Real estate General topic

[WinterDeere]

I did a big move about a dozen years ago, but only 30 minutes between old and new properties. I did thin the boneyard a good bit, trash or scrap, but probably brought 75% of it with me.

Remember, new house means new projects, so you're going to accumulate a whole new batch of random off-cuts of everything from flooring to plumbing to odd bits of steel and aluminum.

 

[ultrarunner]

Last time I sold scrap the steel turnings fetched penny a pound

Brass radiators and aluminum turnings always pay well.

Batteries auto size were $2 each.

 

[paulsharvey]

We may have hit a snag, that I'd been kinda worried about from the start. The dang porches. Home Inspector didn't raise any red flags, but the appraisal did come in, and ID the porches, as attached to the home, and "additions or structural modifications must be made subject to a satisfactory inspection report by a state agency or 3rd party regulated by the state".

Wife told me to quit worrying, it may not be an issue, since there is the home inspection report. We will see.

 

[ericm979]

I don't know about Florida but in many states home inspectors are regulated by the state.

 

[plowhog]

I don't know about Florida but in many states home inspectors are regulated by the state.

Oddly enough, if you can believe it, home inspectors are not required to be licensed in CA. Somehow the "land of regulation nation" has overlooked this.

I learned this when a would-be scammer home inspector, working in tandem with the buyer, was brought in to the sale of my residence in CA. He tried to collude with the buyer to find a lot of false problems which did not exist. Wrote nearly a 100 page report on the house. Buyer demanded a $50k price reduction due to "all the problems with the house." Notable was pool needed total resurfacing and HVAC was death hazard due to cracked heat exchanger and carbon monoxide risk.

I brought my own inspectors in for roof, pool, HVAC, and more. Everything checked out fine except there was a minor roof repair ($400) to some flashing. I told the buyer to pay the agreed price or lose the beautiful home he had in escrow. He chose to close escrow at the agreed price. If I was not meticulous about home maintenance and a licensed RE broker I may likely have been scammed .....

 

[ultrarunner]

Oddly enough, if you can believe it, home inspectors are not required to be licensed in CA. Somehow the "land of regulation nation" has overlooked this.

I learned this when a would-be scammer home inspector, working in tandem with the buyer, was brought in to the sale of my residence in CA. He tried to collude with the buyer to find a lot of false problems which did not exist. Wrote nearly a 100 page report on the house. Buyer demanded a $50k price reduction due to "all the problems with the house." Notable was pool needed total resurfacing and HVAC was death hazard due to cracked heat exchanger and carbon monoxide risk.

I brought my own inspectors in for roof, pool, HVAC, and more. Everything checked out fine except there was a minor roof repair ($400) to some flashing. I told the buyer to pay the agreed price or lose the beautiful home he had in escrow. He chose to close escrow at the agreed price. If I was not meticulous about home maintenance and a licensed RE broker I may likely have been scammed .....

Inspection is often a sophisticated negotiating tool against the unsophisticated…

Advertised an old 3 unit building and accepted an offer and the the buyers demanded a 25% price reduction for illegal unit???

I said no and moved on to the backup and then get a demand letter for reimbursement of 10k inspection and due diligence fees and I laugh.

The backup buyer went to city and pulled permit to go from 1942 master meter gas and electric to individual meters and no problem plus added a house meter.

1942 Wartime construction was different… materials were in short supply and need for housing critical.

Just because 3 units shared one gas and one electric meter the first buyers assumed bootlegged units and false advertising and then demanded payment under threat of lawsuit…

 

[WinterDeere]

I don't know about Florida but in many states home inspectors are regulated by the state.

One of the few businesses my father owned was home inspection, and I remember him saying repeatedly that most home inspectors in our state weren't qualified to inspect a cardboard box.

He was a PE in 13 states, and also owned an engineering firm, so I always wondered if his expectations were just too high. His primary engineering business did mostly commercial plant engineering (chemical plants, factories, prisons, police stations, recycling plants), but also occasional larger residential projects.

Then I got into home buying myself, and had the same experience. Each of our home inspectors missed obvious and larger issues, and fretted endlessly about small crap that didn't matter.

 

[ultrarunner]

I have not had an independent inspection in decades...

Either the deal pencils out for me or not.

Last 3 had no inspections at all other than my walk through and no unexpected issues.

 

[paulsharvey]

I have not had an independent inspection in decades...

Either the deal pencils out for me or not.

Last 3 had no inspections at all other than my walk through and no unexpected issues.

We have to for insurance (4 point inspection, MEPs and Roof) as well as the mortgage.

I do agree they focused on things that frankly aren't a big deal to anyone with any ability; washing machine drain hose, toilet shut offs, ect.

 

[paulsharvey]

I say minor things; bit actually I've seen some pretty extensive water damage in apartments from leaking washing machine supply lines, as well as plugged AC condensate lines.

