I'm waiting to hear back from the two contractors my real estate agent suggested to us. The only thing stopping us from closing early (actually, just stopping us from closing, early or late) is to get an estimate from a Shaker Heights registered contractor on the work detailed in the city's point of sale inspection. Once we have an estimate, we can work on figuring out how we're going to put together the funds to meet 150% of the estimate, for the city's escrow requirement.
For now, it's just an awful lot of looking at photos of the house and waiting.
Showing posts with label inspection. Show all posts
Showing posts with label inspection. Show all posts
Monday, November 3, 2008
Thursday, October 30, 2008
[Updated November 3, 2008]
We received the city point of sale inspection report today. This work must be completed within 90 days or have substantial progress made on it. Of course exceptions are made for work that cannot be completed due to the weather - the garage slab, for instance, can wait until spring.
Further, the city requires that either the seller complete the work prior to closing, or that the buyer put into escrow 150% of the estimated cost of the repairs, to ensure that the work is completed and the contractors are paid. The seller stipulated in the contract that they were not going to be doing any of the work or paying for it, which we agreed to.
So, now that I have the report I have to go find one of the contractors registered with the city to write up an itemized estimate, even for the things that I think I can handle doing myself. Actually, it'll probably be at least three contractors - one for the masonry work, one for the garage slab, and one for everything else.
The quantity of work listed is about what I had expected. The part of all this that frustrates me the most is having to get a contractor to write up an estimate for work that I could clearly do myself, like replacing a smoke detector or a broken window pane.
The only item that I really take issue with are the two gutters that they say have to be replaced. While I agree that they do need to be repaired, I simply cannot afford to replace them with copper - the one on the front of the house would be about $600, just for materials. I'm going to call up the inspector tomorrow and try to plead my case with him - hopefully he'll be reasonable.
I had previously assumed, incorrectly, that the gutters were seamless, and that I'd have to replace a rather extensive section. It seems, in fact, that the gutters are made of smaller sections, soldered together, and that the two parts that have to be replaced are about 4 feet each - much more reasonable.
The damage on both of the gutters is to the left.
The following is the inspection. Commentary in italics is mine.
Interior House
Basement
Boiler Room
1. Remove out-of-use globe valve and properly cap gas line above boiler
2. Repair damaged areas of foundation at west and south side.
3. Tuckpoint foundation where mortar is loose/missing at west and south side.
4. Scrape loose and/or flaking material from wall(s) at north and east walls.
Recreation Room
5. Make smoke detector fully operable. Read: buy new battery or, worst case scenario, replace smoke detector.
6. Properly repair damaged 2 inch drain pipe at rear wall using PVC pipe and approved all metal no hub clamps. This becomes more difficult because the break is right at the point where the pipe goes into the basement floor, so part of the floor will have to be cut away.
First Floor
Stairway
7. Repair damaged area(s) of (Bowed) wall(s). Replace Section This should be relatively easy - I've seen it on several houses this age. Once the plaster is removed, we can assess the degree of bowing and either replaster or put drywall over it.
Kitchen
8. Install surface run NM conductor(s) in conduit under sink. All electrical wiring run under sinks needs to be run in conduit.
Second Floor
Rear Porch
9. Repair loose door knob at main and storm doors.
10. Scrape and paint exterior storm door.
Master Bedroom
11. Secure loose light fixture. (Ceiling Fan Base)
Master Bathroom
12. Replace ceiling light fixture with UL approved moisture resistant light fixture inside shower stall. Presently, there is a single bare bulb mounted on the ceiling in the shower. We'd planned to deal with this immediately anyway. I'm not sure whether we'll raise the ceiling in the shower at the same time or not.
Rear Drive Side Bedroom
13. Secure door stop(s) at entry. (Make Flush)
Third Floor
Main Room
14. Replace cracked window pane at front.
Exterior House
Front
1. Replace damaged/deteriorated or missing gutter at second floor.
2. Scrape and paint to include stucco area above entry, stucco area next to first floor window and window sill at first floor bay.
3. Replace cracked window pane at second floor right of entry.
Rear
4. Replace damaged/deteriorated or missing gutter at first floor including breezeway.
5. Reset loose bricks in chimney. (East Chimney)
6. Tuckpoint chimney where mortar is loose/missing. (East Chimney)
7. Scrape and paint bay door at garage and trim around bay door.
8. Properly secure trim at lower east side of bay door next to hose spigot. It's a small board. Two trim nails will do the trick.
Drive Side
9. Scrape and paint window sills at garage.
10. Tuckpoint step riser(s) where mortar is lose or missing at rear entry.
Garage Interior
11. Replace deteriorated garage floor. PERMIT REQUIRED.
We received the city point of sale inspection report today. This work must be completed within 90 days or have substantial progress made on it. Of course exceptions are made for work that cannot be completed due to the weather - the garage slab, for instance, can wait until spring.
Further, the city requires that either the seller complete the work prior to closing, or that the buyer put into escrow 150% of the estimated cost of the repairs, to ensure that the work is completed and the contractors are paid. The seller stipulated in the contract that they were not going to be doing any of the work or paying for it, which we agreed to.
So, now that I have the report I have to go find one of the contractors registered with the city to write up an itemized estimate, even for the things that I think I can handle doing myself. Actually, it'll probably be at least three contractors - one for the masonry work, one for the garage slab, and one for everything else.
