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Wish us luck were buying a house

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Best of luck. Our market is still pretty hot though. I've noticed unless they're pushing open houses the realtor isn't usually trying to hard. Is this a private sale? And we noticed one this that might help too. Say it is a 3000 difference. You're talking about a 30 year loan. That's roughly an 8 dollar a month before interest(12 ish after) payment. Is it worth that small amount to not call it your home. We ran into this and it helped a few times really look at a house and see if we could make it our home or not. Our area has slowed down but you know it'll pick back up in March april and it'll be crazy again. Let me know if you need a realtor have a family one that's out by you that's good.
It’s not a private sale it’s been on the market for like 7 months though. And I’m probably being just as stubborn as the seller here but we don’t need to buy this specific house we would just love to if we could get it slightly below market. We’ve only been looking for almost 2 months and part of me is saying don’t worry about letting this one go because we will have a lot more options come spring. ( but also a lot more competition)
 
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Just an update. We got them to come down 7k from asking price and the seller is still offering the 3k towards our closing costs and they made it abundantly clear this is their last offer. We decided we want to go see the house one last time before we decide but I’m feeling optimistic!
 

kit_luce

To the ones we can save, and those we can't.
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Just an update. We got them to come down 7k from asking price and the seller is still offering the 3k towards our closing costs and they made it abundantly clear this is their last offer. We decided we want to go see the house one last time before we decide but I’m feeling optimistic!
Sounds like a 10 grand win to me
 
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More updates** agreed on a price and signed contracts! Had the inspection done today and it’s looking like the seller flat out lied about the age of the furnace and hot water tank on the home disclosures and listing. Seller claims they were both replaced 6 years ago... inspector says they are both about 20 years old according the the serial numbers. Everything else looked great though. Thinking the next move is to say replace them both or we walk.
 
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More updates** agreed on a price and signed contracts! Had the inspection done today and it’s looking like the seller flat out lied about the age of the furnace and hot water tank on the home disclosures and listing. Seller claims they were both replaced 6 years ago... inspector says they are both about 20 years old according the the serial numbers. Everything else looked great though. Thinking the next move is to say replace them both or we walk.
Well that’s good news! But speak up, tell your lawyer that you’d want them to replace it or knock off more money so you can address it when you buy the house. If that doesn’t work then check your options if you decide to walk.

IMHO, I’d ask your lawyer if you can get someone you can trust and let them come do the estimate and repairs on your house so you know it was done correctly. The sellers could try to be sneaky and say things were done and was just rigged to pass the inspection.

Also, now that you said you signed contracts. If you breach it and walk, you’d lose $$$ and your down payment. At least that’s what we were told when my wife and I almost walked on our house we have now.


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The only thing we would lose right now if we walked is the cost of the inspection. No earnest money or down payment has been made yet. I’ve never heard of people having a lawyer involved when buying a house but I’ve seen a couple mentions of it on here recently... is that only necessary when purchasing for sale by owner houses ? If both parties are respresented by a realtor I don’t understand the need to also pay your lawyers retainer
Well that’s good news! But speak up, tell your lawyer that you’d want them to replace it or knock off more money so you can address it when you buy the house. If that doesn’t work then check your options if you decide to walk.

IMHO, I’d ask your lawyer if you can get someone you can trust and let them come do the estimate and repairs on your house so you know it was done correctly. The sellers could try to be sneaky and say things were done and was just rigged to pass the inspection.

Also, now that you said you signed contracts. If you breach it and walk, you’d lose $$$ and your down payment. At least that’s what we were told when my wife and I almost walked on our house we have now.


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Well that’s good news! But speak up, tell your lawyer that you’d want them to replace it or knock off more money so you can address it when you buy the house. If that doesn’t work then check your options if you decide to walk.

IMHO, I’d ask your lawyer if you can get someone you can trust and let them come do the estimate and repairs on your house so you know it was done correctly. The sellers could try to be sneaky and say things were done and was just rigged to pass the inspection.

Also, now that you said you signed contracts. If you breach it and walk, you’d lose $$$ and your down payment. At least that’s what we were told when my wife and I almost walked on our house we have now.


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Most of the time the contract has a clause regarding home inspections and if something comes back that materially different than what was expected the buyer can walk away with any earnest money/deposit unless the seller is willing to adjust the sale price / fix the problem / etc.
 

Cigary43

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I've bought and sold enough houses to give you some great advice.....2 words....
Real Estate Lawyer and Good Inspection.

