/ Register

  1. Hello! You are currently viewing our community as a guest. Register today and apply to be a member of one of the longest standing gaming communities around. Once you have registered learn about our team and how to apply!

it's all been set into motion

Discussion in 'General Open/Public Discussion' started by jupe, 20 Jun 2006.


  1. jupe

    jupe Shocklance Ninja DragonWolf

    so snook and i put a bid on a new townhouse. we went through and took pictures of every good and mostly every bad thing we saw, in hopes of lowering the price considerably.

    the thing that bothers us most is that every unit in the complex has central AC except ours. it looks like our unit was ripped out and taken away. bastards!

    so here are some pics: (takes awhile to load. its like 22mb in pics)
    http://www.zeroreality.net/house/bromsgrove/

    pray for mojo!
     
    jupe, 20 Jun 2006
    #1
  2. Black Drop

    Black Drop Elder DragonWolf


    Nice!

    I grew up not having air conditioning or central air until I moved into my first apartment. Now I can't live without it.

    Tell them to fix the air conditioning - even though we are pretty seasonal where we live Jupe, the hot summer months are hell on earth without it!
     
    Last edited: 20 Jun 2006
    Black Drop, 20 Jun 2006
    #2
  3. PumpMonkey

    PumpMonkey

    Howdy -

    I would certainly bid lower. In looking at your photo's, I get the feeling that the last residents were not very attentive to the general maintenance/upkeep of the unit.
    I do indeed see many things amiss with the place, and having owned more than one home (And Schrike can tell you what a "Fix-er-upper" my first one was) has given me a few valuable lessons regarding this situation. First and foremost don't just settle for whatever comes along.
    Deal. Argue. Counter. Its all part of the game, as a former President of Marquette Bank (a big one here in MN) once said to me "Everything is negotiable. And I mean everything."

    If the unit is in a 'community' (ergo - owned by one developer/company & you would be paying rent/monthly maintenance fees) make a list of conditions and ensure they are agreed and signed. Most places have conditions where external upkeep is not handled by the renters.
    - They should t fix the tiles in the back & pressure wash the side of the house.
    - Make sure they cannot raise your rent after you fix the place up.

    ...okay, okay. I probably sound like your dad....here endith the pontification.

    Bottom line = good luck and enjoy~! :thumbsup:

    ~PM~
     
    PumpMonkey, 20 Jun 2006
    #3
  4. jupe

    jupe Shocklance Ninja DragonWolf

    Actually man, I appreciate any advice I can get.

    The list price is at 190k and we bid 178k because of the general disarray and the need to fix up the place. The missing central air unit is the big thing. Kind of pisses us off.

    I don't think that the dirt on the unit is part of the building's responsibility. I know the upkeep of the yard is our responsibility, and we already have tentative plans for it.
     
    jupe, 20 Jun 2006
    #4
  5. Swift As Feather

    Swift As Feather

    wow, looking at those pictures crashed my computer at work "virtual memory full". lol


    anyway, looks like a lot of fixing up projects, be careful on this one.
     
    Swift As Feather, 20 Jun 2006
    #5
  6. jupe

    jupe Shocklance Ninja DragonWolf

    it's all cosmetic stuff. projects that would take an hour or two each

    the biggest project is the kitchen.

    believe me. we were very thorough. we just need the inspector to go through.
     
    jupe, 20 Jun 2006
    #6
  7. Asp

    Asp Administrative Officer Officer

    Officer
    Whenever you go to check out a house, you bring a pocket knife. As you move around the house you stick said pocket knife into almost any and every exposed wood surface you can find, especiallly in the basement or cellar. Any wood rot you find should be something you negotiate for them to fix. If you find you can put your knife into surfaces in the basement, especially the sill of the house; do not walk, run out of the house and save yourself the cost of the inspector.

    One house I looked at in the beaches (while I was house hunting) had a fresh coat of paint in the cellar, and it had a LOT of spauled away concrete on the walls. I went to chip away some of the cement to see how recent it was and my knife went right into the concrete. Needless to say its not supposed to do that. Some housebuilders as recently as 40-50 years ago used beachsand to mix concrete with (note, NOT gravel), and the results are pretty serious. Rotten sill, and a foundation that's coming apart around you. Moisture and wood rot are the bane of houses, and the one thing sellers try to hide if they can (or are "smart" enough to do so). You can't hide it everywhere so you really have to be vigilant, thoroughly examining any exposed area you find.

    Even with maintenance fees, the cost may be on you to fix any unexpected structural issues with the house once its yours. Don't just hire any inspector either, Pillar to Post are fantastic, and really good at what they do. My father is a mechanical/structural engineer, and if he can sit there arguing with the inspector, then the guy actually knows his stuff.

