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BUYER SAVED MONEY:  Home Buyers hired me to inspect the same day that their Mortgage Company's Home Inspector would be inspecting the home they wanted to buy.  The Home Inspector did a very good job.  I shared my findings with that inspector, who had not noticed certain items that caught my eye.

Home inspectors are not allowed to estimate the cost to fix things, but as an independent inspector, I was allowed to quote the cost to fix this and that.  The Buyers used my list of costs to negotiate a more favorable price, based on real issues that I documented with photographs as well as with my written report.

Because my report became an official part of the transaction record, the Sellers understood that they would have to disclose my entire report, including its estimate, to any future Buyer.  The need for future disclosure helped to close the deal at a more realistic price, allowing the Buyers to fix things up with the money they saved on the purchase.  

​​                                                                                                            Marc Pevar
                                                                                                                                                    606 Ridge Avenue
                                                                                                                                                    Kennett Square, PA 19348
                                                                                                                                                    Cell: 610-570-0093
                                                                                                                                                    *******

TO: A***** and N*****
RE: **********, Phila, PA

Dear A***** and N******:

These are some observations and recommendations we discussed today with your home inspector, D********, at the home that you plan to purchase at **********, Phila, PA.

GARAGE
1. OBSERVED: The house-garage steps are more than ten inches high and lack a hand rail. RECOMMEND: For safety, replace the stairs with one additional tread and rise to bring the rise to below 8” and the new treads 10” to 12” deep (if this reduces parking space in the garage too much, then add a 3' wide landing with stairs oriented parallel to the street); add hand rail and safety mid-rail or solid plywood barrier on the side away from the wall. COST: wood $110, carpenter, 1.5 hrs. @ $75/hr, total cost approx. $225. Adding a landing and safety mid-rail or solid plywood barrier will add another $325 cost.

PATIO
1. OBSERVED: Door in fence neither opens, latches, nor can it be locked for security. RECOMMEND: Adjust to open, latch and lock. COST: 1 hr carpenter, $120 for labor, hasp latch and padlock
2. OBSERVED: Exterior light fixture above door to patio has no bulb. RECOMMEND: Owner should install a bulb and demonstrate that the fixture and interior switch work.

BASEMENT
1. OBSERVED: Ceiling fixture at bottom of stairs hanging by wires. RECOMMEND: Fasten to ceiling, $75.
2. OBSERVED: Sewer waste pipe slow leak. RECOMMEND: Stop the leak. COST: 1 hr plumber, $150, misc. materials, $100.
3. OBSERVED: Two duplex outlets lack trim plates. RECOMMEND: Install trim plates, $25
4. OBSERVED: Rear wall, both a 220 volt and 120 volt duplex mounted directly to foundation wall. RECOMMEND: Refasten both to treated wooden blocking, $180.
5. OBSERVED: Flexible clothing drier vent has 180 degree bend, holes in vent, collecting lint, resting on hot furnace flue, significant fire hazard. RECOMMEND: Install only straight rigid metal vent, minimum bends per code, as directly to exterior as possible, COST: Depending on the route for the vent, and whether it can exit through the bandboard and stucco above and behind the drier, approx. $150 material, $350 labor.
6. OBSERVED: Hot water tank overflow too far from floor. RECOMMEND: Extend overflow pipe to within 6” of floor. Cost: $250.
7. OBSERVED: Hot water heater lacks exterior insulation blanket. RECOMMEND: After settlement, Buyers should install insulation blanket, taking care not to block the air flow around the open flue at the top of the hot water tank. This will reduce gas costs significantly. Cost: $90.

8. OBSERVED: Furnace air filter is dirty. RECOMMEND: After settlement, Buyers should replace this filter and all room-supply register filters throughout the house on a regular schedule when the filters become visibly dirty. Consider adding a whole-house humidifier and electrostatic air filter for comfort, health and allergy reasons. Cost: $240 replace filters now.
9. OBSERVED: Stairs lack continuous handrail or safety barrier. RECOMMEND: Add continuous wooden handrail and solid safety barrier to the height required by Code on the open side of the stairs. This is a serious safety issue. COST: Railing, 3 brackets, 2x4, plywood, top 2x6 cap for barrier, paint: labor $450, material $170.

1st FLOOR
1. OBSERVED: Rear room, brick wall, missing oak floor plank, some underlayment and baseboard trim. RECOMMEND: Install underlayment, prefinished oak plank, painted wall trim. COST: $800.
2. OBSERVED: Duplex outlet lacks trim plate. RECOMMEND: Install trim plate, $25
3. OBSERVED: Closet door lacks knob/pull. RECOMMEND: Install knob/pull, $80
4. OBSERVED: Stair to 2nd floor lacks continuous handrail. RECOMMEND: Add continuous handrail, and at 2nd floor, use plexiglass to cover three circular openings in built-in shelving beside stairs, $750


2nd FLOOR
1. OBSERVED: Insulation added to keep two front-room windows from closing fully and latching. RECOMMEND: Remove insulation. If something is keeping those windows from fully closing, correct the condition. This condition will cause significant air exchange to the outside and may be caused by excessive foam insulation expansion between the window headers and their wooden sub-frames. If that is the cause, it can be corrected by removing the wooden casing trim at the headers, removing the excessive insulation, then latching the windows and refilling the header gap with either compressed fiberglass blanket insulation scrap, or by carefully installing minimal expanding urethane foam insulation and leaving the windows latched until after the foam has fully expanded and set. COST: Two new windows, revise headers, sills, paint, weatherproof exterior: $1,200

