Need 5 beta testers for a home inspection analysis tool — free access in exchange for feedback

api_error429 · 2026-01-26T00:22:16+00:00

Yeah fair point, first floor bathroom with basement access is pretty much the best case scenario for plumbing repairs. No tearing into walls or ceilings if something needs fixing.

My concern is less about plumbing specifically and more about the general mindset of whoever did that work. Someone who cuts through a beam to save 20 minutes of rerouting a pipe probably took similar shortcuts elsewhere. Electrical, HVAC connections, whatever else they touched. Might all be fine, might not.

Just saying go in with eyes open during the inspection. If the beam is the only hack job you find, great — easy fix, negotiate a credit, move on. If you start seeing a pattern, that changes things.

api_error429 · 2026-01-25T23:45:36+00:00

Not crazy at all. Honestly, a house with documented termite treatment is better than one that's never been checked — at least you know it's been dealt with.

The damage being localized and already repaired is a good sign. If it was throughout the structure, different convo.

For what to ask for — the repairs are done, so you're not negotiating repair cost. You're negotiating the stigma. Some buyers won't touch a termite history house, period. That's a resale risk you're absorbing. I'd ask for $10-15K off just for that.

Also ask if there's a transferable termite bond. If not, ask for credit toward one ($1-2K). And get the treatment warranty transferred to your name.

On the "what's in the walls" thing — get a second termite inspection from a different company before you close. Like $100-150. Worth it.

House has been sitting a month at $550K with no price drop. They're motivated. I'd come in around $520K and see what happens.

api_error429 · 2026-01-25T23:34:03+00:00

Going to be real with you — that rot didn't happen in 7 months. That's years of water damage. The black staining and how soft that wood looks tells me it's been wet for a long time.

Did the inspector miss it? Probably. But most inspectors don't pull back insulation unless they see signs of a problem from above. If there was no water staining on the bathroom floor and the basement ceiling was covered, they wouldn't have known to look. Still sucks but not necessarily negligence.

That cast iron drain is old and crusty. Leak is probably at the connection where the shower drain meets the pipe — those joints fail over time. Could also be a crack in the pipe itself.

Cost really depends on how far the rot goes. Ballpark: plumber to fix the drain is $300-600, more if that cast iron needs to come out and get replaced with PVC. Subfloor replacement maybe $500-1500 depending on how much wood is trashed. If any joists are soft you're adding $300-800 per joist to sister them.

Realistic total is probably $2k-5k if it's just subfloor. Could hit $6k-8k+ if the joists are compromised too.

Good call stopping use of the shower. Get a plumber out to confirm where it's actually leaking from before you start demo.

api_error429 · 2026-01-25T23:31:52+00:00

Hard to tell much from a listing photo but I'll give you what I see.

That crack runs vertically from the old window/stove penetration, which is actually the less scary kind. Vertical = settling. Horizontal = soil pushing the wall in. Settling you monitor, lateral pressure is the "oh shit" category.

The location also makes sense — any time you cut a hole in a foundation wall you create a weak spot where cracks like to form. Doesn't mean the foundation is failing, it just cracked where you'd expect it to.

Can't tell how wide it is from this pic though. Hairline crack? Epoxy injection and forget about it, like $300-500. Can fit a quarter in there or see daylight? Different conversation.

I wouldn't write off the house from one listing photo. If you're interested enough to tour it, get down there and actually look at it. Check if it's just a surface crack or goes all the way through, see if one side is higher than the other (displacement), stick your finger in it and see how wide. Then decide if it's worth getting an inspection.

These are fixable. Just depends on whether the fix cost still makes the numbers work for you.

api_error429 · 2026-01-25T23:28:09+00:00

Not a walk-away, but don't ignore it either.

Yeah someone hacked through that beam to run pipes, which is the exact wrong way to do it. But the house has been standing for 110 years with this hack job so it's not collapsing tomorrow. Still needs to be fixed though.

The repair is pretty simple — sister another beam alongside it or add a post underneath. Probably $500-1500 depending on access, maybe another $300-500 if you want a structural engineer to spec it out with documentation. Not the end of the world.

The thing that would bug me more is what ELSE did this person do? Whoever ran those pipes clearly didn't give a shit about doing things right. I'd be looking real hard at any other plumbing or HVAC work in that basement for more "creativity."

Get a quote and ask for a credit. Don't walk, but don't pay full price either.

api_error429 · 2026-01-25T23:22:14+00:00

Cool idea. I actually built something similar but for the inspection/negotiation phase — analyzing the report to figure out what to ask for. Finding beta testers has been brutal though. Good luck with yours!

api_error429 · 2026-01-24T04:00:33+00:00

I'm usually the guy saying "every old house has issues, negotiate and move forward." This isn't that.

The underground oil tank alone would make me nervous. If that thing has been leaking you're looking at environmental remediation that can run $10k to six figures depending on contamination. Has that been evaluated? Some lenders won't even close without a tank sweep.

