Don’t Fall in Love with the House Before Knowing What’s Under the Floorboards and Shingles
I figured out how much I could afford, and where I wanted to look and began my search. After several months, I found a 100-plus year old house in a historic town that I thought would be perfect for me. It needed a bit of updating, but I was up for the challenge. Little did I realize what a challenge I had on my hands.
Now I always considered myself to be thorough and didn’t think I would be any different with this purchase – the largest of my life. Of course I knew I had to have it inspected, I had bought a house before. And, with that age of a house, I expected problems. But because I had fallen in love with it, I shut out that little voice in my gut and cut corners and made concessions so I could get in to the house of my dreams.
Granted, the seller paid for some very large fixes. The house was sliding off its foundation and she had to shell out nearly $15,000 to have it stabilized. Now, said the structural engineer, it was better than new. At least that part of it.
The other problems the inspector found were nails missing and popping from the metal roof – just have someone climb up and hammer them back in a replace the missing ones, he said.
The outlets in several rooms weren’t grounded – get the electrician to ground them, he said.
The bathroom sink backed up into the kitchen sink and neither would drain – get a plumber to fix it, he said.
Add a rail to the back stairs, fix the door that was jamming and a few other minor repairs, he said.
The seller agreed to the fixes and all I had to do was sit back and wait. On the day of the closing, I did the final walk through. Things looked fine. I closed and after some remodeling, moved in two weeks later.
But problems started creeping up. Problems that I should’ve had rechecked after the “repairs” and problems that the inspector should’ve found (like ducts that were even connected to the vents)
I learned the hard way to be diligent during and after the inspection process. Some things I learned:
1. Be present during the inspection. Don’t think you’re bugging the inspector by following him around. You’ll be living in that house for a very long time and if something’s wrong, you want to know.
2. Ask questions. Lots of them. If you don’t understand what a ground fault interrupter is and why you should have one in the bathrooms and kitchen, ask. Make the inspector explain his reasoning for having something fixed – or not fixed.
3. Take copious notes. My inspector was detailed with the report he gave me, but sometimes things can be missing that you talked about. When you receive the report, compare it with your notes. If something looks different, or is missing, find out why.
4. When asking the seller for repairs, make sure you demand that the repairs be done by a licensed tradesperson. Whether it be a plumber, roofer, electrician or handyman. I had a knowledgeable realtor who saved me $1,300 by writing into the contract that repairs to the plumbing be done by a licensed plumber. Seems the seller had her plumber do a quick fix on the drain issue – which turned into a a very serious plumbing issue – because she didn’t want to pay to have it done correctly. When the problem popped back up after three weeks in the house, my plumber told me it would cost $1,300 to have it done right. After some investigation, it was discovered she had used a handyman to fix the plumbing. Not a licensed plumber she had agreed to in the contract.
That one point was enough for her to come back and make the repairs, even after the house had been closed on. If she had refused, I could’ve taken her to court and made her pay for the repairs since she had signed the contract.
5. Ask for copies of all statements and invoices of the repairs be given to you several days in advance of closing. In most situations, a final walkthrough is done the day of closing and you are given these documents – if you are given them at all – during closing. You don’t have the time to look through them all. Once you get the documents, inspect them closely. Make sure everything was done correctly and if you still aren’t sure – get another inspection if there is time.
I didn’t ask for a certified roofer to fix the roof. The seller said “someone” fixed it, but didn’t have the documentation. The first big rainstorm came up, the roof leaked and it ended up with me paying $600 in repairs because her “someone” didn’t actually fix anything. Nails were still missing and the rain was coming in through those holes.
6. Buy or ask for the Homeowner’s Warranty. That s saved me untold dollars to have an HVAC repairman come out and reconnect all the ductwork.
Don’t put yourself on a timeline to get in to that house you have fallen in love with. I started hating it within a month, questioning my decision to buy it, since it seemed everything was going wrong, from top to bottom.
Everything is fixed now (knock on wood) but I’m not saving that $300 a month I thought I would. Because of repairs and renovations and my haste to start a new life, I’m back where I started. But I love this old house now. She’s mine and she’s been a pain in my neck, but she’s keeping me cool and dry and comfortable. And I’m building equity and memories. Some of those memories I will take with me next time if I decide to buy a house.