Sounds like the Seller has tipped their hand to you....some lies about the condition of the house....thats a BIG NO NO!!! If they lied about that...what else are they hiding? Sellers are supposed to disclose items like this but too many don't and hide inherent conditions behind drywall, foundation leaks that are sealed. There are enough clues that should tip off a good Inspector.....run every plumbing line fixture and measure the water pressure on every spigot outside....inside run water from your sinks, toilets, showers, at the same time to ensure that you don't get a big drop in water pressure )....you can check your electricity by checking outlets to see if there are dead circuits. Check HVAC lines for FREON leaks as some Sellers sell houses when Air conditioning doesn't need to be used.....Fall to Spring. Check for mold in attics and basements....remedial remedies can rob you of a ton of money once you are in the house and you unexpectedly find issues. Have the Seller buy a Home Warranty as that would help defray the cost of appliances breaking down during that first year. Sellers know about every inch of the house they are selling and potential problems they had which is sometimes why they sell. A good Inspector makes a difference and like I said...if they lied to you about those items...are they lying about other issues? I made the mistake of letting my heart buy a house when I should have let my head do the negotiating. One house I bought I told the Seller to "pony up" or keep back in an escrow account $5000 for 6 months ...just in case there were problems with the house that didn't come up during the inspection so that me....as the buyer.... could buy in confidence. The Seller wouldn't do it so I told them.....forget it . Used houses can become a Money Pit if you don't know the history and if the Seller lied from the beginning....God knows what else he lied about. JMHO
 
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Most of the time the contract has a clause regarding home inspections and if something comes back that materially different than what was expected the buyer can walk away with any earnest money/deposit unless the seller is willing to adjust the sale price / fix the problem / etc.
yeah that’s spot on. We’re hoping he’s willing to adjust the price or install new units because we still love the house but I don’t appreciate being lied to and sure as hell won’t pay what we agreed to unless they are replaced first. I do think it’s ridiculous that buyers have to pay for inspections. Having the seller pay for an inspection from an unbiased third party that were valid for a specified amount of time would make more sense and speed up the process altogether. IF the buyer wanted a second opinion or specific non standard tests done then that’s on them.
 
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I've bought and sold enough houses to give you some great advice.....2 words....
Real Estate Lawyer and Good Inspection.

Sounds like the Seller has tipped their hand to you....some lies about the condition of the house....thats a BIG NO NO!!! If they lied about that...what else are they hiding? Sellers are supposed to disclose items like this but too many don't and hide inherent conditions behind drywall, foundation leaks that are sealed. There are enough clues that should tip off a good Inspector.....run every plumbing line fixture and measure the water pressure on every spigot outside....inside run water from your sinks, toilets, showers, at the same time to ensure that you don't get a big drop in water pressure )....you can check your electricity by checking outlets to see if there are dead circuits. Check HVAC lines for FREON leaks as some Sellers sell houses when Air conditioning doesn't need to be used.....Fall to Spring. Check for mold in attics and basements....remedial remedies can rob you of a ton of money once you are in the house and you unexpectedly find issues. Have the Seller buy a Home Warranty as that would help defray the cost of appliances breaking down during that first year. Sellers know about every inch of the house they are selling and potential problems they had which is sometimes why they sell. A good Inspector makes a difference and like I said...if they lied to you about those items...are they lying about other issues? I made the mistake of letting my heart buy a house when I should have let my head do the negotiating. One house I bought I told the Seller to "pony up" or keep back in an escrow account $5000 for 6 months ...just in case there were problems with the house that didn't come up during the inspection so that me....as the buyer.... could buy in confidence. The Seller wouldn't do it so I told them.....forget it . Used houses can become a Money Pit if you don't know the history and if the Seller lied from the beginning....God knows what else he lied about. JMHO
In our contract we did have them add the home warranty but even due to the age of the appliances wouldn’t the warranty only cover partial replacement because we “bought knowing” these appliances are at the end of their life expectancy? The inspector did say everything else looked great though.
 
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The inspection is to protect the buyer. To ensure a seller doesn't have a buddy write up an inspection report, it's on the buyer to get it inspected.
The lawyers should search title history, ensuring there are no liens against the property.
I wonder if the seller got swindled 6 years ago and contractors put in refurbished water heater and furnace versus new ones...does the seller have receipts for the work done? My wife and I have a file where all the house work receipts go. Everything from the new roof 12 years ago (after hail damage) to the new microwave. The seller should have paperwork to back their claims but could have been screwed on what they thought was new equipment going in.
 
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I've bought and sold enough houses to give you some great advice.....2 words....
Real Estate Lawyer and Good Inspection.

Sounds like the Seller has tipped their hand to you....some lies about the condition of the house....thats a BIG NO NO!!! If they lied about that...what else are they hiding? Sellers are supposed to disclose items like this but too many don't and hide inherent conditions behind drywall, foundation leaks that are sealed. There are enough clues that should tip off a good Inspector.....run every plumbing line fixture and measure the water pressure on every spigot outside....inside run water from your sinks, toilets, showers, at the same time to ensure that you don't get a big drop in water pressure )....you can check your electricity by checking outlets to see if there are dead circuits. Check HVAC lines for FREON leaks as some Sellers sell houses when Air conditioning doesn't need to be used.....Fall to Spring. Check for mold in attics and basements....remedial remedies can rob you of a ton of money once you are in the house and you unexpectedly find issues. Have the Seller buy a Home Warranty as that would help defray the cost of appliances breaking down during that first year. Sellers know about every inch of the house they are selling and potential problems they had which is sometimes why they sell. A good Inspector makes a difference and like I said...if they lied to you about those items...are they lying about other issues? I made the mistake of letting my heart buy a house when I should have let my head do the negotiating. One house I bought I told the Seller to "pony up" or keep back in an escrow account $5000 for 6 months ...just in case there were problems with the house that didn't come up during the inspection so that me....as the buyer.... could buy in confidence. The Seller wouldn't do it so I told them.....forget it . Used houses can become a Money Pit if you don't know the history and if the Seller lied from the beginning....God knows what else he lied about. JMHO
BINGO^^^^^^ he hit the nail on the head. At closing, your lawyer will go over everything with you and handle all issues at the table should more arise or settle the ones already known too.

