Life Between 0 and 1

We finally got the list of items that our buyers want fixed in my current home.  It wasn’t a very long list and our inspection report was actually only about 15 pages.  From what I was told, that is a very short report for a home that is over 15 years old.  The issues raised were already known and I knew I would need to fix them.  The buyers, first time home buyers, have consistently attempted to request our washer/dryer.  I get the reasoning, but they are 4 months old, we’re still paying for them, and to be honest the list of items we need to fix don’t even come close to what we paid for them.  No dice buyers, they’re coming with us to our new place.

The inspection report for our new home, by contrast, is 48 pages and is a poster child of what no properly maintaining your home quickly becomes.  The list of requests, that we’re making mandatory to fix, is quite long and includes some really jinky stuff.  One of the most troubling is the fact that the exhaust venting for the heater and water heater (both gas) is literally touching the stud wall and paper covered insulation.  The clearance for a single wall galvanized steel exhaust pipe is 6″ minimum.  It literally is a fire waiting to happen.  The wood was even a toasted brown telling me its been like that for a while.  We’re awaiting the radon test, which will be positive, before sending over our long list of fixes in order to purchase the house.

The experience has been a source of stress, but I’m more open minded knowing that a lot of the repairs required are part of regular maintenance with exception of a few of the safety hazards present.  Overall the house is a good buy and worth the offer we put in on it, provided they agree to the fixes we’re asking for.  If they don’t accept or offer to fix anything, we’re buying the house “as-is” and have a clause in our agreement to walk away.  I would rather they back away instead so that they have to surrender the penalty fee and we can get our home inspection reimbursed.  I had no idea starting this process that I’d be almost $2k in the hole for expenses we had no idea needed to be paid.

I’m looking forward to the settlement when all of this is over, rather, switches from buying stress to new home ownership stress.  Money will be a topic of conversation for the foreseeable future.