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Old 05-11-2008, 11:14 AM
 
Location: Aurora, Colorado
62 posts, read 315,306 times
Reputation: 44

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I'm hoping that I could get a little advice from everyone here on the forum with my new issue.

I'm buying a foreclosed town house thats just been de winterized. I had the inspector come out to take a look at the place I'm under contract to buy on last saturday ... it had a lot of easily fixable issues but 3 big ones.
1. The gas fire place doesnt work. It turns off after a few seconds which I could live with except for the other two issues which the inspector said are pretty big ones.
2. There is a new hot water heater but no hot water. The bank may fix this but its up in the air.
3. There is a water pressure issue, the water dribbles from the shower heads and tub in both bathrooms and the toilets take a long time to fill. The bank isnt going to fix that.

It has new paint, appliances and carpet and I'm wondering if it was prettied up in hopes of a fast sale? Are these all pretty big red flags? I'm starting to think that maybe this isnt the good buy it seemed and would love for some input. Thank you so much everyone!
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Old 05-11-2008, 11:23 AM
 
Location: Kauai
649 posts, read 3,436,134 times
Reputation: 473
Both of your big issues are fixable. A water-heater mechanic should be able to figure out why the heater isn't working, perhaps it was installed incorrectly. If it's new it might be under warranty. Is the water flowing through it but not being heated?

We fixed poor water pressure by installing a pressure tank (a new well pump also helped some). Is it on city water or a well?

You could get quotes on the cost of fixing those issues and ask for price concessions.

Or just find a better house, perhaps one with better fundamentals but more cosmetic issues that can be repaired more easily.
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Old 05-11-2008, 11:23 AM
 
Location: Melbourne, FL
1,007 posts, read 5,648,560 times
Reputation: 639
Why don't you hire a handyman/contractor to look at the issues for your costs? They may be easily repaired. The fireplace could be that the gas lines need to be blead/bleed (sp?) or maybe the thermocouple to be replaced. No hot water? Is the electric or gas on? If gas on, is pilot lit? Many home inspectors cannot or not allowed to light the pilot light. I'm also assuming they checked the screens in the faucet and shower heads to make sure it wasn't clogged. How old is the home? What type of water pipes does this home have? Galvanized would be a larger issue. What did the inspector say?
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Old 05-11-2008, 11:36 AM
 
Location: Aurora, Colorado
62 posts, read 315,306 times
Reputation: 44
Its a townhouse on city water
The pipes are copper
I'm not sure if the water is flowing through the heater.
The pilot light was on on the heater.
The screens weren't clogged.
It was built in 1982 and has copper pipes.
The inspector said that there were sevral people he could suggest if I want to get the issues fixed and suggested I also check with the hoa since they control the water to see if theres a flow regulator at the main?
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Old 05-11-2008, 11:44 AM
 
Location: Melbourne, FL
1,007 posts, read 5,648,560 times
Reputation: 639
Ok then, it sounds like the best soluition is to get a contractor in to identify what it would cost or if it is a larger problem than meets the eye. Sometimes forclosures can be empty for sometime and I would definately call the hoa (find out if their are any pending assessments as well and if they have money to repair items in the development).. perhaps go knock on doors of neighbors to see if they too have problems. You can find out all sorts of details from the neighbors. Good luck.
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Old 05-11-2008, 01:48 PM
 
28,107 posts, read 63,405,895 times
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Sounds like something that can be taken care of in less than a day...

To me, major problems would be a failed foundation, extensive mold from prolonged water leaks or extensive structural damage from termites...

Anything that can be fixed in a couple of hours is something I would classify as a maintenance issue...

Someone will need to verify that the gas valve and water valves are open and then verify flow...

It is very easy with today's water-saver faucets for the smallest piece of rust or scale to create flow problems... Disassembling the facets and flushing the lines should restore pressure.

My brother called in a panic a few years ago on a sale he had that was in jeopardy of falling through because the furnace wouldn't work. The home was being sold to settle an estate and had been vacant for about a year...

I found that a single spider had set up home inside the gas jet orifice preventing gas flow to the main burner... I had the furnace repaired in less than 15 minutes and the sale closed the next day...
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Old 05-11-2008, 02:18 PM
 
Location: Salem, OR
15,498 posts, read 40,201,810 times
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I agree with ultrarunner, that those are not significant problems in my opinion. It doesn't mean that you don't need to ask the bank to fix them, but the siding isn't falling off, the roof is not leaking, etc. These are issues that can be taken care of relatively easily.

Gas fireplaces need to be cleaned regularly. You may have a clog or something that isn't allowing the gas to flow properly.

Since the house was winterized it is possible that the pilot was off for a while, and maybe restarted for the inspection.

The water pressure may be a bigger deal, since the water main may be the problem, but that is what contractor's are for. You can install water booster pumps (not sure of their exact name), but they are a device you can install in your home to give you better flow. Sometimes homes that sit at the end of a city water line, can have flow problems and I think they are used in those types of situations. Clearly, not an expert on those things. I have no idea how much they cost either.
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Old 05-11-2008, 02:34 PM
 
Location: Aurora, Colorado
62 posts, read 315,306 times
Reputation: 44
Thank you everyone! Its my first house so when i started researching about the report everything seemed so overwhelmingly bad. Tomorrow I'll start looking for a contractor to get estimates. Everyones words here really helped me get a handle on the next step.
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Old 05-11-2008, 02:34 PM
 
1,489 posts, read 5,677,740 times
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Is the water turned on? Maybe the main valve hasn't been opened all the way. It sounds like these issues aren't very major in any case. I'd just have a handyman check them out.
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Old 05-11-2008, 03:32 PM
 
Location: Knoxville
4,705 posts, read 25,193,519 times
Reputation: 6129
I agree with the others.

If the pilot was on, but the burner didn't kick in, it could be...
1. Control was still set to "pilot" and not "on".
2. Bad control unit
3. Could be spider web clogging feed, but if pilot is going, maybe not.

Low water flow.
Did the inspector check the pressure? How about the flow out of an exterior hose faucet?

It could also be the main water valve is not all the way open, or the inside of the valve is broken not allowing it to open fully (is not real common, but does happen from time to time).

You might want to knock on one of the adjoining units and ask them about their water flow. If theirs is bad too, then you know it's likely a widespread problem. If not, then it's isolated to this unit, and probably a fixable thing.

The gas fireplace and the water heater are really non-issues. Both are easily replaced (water heater has a limited life span anyway). The water flow issue, if not resolved, would be a pain in the butt, and may be THE ISSUE.
Good luck
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