When we were looking at houses a few decades ago, we went under the house and found one beam that swung freely. I was surprised and asked H was that beam was for. He said it was SUPPOSED to be helping support and hold up the houes! LOL! H and I did NOT make any bid on that house, which did NOT disclose any foundation or support problems. The houes was on a slope and we weren’t that keen on it anyway, but the swinging beam made the home totally undesirable for H & he wondering about the myriad of other less visible problems that house probably also had.
cb, good luck on #13!!
@HImom: I’m curious if you’ve ever gone to see that house again, and if it’s still standing!
Yes, the house is still there as no homes have fallen down the hill. We bought a home on a level piece of land in the same valley.
I have left two messages for the Listing Agent of #12 property and he is not even returning my calls. I’m guessing he is sifting through a bunch of offers at this point.
I’m eager to hear about #13. That’s the one I’m putting my money on!
Well, Listing Agent for #12 just called me back to tell me that I need to find my own agent because the Seller does not want him to represent any buyers. They have a ton of offers. Still scratching my head on whether to make an offer or not.
Can you get your usual listing agent to do it in return for getting the listing? This is the place with all the termite damage? Do you really want it?
I personally wouldn’t waste my time and energy on #12, especially since they have a “ton” of offers. Sounds like the place has LOTS & LOTS of problems, and probably the other bidders have no clue about most of them and have overbid the place. Sometimes it’s not good to spread yourself too thin. I’m thinking positive thoughts about #13, as it sounds like it has the most promise, tho I understand why you don’t like putting “all your eggs in one basket,” so to speak.
I have decided to pass on #12, so I’ll put the address out there for all to view.
1734 Galway Place, 92020 (note that it looks ‘OK’ in the photos)
No word back yet on #13, although I doubt that the Sellers will accept my offer. I’m $50k down from their asking price and $20k down from what the agent says he thinks they need for their divorce settlement. However, what they ‘need’ is some arbitrary amount they have in their heads that they should get, after paying everything off. They ‘need’ $100k each ($200k) for the settlement. Well, that’s just wonderful that they have made up a number, it doesn’t mean I can afford to fund their wishes. I guess they will wait it out.
There is a lot of hidden issues under that house also - foundation and termite repairs. I just read through the detailed termite inspection report and it casually states “Moisture and water damage noted in joists and floors under bathrooms”. It is impossible to replace plywood subfloor and floor joists underneath the house without ripping up the tile, vanities, toilets to open up the floor and fix from above. And, the moisture is usually from the shower pan, so the whole shower will have to be ripped out. So, even though the bathrooms appear OK, they are going to have to be ripped up to correct the termite and wood rot issues. The funny thing is that Sellers don’t quite realize the fine print in these termite inspection reports (if they even read them or understand). The Termite Company will state “$3,200 to repair wood rot”. But it clearly states in there that they are not responsible for cosmetically replacing anything such as tile, paint or fixtures. So a Seller will think it’s 3,200 to correct issue and drop the price $3,000 and we’re even. Uhhh, lot more work involved than the simple wood fix.
cb, if the termite damage weren’t there, would you be cosmetically doing the bathrooms anyway?
They are somewhat newer with travertine and dark granite. Its a tough call because they look clean and tolerable but about 10 or 15 years old. Not current taste, but not horrible. I’m sure the Sellers feel they are gorgeous and do not realize they may have to be torn apart. I am torn between leave them be or update them, especially the tile.
You might get away with leaving the tiles and sprucing up the rest. I plan on remodeling my MB in the next 3-5 years (when it will be close to 20 yrs old!), and I am going to keep the original tile which is neutral and is still being sold. Kinda like this:
(Or it looks like the tiles we have when the link is viewed on my phone 
)
There was a house we backed out of after inspection when we moved here when we discovered that a) neither the oven nor the cooktop worked, b) simply because they had not fixed the grout around a tub, the floor underlayment but more importantly the floor joist underneath a second floor bathroom were rotten and the whole thing would have to be ripped out and repaired (and this was an antique post and beam house, so we are talking major issue) and c) none of the 5 flues were lined or safe to use. It also had the largest amount of friable asbestos I’ve ever seen in a house, and that’s saying something. The owner refused to compromise on the price. The floor joist/bathroom gut was the real deal-breaker.
cb, if you get #13 with all its termite damage, you’ll need to rip up the bathrooms anyway, right? So look at the termite problem as an opportunity to make the house look better than it would have if there were no termite damage.
(Didja’ notice how I just made lemonade here?)
Any chance any parts can be salvaged if you have to rip up the bathrooms?
Normally, when you demo any structure, the probability to reuse the old material or fixture is slim except the water, sewer and electrical lines, The floors and fixtures normally won’t be reused, you really do not want to put a 20 year old faucet or an old lighting fixture into a brand new bathroom.
Art lover. I know that. But if there is a beautiful old pedestal sink, or gorgeous tiles, or a pretty vanity that is not outdated…can they be saved?
In this particular case, the vanities are salvageable because they are neutral and appear to be in good condition. That may change upon careful inspection. For example, if a vanity has water damage under a sink I would not leave that in a house because it would be worrisome to a Home Inspector and he would call it out. Or, if the vanity was not historically appealing and the drawers were the old fashioned kind without sliders, that turns off buyers.
The biggest challenge with showers and bathtubs is if you want to change the valve fixture. It’s easy to change a shower head because you don’t have to open up the tile wall. BUT, there’s some kind of conspiracy with plumbing fixture companies. If you need to change the valve handle, you cannot do that without putting in a whole new valve mechanism in the wall, which requires cutting out tile. Impossible to switch out the on/off/hot/cold valve handle. Sometimes you can open up a wall behind the shower if it is easily accessible, like in a closet. That’s why you see a lot of shower heads available at Home Depot for replacement, but no valve handles!!
^^If you go to Orchard Hardware (OSH), there is a whole section of shower and tub valves repair kits to select from, not at Home Depot. My plumber actually repaired those valves for me, he used to work for Sears service, the manager told him, if he offer customer repair service instead of replacement service, he is going to be fired.
Very interesting about repair service. Not sure there is an ‘Orchard’ hardware in this area, but there are some plumbing supply houses that will probably sell the exact same replacement chrome crappy handle set that was on the valve. I usually am trying to update the handle set to something cleaner and more modern and a better finish/color. I just wish they would make ‘interchangeable’ handles that can go on old valve sets. Even when we demolish a shower and tile, it’s still a lot of money to cut out old plumbing and set in a new control valve inside the wall.