Moving to 18018 Bethlehem! Some questions! (credit, how much, buying a home)

[jillandchris]

Hey everyone! My husband and I are buying a home in this area. Our closing is on the 27th of next month. I was just wondering if anyone can give us some ideas of things to do in the area. We are having our first baby any day now, so family friendly ideas would be the best.

Also, we are going to try and get the home inspected next week. I have a suggestion from our realtor of Integra Home Inspection. Is anyone familiar with them at all?

This is not about Bethlehem, but the house that we are purchasing had a prior radon reading of 4.6. They did have this in the seller's disclosure. Does this mean that we cannot ask them to fix it if it comes back high again? It is something that we would definitely need to fix, but we were hoping it would come back within normal range this time, as the realtor told us that it might because it was so close to being at the 4 considered safe and the reading was taken in the middle of winter last time.

[vapama]

With a newborn, just sleep After that, there are parks, and storytimes, moms groups.

Never heard of Integra. We used Allied and while they seemed professional enough, they didn't catch everything.

If there is info that comes back from the inspection, then it becomes a point of negotiation. Seller's disclosure just means that they already knew about it and weren't hiding it from you. Radon seems to be worse in this area than any other I've lived. We have a removal system installed--not risking cancer.

And I assume you know better than to answer LL's question.

Best wishes on the new baby and the move!

[toobusytoday]

We had radon in this house as well as the last one we sold in Delaware County. Putting in a system to get rid of it here was covered under the home warranty that came with this house so we did not have to pay for it. We did not use a home inspection service so I can't help you with that. I am familiar with the names of both Allied and Integra but that's about it.

Congratulations on your new baby! You are going to have your hands full with the move and the baby but once Spring really hits and you get out and start exploring you might want to try this - MOMS Club, Bethlehem Township, PA or go here - Lehigh Valley Zoo - Smart Fun or here Welcome to Bethlehem Area Public Library or if you want a day of strolling around and shopping you could go to Main Street in Bethlehem Welcome to The Shoppes At The Main Street Commons or drive over the mountain and stroll around Welcome to The Promenade Shops at Saucon Valley here!

Welcome to the Lehigh Valley!

[pennsynative]

We used Integrity Inspection when we purchased and were happy with them. We had radon which was also 4.6 when we were selling and the sellers requested we have a radon system installed. It cost us about $750 but was worth not losing the sale. Personally, if I were buying a home that had a reading over 2, I would request the owner install a system or give us a credit to install ourselves. JMHO

Best of luck to you and congratulations in advance on the new baby.

[jillandchris]

Thanks everyone for the information. We absolutely plan to get a radon removal system. I will check with our home warranty as well, I am really not familiar with how it works. I am not sure how much it will be though, but I am hoping that it will be reasonable. There is a basement at the house, so I am hoping that works in our advantage as far as how easy it can be to put a system in. We bought this house the first day it came on the market and it was much, much nicer than any of the other houses in our price range and I am pretty sure that the owner's know that as they are super nice, but not very negotiable as far as lowering the price much. I would ask them to fix the radon, but I am not sure if they will, so we will see. It would be a pleasant surprise for them to take care of it, but they have been there for 7 years and not taken care of it themselves, so I am thinking that they might think it's silly for us to be making a big deal out of it just because of their opinion. We are going to get the tax credit and are planning on having some extra money in the bank, so we will definitely do it if they do not.

Thank you for the congrats on the baby! She will be here any day, I hope soon lol! I have already packed up our house for the most part here, so that I won't have to do too much when we are moving. It's so funny the way things work out. Our house sold after being on the market for a year and it sells as soon as the baby is coming. I am a little frazzled, but it's a good frazzled and I am very happy to be getting out of NJ as I hate the area that we live in tremendously. It will be a great change and we are so excited to be a part of a new community and meet new people and see new places.

Thanks everyone for all of your help/suggestions/congrats!