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baquerd posted:If I were the seller, I probably wouldn't give in, but it can't hurt to ask. You saw the house and inspected it, right? And saw a bunch of other houses? You understood the actual size of the house you were buying, there's just a numbers difference. Yeah, that's all totally true. Honestly it probably doesn't actually effect whether we'd want the house, but hopefully we can get a small concession from the seller We haven't done any inspections yet, that's being done this week.
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May 17, 2015 21:54
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QuarkJets posted:It was a typo, the ones and tens digits got swapped. Like if you were to type 30 instead of 03. The house is roughly 1500 sqft, so it's not a huge difference in square footage at least. Houses are routinely appraised on $/square foot. 30 square feet is thousands of dollars. You could always tell them, "So, we agreed on $105 per square foot, right?" before you share your findings. You'll probably find out real quick if it was an innocent typo or deliberate. If it was deliberate, I'd walk away immediately. If they're lying about poo poo like that, there's probably a dozen more things you haven't found yet. It's like the New England Patriots. Cheaters cheat. They don't cheat once and then not cheat any more.
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May 18, 2015 00:26
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Dik Hz posted:I would, and I'd be willing to walk away over it. It's funny how these sorts of errors never seem to happen the other way around. It's never "oops, turns out you're getting more than you thought." What a great post, everyone read this and follow its spirit when dealing with your own situations like this that will inevitably come up.
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May 18, 2015 01:45
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Nah that post was pretty poo poo. Do people really buy houses on $/sq. ft.? I've never not seen anything but a final dollar amount. When I bought my house it was actually about 40sq. ft. bigger than the listing stated so yeah, it happens. When we sold our old house we no longer had any data on original footage so we had to take measurements and estimate. Sometimes footage isn't 100% accurate but it doesn't mean the sellers are up to anything.
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May 18, 2015 03:11
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FCKGW posted:Nah that post was pretty poo poo. Do people really buy houses on $/sq. ft.? I've never not seen anything but a final dollar amount. I don't think people buy on price/sqft, but it's certainly common to evaluate the value of a house using price/sqft. When you think that you're paying $200/sqft it kind of sucks to learn that you're actually paying $210/sqft. And surely being told that the house is smaller than was agreed upon in the purchase contract should result in some sort of concession, the question is just how much. If your contract said that the house would come with all appliances and then were told later that the stove and fridge wouldn't be included after all, surely you wouldn't sit on your hands and just let that happen. That's about the right order of magnitude of value lost that we're talking about, here. It's true that a small difference in square footage probably doesn't really change any decisions. If you like the house's design, location, and general size then it probably doesn't matter that the house is a few dozen square feet smaller than was listed. But it does feel like the two parties should come to an agreement on some concession due to the lost value that represents. I agree that a discrepancy in square footage does not necessarily mean that the sellers are up to anything. Sometimes mistakes just happen.
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May 18, 2015 03:41
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Pryor on Fire posted:What a great post, everyone read this and follow its spirit when dealing with your own situations like this that will inevitably come up. Also, my bad, it probably was incendiary to mention the New England Patriots. Their fans are completely unwilling to rationally listen to criticism of their beloved franchise.
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May 18, 2015 04:17
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FCKGW posted:Nah that post was pretty poo poo. Do people really buy houses on $/sq. ft.? I've never not seen anything but a final dollar amount. Dollars per sq. ft. matter, but it's not the be all, end all metric in my experience. In the few circumstances I've bothered to measure square footage of a house or apartment myself, it always disagrees with the listed amount. I would argue that square footage numbers will not agree with your personal measured number the majority of the time. Sometimes they'll just list the sq. footage of the foundation, but the livable space will be smaller. Sometimes they'll list numbers from a previous sale when a renovation slightly modded it. There are so many ways the listed sq. footage number can be slightly wrong, or slightly different from how you want it to be.
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May 18, 2015 05:50
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Jimmy James posted:Dollars per sq. ft. matter, but it's not the be all, end all metric in my experience. In the few circumstances I've bothered to measure square footage of a house or apartment myself, it always disagrees with the listed amount. I would argue that square footage numbers will not agree with your personal measured number the majority of the time. Sometimes they'll just list the sq. footage of the foundation, but the livable space will be smaller. Sometimes they'll list numbers from a previous sale when a renovation slightly modded it. There are so many ways the listed sq. footage number can be slightly wrong, or slightly different from how you want it to be. But if you determined that the house you're trying to buy is 300 sqft less than listed, what would you do?
