but one major problem. The inspector said the water main into the house was ready to blow--big problem. The real estate broker went back to the seller(they have already moved to Maine) and they said they would fix the pipe. The man hired to fix the pipe went to get a permit and a person from the dept of sewer and water came out and said the pipe was fine (the house was built in 1935 and the pipe is original). So now the seller does not want to pay. Did anyone ever hear of such a thing? Why would the town get involved when the agreement was made to fix the water main? What should he do? Thanks
2007-01-16 15:52:26 · 9 answers · asked by Anonymous in Home & Garden ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
I'd ask the inspector to justify his position.
Keep in mind that the town is only responsible for the water main up to the meter. From then on it's up to the property owner. The town inspector may have only been evaluating the town's area of responsibility.
But, there's the issue that the seller agreed to replace the line -- and a 72 year old water line IS a problem waiting to happen. I'd push for the replacement since it was agreed upon.
A homeowner's warranty usually will NOT pay for an underground water line though some water companies offer an insurance policy that will cover replacement.
2007-01-16 16:44:16 · answer #1 · answered by Bostonian In MO 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Personally I would question the credentials of both the inspector and the town representative. The pipe spoken of is usually at least four feet underground and unless they have X-ray vision, I would doubt their ability to inspect it.
Most towns and city have, in recent years, transferred responsibility for the pipe running from the main shutoff in the street to the house to the home owner, while retaining ownership and responsibility for the meter. A money saving move for the local government at the expense of the individual.
It might be a good idea to get with the mortgage holder as they may something to say since they have a vested interest and don't want to end up with a owner who can't afford the fix abandoning the property. The last thing the lender wants is to have to fix it themselves and then try to recover their costs by selling the place. In other words the lender may halt the deal until it is brought up to date.
2007-01-17 01:05:50 · answer #2 · answered by MT C 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Those home inspectors for people that want to buy or sell are only knowledge limited workers. He don't know if its going to "blow" or not. I would certainly trust the city inspector first and have his report in writing. City inspectors usually come out of a construction field and are experts in either plumbing, electrical, and or framing. I believe that if the main breaks it might be on the city anyway. Get some kind of warranty program.
2007-01-17 00:47:58 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'd ask the sellers for a one year home warranty just in case... If the city inspector said the pipe was fine, get a copy of the report for your records. If he came out, he had to file a report with the county. This will help your son down the line in case the pipe "blows" and he takes the seller AND county to court!!
2007-01-16 23:59:07 · answer #4 · answered by Patricia D 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
an inspector of homes would not tell you it IS going to blow but may suggest that because of it's age and condition that it may be to your best advantage to have it looked at by a qualified contractor then go by his decision, in any case you have the inspectors report and a qualified contractors report to back you up if anything does go wrong in the future, get a gaurantee from the seller on all items reported as bad by the inspector.if you hired the inspector he is only trying to protect your interests.
2007-01-17 04:46:12 · answer #5 · answered by donley z 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the seller did what was expected.and stood behind the contract your beef is with the inspector. he has insurance for this type of problem .provided the inspection was ordered by the buyer
2007-01-17 18:45:44 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
hi
the city would pay to replace the pipe to the house only. inside the house is the owner responsibility
2007-01-17 07:21:09 · answer #7 · answered by pcc122 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
just because he made and offer dosn't mean he can't back out ,Just don't go through with it, tell the banker for get it, Im not excepting this offer ,even if theres s penelty fee, its less than spending thousands of unessery dollars.
2007-01-17 00:44:46 · answer #8 · answered by beneryberlecco 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
unless the "inspector" can look into the future, he wouldn't know it was about to blow. i would put out a contract on the "inspector"
2007-01-17 00:05:50 · answer #9 · answered by 90proof 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