Eat Me
join:2002-09-25
Sussex, NJ
 ·PenTeleData
 ·Future Nine Corpor..
·VOIPo
·Vonage
| reply to nunya
Re: Know when to run!
A couple more:
- Underground oil tanks. Especially in this state. The cleanup costs thousands if they leak. Underground gas tanks are fine.
- Major septic tank problems (if the house has a septic tank). We backed out of a house because the septic tank had a big leak. No regrets. |
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Jon
Premium
join:2001-01-20
Lisle, IL
1 edit | reply to scooper
said by scooper  :If YOUR inspector said my house will need a new roof in a couple years , and you say "I want a new roof" - I just raised the price of my house by $10,000 (the price of a new roof) (I have A LARGE amount of roof). Similarly for anything else - if what's there right now is working fine, and you're asking for new - you just raised the price by the cost of the replacement item. If this is not acceptable to you - then we will not be making a deal. The appraisal you get before you put it on the market should account for that stuff.
People don't want to buy a house they immediately have to dump 5, 10 or 20k into. So you're gonna take a house that already needs major repairs and raise the price because of it? Yeah, good luck with that. I'll sell you my car for blue book. But if you actually want it to have a transmission, it's gonna cost you double. 
When we bought our current house, we got the seller to throw in a small credit because it needed a new furnace. Probably would have bought it anyway but it's the just the right thing to do. |
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mattmag
Premium,ExMod 2000-03
join:2000-04-09
NW Illinois
clubs:
 ·Mediacom
| reply to nunya
said by nunya :Well. It was a good idea anyway. Yes it was.
Too bad folks don't actually read what you posted, and instead ruin a potentially useful thread of information... |
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Jon
Premium
join:2001-01-20
Lisle, IL
| said by mattmag :said by nunya :Well. It was a good idea anyway. Yes it was. Too bad folks don't actually read what you posted, and instead ruin a potentially useful thread of information... It needs to be based more on fact than opinion though.
Just because he doesn't like aluminum wire, doesn't mean there aren't others out out there that swear by it. They don't use it around here so I've had no experience with it. But don't just say it's bad. Why? post some facts that shows why it's worse than copper.
Water? I think you'd be hard pressed to find a house with a basement that hasn't gotten water at some point. Especially if it's a 40 or 50+ year old house. Sump pumps fail, power goes out etc... No one will ever disclose it anyway, I don't care what the law is. We get water when we get really heavy rain in a short period. It's in an unfinished, concrete laundry room. It doesn't do really any damage.
"An inspector is never going to say "don't buy this house""
I totally disagree with this statement. The inspector we've used many times in the passed has said to us, "I wouldn't buy it". We walked away. |
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Killa200
Premium
join:2005-12-02
Spring City, TN
·AT&T Southeast
| said by Jon :said by mattmag :said by nunya :Well. It was a good idea anyway. Yes it was. Too bad folks don't actually read what you posted, and instead ruin a potentially useful thread of information... It needs to be based more on fact than opinion though. Just because he doesn't like aluminum wire, doesn't mean there aren't others out out there that swear by it. They don't use it around here so I've had no experience with it. But don't just say it's bad. Why? post some facts that shows why it's worse than copper. Some facts... like its banned for use in anything besides service entrance or large load appliance situations due to safety concerns? |
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Matt
Take me down to the paradise city
Premium
join:2003-07-20
Jamestown, NC
·North State Commun..
| reply to nunya
said by nunya :Well. It was a good idea anyway. No kidding. I'm going to be buying a property soon and I was like, "Man, what an awesome thread!" I didn't know to look for a single thing in your list. I hope the thread gets back on track.
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trafficcloak.com - pptp/sstp vpn services |
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Loco
Premium
join:2002-11-09
So Cal | reply to nunya
Just run, baby ! |
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Killa200
Premium
join:2005-12-02
Spring City, TN
·AT&T Southeast
| reply to nunya
Before someone notes it, i should have been more specific with my "banned in branch circuits" comment. '05 code dictates its banned unless its anything but alloy aluminum.