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May 18, 2015 06:22
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If the realtors numbers matched the auditors numbers, you really can't blame the seller at that point. Then it might come down to individual rooms.
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May 18, 2015 12:13
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Dik Hz has a good point. The first thing I thought of when I read about the square footage mistake was during my hunting on realty website, square footage was a filter for me, so upping the size of a house even by a small amount could make it appear when it shouldn't. It's like increasing the font on your research paper back at school by a fraction of a size to cover that last half a page you need without it being totally obvious. I don't think this is worth walking over as it could be an innocent mistake just as easily as a intentional adjustment. I would pay close attention for the rest of the dealings, regardless.
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May 18, 2015 13:00
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One thing that I did not see in the Square foot discussion is that many appraisers do not adjust for differences in GLA less than 100 square feet. If the appraisal has not been completed yet, and the homes they compare it to are within 50 square feet or so, it is likely something where the property would not be given a positive or negative adjustment in value at all. So in that sense the 30 feet would not end up mattering at all. Example House we are buying - 1500 square feet (really 1530). Comps 1,2,3 (1468, 1565, 1505) all are given a 0 line item adjustment for GLA. Now to be fair, not all appraisers do this, but many of them will, because they assume most buyers are not going to value a home within 100 sq feet much differently. Admittedly, most jumbo loans require 2 appraisals anyway, so there is going to be a natural reconciliation process. If i was op, I would probably do 3 things. 1) Call the permit office and get those things closed up as needed (I've seen appraisers make their reports subject to the condition of the open permits being closed, usually costs a nominal amount of money to do) 2) Let important people know about the GLA issue (originator, realtor) since you don't want the transaction held up in the 11th hour. 3) Check the appraisals closely when they come in. If there is an issue in your mind related to the GLA, negotiate it or bring it to someones attention right away.
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May 18, 2015 14:17
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QuarkJets posted:And surely being told that the house is smaller than was agreed upon in the purchase contract should result in some sort of concession I've never seen a purchase contract that stated the square footage. Just the legal description of the lot and "The house, garage, and all other fixtures and improvements attached to the above-described real property" A 30sq ft discrepancy is truly trivial. You'll come up with a bigger discrepancy just doing internal vs external measurements, for example. Around here, everyone uses the appraisal district's square footage in their listing to avoid this kind of stupid pissing match, and the irony is that those guys aren't terribly precise in their measurements, since they just need ballpark numbers to do their job.
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May 18, 2015 15:21
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The issue I would be concerned with given it's a Jumbo is that the lender drags their feet if both of the appraisals do not match in terms of square footage. I'd argue the best possible outcome is probably that the reports show the same inaccuracy and it isn't adjusted for. Maybe in a perfect world op gets some kind of concession for the 30 foot difference, but that part seems fairly unlikely as public records are off all the time, but it is the standard most people would use. Nightmare scenario is that the the reports vary, the lender wants clarification on both reports, the op pushes too hard for a concession they aren't going to get, offend the seller and they get walked out on when someone else decides they will put enough down for a conventional loan that only requires one appraisal and closes up real quick.
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May 18, 2015 15:52
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Dik Hz posted:I would, and I'd be willing to walk away over it. It's funny how these sorts of errors never seem to happen the other way around. It's never "oops, turns out you're getting more than you thought." My appraiser gave me about 100 extra sqft than the listing, so it does happen.
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May 18, 2015 17:29
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Anybody have some sewer line horror stories to share? I need to be scared out of buying this otherwise okay house that has a terra cotta sewer line running out the backyard and down a hill under a bunch of trees.
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May 18, 2015 18:31
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As a Millennial I posted:Anybody have some sewer line horror stories to share? I need to be scared out of buying this otherwise okay house that has a terra cotta sewer line running out the backyard and down a hill under a bunch of trees. Assume the cost of replacing in your purchase decision. It will need to be replaced. At minimum you should get it camera inspected before you make an offer if the house is a go otherwise. Worse case is the city doesn't let you dig up and replace the existing one because of you can't kill trees on city land. Otherwise it is pretty much backhoe up a trench to the sewer and put in a new pipe. Fill in hole. Remove trees if they die.
