Have issue - please help- UPDATE

I posted a few days ago that the house that Im buying has an issue with active termites and there is damage ( not terrible) Anyhow, the seller by law has to take care of it. But all they need to do is take care of the damages that are on the report and guarantee the house termite free for one year.

When we went to sign the contract we brought up our concerns to the lawyer and we told him that it was a deal breaker if the work was not done etc but he also suggested that we come up with an estimate of some sort of a credit that he could use that the homeowners would give us to do the work OURselves. So my question is which route would you choose- getting the credit or having the home owners take care of it on their own?

My only issue with taking the credit is what if there is much more damage then the inspector noticed once we get into the house and we havent gotten enough money from the sellers?


update- I spoke to everyone. And we have decicded to go ahead and have a Termite inspection done from our own guy for our benefit. He is firends with my atty so we he is doing it for free - YAY! and if all goes well the contracts will be sent out!!! Wish us luck and thanks for the advice!

Message edited 12/20/2006 12:46:11 PM.

Re: Have issue - please help

bring in a termite inspector - go by their report - and then get the credit for what they say.

good luck!

Re: Have issue - please help

Message edited 12/20/2006 11:03:40 AM.

Re: Have issue - please help

Posted by anon

Posted by antoinette

My only issue with taking the credit is what if there is much more damage then the inspector noticed once we get into the house and we havent gotten enough money from the sellers?

the flip side to this is that the sellers will use the cheapest way to fix the problem, so either way you are screwed.

i never want the seller to "fix" anything. i would get a high quote and then negotiate from there. that's the thing about home ownership, one never truly knows what one is getting into until one actually moves in . if you are worried but still want the house, make sure you have an emergency stash of cash set aside. trust me, this won't be the only thing wrong with the house

Re: Have issue - please help

Posted by Beth1210

Posted by anon

Posted by antoinette

My only issue with taking the credit is what if there is much more damage then the inspector noticed once we get into the house and we havent gotten enough money from the sellers?

the flip side to this is that the sellers will use the cheapest way to fix the problem, so either way you are screwed.

i never want the seller to "fix" anything. i would get a high quote and then negotiate from there. that's the thing about home ownership, one never truly knows what one is getting into until one actually moves in . if you are worried but still want the house, make sure you have an emergency stash of cash set aside. trust me, this won't be the only thing wrong with the house

I agree- get your own person in there- get more then 1 to be safe

Re: Have issue - please help

If the sellers are only fixing what is stated on the report and their is more damange you would need to fix it anyway. I would take the credit and bring in a inspector and maybe contractor at the same time to give you an idea of what the cost would be and what exactly is damaged. I know you have stated before that you have to completely remodel the whole house so might as well do this work yourself also and at least you know it will get the done the way you want it.

Re: Have issue - please help

We had a similar situation when buying our house.

Did you already have a termite inspection done? If so, what did the inspector recommend?

When we had our inspection done the guy pointed out a large section of a beam that had to be replaced and that there had to be an additional footing added to the structure underneath that beam. When we went to contract we attached a list of the recommended repairs and we left it up to the homeowner to correct. We did not consider a credit also, although perhaps we should have. We got the inspector back when the work was completed and when he said it was satisfactory we agreed to go to closing. We also got a signed contract with a termite company for 12 months that the seller had paid for.

Re: Have issue - please help

termites is an expensive job to clear up -- my dad is an exterminator. Let me know if you want to talk to him.