310-14 Aluminum Conductor Material. Solid aluminum conductors 8, 10, and 12 AWG shall be made of an AA-8000 series electrical grade aluminum alloy conductor material. |
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bkjohnson
Premium
join:2002-05-22
Birmingham, AL
1 edit | reply to nunya
Some other things to think about-
Ongoing fees besides property taxes - are there fire dues, garbage pickup fees, library assessments, etc.? Is the house sewer or septic tank. If septic tank and sewer is available do you have to pay a sewer fee even if not connected? What about availability of high speed internet? Does the water supply have a good recommendation? What about schools? (Important for resale even if you have no students)
Edit - Is there good fire protection, & nearby hydrants? What about fire dues? Is the property in a flood plain? |
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Lazlow
join:2006-08-07
Saint Louis, MO
| reply to nunya
The words floodplain. Even if there has been no water there in thirty years, it will require a extra insurance rider on the mortgage. Then there is always the once a century flood that shows up (see St. Louis 2008 and the 100 or so condemned houses). |
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quatrix
Premium
join:2005-02-11
Davie, FL
| reply to nonymous
said by nonymous :Buyers are tending towards not nice people and when buying an older house then want everything just like new. You have a 6 year old heatpump not good enough we want new. The plumbing is 15 years old give us new. We are buying used and want eevrything new. My wife has been watching a lot of HGTV, and half the time when someone walks into a potential new home they say "oh, we definitely have to redo this carpet/tile/paint/whatever". When did everyone become so stuck-up and wasteful? If the floor was good enough for the previous owner, it's good enough for you. |
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Toadman
How do you like these Apples
join:2001-11-28
Medina, OH
| I don't know anyone in this market, except new construction, that would offer a guarantee on their used home. Every home sale is as-is. That is why so many, including myself, encourage buying or offering a home warranty through a 3rd party company. It encourages the sale of the home and as a new buyer, it takes care of that 20 yr old hot water tank that just sprung a leak.
It is some suggestions but keep in mind, each market is different, and each location is different. You can't spend $80,000 and expect the palace. |
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jeffhambone
Peace, through superior firepower
join:2002-02-02
Manassas, VA
·Comcast
| reply to Waterbug
said by Waterbug : (snip) Even though we were paying his fee, he was reluctant to say something was bad, because if he did and we backed out of the sale, no Realtor would recommend his services. Excellent point. I would not say never to use the inspector your agent recommends -- just realize there may be a subtle conflict of interest present if you do so.
I had an agent get annoyed with me because I wouldn't use the inspector she recommended, and the guy I did use found some hidden problems that prompted us to back out of the deal.
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Sarcasm is the Body's Natural Defense Against Stupidity |
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tschmidt
Premium,MVM
join:2000-11-12
Milford, NH
 ·Hollis Hosting
·Verizon Online DSL
·Fairpoint Communic..
| reply to nunya
Some comments on your list:
1) Here in NH is it not uncommon to have running water in old field stone basements. Not a problem unless you don't know about it.
2) Only applies to branch circuits. Utility and service entrance cable in most cases will be aluminum.
To add to the list:
1) Neighborhood and area. It is getting better, or getting worse.
2) Commuting distance to jobs.
3) If you have kids check out local schools
4) Property taxes.
5) Town administration. Some towns exert a lot of pressure on home owners. Building permits for even minor work. "Grass police" etc. The more rural you are the less intrusive government tends to be.
6) Flood, hurricane risk.
7) Chinese Drywall disaster.
8) Water and sewer vs well and septic. There are pros and cons of each. If you have well and septic find out where well, septic tank and leach field are and how often septic tank has been pumped. If possible get design documents for septic system.
9) Get documentation for any special features and user manuals for appliances. Being an engineer I've designed some purpose gear for our home. I'm going to have to leave documentation for new owners if and when we sell the home.
10) Has property been surveyed recently? If so get plot plan.
/tom |
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Jeffrey
too dark too early
Premium
join:2002-12-24
Dix Hills,NY
clubs:
·Optimum Online
 ·Verizon FIOS
·Vonage
·magicjack.com
| reply to nunya
said by nunya :I'll plant my seeds of wisdom. Great idea for a thread. I've been a homeowner for a year (well it will be a year on 11/12), and this is a nice thread idea.
said by nunya :4) Crappy neighbors. That 1980 Granada and pile of tires in the neighbors back yard is not going to magically disappear when you close on the property. This is a biggie that is sometimes overlooked. My wife and I looked for 2 and a half years before buying our home. Most of the time it just wasn't what we wanted, and a few times when we found a place that had a lot "right" with it, the neighbors were something less than desired. (On houses we liked, we'd take drive-bys at all hours and days. I'd take drive on weekdays, weeknights, weekend, Saturday nights, middle of the night, etc. Just to get an idea of what was going on.)
Did the same thing for the place we bought, and aside from the guy 1/2 an acre over with a loud dog on occasion, the neighbors are neat and quiet. The only thng I could have asked for was eye candy on the block (besides my wife), but can't have it all, can I. 
said by nunya :5) Always have a home inspection. An inspector is never going to say "don't buy this house". Read between the lines of the report. Some of the best advice, I believe. Some of the best $600 I ever spent was about this time a year ago when an engineer came and for 90 mins, checked every nook and cranny of the house. He sat down with me after the inspection, and said (without being biased one way or the other), "This is a good house", and then began to explain the expected items you'd see out of a well-maintained 27 year old house. Nothing structural at all, which was a biggie for me. Roof is good, basement is good and water-free. AC works well even though it's an older CAC system.
