I'll get you next time, Gadget!

Dum da dum da dum... Inspection day! I have been itching to get back to my computer all day. At noon, the general inspector (we'll call him Mr. B) and the termite inspector met me at my (hopefully) future residence. The termite inspection was quick and painless... no termites in the house, though there was evidence of past termite treatments in the detached garage. While the latter fact is not ideal, it is not uncommon in older homes (mine was built in the years following WWII). Check plus there!

Mr. B took about two hours to go through everything in the property, from climbing on the roof to flushing the toilet fifteen times in a row. He was able to check everything except for the crawl space because the sellers were kind enough to leave their monstrous entertainment center blocking the entrance (no worries, they'll have to move that and have Mr. B come back soon). 

The good news? The house isn't crumbling down around us! Mr. B found three things, however, that will be somewhat costly to fix and therefore must be negotiated with the seller.

1. The chimney. The chimney lacks a chimney cap and has suffered decades of water damage. Huge problem? Not now, if we fix it. We will have to cap the chimney and repair damaged bricks on the outside. Cost? Around $1500.

2. Shingles. Louisville, Kentucky has incurred the wrath of God in the past year with Hurricane Ike, a devastating ice storm, and, most recently, a flash flood. The result is tons of roof damage all around... including on my cute little house. Fifteen damaged shingles doesn't sound like a lot, but apparently it is. Cost? Around $400.

3. Electrical panel. Some genius one day decided to run two circuits into the same circuit breaker. I don't really understand that, but apparently it is bad. Cost? Unknown.

After Mr. B sat me down and explained his report, I had to take it to Joanne (my realtor) and decide what to ask the seller to fix. In a word: EVERYTHING. They either need to agree to fix the noted problems before we close, or they need to knock some money off the purchase price so that I can afford to make the necessary repairs myself. I would prefer the latter so I can make sure everything is done right!

Lesson learned: inspection inspection inspection! Never skip it because I would have no idea about chimney or roof damage if Mr. B hadn't gone climbing around on the roof. So now... more waiting. The sellers have three days to reply to my request. I just want us to finally get to a settled agreement so I can stop holding my excitement in check! 

One promising sign... the huge SOLD sign in the front yard!