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We had our home inspection last Sunday - it's a 3bedroom 1.1 bath split level single family home built in 1957. The exterior of the home passed with flying colors - aside from some black stains on the roof that the inspector said is mold and excessive sealant on chimney flashings.
there were a lot of little things found in the interior of the house with the electrical and plumbing. The bigs things were a cracked window, missing window locks and .... Mold on the basement walls. Eeek! The house has a finished basement so it was not possible to see all the walls, but where the furnace and hot water heater was, the walls had some mold and on the concrete foundation wall and on another area of the basement that the inspector was able to see. There is a sump pump and french drains installed. There was water visible in the sump pump but the basement was completely dry and smelled just like the rest of the house.
I need some advice on what i should ask the sellers to fix. I came up with a list based on the inspection of everything that needs to be fixed. Should i just ask for everything?? I asked for a home warranty because the furnace and ac unit are at 15 years old.
Here's the list:
Complete home warranty including the heating and cooling system
Complete history of active roof leaks during occupancy including: a reason for excessive sealant on roof vent and chimney flashings; multiple water stains on roof sheathing and on the rafters
Fix broken windows and replace window locks
Repair damage to the brick mortar joints of chimney and install chimney cap
$1000 credit for replacing the insulation in the attic
Repair/replace the oven exhaust fan; Repair discharge hose from bathroom vent to attic – Qualified appliance repair
Complete indoor quality test for mold by environmental assessment contractor
Replace/clean all mold like substances in basement including the dry wall coverings and foundation walls
Evaluation of water seepage condition by water proofing contractor
Repair/replace corrosion on water supply piping and valves by licensed plumber
Repair/replace the leaking water supply shutoff valve by licensed plumber
Repair/replace drain pipes from kitchen sink, bathroom sink and tub by licensed plumber
Repair/replace corrugated flexible gas connector utilized by the dryer so that it conforms to typical plumbing standards – by licensed plumber
Records and warranty information for the drainage system
Install check valve on the discharge pipe of sump pump
Repair mortar around the exhaust vent pipe connection to the chimney
Remove and replace the electrical wire going through the foundation wall with one that utilizes a protective conduit – licensed electrician
Replace deteriorated insulation coverings on Romex type wires in the basement – licensed electrician
Agree with mumra.
Doesn't hurt to ask, you may get some.... but keep in mind that the house you are buying is over 50 years old. It is unrealistic to expect everything to be in perfect, brand new condition. If that is what you want, you should buy new construction.
Hi, when I sold my house recently (June of this year), the buyer asked for everything on the inspection to be fixed. I went back and said we would only repair a few items. The buyer came back and said basically EVERYTHING needs to be repaired/replaced, and by a licensed contractor.
At the end, we agreed considering if we didn't we might lose the buyer. After having a handy man help me out, the total cost to repair what looked to be a daunting list came up to about $1400.
So, keep that in mind, but you have to weigh the market for this house and whether it's a house that will have another buyer lined up, or if it will take the seller some time to find another buyer.
We were in a similar situation when we bought our house earlier this year, although our house did not have problems as severe as what you describe. Anyway, my advice would be to make a list of every single thing that is in need of repair. It never hurts to ask. Our sellers offered us a flat amount as a closing credit in lieu of making the repairs themselves.
The black staining on the roof isn't mold, it's algae. The inspector should know that.
What's wrong with the flexible gas connector used for the dryer?
This is what the report says about the gas connector:
[SIZE=2][SIZE=2][LEFT]A corrugated flexible gas connector utilized by the dryer is installed behind wall and is not entirely in the
same room as the appliance it services. This does not conform to typical plumbing standards. The
corrugated connector should not be installed through floors or walls and must been within the same room
as the appliance it is connected to. Recommend further evaluation and repairs as needed by a licensed[/LEFT]
plumber.
The black staining on the roof isn't mold, it's algae. The inspector should know that.
What's wrong with the flexible gas connector used for the dryer?
This is what it said about the black staining on the roof.
[SIZE=2][SIZE=2][LEFT]T he b lackened s tains
on th e r oof s urface is m old g rowth. M ost m anufacturer's w ill s tate t hat t he m old g rowth w ill n ot d amage th e
roof c overings. R ecommend c leaning th e r oof o ff w ith a m old ty pe c leaner w hich c an b e p urchased f rom[/LEFT]
most h ome im provement s tores.
[/SIZE][/SIZE]
Complete home warranty including the heating and cooling system SURE TRY
Complete history of active roof leaks during occupancy including: a reason for excessive sealant on roof vent and chimney flashings; multiple water stains on roof sheathing and on the rafters EH DON'T BOTHER
Fix broken windows and replace window locks YES
Repair damage to the brick mortar joints of chimney and install chimney cap DAMAGE PERHAPS, IT DOESN'T HAVE A CHIMNEY CAP?, THEN YES, RUSTY CHIMNEY CAP, NO
$1000 credit for replacing the insulation in the attic NO
Repair/replace the oven exhaust fan; Repair discharge hose from bathroom vent to attic – Qualified appliance repair YES
Complete indoor quality test for mold by environmental assessment contractor NO AND THINK TWICE BEFORE YOU DO THIS, SEE BELOW
Replace/clean all mold like substances in basement including the dry wall coverings and foundation walls EH. SEE BELOW
Evaluation of water seepage condition by water proofing contractor I THINK THIS IS SOMETHING YOU WANT TO DO IF YOU ARE REALLY INTERESTED IN THE HOUSE, SEE MY COMMENT BELOW
Repair/replace corrosion on water supply piping and valves by licensed plumber YES
Repair/replace the leaking water supply shutoff valve by licensed plumber YES
Repair/replace drain pipes from kitchen sink, bathroom sink and tub by licensed plumber WHY?
Repair/replace corrugated flexible gas connector utilized by the dryer so that it conforms to typical plumbing standards – by licensed plumber YES
Records and warranty information for the drainage system WHY NOT TRY
Install check valve on the discharge pipe of sump pump YES
Repair mortar around the exhaust vent pipe connection to the chimney SURE, TRY
Remove and replace the electrical wire going through the foundation wall with one that utilizes a protective conduit – licensed electrician YES
Replace deteriorated insulation coverings on Romex type wires in the basement – licensed electrician YES
I wrote what I thought above, (in annoying Caps, sorry, just to make it look different than what you wrote.)
The things that I wrote Yes on would be must haves, the others would be sure, try it and see what happens.
The only thing I am iffy on is the part about the waterproofing contractor evaluation. If you are really concerned that there is a water problem in the basement, then you should hire your own inspector to make an evaluation to help you decide if you really want to buy this house or not. Why are you going to trust someone they hired? It's not worth it.
Another idea is to get your own estimates on what it would take to further waterproof the basement and then adjust your offer price accordingly. You don't want them getting some bozo to come in the slap some waterproofing paint on the walls and calling it a day.
Example, one time we were buying a house that had a foundation issue. I didn't ask the sellers to hire a structural engineer to evaluate, I hired one (turned out to be nothing).
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