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BUYING A HOME: ALL EXISTING HOMES HAVE PROBLEMS

November 18, 2015 Leading Edge Homes - Home Remodeling Specialists Buying a Home, Hiring a Home Remodeling Professional

HOME BUYING: WOULD YOU LET YOUR DAUGHTER BUY THAT HOUSE?

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Congratulations! You found the house of your dreams. The offer has been accepted… contingent upon your “Houdini” clauses, like a termite inspection, home inspection, mold inspection, lawyer’s approval…

But What Happens When the Inspector Finds a Problem

Over the weekend I did another inspection for a home buyer. Again, I found many things that were wrong – everything from simple repairs to what I would consider major code violations. None of this should come as a surprise to a home buyer.

Why? Over time, things break, wear out, and reach the end of their useful life. Previous homeowners make repairs or changes themselves that are unsafe and in violation of the various building codes to save money. That doesn’t necessarily mean that a home is not worth buying.

What to Do if There Are Problems?

If your inspector finds problems, ask him for a “guestimate” of what it would cost to repair the items. You can use that as a negotiating tool to see if the seller would be willing to lower the sale price.

Don’t, however, agree to let the seller “make the repairs.” They will typically not make the repairs per the building codes or they will hide problems instead of correcting them. If for some reason you do let the seller make repairs, get the home re-inspected by the original home inspector.

A True Story

The buyer of a home I inspected (and even wrote about two weeks ago) decided to let the seller “fix” the safety violations and more. I reinspected the property only to find that the seller “corrected” the pool pump wiring problem – but added new electrical code violations, and replaced the front door without a permit. To make matters worse, the door was installed in an unsafe manner.

The buyer loves the house and the seller is holding firm on the sale price. It looks like the sale will go through and the buyer will have to pay to have the issues corrected.

Would You Let Your Daughter Buy the House?

If the house meets all of your requirements and you can hire a reputable contractor to make the house safe, then yes. When you are thinking of the cost of the house, you need to add the cost of the repairs.

And yes, this happened to my daughter and son-in-law. The house they fell in love with was fully remodeled… but the seller did the electric work himself, had a staircase built that was not to code, and even installed some plumbing incorrectly. But, the house was exactly what they were looking for, in the price range they could afford, and in a neighborhood they liked.

I explained to them, the cost for repairs is just another cost of the home.

Very few pre-owned houses are perfect – the key is to find a house you like and that is in good enough condition that, after a reputable contractor corrects the few flaws found, it is safe.

If you want a professional remodeling experience or a home inspection with a home remodeling expert’s view, contact your local design-build contractor, Leading Edge Homes. Inc. Want to see some of our work? Visit our website or view our online book.

Knowing your options now, will help you be prepared in the future. If you are buying a home, knowing what needs to be corrected and the costs to do so, can help you decide if the home is right for you.

For all of your home remodeling and inspection needs, contact your local certified “roomologist”, Leading Edge Homes. Inc. at 561-795-2551.

Want to see some of our work? Visit our website or view our online book.

Todd Perry, a State of Florida Certified Building Contractor and president of Leading Edge Homes, Inc., provided this information.

If you have questions about a home improvement project, call Leading Edge Homes at 561-795-2551 or email Todd at: todd@leadingedgehomes.com and he’ll be happy to share his knowledge with you.

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Home Improvement: BUYING A HOME – HIDDEN SAFETY DANGERS

November 3, 2015 Leading Edge Homes - Home Remodeling Specialists Buying a Home, Home Improvement, Home Safety

JUST BECAUSE IT WORKS – DOESN’T MEAN IT IS SAFE

When buying a house – make sure it is inspected to meet all building codes.

BUT IT WORKS…

Last week I did a home inspection for a couple who have signed a contract to purchase a home in Palm Beach County.

The seller did not appreciate my thorough work, and called me over the weekend to say “but it works.” Just because something works, doesn’t mean it is safe and complies with the building, electric, plumbing or mechanical codes.

ELECTRICAL SHOCKS ARE NOT A LAUGHING MATTER

If your electric outlets are not properly grounded, you can be in for the shock of your life. Electricity can pass through your appliances, or anything you plug into your outlet, directly into you. One clue that an outlet may not be properly grounded is that computers and / or appliances may not work when plugged in.

Other times, you may just get shocked when using something that was plugged into an ungrounded outlet. Unfortunately, I know first hand. It happened to me at a job site. Lucky for me, I wasn’t injured.

But the violations I found for the buyer could be a shocking experience for him or someone at his new home.

SOME OF THE VIOLATIONS

It May Be A Shocking Experience

Many of the violations we found, although they may not inhibit the function of the electric can cause electrical shock.

Problem 1 – Missing Breaker Slot Covers

Missing breaker slot covers are an electric shock risk.

Problem 2 – Water Heater “Whip” Requires a Strain Relief Strap

Leading Edge Homes - Missing Strain Relief Strap

Missing strain relief strap can cause “accidental” damage to the water heater wiring.

Problem 3 – Pool Pump is Missing Ground Wire

Leading Edge Homes - Missing Ground Wire

This is extremely dangerous and an accident waiting to happen. Don’t swim in a pool where the pump is not grounded.

This shocking experience can happen to you…

Look what happened to these young children (this video is graphic) when a pool was not properly grounded.

Problem 4 – There is a Hole in the Wall and It is For the Electric

Leading Edge Homes - A Wire Through the Wall

The hole in the wall to get electric power is not only a violation of the electric code, it is an invitation to insects and water to get inside your home!

If you want to run power to something that is outside of your house, drilling a hole in the exterior wall to run a plug through it is not the way to do it!

Neither is painting the wire to match the exterior color a good way to hide it from the trained eyes of a home inspector.

IF IT AIN’T BROKE DON’T FIX IT – NOT!!!

After more than 25 years of serving South Florida, I have seen many things. Even when my daughter bought her first home, I found many electrical code violations and told her she would need to have the items repaired.

The seller would not negotiate on the price and I explained to her she had to consider the repairs as part of the cost of the home.

My recommendation to the buyer who asked me to do the home inspection is to negotiate with the seller. Only the buyer can determine if they want the home as-is, if they want to do the repairs themselves, or if they will allow the owner of the home to do any of the repairs.

Although the seller and his real estate agent want to argue that the electric works, the buyer must remember – safety first. The main purpose of codes is to define the minimum, SAFE way of doing things. Can anyone really argue against life safety?

If you want a professional remodeling experience or a home inspection with a home remodeling expert view, contact your local design-build contractor, Leading Edge Homes. Inc.