Home inspection

Our home inspection was scheduled for the Friday after our offer was accepted. It's important to have the inspection done as quickly as possible so any issues can be negotiated before the option period ends.

 

Our realtor recommended an inspector that he said did a very thorough job. We trusted him on this and might have paid a little more than typical, but the peace of mind is priceless. Greg warned us that the inspector would come back with a 30+ page report but not to worry, that is normal. 

So here are the things that came up in inspection:

-old water heater (about ten years old. Normal life expectancy on these is 8-12 years)

-ceiling damage in the water heater room

-abrasion/damage in one spot on the roof

-hinge on the dishwasher broken

-missing insulation in one corner of the ceiling in the master bath

-low power line at the back

-plants too close to foundation

-pre existing foundation issues

-not enough sealer around some of the windows

We negotiated a couple things with the sellers as part of the purchase price:

-repair the roof where there is abrasion (the roof is 9 years old and in otherwise good condition)

-repair the ceiling in the utility room (we think this is pre-existing)

-the sellers had the extra insulation added in the ceiling previously, so we asked If they could call the insulation company and basically say "you missed a spot!" But apparently the spot is hard to get to which is why it is how it is.

Now, the buyer can always back out at this point if they aren't happy with the inspection results. Here is why we didn't:

-for a home built in the 1960's, the inspection was pretty clean.

-the foundation is our main concern, but all signs of movement are pre-existing and there has been extensive work to prevent further damage. Plus, that work comes with a warranty. 

-the sellers installed double pane windows and with the additional insulation elsewhere they say they haven't paid more than $100 in electricity bills, which is great and why we aren't worried about that one corner.

-the water heater will be just another part of our job as homeowners and we will just be prepared to replace it soon, when the time comes.

While it was scary seeing that long list of problems with our house, we let out a sigh of relief that it wasn't worse. Many people have to walk away at this point, but we are thrilled to move forward!

18 more days until close! :)