The one thing we got f*cked on in my house was when the home inspection was done, they had the wood burning stove cranking which I think the inspector just did a quick visual and said it was all good. I should look back at the paperwork and see what they wrote on it.

So fast forward now for insurance purposes, we needed to get it inspected after we closed on the house. Why after, I have no clue but it is what it is. Had a guy come in to clean out and inspect the stove. Turns out he had a cheap shit cap on the stack with no cage to prevent any critters from getting in, so we needed to replace it. And because of said shitty cap, the stack inside the house above the stove was rusted which meant water was leaking into the stack in the house. He also replaced some flashing and recaulked the area on the roof as a precaution. So $500 down the drain to fix, which I made a stink that it should’ve been checked during the actual home inspection.

Our chimney guy said the owner overloaded the stove with wood and did some damage inside it. He just advised us not to stack with too much wood and to keep an eye on the stack in the house when it rains, which hasn’t been an issue since all this was repaired and corrected, knock wood! We were extremely lucky and caught this before it could’ve been a hell of a lot worse.

Just shows that people can be sneaky and try to avoid dealing with some costly issues.


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The inspection is to protect the buyer. To ensure a seller doesn't have a buddy write up an inspection report, it's on the buyer to get it inspected.
The lawyers should search title history, ensuring there are no liens against the property.
I wonder if the seller got swindled 6 years ago and contractors put in refurbished water heater and furnace versus new ones...does the seller have receipts for the work done? My wife and I have a file where all the house work receipts go. Everything from the new roof 12 years ago (after hail damage) to the new microwave. The seller should have paperwork to back their claims but could have been screwed on what they thought was new equipment going in.
He’s got nothing to show for it so I’m assuming he thought it would go unnoticed. Makes me glad we decided to go with a very reputable inspector even though the cost was a little higher. Had we gone with a cheaper inspector it might not have been caught.
 
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yeah that’s spot on. We’re hoping he’s willing to adjust the price or install new units because we still love the house but I don’t appreciate being lied to and sure as hell won’t pay what we agreed to unless they are replaced first. I do think it’s ridiculous that buyers have to pay for inspections. Having the seller pay for an inspection from an unbiased third party that were valid for a specified amount of time would make more sense and speed up the process altogether. IF the buyer wanted a second opinion or specific non standard tests done then that’s on them.
I'd prefer to pay for my own inspection as a buyer - i dont trust sellers (this coming from someone working to get his real estate license for additional income). but I could see an initial inspection before sale at the seller's expense being useful
 

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I just bought my first home a couple months ago and had a very good inspector. He saved me a ton of money when he found some rot on the side of the house. I made it clear to the sellers that I was going to pull my offer if it was not fixed and they ended up getting it done. When they took off the part of the outside wall where the rot was they found out it was pretty much the whole side of the house. Much better to make sure that kind of stuff is taken care of before you buy it and have to deal with it yourself.
 
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He’s got nothing to show for it so I’m assuming he thought it would go unnoticed. Makes me glad we decided to go with a very reputable inspector even though the cost was a little higher. Had we gone with a cheaper inspector it might not have been caught.
Well, then I'd say then you got your money's worth from the inspector. Hopefully the seller fixes these things or you get some $$ knocked off to address it yourself. Keep us posted though regardless of what happens!
 

Cigary43

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Buying a house is not usually everyone's forte....we buy houses like we buy our cars and that tends to involve the heart. There are some really good posts from those with practical experiences ...bring your own Inspector...a good Real Estate Lawyer....they work for you and the potential savings pays for their expertise.

If Home Warranty company was part of that deal....research that Company....there are some really crooked home warranty companies out there so just be advised as to who that company is and check them thoroughly... Better yet make a call and scrutinize how they do the claim service as most of them will use second-rate vendors to nullify any claims from the property owner... that is how they make money is to not have to fix the problem esp. when they pick the Vendor....if they allow you to choose an outside Vendor you stand a better chance on a claim. #BTDT
 
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Forgot to update this but the first deal obviously fell apart. Honestly a blessing in disguise. We ended up finding a another place not too long ago and we should be getting the keys in two weeks! Used a different agent this time and man did she know her stuff. She tore the sellers agent to pieces and saved us a nice chunk for renovations.
 
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Forgot to update this but the first deal obviously fell apart. Honestly a blessing in disguise. We ended up finding a another place not too long ago and we should be getting the keys in two weeks! Used a different agent this time and man did she know her stuff. She tore the sellers agent to pieces and saved us a nice chunk for renovations.
Great news!!! And congratulations!!!

Unfortunately, my wife and I had to do the same with our agent. Dumped one and went to another and was the best thing we did! We probably wouldn’t be here in our home right now if we stuck with our first agent.




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