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May 18, 2015 18:40
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As a Millennial I posted:Anybody have some sewer line horror stories to share? I need to be scared out of buying this otherwise okay house that has a terra cotta sewer line running out the backyard and down a hill under a bunch of trees. House we were under contract in last year before it came apart was found to have roots in the sewer lateral (~70 foot line) and estimates for relining were in the 9-11k range. We negotiated it into the price after the inspection stage since it was so high. If there is doubt, scope the line for 300-400 bucks. Sewer lines aren't cheap.
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May 18, 2015 18:45
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As a Millennial I posted:Anybody have some sewer line horror stories to share? I need to be scared out of buying this otherwise okay house that has a terra cotta sewer line running out the backyard and down a hill under a bunch of trees. I think I told this story in the thread back when it was actually happening, across several posts, so here's the full thing: My wife and I tried to buy a nice house at a good price in an area that we like, but sewer inspections aren't normally done here. The house was on a cul de sac and we noticed a lot of large trees in the front yard along the path where we suspected the sewer line was, so we decided to get a sewer inspection to make sure that there weren't any major surprises and so that we could know exactly where the line is, if we ever wanted to significantly alter the yard. There were no roots clogging the lines, but the main sewer line under the house had basically collapsed. "I've never seen a line sagging this badly" was said several times by the inspector. The worst part was the location; the sagging segment started from a bedroom, ran through the epicenter of the house (where a bathroom was located), through the middle of the kitchen, and under the entirety of the garage. The entire segment was completely underwater, meaning that you basically had a tiny cesspool under the house that would fill up over time until your house eventually gets flooded with sewage. The owners surely knew, as the lines had recently been jet-washed. This is a sure way to clear out any lingering sewage; you basically put high pressure on the sewer line and push everything out, but it also runs the risk of eventually breaking the sewer line. The only way to fix it is to dig out and replace all of that pipe. To replace the line you'd basically have to completely redo the bathroom, the kitchen, and the floor of one bedroom. Estimated cost for the repair was $50k. Sellers wanted to get two more quotes, which were each also $50k. Seller refused to do anything about it, but luckily we were within our contingency period, so we pulled out. Do never buy (or if you buy, do never forego a sewer inspection) QuarkJets fucked around with this message at 19:06 on May 18, 2015 |
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May 18, 2015 19:04
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Eh, what's another 400 bucks. 
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May 18, 2015 19:15
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Closed on our house on Thursday, found evidence of moisture damage and mold in basement on Friday. Home inspector was sorry he missed it but blamed the owners stuff for being in the way (it wasn't). Hopefully adding some gutters will be able to direct enough water away from the foundation. It seems to be the thing everyone suggests as a starting point.
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May 18, 2015 22:41
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There is such a thing as trenchless sewer line replacement. It's not cheap, but it may be cheaper than excavating, if your line runs under mature trees, concrete driveways, etc. My sewer line is cast iron to the cleanout and then terracotta to the sewer. The terracotta section runs under a large tree in our front yard. There is some minor root intrusion: I have had it snaked out twice in the last five years, and my guys' advice is to keep doing it every year or two. $200 every couple years sure beats many thousands of dollars to replace the line. If/when we decide we absolutely have to do this replacement, trenchless will probably cost us about half what it'd cost to dig up the line, due to that big sycamore. Incidentally, I want to beat up the fucker who thought sycamores were appropriate trees for a generally hot and dry climate, since they are riparian trees that need lots of water, and oh by the way, they have moisture-seeking roots and it was planted more or less directly over the sewer line, probably 30 years ago. Let that be a lesson to all of you: plant native trees, or if you must have a non-native ornamental tree, at least pick something appropriate for your local climate.
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May 19, 2015 00:16
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I just planted a bunch of kudzu at my house right before I sold it.
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May 19, 2015 01:06
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Closed out on the house today and somehow I managed to get money back from the seller and a lower interest rate on my loan. Gotta love those DC homebuyers programs. "House Buying Megathread: I finally have the house, so what happens now?" Oh, right. Movers and a 30 day notice.
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May 19, 2015 02:21
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Delorence Fickle posted:"House Buying Megathread: I finally have the house, so what happens now?" The crushing weight of enormous, decades-long debt. The neverending parade of multi-thousand-dollar expenses. The weekly grind of neverending maintenance chores. The slow realization that if housing prices in your neighborhood go down by 25%, you're ruined. Congratulations! 
