Home inspection this week (Augusta, China: hotel, roofing, maintenance)

[WhoFanMe]

Originally Posted by broadbill

Water quality on the waterfront can vary widely....is it swimmable? Shallow/deep? Can you get boat in there or will you need a mooring? Is it weedy or does it have the potential to be so?

The water quality that GreenGene is referring to is the drinking water, not the recreational water. He is quoting out of Paragraph 12 of the Maine Association of REALTORS Purchase and Sale Agreement. I'd also test the water quantity, perhaps you omitted that.

If you've signed an agreement for representation, I would imagine the agent will be present, as may the seller's agent for part or all of it. The information gathered at the inspection will then be used to negotiate repairs or seller concessions going forward and your agent should witness it first hand.

[GreenGene]

Originally Posted by 221B

Will you have your realtor with you during the inspection? For us, being from away, it was very helpful to have our realtor there as well, asking "local" questions that we would not have even thought to ask about home systems, etc.

Originally Posted by WhoFanMe

If you've signed an agreement for representation, I would imagine the agent will be present, as may the seller's agent for part or all of it. The information gathered at the inspection will then be used to negotiate repairs or seller concessions going forward and your agent should witness it first hand.

Yes, absolutely one of the two agents we have worked with up to this point will be there. They were really helpful not only in going with us to visit homes we were interested in seeing, but have been essential in the process of putting in an offer on the house. We've been really pleased with our experiences with them.

[WhoFanMe]

Originally Posted by GreenGene

Yes, absolutely one of the two agents we have worked with up to this point will be there. They were really helpful not only in going with us to visit homes we were interested in seeing, but have been essential in the process of putting in an offer on the house. We've been really pleased with our experiences with them.

Electronic Signatures and Cloud storage has been a game changer in working with buyers that aren't local. Local buyers too.

[bangorme]

Originally Posted by GreenGene

Yes, absolutely one of the two agents we have worked with up to this point will be there. They were really helpful not only in going with us to visit homes we were interested in seeing, but have been essential in the process of putting in an offer on the house. We've been really pleased with our experiences with them.

Are you paying this agent, or is he paid out of the seller's proceeds?

[GreenGene]

Originally Posted by broadbill

+1 to a septic check out...not only the pump but the tank itself....dig it up and look inside. Also good to dig a test hole in the leech field to make sure it it draining properly.

+1 to air and water quality and I'll add it is good to get a feel for water quantity as well. Give that well a good going-over.

Be sure to look thoroughly both in the attic and the basement....look for any water ingress and general build quality, insulation, signs of rodent infestation, etc.

Water quality on the waterfront can vary widely....is it swimmable? Shallow/deep? Can you get boat in there or will you need a mooring? Is it weedy or does it have the potential to be so?

Does it have a generator and does it work well? If not, get one! Big storms can be keep the power off for a week or more. The more rural you are, the lower down on the priority list you are for getting the lights back on.

Great and very helpful post - thanks!

I admit I didn't think about water quantity. But I'll give the well a work-out.

I don't remember seeing a generator. If the house doesn't have one, it will be very high on our list. Also high will be a wood-burning stove. My sister - in Vermont, near the Canadian border - has a pellet stove that she swears by, so that's a possibility. And a snow blower. Hell, I need a snow shovel - I threw away the old plastic one I had. Figured a plastic shovel just wouldn't cut it in Maine.

I'll be searching the Maine forum for some of these topics. Love this forum!

Originally Posted by bangorme

Are you paying this agent, or is he paid out of the seller's proceeds?

He's being paid out of the seller's proceeds.

[broadbill]

Originally Posted by WhoFanMe

The water quality that GreenGene is referring to is the drinking water, not the recreational water. He is quoting out of Paragraph 12 of the Maine Association of REALTORS Purchase and Sale Agreement. I'd also test the water quantity, perhaps you omitted that.

If you've signed an agreement for representation, I would imagine the agent will be present, as may the seller's agent for part or all of it. The information gathered at the inspection will then be used to negotiate repairs or seller concessions going forward and your agent should witness it first hand.

I know what kind of water GreenGene was talking about, but since the OP mentioned it was waterfront, they should be aware of what kind they are buying into. It may look great in the pictures (As you know, ALL realtors strive to put properties in their best light) but you want to make sure its as nice as in the pictures. Waterfront isn't all the same, although it would seem that way based on the box that gets checked on the MLS website.

[WhoFanMe]

Understood, but the OP was reading and paraphrasing paragraph 12 of the Purchase and Sale Agreement.

A feature of the property is not to be negotiated during the building inspection, which is designed to bring up safety hazards and code violations not previously disclosed by the seller. Trying to get a lower price because you change your mind about a cosmetic item or feature that should have been taken into account in the previous negotiation is a mistake that some buyers and buyers agents make quite often.

REALTORS hired by the seller are charged with putting the seller's property in the best light and to get the best price and terms for their seller client. REALTORS hired by the buyer are charged with making sure the buyer has as many facts as possible and then helping to negotiate the best price and terms for their buyer client.

[maineborzoi]

I'm just popping in here to say an early Welcome to Maine! We made the 'escape" from outside Northern Virginia as wel in late August. ( just a few weeks ago).
All I can say is- you are going to love it !

[GreenGene]

Originally Posted by broadbill

Waterfront isn't all the same, although it would seem that way based on the box that gets checked on the MLS website.

We used the Maine listings website a LOT in searching for places, and their definition of "waterfront" doesn't match mine. To me, waterfront means that some part of the land that you own (and only you own it) touches a body of water. I wasn't interested in right-of-way shared waterfront, but those properties came right up anyway when I limited the search to "waterfront."

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by GreenGene

We used the Maine listings website a LOT in searching for places, and their definition of "waterfront" doesn't match mine. To me, waterfront means that some part of the land that you own (and only you own it) touches a body of water. I wasn't interested in right-of-way shared waterfront, but those properties came right up anyway when I limited the search to "waterfront."

When I was shopping, I looked at a number of parcels that had listed 'waterfront', I was very disappointed with a few of them.

I remember one property where I walked the property-line, and I could not find any hint of water frontage. I called the selling realtor and asked about the water frontage. She told me that she had never stepped foot on the property, so she had no idea where the water frontage was.

During my search for land in Maine, I encountered that attitude a number of times.

I have 1/4 mile of river frontage here on our land. You are welcome to see it if you want to.