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Sep. 24th, 2002 06:31 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
moominmollyHouse! House house house.
Inspection was this morning. It went OK. The big structural things are fine: the roof is in good shape, the basement doesn't leak, the walls are sound, the floors are OK, the heating system is newish ('95), etc. For a house built in 1885 and then left in Somerville, it seems to be doing pretty darn well.
Things we learned:
The wiring is largely fucked, and will need to be redone. This is a $manyK project that will need to be done by a professional.
The second-floor bathroom doesn't ventilate and appears to have been put together by monkeys. Untrained monkeys. Minimum, we'll have to put in a fan and a new faucet; more than likely, we're going to redo it entirely. That's OK, since it was previously ugly as sin. No, uglier.
The basement should probably not permanently house human bedrooms. It will be great crash space and TV/DDR room space, and we may tear out the basement "kitchen" and put in a washer/dryer. If we're not treating the basement as a separate apartment, we do not need three kitchens. That's OK, too. For a couple grand, we could eventually have the foundation drilled out and larger windows put in to one of the rooms, which would make the place up to code (and more pleasant), but for now, we're fine as-is.
The sellers dropped the price back down to the asking price, for a difference of about what the rewiring will cost. The bathroom will be on us. Hopefully, everything else can be done by our own earnest hands -- painting, redoing floors, shoring up the back steps, tilling the lawn, fixing the occasional window, whatever -- and will be rewarding and all of that other glowy homeowner crap.
The inspector was great. He took almost three hours and walked with us through every inch of the house, pointing things out as he was going and describing them, describing what it was he was looking for. Well worth it.
Now, for the paperwork! Oh my lord, the paperwork. This will get done, I have zero doubt, but it will suck getting all of the little legal bits ironed out. Time for my red-tape-fu...
Inspection was this morning. It went OK. The big structural things are fine: the roof is in good shape, the basement doesn't leak, the walls are sound, the floors are OK, the heating system is newish ('95), etc. For a house built in 1885 and then left in Somerville, it seems to be doing pretty darn well.
Things we learned:
The sellers dropped the price back down to the asking price, for a difference of about what the rewiring will cost. The bathroom will be on us. Hopefully, everything else can be done by our own earnest hands -- painting, redoing floors, shoring up the back steps, tilling the lawn, fixing the occasional window, whatever -- and will be rewarding and all of that other glowy homeowner crap.
The inspector was great. He took almost three hours and walked with us through every inch of the house, pointing things out as he was going and describing them, describing what it was he was looking for. Well worth it.
Now, for the paperwork! Oh my lord, the paperwork. This will get done, I have zero doubt, but it will suck getting all of the little legal bits ironed out. Time for my red-tape-fu...
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That's great!
Date: 2002-09-24 03:55 pm (UTC)One thing -- Have you sat down and had a "what problems have you observed in the house" chat with the current denizens of the building? I know that I could tell you a lot more about my apartment than my landlord could, and he lives downstairs.
But overall, sounds like they really want to sell and you're really excited about buying. *smile* Feel free to call in Crystal & Steve, House Restoring Brigade.
Re: That's great!
Date: 2002-09-25 06:21 am (UTC)Re: That's great!
Date: 2002-09-25 06:55 am (UTC)Re: That's great!
Date: 2002-09-25 10:35 am (UTC)Btw, have you guys figured out how to do the property contract so that you're all co-owners? A friend of a friend recently gave out this link, but I don't think it applies to houses.
Just trying to help. :)
no subject
Date: 2002-09-24 04:44 pm (UTC)scare-single-quotes?
Date: 2002-09-24 04:53 pm (UTC)Re: scare-single-quotes?
Date: 2002-09-24 05:00 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2002-09-24 07:34 pm (UTC)The paperwork will be horrible, but you will survive. If you're mortgaging (are you?), make certain you have your last few years' worth of W-2s and 1040s handy. Yes, both of them. (Oh, Bog, I'm giving "helpful advice". I feel like an older brother. *smeks self*)
"dropped back down to asking price"? Was your bid above asking price, to be certain of getting it?
And: Photos. I know you must have them. Give.
Oh, and and: it's "home-moaner".
no subject
Date: 2002-09-24 08:24 pm (UTC)Ahh! I have failed to relay this story in LJ. Bad me.
We put in an offer on Friday, but the sellers weren't exactly accepting offers until Monday. Since the house is perfect and across the street and all, we bumped the bid up a bit (since it was listed for quite a bit below its value) and asked them to answer us by 9 PM. W00t! We are forward, or perhaps pushy.
However, the sellers were out of town. Their agent called them up on their cell and relayed our offer; they accepted. But! Being out of town, they couldn't fax us anything, since god knows fax machines only exist in Boston. So, all weekend, we tried to remain calm and to not fret that the whole deal was unofficial. Chances are overwhelming that an agent wouldn't encourage you to back out and make her look bad, right?
Sure enough, Monday, it all went through OK. Our slightly-above-asking-price bid was accepted. Today, it dropped back down to asking price. Granted, it will probably need a bit more work than that difference will pay for, if you include bathroom renovations. It should pay for the electrical work, though, so that's fine by me.
Photos. I know you must have them. Give.
Freakish, perhaps, but no! I don't! I think C-prime took some today; if they look good, I'll post 'em.
no subject
Date: 2002-09-25 03:52 am (UTC)Third (nyarrr), C-prime? Have I met C-prime?
Fourth (arrr, pirates get worse at counting every day, must be all the grog, arrr), it wouldn't be a proper house if it didn't need some work. Bangin' on houses adds character, and is even fun. Especially if you get to knock holes in walls...
no subject
Date: 2002-09-25 06:49 am (UTC)Nope! C-prime is C's fiancé. Though, hey!, you did meet C once upon a time in a Chicago far away.
Sadly, I don't think any walls need holes knocked in 'em! You will have us beat, there.
no subject
Date: 2002-09-25 07:10 am (UTC)Yes, I remember meeting C in Chicago, when she came to visit you. Didn't we go to the Duke? (sudden craving for salllllt and vinnnnnegar) IIRC, that's the night B dumped me because I was acting like an idiot. :(
Electrical Work
Date: 2002-09-25 08:48 am (UTC)Let me know if you'd like his info.
Re: Electrical Work
Date: 2002-09-25 09:20 am (UTC)Re: Electrical Work
Date: 2002-09-25 02:19 pm (UTC)