1st time home buyer feeling very discouraged....need advice...

[DisneyDame]

My DH and I put a deposit on a house 2 weeks ago after searching for close to a year. The inspection was a few days ago and turned up a couple of problem areas but the seller is not willing to fix either of these.

We found evidence of temites. The inspector popped his screwdriver-like stick right through a board in the basement. We also saw a small tube-like mound (not a long/lengthy tube like the pictures I checked out online, but definitely a mound of some sort)
The seller disclosed that the home was treated for termites 4 years ago when he had purchased it and that while he is willing to replace the board, he is not willing to pay for any further treatment.

The other issue was the electrical work, which the inspector recommended having a licensed electrician inspect the home as there appeared to be some sloppy wiring in the basement.

This stuff is all very new to me so I'm a bit scared here. Not sure what to do from this point. Isn't it the Sellers responsibility to make sure the home is up to code?
Should I be responsible for paying the cost of an electrician and termite co. ?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated! I'm feeling so overwhelmed right now that as much as I love the house I'm ready to give up and back out while I still can.

_______________
DisneyDame

 

[minniecarousel]

I wouldn't buy a house with a termite problem unless the seller agreed to pay for all damage. That's a headache you just don't want to get into!

 

[Pugdog007]

Take your money and run. Termite damage is extremely expensive and it sounds like overall... the house has not been taken care of very well.

If someone will buy it as is... seller can sell it.

 

[gymnasticsmom68]

Termites and bad electric? I would start looking for a different house.

 

[tiggersmom2]

Hi , If it is not a new house the seller is not responsible for anything. New houses are usually guaranteed for a year from purchase. Personally, if it were me - I would NOT buy the house if there was active termite activity and sloppy wiring! My parent's house burned to the ground (thankfully during a trip to DW!) because of bad wiring. If the seller won't cooperate - find a new house or make them compensate you for fixing these ailments.

 

[Pin Wizard]

If you really want the house, you'll pay for doing those things. If not, look for something else.

 

[Planogirl]

I know it's hard when you love a house but I personally wouldn't touch this one. Termites is not something that I'd want to deal with. I'm sorry that this is turning into a mess.

 

[tonyswife]

Disney Dame,

We have purchased two homes. One was new constuction, and this house is 30 years old, so take my advice for what it's worth, which is probably not much. My advice is to "go with your gut"

I think that number one, you need to know how extensive the termite damage is. Anything over a couple thousand dollars for me would be a deal breaker.

And, for me, shoddy wiring in one part of the home may mean shoddy wiring where you can't see it, in the walls. That would be a deal breaker for me as well.

I don't know what the seller's legal responibility is beyond disclosure. The laws vary state to state. If you are working with a real estate agent, that is a good question for her/him.

Finally, there are a lot of homes out there. And, a home purchase is a huge investment, and I don't just mean the actual financial investment. I mean, it's an investment in your family and in your heart. (How sappy is that? LOL) You should love the house that you buy because you will live there, you will own it, it will be your sancuary. You will not feel the same way about your first home as any other place you have ever lived. (I cried my ever lovin' eyes out when we sold our first home because it was the place we brought our first baby home to)

That in mind, you HAVE to NOT let that desire for THAT home over ride your common sense. This bears repeating, there are a lot of homes out there, find the one that makes you comfortable in its entirety. If THIS house is that house, then great, if it's giving you headaches and keeping you up at night, maybe you should keep looking.

Good luck, I know you'll make the right decision.

 

[battricia]

Did the inspector pass the house w/ those problems? I was under the impression that a mortgage company won't authorize the mortgage if problems with the house exist enough to make the house fail an inspection. I could be wrong though.

If it was me, I'd pass on the house, like others have said, termite problems are NOT worth the trouble.

tricia.

 

[DisneyDame]

Thanks everyone for the advice and words of wisdom!

I think my common sense may be a bit clouded as tonyswife suggested since I definitely fell for the house the first time I saw it. I guess that's why I'm having a hard time with the idea of walking away.

The homebuying process is definitely a lot harder than I ever imagined it would be.

________________
DisneyDame

 

[AZKathy]

Originally posted by DisneyDame


The homebuying process is definitely a lot harder than I ever imagined it would be.

________________
DisneyDame

<a href='http://www.smileycentral.com/?partner=ZSzeb008' target='_blank'><img src='http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/23/23_11_2.gif' border=0></a> I hope you and DH make the best decision for you both and feel better with your decision. When my DH and I found a home we were buying having termites, we turned around and ran fast and never looked back! Good luck!

 

[Disney Doll]

Here are your options:
1. Buy the house "as is" and take the risk of having big repair bills for termite extermination/damage repair and electrical work.
2. Try to get the seller to pay for the cost of the work needed
3. Split the cost of the work needed with the seller
4. Walk away

The termite thing may not be as big of a deal as you think. We bought our house knowig it had termite damage, although it had no active termite infestation. The infestation had happened 20 years prior, the previous owner had it treated with Chlordane(which is no longer legel to use!), and had never repaired the damage. We had a termite guy come out and tell us that, and the home inspector(who was also a builder) told us we were looking at about $3000 to repair the damage to the front door "sill" and "surround". The sellers agreed to pay for the repair of the hardwood floors. We liked the house enough, and saw it as enough of a "long-term" investment", that we were agreeable to that compromise. Active termite infestation may be another story entirely. I would call a termite guy and get his opinion.

The electrical thing would give me more pause. As someone said, if there is sloppy wiring visible, who knows what is behind the walls? I have always been "nervous" about electricity, so I'd probably walk away.