I was so impressed with the information I received the next day via e-mail (like a 50 page report abut every aspect of the house w/ photos), that in another 5-10 years I'm thinking about just hiring them to come back and do a report then. Not because we'd be selling, but just to get an idea of what might need our attention at that time.
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"Honesty may be the best policy, but it's important to remember that apparently, by elimination, dishonesty is the second-best policy." - George Carlin |
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Jon
Premium
join:2001-01-20
Lisle, IL
| reply to Killa200
said by Killa200 :Some facts... like its banned for use in anything besides service entrance or large load appliance situations due to safety concerns? Okay. Like I said, I've never seen it, but I'm not an electrician. Just think some of the statements are a little broad.
said by Lazlow :The words floodplain. Even if there has been no water there in thirty years, it will require a extra insurance rider on the mortgage. Then there is always the once a century flood that shows up (see St. Louis 2008 and the 100 or so condemned houses). My brothers house is in a floodplain (few hundred feet from a river). And yes, he knew that before he bought it. Probably had some water at some point in the 60 years since it was built. Seems fine though.  |
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scooper
join:2000-07-11
Youngsville, NC
| reply to Jon
said by Jon :said by scooper :If YOUR inspector said my house will need a new roof in a couple years , and you say "I want a new roof" - I just raised the price of my house by $10,000 (the price of a new roof) (I have A LARGE amount of roof). Similarly for anything else - if what's there right now is working fine, and you're asking for new - you just raised the price by the cost of the replacement item. If this is not acceptable to you - then we will not be making a deal. The appraisal you get before you put it on the market should account for that stuff. People don't want to buy a house they immediately have to dump 5, 10 or 20k into. So you're gonna take a house that already needs major repairs and raise the price because of it? Yeah, good luck with that. I'll sell you my car for blue book. But if you actually want it to have a transmission, it's gonna cost you double. When we bought our current house, we got the seller to throw in a small credit because it needed a new furnace. Probably would have bought it anyway but it's the just the right thing to do. The attitude has alot to do with it . If he is saying that just to get a new roof - I don't think so. OTOH - if the roof was less than 10 years (that's mine), and he came with that remark (we used 30 year shingles) - again - I don't think so. If he wants to negotiate about it - he'd better have a real reason. I'll be stacking up MY home inspectors report to his on requests / requirements like this. I KNOW my house needs new floors - heck, I'VE been wanting new floors since I moved in - that's something I'd be a bit more serious about.
Blanket off the cuff remarks just to draw a reaction will not win you any points with me. Serious discussion will be treated appropriately. You come combatative at me - you're going to get that and worse from me.
True story from my past - we were selling a condo in Northern Virgina (the first place we owned). The buyer had a home inspector come through, and there was this remark about "some paint on trim was "rough" , please fix" . No clue about where this "rough paint" was, and what it looked like. I told them I didn't see what they were talking about. Later - I did find it - about a 6 inch strip that about 5 minutes of sanding took care of. It was all in the presentation. |
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Lazlow
join:2006-08-07
Saint Louis, MO
| reply to Jon
Jon
The people that I specifically mentioned (above) had not seen serious water issues in over thirty years either, but then 2008 came along. After the houses were condemned (mold) they were forced to bring the entire house up to current codes (electrical, etc) instead of being grandfathered in. A significant portion of them could not afford to strip out everything(plumbing, electrical, etc) and replace it. So now those houses are just sitting and most of their owners have just moved on. |
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jrs8084
Premium
join:2002-03-02
Statesville, NC
·AT&T Southeast
| reply to nunya
Sickly/poorly placed/poorly maintained trees. Sure, a Willow looks great down by the creek, but not next to your house or over the septic tank.
And that Oak looks so stately-too bad it is being eaten from the inside out.
Don't get me wrong-I love trees. But, they don't stay up forever. So consider the quality/health/cost of maintenance when considering a property. |
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Jon
Premium
join:2001-01-20
Lisle, IL
| reply to scooper
said by scooper :Blanket off the cuff remarks just to draw a reaction will not win you any points with me. Serious discussion will be treated appropriately. You come combatative at me - you're going to get that and worse from me. You didn't get that specific in your other post. If it's a reasonable request, then you should be negotiable. If you have 20 years left on your roof then yes, that's not reasonable. If you only have a year or two left as the inspector said, then it's not reasonable to raise your price to cover replacement.
I wasn't being combative or trying to get a reaction. The way you phrased it was ridiculous. So no need to go all Internet tough guy on me. |
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