Home Inspection Help

soulsurvivor · #21 01/13/13, 09:21 AM

Just on the off chance that you haven't yet done this, be sure to check all the public records on the house/land. You might find that it's already on file about the foundation problems.

Haven · #22 01/13/13, 09:55 AM

In my experience home inspectors are worthless. I have never used one that actually found the things that they should have found, and they have been very casual, in and out, for the inflated fee. Most of them are Joe Smoe down the street that went out and got a license.

The only things I would actually pay to inspect are items you might not be able to do yourself, like septic.

Harry Chickpea · #23 01/13/13, 12:22 PM

You can see in that last picture where a support column was removed from under that beam. I would replace that. What I looked for was deflection - wood will generally bend before it breaks and there is a way of figuring safe load based on something called modulus of elasticity. IF you don't mind a few more support columns in the cellar as needed, I don't see any show stoppers. I would have been digging around the perimeter of the house, trying to get a good look at sill plates and areas where water typically comes off the roof.

Lizza · #24 01/13/13, 12:41 PM

I only wanted to add that I have no doubt some inspectors are not worth the money but the same thing can be said for contractors as well. If you are working with a good real estate agent they will provide you with both good advice about the home and have referrals for good inspectors and/or contractors. A contractor might be better in this case only because it looks to have some structural problems and a contractor should be able to tell you the cost to fix it, again, find a good referral though because just because they are a contractor doesn't always mean they are a "good" one.

Narshalla · #25 01/13/13, 07:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Quabbinite

I guess I should clarify that our "cash" is actually tied up in the capital of our house and cars; i.e. we have no debt. Contingent on the sale of this home, we will buy this other home. Therefore, we have no ACTUAL cash for an inspection. A popular comment people are making is that if we can't afford $400 now, then we can't afford $20k later. No argument there! You're absolutely right.

We are examining several options and sources to get as good of an informed decision as we can. This house is 8 hours from where we live and we have 4+1 kids (due next month), so going back and forth is unrealistic.

Also, the house we're in right now easily needs $20k more worth of work, and so we're selling it cheaper, still with enough money left over to probably have around $20k cash when we move in to the new place. The bottom line is this: we can't afford to live where we are and for many other reasons, we're trying to get away from this and more toward country living.

It won't be much cheaper, but it will be cheaper and definitely safer. So we can take a hit on things like a smaller house on about 225 times more land with some different expenses as well as different necessary repairs and different kinds of problems as well as solutions.

Thanks for everyone's input. We will probably try to find a way to pay for a foundation expert and see if that costs less. The reason the inspections cost so much is because anyone from that area charges $100 just to get in their car and drive out there, but we'll see what we can come up with.

Carp. I was hoping that you were actually in the area.

Okay, it is at this point that I think you might need to take a step back and pause for a moment, because you are almost buying blind here. This kind of purchase is so big, you either need to be able to do all the follow-up required, or you need to move to the area first, and then buy.

This is especially true because this sounds as though it will take up all your assets, of most of them, anyways.

I understand that you and your family need a change, and it will be a big one, and I am not questioning that, but I think that, all together, this might be too big a change, but the only part I'd question is the immediate purchase of a house and land even before you get there.

If you were already in the area, or had trusted family or friends there, then they could do the ground work that's really necessary. If you don't, though . . . get there first, and then buy a house, when you know the area and the people and the land, then buy a house.

Until then, I would strongly recommend selling, moving, and renting until you get the lay of the land and know if you really want to live there.

Given the distance and the logistical problems that it is causing, I just don't think that this is a good idea.

soulsurvivor · #26 01/14/13, 12:45 AM

Got termites?

There are cracks in the foundation wood supports, the stairway, the porch, and it's probably just the beginning of this list. Do the windows open and close, the doors? What does the attic look like?

Molly Mckee · #27 01/14/13, 10:59 AM

Our DS and family ju st had to relocate to Rockport, Me. The price of your house is nothing like the prices in that area or your house is a really good deal! He couldn't even find land in that price range!

Quabbinite · #28 01/14/13, 11:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Molly Mckee

Our DS and family ju st had to relocate to Rockport, Me. The price of your house is nothing like the prices in that area or your house is a really good deal! He couldn't even find land in that price range!

Rockport is MUCH further south and it's a lot closer to the water, so the prices will be higher. I'm learning that the general rule in Maine is that the further north and inland you go, the more significantly lower the Real Estate prices are. Rockport is nearly 5 hours south so it would make sense that it would be more expensive. I think $90k is a great price, and is somewhat lower than most homes in Madawaska, but it's also a smaller house on a narrower stretch of land than most, and it's a little bit older than the average house. All in all, it's a fair price for this house on this much land in this market in that area

Narshalla · #29 01/25/13, 07:43 PM

How are things going?

Molly Mckee · #30 01/25/13, 08:44 PM

I was wondering too!