House inspection issues, what would you do?

Question

1. Aluminum Wiring throughout the whole house, does not appear to have ever been updated.
2. 2nd bathroom shower needs retiled before used otherwise more damage.
3. Breaker box needs replaced due to no longer being guaranteed and losing their underwriter.
4. Sprinkler system missing vacuum breaker required by city.


These are the main issues along with more cosmetic. We have a contract on the house and can still walk away. How would you approach this though?

Answer 1

#1 is the biggie and may prove to be the deal breaker, it all depends on the condition of the wire. There are ways to repair that costs about 1/2 of replacement but you need a qualified electrician to determine if this is fesable. Check the following link to get a greater understanding of the problem.
http://www.inspect-ny.com/aluminum/aluminum.htm#reducrisk
#2 At least you have 2 full baths and this affords you the chance to get the bathroom of your dreams through negotiations. Labor generally runs between $4500.00 and $5500.00 for a full size bath redo in Michigan with all fixtures being supplied by the homeowner as the price can vary greatly depending on tastes.
#3 This is the sticking point from the code perspective. Generally, localities will require full upgrades if the service is upgraded which would also preclude the repair option in #1 and force a total rewire. Check your local codes.
#4 This is the easiest of all your problems. A vacuum breaker is nothing more then a back flow preventer. Your plumber should be able to install one for about $200. A simple device that is installed inline between your system and the supply to prevent backflow siphion.
Hope all this helps

Answer 2

Does the electrical pass city or town code? What do you mean by "losing their underwriter because breaker box not guaranteed? Did the insurance company cancel their policy due to the faulty breaker box? If your home inspection showed the breaker box needs to be replaced then the owners need to replace to meet code. If the sprinklers are also faulty and don't meet city code they need to be replaced. The bathroom shower is just cosmetic unless it falls within the dollar amount on your contract allowing you to withdraw. You may be able to withdraw completely. I would have a Real Estate Attorney review your contract & home inspection report. It'll probably cost you less then $1,000 but much less then all the headaches ahead. Maybe you can negoiate a deal for a better price. It's a buyers market everywhere. Get estimates from licensed contractors and make a new offer. The home inspection is now on record. They have to reveal it to any other potential buyer. Remember a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. How long has the house been on the market? How many offers have they had? How bad do they want to sell? Don't appear to eager to buy. Do you really like it? What are the prices for similar homes in the neigborhood? What have similar homes sold for in the last six months? What is the location like? Remember location, location, location. Good luck...

Answer 3

Sounds like they want the wiring repaired and some tile work done. The vacuum breaker shouldn't be a big deal for a plumber.

How does that agree with their offer? did they try and cut the price and still want the work done? Did they offer list price?
That will have to be your call. For the wiring, I'm not a big fan of aluminum and would want that ckecked out, also if I was buying the house, I'd want the tile fixed in the bath, but I don't know about replaced.
I don't know the area you are in, if you are in a hot area, then you are in a better position to bargain.
I would repair the concerns, and have the asking price reflect the improvements. Good luck

Answer 4

Clean aluminum is worth 65 Cents per pound. Make sure that you get to recycle it when it's torn out. ;) Seriously though, simply get estimates from the appropriate contractors and deduct that amount from the purchase price, or offer to pay full price with those items fixed. The tile is not serious, the vacuum breaker and the aluminum wiring are very serious safety issues. I would not let my family sleep in a house with aluminum wiring even one night.

Answer 5

Welcome to the joys of being a homeowner!

What to do next depends on a few things. Did you and the seller settle on a good price? If you feel you're already over paying, you might want out. But if you feel that you're paying a fair price, even considering the repairs, then stick with the contract.

You can ask the seller to come off his price a bit more too. But they may have already factured in the fact that this is not a brand new house.

If sounds like you had a very thorough inspection. Good luck with your decision.

Answer 6

Listen to Ray"the electrician", aluminum wiring, that's a huge flag, this home has to many problems. The ex pence of having the whole house rewired would be expensivetion. Not to mention all of the drywall repairs that would have to be done after they knocked out the walls to rewire it. Remember the deeper you go, the deeper you'll have to go. Walk away unless you can do these repairs yourself.

Answer 7

If you're in a contract to buy the house, you should subtract the cost of repair from the amount you're paying, or ask that they fix it before sale.

Answer 8

deduct the amount to upgrade to standard and follow through, or find a house that you are more comfortable with.

Answer 9

don't walk...RUN, you're talking quite a few more thousands of dollars to fix what needs to be fixed.