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May 19, 2015 02:26
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People do so much retarded poo poo that they think looks good and doesn't or is some loving tree from their childhood in climates that are totally wrong for the landscaping and it pisses me off so much. You don't need a lawn and an oak tree to impress your ancestors or whatever the gently caress.
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May 19, 2015 04:03
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Spermy Smurf posted:I just planted a bunch of kudzu at my house right before I sold it. Did I buy your house?
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May 19, 2015 15:28
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Back to the square footage questions, it looks like the permit was indeed for a smaller house than what's recorded in the county record (county tax record says the house is about 70 sqft larger than permitted). Is this a problem? There are no obvious additions or modifications, and it looks like most of the houses on the block have permits that deviate from the county record by some amount (10-100 sqft), so I'm guessing that this is just a thing that happens and such a discrepancy should be ignored? Also, how often does a typical roof in a sunny area typically need to be replaced? 20+ years? 30+?
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May 19, 2015 19:04
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It is very likely something that would just get ignored. More than likely on your appraisal it will state the home is legal or legal non-conforming on page one of the report. All that would matter to a lender is that your home could be rebuilt in the event of a disaster, which is pretty commonly allowed. The only thing I think you would really need to check for is when your appraisals arrive that neither of them (I believe two were coming if this was a jumbo loan) show the report as subject to permits being modified in any way. If nothing like that pops up, you should be ok to close. The roof will probably be mentioned in either your home inspection or the appraisal report. You want to look for anything mentioning economic life. If there isn't anything specific, appraisals do state the condition of the roof, anything less than average is a concern and probably means it will need replacing in the very near future (within 3-5 years).
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May 19, 2015 19:10
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This house is for sale near me. I'd schedule a tour, but I don't think one person could give a second person a tour of the place.
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May 19, 2015 21:08
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CornHolio posted:This house is for sale near me. I'd schedule a tour, but I don't think one person could give a second person a tour of the place. 5.3 acres with a well already drilled, electric run, and septic system installed for $50,000? That's cheaper than it would be in my neck of the woods.
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May 19, 2015 21:13
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You're not buying a house in that case, you're buying a lot of land with a plumbed shed on the property.
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May 19, 2015 21:14
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If we're posting absurd houses, does anyone know of a cult looking for a compound? http://houstonarea.har.com/2354-county-road-59/sale_81589854
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May 19, 2015 21:21
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FISHMANPET posted:If we're posting absurd houses, does anyone know of a cult looking for a compound? Maybe I'm just ignorant but I cannot imagine a reason for that place to exist.
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May 19, 2015 21:31
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There's another slightly smaller compound next door as well. It's only on 15 acres, which I'd guess is hardly enough land to support a few hundred people. I just can't imagine anything other than cult. I know Houston area doesn't have much of any zoning, so maybe my imagination is limited by what's possible where I am. Could it be some kind of boarding house? Home for troubled youth? Some kind of school? Nursing home? No idea. E: I guess it was built as a senior living facility but never finished. And then the same guy built the same thing next door, only smaller. Weird. FISHMANPET fucked around with this message at 21:41 on May 19, 2015 |
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May 19, 2015 21:36
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As a Millennial I posted:Maybe I'm just ignorant but I cannot imagine a reason for that place to exist. Enron.
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May 20, 2015 03:28
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That's like a case study in why you don't let people just build as many million square feet as they want on however much land they want without any government oversight. Like what the flying gently caress.
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May 20, 2015 04:30
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Pryor on Fire posted:That's like a case study in why you don't let people just build as many million square feet as they want on however much land they want without any government oversight. Like what the flying gently caress. Yeah, but $58/sqft, what a deal!
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May 20, 2015 12:22
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The shed on 5 acres is $308 per square foot what a rip off.
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May 20, 2015 15:57
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I am getting owned so hard. My agent is a complete noob and the seller is, herself, an agent who's sold dozens of houses. Now we're in the post-inspection negotiation and not only is the seller claiming that a sagging roof is not a "problem," she's refusing to lower the purchase price in exchange for the lower seller's assist that our bank is suddenly requiring. I'm sick of dealing with this poo poo and she knows it. UGH
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May 22, 2015 17:42
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Walk away. The sagging roof is an issue. gently caress that. And get a new buyer's agent.
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May 22, 2015 17:49
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