Home inspection results - help! (Sacramento: house, asbestos, living in)

[smokingGun]

Everyone wants a champagne dinner on a beer budget, but it ain't gonna happen. The reason you're getting a bargain is because this is an older home that needs some repair & tender loving care. Honestly, the house is livable despite the deficiencies listed in the inspection report. Annoyances like lower flow from the faucets when you run the washing machine are no big deal (at least for me). And honestly with low-flow showerheads I guarantee you wouldn't even notice. And while your HVAC system is old, these furnaces can last for decades with minor repairs. If it were me I'd ask for some cash for a re-roof and to repair the pool heater.

[nullgeo]

Originally Posted by oddstray

The magic run-away word is "asbestos".

Find out for certain if there is asbestos in that insulation, and get a quote on cleaning it up if there is. I believe that not everyone is qualified to clean up asbestos, so it may turn out to be quite pricey.

You know, I missed that one. Damn right to worry about it. That's critical!

[SportyandMisty]

Originally Posted by 1AngryTaxPayer

Probably 40 grand if you can't do yourself. I could replace all that for less than 10 as I am a do it myselfer.

I was guessing 40K as well.

Many of the items listed as "needs attention" are merely CYA statements by the inspector.

I can't tell if the "asbestos" comment is merely a CYA statement. I'd require the seller to pay for a licensed asbestos remediation company to inspect it.

[1AngryTaxPayer]

Originally Posted by BayAreaHillbilly

Sooooo many houses like this or worse. People here have a low income / cost ratio. Welcome to the reality of (at least coastal, urban) CA. Maintenance gets deferred. It's how it is.

And the worst of it is, at least in some portions of these coastal zones, it's starting to become a seller's market (again).

Let's see how it plays out.

Americans brace for next foreclosure wave | Reuters

[CA4Now]

This is a duplicate thread, also posted in the Real Estate forum: //www.city-data.com/forum/real-...t-what-do.html

[Malloric]

Originally Posted by nullgeo

You know, I missed that one. Damn right to worry about it. That's critical!

Well, it's boilerplate. If you don't want to deal with it, you need to never look at houses built in the '70s or prior or look at them only if the seller can document asbestos inspection and/or removal.

[nullgeo]

Originally Posted by Malloric

Well, it's boilerplate. If you don't want to deal with it, you need to never look at houses built in the '70s or prior or look at them only if the seller can document asbestos inspection and/or removal.

True dat ... except I do pause to wonder about California older homes. No doubt some have asbestos issues ... but maybe not all. Lots of older homes have heating ducts wrapped in asbestos insulation ... but lots don't ... I have a house built in 1926 in Washington that had only uninsulated sheet-metal ducting -- which in more moderate climate was not unusual. Thus, with California's climate, if the house is coastal especially.

That said, I also had plaster and lath interior walls ... and much of the plaster used back then was mixed with asbestos fibers.

So if one don't get ya, the other one might.

I'd take it very seriously. For anyone who might have a genetic predisposition to cancer of the lung, this is a serious killer. I lost my first wife after 30 years to this kind of lung cancer. It was brutal for us and our four kids, naturally. Wife was raised in a northern Minnesota old home that had lots of asbestos duct insulation, plaster walls, and exterior asbestos siding. All of which her father tore out for remodeling. Then I tore up our home with the plaster walls while we lived in it. Unknown whether our plaster was of the type containing the fibers. But you can't mess with the stuff. Mesothelioma is as nasty as death gets. Confirmation is a must.

[jaybb]

This may be a great buy. You have not given us enough information to look at the total picture in order to come to any logical conclusion. What is the selling asking price of the house. What is the agreed upon price. What is the neighborhood like, what does the home go for. How old is the house. All these items are MUST items to know before determining whether you want to keep this house based on the Inspection Report. None of these items in the Report necessarily are items that would kill the deal for me. If it is a house that goes for close to $1 million and you are buying it for a great price, putting in $50k to repair these items may not be an issue. But if it is a $150k house--run. Need to identify how much in value the house will go up with these improvements. I would do the work myself, so I could save at least 50% of any cost (ie 50% of $50k). Sounds like you may need some major electrical, and perhaps plumbing. Water heater is about $800 to $1k installed. Get a price on each items, and send copy to sellers realtor--see it you can have them pay some of it--perhaps 25% to 50%. This house could be a real good buy. But if you are blind in what you are doing, you better get someone who know how to deal with this.

[SportyandMisty]

So... the OP hasn't come back to this thread... I guess he got the info he was looking for.

[steel7]

My gas water heater is 37 (1975) yrs old & still works good. The furnace is 47 yrs old & is in good cond.