Reality Check - The Inspection

The inspection went pretty well overall, but wow, are there some things to consider! Nothing that would make me run away from the house screaming, but issues that Christine and I noted when we first went through that are much more extensive than we recognized.

Harvey Sancousy did the inspection, and we had John do the radon, Anne do the lead paint, and ServicePro do the termite inspections. It was busy! At the end of the inspection a roofer and an electrician came by to give estimates of costs to repair and upgrade as well.

Turns out there is some fairly extensive historical termite damage along the sill, joists, and rim joist that can be seen from the basement. Termites have eaten through the old staircase to the basement and from the back porch outside, which have been repaired, but damage still remains. The screened-in porch also has had extensive damage in the supports, and the porch is pulling away from the building, probably because of settling, maybe caused by the munching termites.

Although some of the roof has been repaired, the rest of it is in bad shape. I was hoping I could get some more life out of the roof before I had to replace it, but looks like this and repairing the termite damage is my top priority. So there were sections of the roof over the back porch that you could see daylight through! Pretty bad!

There go the finished hardwood floors and wallpaper removal! No problem - plan B: I'll do the wallpaper myself after we move in (its practically all peeling off anyway), room by room, and the floors will come later. Not a bad option since I plan on doing work in the house anyway, and the floors could just get damaged.

What else? Oh yes - some of the plumbing fixtures don't work. I have to get a plumber in to take a look at that issue, and I'm already looking for someone to come in a re-glaze the bathtub - its is pretty bad, and its the only tub/shower. Since I won't be doing that bathroom for a year or so, its a priority. The babies need a clean bath to clean their tushies in!!

Oh, another thing that needs attention right away - the first floor bathroom floor. The floor is saturated and warped, and the linoleum tiles are peeling from years of bad aim, so to speak. The smell of urine in the bathroom is unmistakable, and it needs to be addressed right away. Yea! My first tiling job! I've always wanted to try it, and this is a small space so a good first place to learn.

There are some other, issues too, like wiring and outlets that needs to be updated and made safe (like outlets in the kitchen and bathrooms - they are ungrounded and too close to water sources).

But I feel really good about my House Team! Dad was at the inspection and it was really great to get his thoughts on the house. Between Christine and Harvey I think the inspection was thorough. We had to keep Harvey and Dad on track so a debate about cap and trade didn't ensue, but that was minor! :)

The roofer did a a great inspection and already got me a quote, and the electrician was very flexible in prioritizing the work based on what is essential to have done, and what the cost will be.

So now I go back to the owner with a request to lower the price based on the extensiveness of the termite damage, the roof repairs needed, and probably the plumbing that doesn't work. Also the chimney needs to be mortered. Oh yeah - there is lead paint on almost every painted surface - but that was to be expected. We'll see where we get with owner negotiations, and I will keep you posted!