The quantity of work listed is about what I had expected. The part of all this that frustrates me the most is having to get a contractor to write up an estimate for work that I could clearly do myself, like replacing a smoke detector or a broken window pane.
I had previously assumed, incorrectly, that the gutters were seamless, and that I'd have to replace a rather extensive section. It seems, in fact, that the gutters are made of smaller sections, soldered together, and that the two parts that have to be replaced are about 4 feet each - much more reasonable.
The damage on both of the gutters is to the left.
The following is the inspection. Commentary in italics is mine.
Interior House
Basement
Boiler Room
1. Remove out-of-use globe valve and properly cap gas line above boiler
2. Repair damaged areas of foundation at west and south side.
3. Tuckpoint foundation where mortar is loose/missing at west and south side.
4. Scrape loose and/or flaking material from wall(s) at north and east walls.
Recreation Room
5. Make smoke detector fully operable. Read: buy new battery or, worst case scenario, replace smoke detector.
6. Properly repair damaged 2 inch drain pipe at rear wall using PVC pipe and approved all metal no hub clamps. This becomes more difficult because the break is right at the point where the pipe goes into the basement floor, so part of the floor will have to be cut away.
First Floor
Stairway
7. Repair damaged area(s) of (Bowed) wall(s). Replace Section This should be relatively easy - I've seen it on several houses this age. Once the plaster is removed, we can assess the degree of bowing and either replaster or put drywall over it.
Kitchen
8. Install surface run NM conductor(s) in conduit under sink. All electrical wiring run under sinks needs to be run in conduit.
Second Floor
Rear Porch
9. Repair loose door knob at main and storm doors.
10. Scrape and paint exterior storm door.
Master Bedroom
11. Secure loose light fixture. (Ceiling Fan Base)
Master Bathroom
12. Replace ceiling light fixture with UL approved moisture resistant light fixture inside shower stall. Presently, there is a single bare bulb mounted on the ceiling in the shower. We'd planned to deal with this immediately anyway. I'm not sure whether we'll raise the ceiling in the shower at the same time or not.
Rear Drive Side Bedroom
13. Secure door stop(s) at entry. (Make Flush)
Third Floor
Main Room
14. Replace cracked window pane at front.
Exterior House
Front
1. Replace damaged/deteriorated or missing gutter at second floor.
2. Scrape and paint to include stucco area above entry, stucco area next to first floor window and window sill at first floor bay.
3. Replace cracked window pane at second floor right of entry.
Rear
4. Replace damaged/deteriorated or missing gutter at first floor including breezeway.
5. Reset loose bricks in chimney. (East Chimney)
6. Tuckpoint chimney where mortar is loose/missing. (East Chimney)
7. Scrape and paint bay door at garage and trim around bay door.
8. Properly secure trim at lower east side of bay door next to hose spigot. It's a small board. Two trim nails will do the trick.
Drive Side
9. Scrape and paint window sills at garage.
10. Tuckpoint step riser(s) where mortar is lose or missing at rear entry.
Garage Interior
11. Replace deteriorated garage floor. PERMIT REQUIRED.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Point of Sale Inspections
The City of Shaker Heights requires that a point of sale inspection be performed on all houses prior to the transfer of title. The city charges the seller $100 for the inspection, which covers these interior and exterior areas. Once the inspection has been completed, a realtor can obtain it for any prospective buyer.
Either the seller must fix the problems found during the inspection or the buyer must assume the violations, with the provision that 150% of the estimated cost of the repairs be put into escrow. This ensures that the work is completed, and that the contractor is paid for it. Generally, the work must be completed (or have substantial progress made) within 90 days of sale. The estimate may be made by any contractor registered in Shaker Heights. The city may reject any estimate that they believe is improper. This is, I presume, to prevent contractors with a relationship to the prospective buyer from providing an estimate far less than the actual cost of repairs, thus allowing the buyer to put a substantially lower amount of money into escrow for repairs.
While this system seems to work well for owner-occupied housing, it creates certain difficulties for bank owned properties. Many of the bank owned properties have a considerable number of minor flaws that could easily be fixed by the average do-it-yourselfer. These flaws, however, when written up for the purposes of a contractor estimate, add up quite quickly - at least that's how we fear it will be.
We're waiting to hear back from our realtor as to the status of the point of sale inspection on one of the houses that we are interested in. Once it has been completed, we'll have our general contractor provide an estimate as to the total cost of the work, from which point we will be able to make a decision.
Either the seller must fix the problems found during the inspection or the buyer must assume the violations, with the provision that 150% of the estimated cost of the repairs be put into escrow. This ensures that the work is completed, and that the contractor is paid for it. Generally, the work must be completed (or have substantial progress made) within 90 days of sale. The estimate may be made by any contractor registered in Shaker Heights. The city may reject any estimate that they believe is improper. This is, I presume, to prevent contractors with a relationship to the prospective buyer from providing an estimate far less than the actual cost of repairs, thus allowing the buyer to put a substantially lower amount of money into escrow for repairs.
While this system seems to work well for owner-occupied housing, it creates certain difficulties for bank owned properties. Many of the bank owned properties have a considerable number of minor flaws that could easily be fixed by the average do-it-yourselfer. These flaws, however, when written up for the purposes of a contractor estimate, add up quite quickly - at least that's how we fear it will be.
We're waiting to hear back from our realtor as to the status of the point of sale inspection on one of the houses that we are interested in. Once it has been completed, we'll have our general contractor provide an estimate as to the total cost of the work, from which point we will be able to make a decision.
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