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I bought a bad house. I shouldn't have. I didn't want to buy it because of traffic noise which I hate 7 months later more than I realized I could ever hate traffic noise. But in order to make my wife happy I bought the house and now I am miserable. The inspection came back good for it's age. I picked my own inspection firm that had many years experience and came with good reviews. They sent me a rookie (I didn't realize he was a rookie). He missed termites, he missed floors that have minor sag, he missed rot on the side of the house requiring siding replacement, he said the deck was sound (I have already replaced the entire deck staircase), he said no major issues and he told me things were normal that turned out not to be. So this house that I knew needed work needs a lot more work than I thought and may even have structural problems.
So.. I got the inspection firm to admit they screwed up and pay for termite treatment only stating they were only liable for the cost of the inspection so they are going above and beyond and that ended our relationship.
My question is this.. should I bring in a structural engineer, or another inspector to check out things like the floors and foundation to make sure there isn't something I should be concerned about and pay to get things fixed or should I cut my loses, put in on the market as a fixer and get out.
I am pretty unhappy in the house because of it's issues, but also hate the layout. My wife likes the house and loves the property.
Resolve it quick...I would lean toward getting rid of the house depending on your financial situation. You can fix everything but will never be able to fix the traffic which is your biggest gripe. You are not happy,but your wife is. The longer you stay unhappy because of the house the more risk you run of that leaching into your relationship until one day you have neither the house or a wife.
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So.. I got the inspection firm to admit they screwed up and pay for termite treatment only stating they were only liable for the cost of the inspection so they are going above and beyond and that ended our relationship.
My question is this.. should I bring in a structural engineer, or another inspector to check out things like the floors and foundation to make sure there isn't something I should be concerned about and pay to get things fixed or should I cut my loses, put in on the market as a fixer and get out.
I am pretty unhappy in the house because of it's issues, but also hate the layout. My wife likes the house and loves the property.
What do you guys think?
Definitely bring in another inspector. See if this inspector discovers any more problems. You need a total picture before you can decide your next step.
Your wife may like the house, but if you are going to have to sink vacations for the next five years into jacking up the foundation, you will need to talk it over to see what makes sense.
There are lots of people of this forum (and frankly the interwebs in general) that seem to misunderstand what having a pre-purchase inspection does. It does not not guarantee a "perfect" home. It does not make long unaddressed defects magically pop into focus. It does not substitute for common sense.
In parts of the country where wood damaging insects are an issue it makes sense to get a specialist to assess what if any damage the home you are considering may have. Things like decks are notorious for how quickly they can go for "ok" to "not safe" in areas where wood damaging insects are active...
I feel bad for the OP and the situation they are in. They did not say how many other homes they saw, what sorts of price pressure their area is facing, what sorts of time constraints they may have faced. Rarely do couples COMPLETELY agree on what is perfect, but neither should they have a "I hate it more than I ever realized I would" situation....
My advice is to STEP BACK. Why is this a "bad house"? I get the traffic noise, but I also can be pretty sure that a similar home in a quieter area is going to cost more. Are you willing to spend more to stay in this area in a quieter home of similar charm? Will your spouse agree to live in a less charming home? Did you maybe overlook someplace that is further out? Fill in some of the details about what happens to the longer term ability to live someplace if they "cut their losses". Do they extra cash? Has the home appreciated in value? Does it make sense to sell at loss?
What happens to their relationship? Why did they not have more thorough discussion 7 months ago? Any other stress? Kids? Work? School? Debt? Never good to let pressure build up...
What happens if they go through the hassle of tracking down a licensed Professional Engineer that will assess the condition of a residence and after paying the fees that are often tens of thousand dollars the report say "condition is typical for a home of this age and no immediate structural defects are apparent however the relative damage that may be beyond the scope of non-destructive testing prevents us from warranting any specific lifespan." Would they sleep better? Would they hire a professional contractor to dismantle and reconstruct the home to eliminate "minor sag"? Would any buyer care?
He missed termites, he missed floors that have minor sag, he missed rot on the side of the house requiring siding replacement, he said the deck was sound (I have already replaced the entire deck staircase), he said no major issues and he told me things were normal that turned out not to be. So this house that I knew needed work needs a lot more work than I thought and may even have structural problems.
I've lived in many houses with a minor sag. Its no big deal to me. All the dog toys rolled to one side of the room so it was kinda nice.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Zarick
My question is this.. should I bring in a structural engineer, or another inspector to check out things like the floors and foundation to make sure there isn't something I should be concerned about and pay to get things fixed or should I cut my loses, put in on the market as a fixer and get out.
Structural engineer? Typically not. If its a dip, you might want to have a construction guy come over and add a pole to the basement where the dip is. $50 in materials.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Zarick
I am pretty unhappy in the house because of it's issues, but also hate the layout. My wife likes the house and loves the property.
Fixing things in a used house is very normal. You will ALWAYS need to fix things. Every homeowner does.
No house is perfect and nothing else in this world either. If it were me, I would simply learn to accept it.
I've lived in many houses with a minor sag. Its no big deal to me. All the dog toys rolled to one side of the room so it was kinda nice.
Structural engineer? Typically not. If its a dip, you might want to have a construction guy come over and add a pole to the basement where the dip is. $50 in materials.
Fixing things in a used house is very normal. You will ALWAYS need to fix things. Every homeowner does.
No house is perfect and nothing else in this world either. If it were me, I would simply learn to accept it.
It's more than a single dip that's why I am concerned. Engineers typically Charge $450 for an eval and since they aren't trying to sell you a job they are usually pretty blunt.
It's more than a single dip that's why I am concerned. Engineers typically Charge $450 for an eval and since they aren't trying to sell you a job they are usually pretty blunt.
What is the purpose of the Engineer coming? What do you stand to gain/learn? If you learn about a bunch of big problems now you have to disclose them if you want to sell it....Are you going to fix it? Then what, you still have the noise and you still hate the house.
Address the marital issue first. Then decide rationally with your wife what to do about it. Learning everything bad about a house after you own it, when there is nobody responsible for your problems but yourself is only a good idea if you intend to stay in it forever.
What is the purpose of the Engineer coming? What do you stand to gain/learn? If you learn about a bunch of big problems now you have to disclose them if you want to sell it....Are you going to fix it? Then what, you still have the noise and you still hate the house.
Address the marital issue first. Then decide rationally with your wife what to do about it. Learning everything bad about a house after you own it, when there is nobody responsible for your problems but yourself is only a good idea if you intend to stay in it forever.
I guess that is what I wondering.. I can't fix it right now, but it bugs me. I wondered about the disclosing.. being a non expert I feel like there is problems, but don't know there is for sure. So maybe ignorance is bliss? I worry about putting it on the market and a GOOD inspector comes in, decides these are real issues.
As for finding something better.. dunno. We looked for a long time before giving up and just buying something because we needed space.
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