    When its an investment as big as a house, it always pays to never be satisfied. :)
     
    Asp, 21 Jun 2006
    #7
  8. Om

    Om DragonWolf

    That's good advice, asp, except not a pocket knife, a box knife-the kind with the razor blade so you don't further damage the wood you are testing. You just want to feel whether it easily sinks into the wood or not.

    It's so exciting to buy a new home...and so very stressful, too. Tell snook I said he needs to give you a foot massage. :p~
     
    Om, 21 Jun 2006
    #8
  9. Cyrus

    Cyrus

    When do we all get to raid your new house?
     
    Cyrus, 21 Jun 2006
    #9
  10. Black Drop

    Black Drop Elder DragonWolf

    Agreed. They inspected my house and I was overly impressed with their knowledge. They got on their hands and knees and crawled under, over and into every crevice of the house. Plus they gave a lot of fixer up suggestions if we were to purchase (we did) and offered us their name to drop for deals and such.

    Plus we got a cool little "do it yourself" CD-ROM. :rawr:

    I think we paid something like 4 hundo for the inspection if I can remember correctly.
     
    Black Drop, 21 Jun 2006
    #10
  11. jupe

    jupe Shocklance Ninja DragonWolf

    Pillar to Post. Is that an american company?
     
    jupe, 21 Jun 2006
    #11
  12. Brokentusk

    Brokentusk DragonWolf

    YES, get the inspection. Best money you will ever spend. Whoever you choose, take a look at the BBB site and see if they have anything to say about them.

    I have an excellent banker. He was a godsend. He was able to explain everything, would take my calls and gave great advice. He was my go to guy on things like who to call for they inspector and stuff.

    That said. There is a lot of stuff wrong there. That 'dirt' under that window looks like a mold. Probably due to the siding being messed up around the window and the water getting behind it. That can be anything from a non-issue to a huge problem.

    Things that catch my eye. A lot of simple maintenance items seem to have been skipped. Looks like a lot of water pipes were replaced sometime after the place was built.

    I see by the photo's behind the door that you suspect something. They were recently patched. Could mean nothing.

    Looks like rank amatures took out the AC unit. They cut the pipes instead of removing the fitting.

    If I were to guess. I would say about 6 months of nights/weekends and $5K will fix it.

    If the bones are solid, everything else can be fixed.

    Thank you for making me happy about where I live. This is what $65K got me.

    http://www.murderofravens.com/webhouse/

    That is 2 stoplights from work with a BIG front and back yard. I just wish it had a garage.
     
    Brokentusk, 21 Jun 2006
    #12
  13. Brokentusk

    Brokentusk DragonWolf

    YES, get the inspection. Best money you will ever spend. Whoever you choose, take a look at the BBB site and see if they have anything to say about them.

    I have an excellent banker. He was a godsend. He was able to explain everything, would take my calls and gave great advice. He was my go to guy on things like who to call for they inspector and stuff.

    That said. There is a lot of stuff wrong there. That 'dirt' under that window looks like a mold. Probably due to the siding being messed up around the window and the water getting behind it. That can be anything from a non-issue to a huge problem.

    Things that catch my eye. A lot of simple maintenance items seem to have been skipped. Looks like a lot of water pipes were replaced sometime after the place was built.

    I see by the photo's behind the door that you suspect something. They were recently patched. Could mean nothing.

    Looks like rank amatures took out the AC unit. They cut the pipes instead of removing the fitting.

    If I were to guess. I would say about 6 months of nights/weekends and $5K will fix it.

    If the bones are solid, everything else can be fixed.

    Thank you for making me happy about where I live. This is what $65K got me.

    http://www.murderofravens.com/webhouse/

    That is 2 stoplights from work with a BIG front and back yard. I just wish it had a garage.
     
    Brokentusk, 21 Jun 2006
    #13
  14. Asp

    Asp Administrative Officer Officer

    Officer
    I don't know if Pillar to Post is American or not but they are in Toronto, and the GTA
     
    Asp, 21 Jun 2006
    #14
  15. jupe

    jupe Shocklance Ninja DragonWolf

    they're in mississauga, and that's where i'm moving to, lol

    so i JUST lucked out, BIG TIME.

    my cousin is a lawyer and sometimes he does real estate law! and he's going to help us out :D
     
    jupe, 21 Jun 2006
    #15
  16. jupe

    jupe Shocklance Ninja DragonWolf

    we suspect that it's mostly just cosmetic work. as snook says, "she's an ugly ho. all she needs is some lipstick... but her boobs are big enough, so no cosmetic surgery"
     
    jupe, 21 Jun 2006
    #16

Share This Page