We bidded on 3 houses before we got our current house, and I have to say, I think that fate, karma, God, the goddess or whomever/whatever you believe in works. While the 3 houses we bidded on were cute, and would have "worked", the house finally bought (our current home) is by far the best of the bunch. If we had gotten one of those others, we'd never have been here, in a house that I love, in a neighborhood that I love, in a town that I love. I can honestly say that I feel no need to ever move again(unless it's to a senior citizen place once I can no longer care for my home!), where I would have had to move again if we had gotten anyof the 3 we bidded on prior to this one.

Good luck to you! When we were looking at houses it always amazed me that people would be trying to sell their hosue for the prices they were trying to sell them for! It also amazed me that when they KNEW that soemone was coming over to look at the house they were trying to sell, that they wouldn't do much by way of straightening up etc. I used to be amazed to walk into houses as a potential buyer and see dirty dishes in the sink or in the kitchen table, towels all over the bathroom floor, bedrooms looking all cluttered and messy. It was amazing! I would think that if I were ever trying to sell my house, that if I knew I was having a showing, I'd want the hosue to "show" in it's best light.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

The repairs to the house could be a few thousand (and I am sure it is, everything in a house is a thousand or two) to the replacement of support beams which would run into the ten's of thousand's.

I smell a rat in this deal. I think the seller knows the damage and is trying to sucker you. If you accept "as is" you would be stuck. I am a cynic so I would run from this deal.

As a 1st time buyer you want to spend money on window treatments, paint, and other little doo-dads not this stuff.

If you really, really want it you need to know cost of fixing the house BEFORE you buy.

Good Luck!

 

[amid chaos]

This is what I would do...walk away, but hint to the agent that if the sellers decide that they are unable to sell the house as is and are now willing to pay for repairs, then to give you a call....chances are by then you will have found the home of your dreams and the seller will still be stuck...but it does leave the door cracked open.

If the seller treated for termites 4 years ago and has not kept up with inspections then any guarentee from treatment is null and void...does you no good and it certainly doesnt look good for the seller.

 

[huey duey & luey]

I know in New Jersey you can not sell a house with termite problems and it is the sellers responsibilty to fix it prior to closing. Good luck
Tara

 

[mtemm]

I would walk. we did with our first house. inspector came up with a list of things wrong, most not that major and we were willing to deal with, but the radon test came back at a 20. 20! I think under 4 is considered okay if I remember right. we asked the sellers to mitigate and they refused, saying they didn't believe in radon. well, I was 7 months pregnant and wasn't taking any chances with young children. so we walked. hated to lose the money, but it was worth it in the end. we found something else and were much happier.

 

[lightningcoach]

Most mortgage companies in Florida will not approve a mortgage until the termites are treated and most insurance companies want a termite free letter as well.

There is an even better home out there for you! A well built home that you can love even more.

The wiring should be an even greater concern. That can add up to a huge expense if you don't have a family member that is an electrician.

When we were buying a home we had to walk away from two that I thought I could never live without. The area, the layout and location of the homes were ideal, but one had major structural issues and the other had a ton of updates that needed to be done. But one day we were driving around and came across a "by owner" that was perfect. It ended up being better than the first two and less money. I have learned not to just follow my heart, but follow my head more since I am an impulse buyer. If the house has termites and bad wiring more than likely it will be on the market for awhile and the owner will have to lower the price, but at least if you walk away you will get some emotional distance and be able to think more clearly.

Ok that's my 2 cents- not worth much.
Sending out good thoughts to you!

 

[Kallison]

The wiring issue would concern me the most. I would move on, your dream home is out there.

 

[chager]

In my opinion if the seller really wanted to sell the house then they would take care of the problems! My parents just sold their house and bought a new one. The buyer's inspector said there was bad wiring and didn't like several things. He wanted some new outlets put in place of converted ones. (They had converted 2prongs outlets to 3 prong ones in one bedroom) My parents knew there was not a wiring problem because it was all done by an electrician when the remodeling was done. In the end they had another electrician check it out. Yes there was one issue although not anything major and they converted all the outlets in the bedroom back to the 2prong because that corrected the issue the inspector had but did not cost my parents as much as the new outlets would have. My parents paid for all the corrections/fixes. They wanted to sell the house.
As for termites...I would not deal with a house that had that issue. When we sold our house several years ago we had to pay for a termite guy to come. We had some damage but nothing really bad. The neighbors home was infested and the little buggers found their way to our house. (The neighbor had HOLES in their floors!! They just moved furniture over them so no one would see them )
If the seller isn't willing to bring it up to code then I would walk away. It is not worth the headache.

 

[orvilleair]

Maybe ask a licensed electrician to inspect the house. If it is an old house, then several things might be needed to bring it up to code. Speaking on experience from a coworker on her house.

* The dryer outlet was jerryrigged, and her new dryer would not fit into the outlet, so she had to get that replaced.

* Her main electrical box had the screw in fuses. That's against code and had to be replaced with a breaker panel. This could cost a couple of thousand there.

Also,
* Bathroom outlets and garage outlets have to be GFI type. If water gets into the outlet, it will trip and you push a red button to reset it.
* Stay away from aluminum wiring. The electrician can open the panel to see if you have copper wiring. Aluminum get hot too easily and will cause fires. Copper is good.
* Stay away from knob and tube wiring. This was an older way to wire houses with bare wire. Today's wiring is insulated.

Finally, I used to work at an electric utility, and I would see hundreds of homes with undersized services. In the 1960s it was common to run the house on a 60 amp service, but today's minimum is at least 100 amps. Have the electrician check that as well. Most of the time, you can open the panel and there will be a label. Bad wiring causes many fires and I would take the inspector's comment seriously.
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Scott