Home inspections and Winterized Homes
So you’ve made an offer on a foreclosure and now you want to have a Home Inspection. The only problem is the home is winterized and it’s the middle of winter. You know the property is sold “As Is” but you want to make sure the pipes haven’t frozen and the heating system is functional. If you are getting a loan on the property your appraiser is going to want to see the water and heating system are all functioning as well. So what are your options?
First you need permission from the bank through the listing agent that they will allow the property to be un-winterized for inspections. If they will, most likely you will need to use their plumber. The cost can be around $250 to un-winterize and $250 to re-winterize it depending on the type of property. Make sure you negotiate who pays for that in your offer.
At this point you really only have 2 options:
1) You do a dry inspection, test everything else in the property, even run compressed air through the pipes to see if there is any freeze damage. Have the appraiser come out and test everything but the water and heat. About a week before closing, have the property un-winterized, pay for the appraiser to come back out and if the bank allows it leave the heat on until closing.
2) You will need to have the property un-winterized and have your home inspection and apppraiser come out to the property on the same day. Some lenders are not coopertative, check with yours. The property will be re-winterized within 24 hours until closing. You will be responsible for un-winterizing it again after closing.
These issues can be tricky, make sure you have an agent who is familiar with selling foreclosures to walk you through the process.
heyamaretto said,
March 3, 2009 at 9:23 pm
Very helpful post. Many buyers, as you know, are not aware of the added costs associated with buying an as-is property, and many agents are unable to set these expectations up.
Tampa Home Inspection Service said,
March 26, 2009 at 1:19 am
Tampa Bay Home Inspection Company QCI, Inc.
Tampa Bay Home Inspections. New problems with Sulfur in drywall from China.
It has been reported that drywall imported between 2004-2006 from certain areas in China, can release sulfur-like odorous components. These compounds can corrode air conditioning coils and other copper-bearing materials, causing them to be replaced repeatedly. It has been determined that the problem is related to presence of iron disulfide. There have been reports that large quantities of drywall produced in China were kept on sea barges for months awaiting permission for importation to the USA. This drywall has a higher than typical density and a higher propensity to off-gas sulfur compounds.
Drywall is usually made of gypsum (hydrated calcium sulfate). Therefore, sulfur is one of the main components present in the sample. All drywall has sulfur in its elemental composition; therefore the odor is not explained by an analysis of the total sulfur content.
Tampa Bay Home Inspections.Offers our expert opion or questions on this matter. The extent of the indoor air quality issues related to this is still unclear. EPA is currently investigating the severity of the problem. However, it is well known that exposure to sulfur compounds can create irritation and breathing disorders. Also Sulfar has been damaging aircondition unit coils. This damage can ruin an A/C unit in as little as 6 months. Contact us at quality.check@verizon.net
Drywall may be to blame for homeowners’ illness
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Questions about Home Inspection Services.