House Hunting Woes

So the mister and I are house hunting. We don't want a huge mortgage, a decedent 3 bed 2 bath home with a larger lot for gardening. There is very little in Boise that meets our criteria. We finally thought we might have found "the one" and had our inspection done yesterday. Kyle and the inspector spent 3+ hours going over the place with a fine toothed comb. They were in the crawlspace a really long time and finally emerged with photos of their findings. Now note that the seller had said that there were no known water leaks or damage to the home, none. The boys found otherwise.
Here's a puddle of water on top of the vapor barrier with 3 inches of mud underneath. We are both less than thrilled that the seller outright lied on her disclosure. There were muddy footprints all over down there indicating that she had to have known there were people coming and going from the hatch in the guestroom covered in mud.
Here's more died mud on the ducting that someone duck taped to the plumbing! Note the water marks on the piers. There was a lot of water down there.
Here is an example where the soaked insulation had been torn out, again it had to come out right through that hatch in the closet. No replacement of the insulation had been made.
Lastly, the guys discovered that the plumbing isn't Pex, its polybutylene, the new "asbestos". Apparently the stuff was banned in 1992 and instantly bursts with no signs of compromise. All of the plumbing is this stuff. Most insurance companies won't cover your house if you have it. 

I know, really ballsy right? Make sure to have a thorough inspection done if you find a house you like. This could have cost us thousands of dollars. 


Comments

  1. The seller of our house replaced the first termite/house inspection certification with one he liked better.

    Scumbag. And? He was a real estate broker, so could have lost his license.

    Sorry about your woes, but at least you discovered the trouble before you took it on! It just means there's a better one out there for you!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The hilarious part is that I found out that the seller is a real estate lawyer.

      Delete
  2. Thankfully, you did thorough inspection for the entire house. It could’ve been a huge problem on your part if you overlooked this part. This is a simple reminder to everyone who is house hunting that they must not let themselves be deceived by the beautiful exterior; they must look deeper to ensure that the house has certainly no damage. Don’t be a victim of deceitful sellers; know their background first.
    Avril Copperfield @ Churchill Mortgage

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  3. That was really disappointing! Looking at those hitches, the house won’t be an ideal place to live in. Unless the seller decided to make major renovation, which could mean costly repair on their part. Well, it’s really a good thing that you insisted on doing the inspection. It saved you from having expensive repair had you decided to make an offer for it.

    Terry Kennedy @ Deadwood Real Estate Center

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  4. Indeed, that could’ve cost you thousands of dollars. Good thing the inspectors found those flaws out before you decide to settle for that house. Thank you for sharing your experience, Jeanne! House-hunters would sure learn a lesson or two from it.


    Bruce Edward Schwartz @ LA Real Estate Lawyer

    ReplyDelete

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