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This. We are even seeing this here on the forum, with people asking "my agent says it's ok to buy this house with a 1000 sq foot addition but no permits were ever pulled. Doesn't seem right to me"...
More and more people are getting wise to the fact that unpermitted work on a house they buy becomes THEIR problem after closing.
Ripping out the basement when you want to sell is a good idea on paper, but when you decide to sell your house the last thing you want to take on is a messy and time consuming project....a buyer probably would be understanding "I never got a permit for the basement and that's kept the taxed relatively low" and wouldn't mind having the groundwork laid to finish it to their taste....it's the seller who has to do the actual work of ripping out.
As far as the egress window, if I weren't getting the permit it is pricey (my neighbor did mine for $3000). However, i would NOT let people sleep down there if there is no second form of egress.
It's only a issue if there is a "open" permit. So if the house is sold and no permit was ever filed then your fine, since no one knows.
It's only a issue if there is a "open" permit. So if the house is sold and no permit was ever filed then your fine, since no one knows.
But if the home as listed as having an unfinished basement, yet it's finished, it would be evident that there was never a permit issues and no CO which can cause problems....I think!
It's only a issue if there is a "open" permit. So if the house is sold and no permit was ever filed then your fine, since no one knows.
Until you want to do work on your house that DOES require a permit, and the town inspector comes in.
Or, the work done was a 1000 square foot addition, as someone here posted about a house she was looking at on another forum. Pretty sure the bank appraiser might catch an extra 1000 square feet that's not on a survey.
If you never, ever want to do anything to your house, you're good.
Until you want to do work on your house that DOES require a permit, and the town inspector comes in.
Or, the work done was a 1000 square foot addition, as someone here posted about a house she was looking at on another forum. Pretty sure the bank appraiser might catch an extra 1000 square feet that's not on a survey.
If you never, ever want to do anything to your house, you're good.
I bought my home w/ a small extension, finished basement w/ a bathroom. No permit c/o on either. The bank didn't care since I used a out of state internet bank. I got 3.625% on a 30. I have since gutted my entire kitchen rebuilt my deck and redid my 1/2 bath. I used a contractor for most of the kitchen and did everything else my self no permits or c/o. As you said unless you are doing a major expansion you can never ever get permits and be fine. I will never expand my house its nearly 2k square feet. If I wanted more space I would sell and move.
If I do this the proper way and get a permit, what is the process with the tax assessor's office? Does the town notify them that permitted work was completed to alert them to come and reassess the home? Is there any way to keep this work a secret from the tax assessor if I get a permit?
I bought my home w/ a small extension, finished basement w/ a bathroom. No permit c/o on either. The bank didn't care since I used a out of state internet bank. I got 3.625% on a 30. I have since gutted my entire kitchen rebuilt my deck and redid my 1/2 bath. I used a contractor for most of the kitchen and did everything else my self no permits or c/o. As you said unless you are doing a major expansion you can never ever get permits and be fine. I will never expand my house its nearly 2k square feet. If I wanted more space I would sell and move.
You don't say when you bought your house, which makes a difference....and the person who buys your house who doesn't use an internet out of state bank WILL have a problem. I also don't know whether you live in Nassau or Suffolk but if Nassau re-assesses like they say they are going to, they will be going around and looking at all the houses like they did last time (2000 or so).
If you hit the perfect storm of never being re-assessed, never selling your house or selling to a cash buyer, you're good.
You don't say when you bought your house, which makes a difference....and the person who buys your house who doesn't use an internet out of state bank WILL have a problem. I also don't know whether you live in Nassau or Suffolk but if Nassau re-assesses like they say they are going to, they will be going around and looking at all the houses like they did last time (2000 or so).
If you hit the perfect storm of never being re-assessed, never selling your house or selling to a cash buyer, you're good.
Nassau county, my home was purchased Feb 2015. The reassessment doesn't scare me. No one can see my basement, the 2 windows in there are in my utility/tool room. The extension is 70 sq ft it's not noticeable. Although my deck has no c/o the county tax rolls show a deck. My taxes won't go up since my deck covers the pre existing patio. I did make sure when I rebuilt it myself that I did build it to code. If I need to sell I will either get the permits then or just tear out the basement. The Nassau reassessment isn't going to matter to people like me. It's going to crush the people that live in 2600-3500 sq ft homes that used to be 1200 sq feet and the taxes haven't caught up yet and all those sandy homes that where sold for 200-300k that where sold and now worth 700k-1.3mm. Anyone with an illegal pool or large extension will be hit.
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