 

[plowhog]

I've seen some pretty extensive water damage in apartments from leaking washing machine supply lines

There was a class action lawsuit against Watts over this. They sold rubber supply hoses for washing machines, with a phony metal braid that was apparently ornamental only.

Lots of those failed and caused extensive damage. Ask me how I know.

 

[ultrarunner]

We have to for insurance (4 point inspection, MEPs and Roof) as well as the mortgage.

I do agree they focused on things that frankly aren't a big deal to anyone with any ability; washing machine drain hose, toilet shut offs, ect.

Not to mislead as my last home purchase 2017...

Structural Pest Control is most common and lenders will ask for copies of all reports... no reports then nothing to copy.

I bought second to last purchase knowing time to replace shake roof...

The week I closed roof was replaced but outside of escrow.

When insurance arrived for spot inspection U had brand new permitted roof.

 

[paulsharvey]

I could have had many other things inspected if I wanted; well, septic, general home inspection, ect. The way I see it, yes, some problems could always come up, but given the age and general condition, no need. Also, I fully plan on dealing with things as they come up.

The general opinion of people (outside the business of doing it, but construction folks), septic tank inspections are expensive and really not worth anything. Well inspection, it's not like they are pulling pump and down pipe anyways, so I belive it's a general condition of pressure tank, and pressure switch, is about all you get for that; and it costs as much as just replacing the tank yourself.

For folks that are going to hire replacing light fixtures or sinks, ect, inspections are probably worth a few grand.

 

[Jstpssng]

, septic tank inspections are expensive and really not worth anything

There's always an exception. My sister was looking at a house which turned into an ordeal, as the owners were a PITA. It was just down the road from her daughter though so they put up with more than they normally would. They finally signed the sales agreement but in the course of inspections found that the tank hadn't been pumped in 18 years. That wasn't necessarily a deal breaker except that it also determined that the tank was installed backwards.
HITF do you put a tank in backwards? Even I know that s--- won't flow uphill.

 

[paulsharvey]

What I was meaning, the Tank is rarely the issue, anything installed in last 20 something years should be 100% fine; the drain field is normally the issue, that that isn't inspected.

Ad far as pumping, there is some really varying opinions. I've heard pump every 2-3 years as maintenance, to a properly function system should never need pumped, and that pumping can create issues were there wasn't any before.

 

[paulsharvey]

What I've seen in very broad strokes; septic installers who Don't have a pump truck service, don't recommend it; guys that offer a pump truck service recommend routinely pumping. Can't say either side is exactly impartial. I do know that some of the commercial septic systems Require pumping as part of their DEP permit.

 

[WinterDeere]

We have to for insurance (4 point inspection, MEPs and Roof) as well as the mortgage.

I do agree they focused on things that frankly aren't a big deal to anyone with any ability; washing machine drain hose, toilet shut offs, ect.

Hey, since you mentioned washer hoses, just replace all washer and toilet hoses the day you move in. I know several people who've had their houses completely flooded by a busted washing machine or toilet hose.

I remember finding a statistic back in the 1990's, that the probability of washing machine hose failure really shot up after 7 years, so I used to just replace them every 5th year. Easy, 2020, 2025, 2030, etc. Then they started putting soft hoses on the live side of every damn sink faucet, and it became a lost cause... I'm not replacing $250 faucets on 14 sinks every 5 years.

Now I just keep a water flood sensor under the washer and in each bathroom. If it gets wet, it shuts off the whole-house valve (downstream of well expansion tank) and sets off our house alarm, which also notifies all smart phones in the family group. We've had it go off once or twice in 15 years, but always due to a clothes washer internal malfunction (e.g. internal hose rubbed thru on 2 year old washer).

I also use only hard lines on toilets... much harder to install than hoses, but they won't burst when you're away from home!

 

[WinterDeere]

What I've seen in very broad strokes; septic installers who Don't have a pump truck service, don't recommend it; guys that offer a pump truck service recommend routinely pumping. Can't say either side is exactly impartial. I do know that some of the commercial septic systems Require pumping as part of their DEP permit.

We did a septic load test, which got us a free well pump load test. They ran 500 gallons from well down thru septic, to verify system did not back up. It also told us we can pull at least 500 gallons from the well in the heat and draught of late July, which is when the test was run.

I'm not sure how meaningful it really was, but being our first house with a septic drain field, it made us feel better.

 

[2manyrocks]

I don't trust washing machine hoses so I shut off the water to the clothes washer after every use.

Toilet and sink supply lines can be replaced with soft copper lines.

 

[WinterDeere]

Toilet and sink supply lines can be replaced with soft copper lines.

I think the ones I buy are chrome-plated annealed brass. I've never seen soft copper available with the large flange fitting that mates to a toilet valve, and although I guess you could bulb-flare it to work, bare copper probably turn green with condensation after a few summers.

This is basically what I use, available in a half dozen finishes:

Amazon.com