House Inspection

This week has been a whirlwind so far. I've been feeling like stuff I normally enjoy doing has been taking more than a normal amount of effort. It's not fun to feel that way, and it's the reason I haven't written about my home inspection yet, but here goes:

I showed up at the property around 4:30 and met Jeff, Reid from US Inspect, and the seller's agent Tim. I also met Rod, the owner, but he didn't stick around for long. Reid was a great inspector and I would recommend him to anyone. The inspection itself went pretty well. It was a three hour intense investigation of everything that is wrong with the house, and that can seem pretty daunting.

Jeff told me that it went really well, and he has a lot of other inspection to use as comparison. Personally, I just felt like there was a huge list of problems with the place; a lot of minor things that I'm willing to overlook, and a few major things that need to be fixed.

Here are the major things: The chimney and furnace do not look good. The solution to solve both of these problems involves sealing off the chimney and installing a high efficiency heating system that doesn't use a chimney. It's a great solution, and I'd love to have a nice, efficient furnace, but it's also expensive.

The roof is getting old, and will have to be replace in the next few years. That's fine, but it immediately needs a silver coating to prevent leaks and extend the life a bit more.

There are some gaps between the joists where they meet the wall where I can see crumbling brick, and at one point, into the neighbor's kitchen. That's a major issue, but a relatively easy fix.

That's the big, bad stuff. Little bad stuff involves replacing some mortar, capping some window frames, repairing or replacing a few windows, a few ungrounded outlets, a small leak in the bathroom sink, and some siding damage.

And now good news: Structurally, all walls are solid. There is new electric service and it looks good. No termites. Everything in the kitchen works. I met two of the neighbors, and they seem really nice too. I'm sure I'll write about them more in the future. I'm starting to get attached to this place.

A few hours after the inspection, Reid sent out a detailed 24 page report that includes all of the problems, suggested repairs and costs, and pictures. It was a great part of the home buying process and really made me understand the place that I am looking to buy. Nothing came up in the inspection that is too big of a problem to fix.

Jeff and I are going to work on a letter that is a revised offer in light of the inspection results. I'm going to ask for a credit towards the purchase of a new furnace and that a few other repairs take place. More info as it comes in.