonderful place to live. I have many friends there. I prefer the small towns closer to Chattanooga, Gatlinburg and Sevierville to the ones near Knoxville, but that is just a personal preference. It's a beautiful area all the way through that part of the country!
I have to agree with posters who state you should ask for disclosures on whether a dwelling has been a meth house. You cannot get meth off of the surfaces (and beyond, because it penetrates) and it can make you very, very ill and can even cause death. If you have children, they would be at tremendous risk; if you are considering a family, a pregnancy can be severely compromised by the mother's inhalation of meth fumes. Unfortunately, that part of the country has a large number of meth labs in homes. It's a sad fact. It's not the "reputation" of the house's past that is the concern...it's the health hazard posed by living in the house and it's real and very serious.
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After that it's considered okey-smokey, they send a few wipe samples from various points (walls, cabinets, etc.) to a lab for analysis and as long as they come back negative for meth the house is released for sale. Usually for really, really cheap. The "seal it in" approach might be OK if you never refinish/remodel anything but I'm not sure how it'll hold up if ya start sanding the doorframes or ripping out cabinets.
But I'm also finding a fair number of "move in ready" and "fully remodeleds", too.
Thanks hikstar, you're mighty nice