3rd FLOOR
1. OBSERVED: No joist hangers connecting the rear cantilevered deck floor joists to the outside header plate. No caulk or flashing to prevent water from entering the stucco envelope. RECOMMEND: Reset header nails, add joist hangers at all joists, caulk all joist/stucco penetrations. Confirm that the joists supporting the spiral stairs are engineered to be the correct size, and that the spiral stair is fastened to the deck using metal that is compatible with the wood used for the deck. Depending on whether the wood is treated with arsenic or copper, different metals will be needed to avoid corrosion. Also remove some nails from the deck band-board, railing system and plank to check for corrosion. If there is corrosion, then for safety, all nails should be replaced with ceramic-coated deck screws, with are compatible with both treatment systems. The spiral stairs are very heavy and require special attention to insure safety. COST: $3,800 because of the difficulty of accessing the deck from below. ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDATION: The deck planks and all support lumber should be recoated with a waterproofing coating that is compatible with the treatment chemicals used in the wood. Also, the spindle spacing should not exceed 4” opening, and many are between 5” and 6”, which is a significant life-safety issue. The electrical circuits to and at the deck and and cantilevered balcony should be made to work, including ground-fault interrupters suitable for exterior installation. COST: $4,300. 

ROOF and DECK
1. OBSERVED: Deck wood is deeply weathered, splintering, some fasteners have backedout, railing weak and unable to support lateral loads per code, aluminized roof coating separating from roofing, some openings observed, no safety railing between roof-edge and planting area, planks widely separated in that area, structural beams collapsing. In general, the deck is unsafe for use because of structural weakness caused in part by the profound weathering of the lumber. RECOMMEND: Remove and replace the entire deck system, overlay the portions of the roof that are not now covered with 60 mil rubber roofing with a 60 mil rubber roofing system. COST: $12,000 (twelve thousand dollars)
2. OBSERVED: Waste vent pipe is too close to the roof and deck surfaces. RECOMMEND: Extend the waste vent pipe per code.

Your home inspector, D****** , observed many of these issues as well as others not mentioned above.

D*******: please feel free to incorporate any of my observations or recommendations that you support into your official report, including using wording, etc with which you agree.  


A***** and N******:

If you do not already have a copy, I recommend that your Realtor get for you a copy of the earlier Home Inspection Report, in the interest of full disclosure. From the Seller's point of view, they are in a more protected legal position, the more you know before settlement, so they can say truthfully that you knew what you were buying.

As D****** recommended, ask your Realtor to give you pricing for a Warranty. Not all Warranties are the same, the wording and scope of coverage, and whether it is renewable are all of the essence. I suggest you get a warranty that for sure includes coverage to repair or replace all major appliances and equipment, including but not limited to the furnace, AC system (including thermostat), hot water heater, washer, drier, dishwasher, stove. I agree with D******* that the water pressure is clearly low.  Something has to be done such as a water-pressure tank. That will also have a price that would figure into whatever the appraiser comes up with.

In general, the house appears to be well built and sound. However, the observations listed above are important for life/safety reasons and should be given special consideration. I do not know the requirements of the Philadelphia housing inspection system. However, in many municipalities, if a house is vacant for more than a month, then there is a provision for requiring a municipal inspection for code compliance. Although not all aspects of the house would be required to be brought up to current code standards, those matters impacting life/safety and also energy efficiency might be required.

From an investment point-of-view, the most critical and costly issue is the deck and roofing. The deck has exceeded its useful life, and should be disregarded by an appraiser when comparing this house to other comparable houses. In fact, the deck as-is is a liability because it keeps you from fixing the roof, and removing it has a high labor and trash-removal cost.

If you have any questions or points you would like to discuss, call  my cell (610-470-0093).

After D******* has produced his Inspection Report, please email me a copy. Based on the total report, I offer to provide a written critique suitable for your Realtor to present to the Sellers to help move the negotiations in a reasonable direction based on objective standards.

If you get me the final Inspection report, I will get a “negotiation” sort of writing to you for you to review and consider with your Realtor to get a realistic agreed price from the Seller.


SUMMARY OF ESTIMATED COSTS:
$      325   Garage steps
$      120   Patio latch
$      250   Basement sewer pipe leak
$        25   Basement switch trim plates
$      180   Basement reinstall duplexes on treated wood plate per code
$      500   Basement dryer vent fire hazard, relocate and replace
$      250   Basement hot water overflow extension per code
$        90   Basement hot water heater, needs insulation per code
$      240   Basement furnace and air supply duct in-line filters
$      900   Basement stairs rebuild per code, for Certificate of Occupancy
$      800   1 st Floor rear room, missing flooring plank, underlayment, rebuild
$        25   1 st Floor duplex trim plates
$        80   1 st Floor closet missing door knob
$      750   1 st /2nd Floor railing not continous, openings need plexiglass covers
$   1,200   2 nd floor, 2 new windows and exterior weatherproofing
$   3,800   Rebuild exterior spiral stairs support system $ 4,300 Rebuild exterior spiral stairs balcony and railing system
$ 12,000   Rubber roofing, new roof-top decking and railing
$ 25,835   TOTAL
                                                                                           Wishing you only the best,

                                                                                           Marc Pevar