I'm buying my first home

[Gatordiddy]

He's being radicalized.

That damn Jesus... always talking about love and forgiveness.
Ain't nobody got time for that.

 

[playzwtrux]

There home inspection was Tuesday the 21st. All is well, except a few things, but in the bigger scheme, they are minor.

A couple of junction boxes were missing.
The crack between the front steps & porch.
Signs of possible cracking in the up stairs tub around the drain.
No dryer receptacle.
No GFCI outlets.

I asked, and the seller will fix all of this.

The only 2 areas of concern are the hot water heater and heat pump, both due to age, not functionality. Both work great, but are old.
The heat pump was replaced in '02. I initially thought (told) the heat was gas, but was corrected by the inspector. The hot water heater is older, I think around '97.

Both were listed as "moderate" in condition, as opposed to poor, or good (3 point scale).
A 1 year home warranty is included with the purchase, with an option to extend another year for $400. This covers those items. If the hot water heater goes out, I'll replaced it with an on demand type unit.

There is a sump in the crawl space under the single story section that he said was dry (no standing water). That's good since it hasn't rained much.

No signs of any damage to the foundation, or leaks in the basement.

 

[crosscreekcooter]

Having a sump pump in the crawlspace is not a common practice unless an unusual event (poor drainage, underground spring, etc) has previously occurred. The fact that it shows no signs of standing water is encouraging, just be aware that it has happened in the past. I'm going to go out on a limb and guess other actions have been taken by the homeowner to help alleviate the problem of water in the crawl space like gutter work of some sort and the re-grading and addition of the retaining wall in the back yard. Don't be lulled into a false sense of security. You need to raise it's float on a regular basis to make sure it can function properly and the outfall is open and daylighting; the sump pump is there for a reason. Water in the crawl space encourages mold and mildew; also make sure the crawl space is adequately vented. Speaking of sump pumps, your air handler should sit in an overflow pan with a primary drain attached in the event of icing or heavy condensation. You should also have a small electrical sump pump (about the size of your fist) in the pan that has a float switch on it and a secondary drain to the outside. This is a redundancy drain in the event the primary drain is blocked or clogged with yucky stuff. Always keep the pan clear of trash and dust. I once had a bug crawl into the sump pump and block the float switch causing a flood in a finished basement that soaked the carpet.

The lack of GFCI outlets is an easy correction. Along with your bathroom and kitchen outlets, those protected circuits should include any unfinished space in the basement, your garage, as well as any exterior receptacles.

The water heater is running on the outter edge of it's expected life, however the time you have before the tank starts leaking depends on the hardness of your water. Look for signs of rust on the tank near the bottom or at the hot side of the water pipe fittings.
I would be less concerned with the age of the HVAC system if properly maintained.

I am assuming your cracked tub is either fiberglass/acrylic or composition, unless it is rusting at the cracked areas. A primary cause for failure in these types of bathroom fixtures is the failure of the installer to use a setting bed of cement under the unit which prevents flexing from body weight while in use. Scratches being repaired by sanding and gelcoat application are one thing, however the proper long-term solution to repair cracks is to replace the unit rather than cosmetically repairing the cracks as the root cause will still exist.

Read the home warranty before you re-new and understand it's coverage. Shop around. None of these issues should prevent you from buying your home.

 

[LagoonGator68]

Sump pump in crawl space tells me there is a water problem as do my eyes. The owner went to great expense building a recent retaining wall, extending the turn around pad, and putting in a huge amount of gravel to "catch" or slow down the water. What happens when that fills up? It goes straight under your deck. That lot is graded improperly.

If you can deal with that ongoing headache and a 32 year old house, go for it. Did he give you a FLIR video?

 

[dubster1]

I must admit between ccc&goon inspection company they have put you on sound footing

 

[playzwtrux]

The inspector doesn't offer FLIR.

 

[DocZaius]

A little unorthodox, but when we bought our last house, we actually went door-to-door in the neighborhood before we put an offer down. Just to introduce ourselves and eyeball the neighbors.

 

[Gatordiddy]

A little unorthodox, but when we bought our last house, we actually went door-to-door in the neighborhood before we put an offer down. Just to introduce ourselves and eyeball the neighbors.

 

[GMDGator]

I'm looking at buying my first home and shared this in the box and received some incredible feedback from CCC, NV, & Goon and wanted to ask y'all for some input. (serious input only, or at least identify it as sarcasm )

Here's a link to the listing on Zillow:

http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/801-Lynell-Ct-Oxford-AL-36203/109192375_zpid/

Does anyone have any input, or questions I should be asking about the home, and/or financing? Nothing should be considered stupid, or wrong. I don't really want to get screwed any more than $500.

I have it under contract (so it may be too late, except if I wanted to lose my earnest money), but the home inspection has not been done yet, so there may still be time. Inspection is on Tuesday the 21st.

Thanks everybody for helping me make this the best possible experience it can be.

Looks nice and priced right... Congrats