Home Inspection - Check
Termite Inspection - Check
Appraisal - Check
All three were done yesterday afternoon between 3 and 5 pm. I also did a little work myself and took pictures of the entire house so that I could lay out my decoration plans and remember what things need replacing. I also did some measuring since the only measurement I was given by the listing agent was for the master bedroom, kitchen, and family room.
The termite inspection turned up nothing which is great. He did note a little bit of rotting going down at the bottom of the front door frame. This was also noted by the home inspector. I used a company that uses dogs to sniff out the termites. They are supposed to be 98-100% accurate. I'll pay the extra $50 for accuracy. Total cost was $130.
The guy who did the home inspection, which cost $225, said that the house was in good condition and that the roof was fairly new (about 2 years). He gave the house a pass and gave me a list of some minor repairs that would need to be taken care of:
* Correct tub faucets that were installed incorrectly. Should point downward in the off position.
* T&P (temperature and pressure) valve on water heater needs to be replaced.
* Replace small section of the front door frame (about 3 inches on each side). Wood is rotted.
* Install sweeper on front door.
* Re-grout floor tiles of the shower in the master bath.
* Repair hinge of porch door.
* Replace garage door chain which broke while we there.
The rotted frame is the worst of the list and seems to be due to a erroneously positioned sprinkler head which was spraying water directly at the bottom of the front door. And since the front door had no sweeper, it allowed enough water in to rot the wood on the door frame a bit. Now here is the list of things I want to have done to the house prior to move in:
* Change locks on all entry doors
* Install woods floors in two closets (master and 2nd bedroom)
* Paint accent walls (8 total)
* Reface cabinets in kitchen and bathrooms
* Install additional cabinets in kitchen
* Install granite counter tops in kitchen and bathrooms
* Replace laminate on counter tops with newer darker color.
I compiled all this onto an excel sheet and sent it to a few "handy men" for quotes and how much time it would take to complete each individual project. I am thinking about doing some of these on my own and just hiring someone to do the ones I won't be able to handle like the door frame or garage door chain. The frugal chic in me says to do the other stuff myself while my lazy side is saying to gone head and hire someone to do that stuff and save myself some time. They are battling ferociously but frugal chic has a slight lead. Urks me to pay for something I could have probably easily done myself. We shall see.
The appraisal guy was in and out. I don't know what he did exactly that was even worth the $395 I paid. Luckily for them it will count towards my 3.5% down payment. I know that having equity in your house is good but is it wrong of me to want the house to appraise for less than what the contract is for? I'm just saying.......
Termite Inspection - Check
Appraisal - Check
All three were done yesterday afternoon between 3 and 5 pm. I also did a little work myself and took pictures of the entire house so that I could lay out my decoration plans and remember what things need replacing. I also did some measuring since the only measurement I was given by the listing agent was for the master bedroom, kitchen, and family room.
The termite inspection turned up nothing which is great. He did note a little bit of rotting going down at the bottom of the front door frame. This was also noted by the home inspector. I used a company that uses dogs to sniff out the termites. They are supposed to be 98-100% accurate. I'll pay the extra $50 for accuracy. Total cost was $130.
The guy who did the home inspection, which cost $225, said that the house was in good condition and that the roof was fairly new (about 2 years). He gave the house a pass and gave me a list of some minor repairs that would need to be taken care of:
* Correct tub faucets that were installed incorrectly. Should point downward in the off position.
* T&P (temperature and pressure) valve on water heater needs to be replaced.
* Replace small section of the front door frame (about 3 inches on each side). Wood is rotted.
* Install sweeper on front door.
* Re-grout floor tiles of the shower in the master bath.
* Repair hinge of porch door.
* Replace garage door chain which broke while we there.
The rotted frame is the worst of the list and seems to be due to a erroneously positioned sprinkler head which was spraying water directly at the bottom of the front door. And since the front door had no sweeper, it allowed enough water in to rot the wood on the door frame a bit. Now here is the list of things I want to have done to the house prior to move in:
* Change locks on all entry doors
* Install woods floors in two closets (master and 2nd bedroom)
* Paint accent walls (8 total)
* Reface cabinets in kitchen and bathrooms
* Install additional cabinets in kitchen
* Install granite counter tops in kitchen and bathrooms
OR
* Replace laminate on counter tops with newer darker color.
I compiled all this onto an excel sheet and sent it to a few "handy men" for quotes and how much time it would take to complete each individual project. I am thinking about doing some of these on my own and just hiring someone to do the ones I won't be able to handle like the door frame or garage door chain. The frugal chic in me says to do the other stuff myself while my lazy side is saying to gone head and hire someone to do that stuff and save myself some time. They are battling ferociously but frugal chic has a slight lead. Urks me to pay for something I could have probably easily done myself. We shall see.
The appraisal guy was in and out. I don't know what he did exactly that was even worth the $395 I paid. Luckily for them it will count towards my 3.5% down payment. I know that having equity in your house is good but is it wrong of me to want the house to appraise for less than what the contract is for? I'm just saying.......
Comments
Jerry
www.leads4insurance.com
Yeah that door is on the top of my list. Definitely on the insurance. Looking into it now.
@ Single Ma
Thanks! The house is being sold as-is (as with all bank owned properties) so they won't reimburse for the repairs. BUT they are paying for a one year warranty for the house and buying points on my loan. So I'm happy.
I am in the process of getting quotes on the major repairs and gathering the price for each part needed. I am going to handle the little repairs on my own. The total cost shouldn't be that much.