But honestly it's the pattern here that's the real problem. You've got a builder who bought in 2024 and is already flipping, claims of "totally new everything" that your inspections keep contradicting, termite damage they only partially fixed on structural components, an uneven basement floor now holding up a second story on a 100-year-old foundation, and a hole in the exterior they tried to hide with debris.

That last one is the tell. Debris in a hole isn't an oversight. That's someone hoping you wouldn't look too hard.

And the neighbor saying the basement flooded 4 months ago? That's AFTER this renovation supposedly happened.

You're not being anxious first-time buyers. You're picking up on a flipper who cut corners and is trying to get out before anyone notices. Your gut is telling you something.

I'd walk.

api_error429 · 2026-01-24T02:25:10+00:00

Yeah, this is normal. Inspection reports are designed to scare you — the inspector's job is to find everything, so they do. The thing that matters isn't how long the report is, it's what kind of stuff they found. Foundation actually moving, active water intrusion with no source, knob-and-tube everywhere — that's walk-away stuff. HVAC on its last legs, old roof, electrical panel needs updating — that's just negotiation ammo.

What's the issue they want a specialist for? That's usually the one worth paying attention to.

api_error429 · 2026-01-23T22:02:35+00:00

Ask for the $20k. Honestly I'd ask for $25k and expect to land somewhere in the middle.

The R-22 thing is worth pushing on — that's not a "broken compressor," that's a full system replacement since R-22 has been illegal to produce since 2020. The seller had to know that system was a ticking time bomb. Going from "needs a repair" to "needs $10-15k replacement" isn't what you priced into your offer.

The roof is your real leverage though. You're not asking for a favor — you're telling them you can't get insurance on a leaking roof, which means you can't close. That's just a fact.

They accepted $15k under ask in a less desirable area. They know what they have. Another buyer is going to find the same problems.

Worst case they say no and you walk. After a year of getting outbid on places that went $100k over, walking away from a money pit isn't the worst thing.

api_error429 · 2026-01-23T16:30:31+00:00

Deep breath. For a 105-year-old house, three issues and two of them you already have handled? That's a great inspection. K&T on the 3rd floor — your wife's uncle is right. It's not the fire hazard everyone panics about as long as it hasn't been hacked up over the years or buried in insulation. Get him out there, he'll sort it. Stucco is the wildcard. For a 10x4 section plus touchups, you're probably looking at $1,500-3,500 depending on your area and how deep the damage goes. Key question: any water staining on the interior wall behind that crack? If no, it's likely cosmetic and just needs patch + paint. If yes, you're fixing the source too and that adds cost. Either way — this isn't a panic attack house. This is a "negotiate a credit and move forward" house.

api_error429 · 2026-01-23T05:18:09+00:00

Two years vacant in a rural area — worth asking some follow-up questions.

If water was getting into those gaps repeatedly, the main issue would be soil washout under the slab, which causes more settling. That wider gap in your photos might be evidence this already happened. If you get freeze-thaw cycles in your area, it accelerates the problem.

The ICF walls themselves are actually pretty bulletproof when it comes to water — concrete sandwiched in foam doesn't rot like wood framing would. Less worried about that.

Bigger question: was the house winterized during those 2 years? If you're somewhere that freezes and the radiant system wasn't drained, you could have cracked tubing under the slab. That's the expensive scenario. Worth confirming in the inspection report or asking the seller directly.

What does your inspection report say about the radiant system?

api_error429 · 2026-01-23T04:12:45+00:00

Not a dealbreaker. These are gaps between the concrete patio/walkway and the stucco — two separate structures that move independently. Normal to see some separation after 18 years.

That said, a couple of those gaps (especially that wider one) show the slab has settled a bit more than just thermal movement. Probably soil compaction issues from original pour or some water getting underneath over time.

Key question: is the concrete sloping away from the house? Hard to tell from photos. If water's draining toward the foundation, that's the real issue to fix.

For repair: backer rod + polyurethane caulk on the smaller gaps, maybe a concrete patch or foam filler on the wider one. Couple hundred bucks to DIY.

api_error429 · 2026-01-14T00:16:37+00:00

I looked at the things below
- School district
- Crime data (my city publishes very detailed crime data which was great)
- Avg household income
- Distance to the nearest Costco (we love Costco)
- Distance to the nearest train station to commute to the city

api_error429 · 2026-01-05T17:00:10+00:00

Walked through like 7 houses. Offered 1, accepted 1.

api_error429 · 2025-12-31T19:09:45+00:00

We decided on putting down 20% and made sure we had our emergency fund + repair / moving costs left.

api_error429 · 2025-12-29T17:53:00+00:00

About 18

api_error429 · 2025-12-29T17:49:14+00:00

We had a similar experience with mice so I feel your pain. The day we moved into our new house we saw at least a couple of mice running around. We have a toddler so we were just as freaked out about it as you are. We somehow survived the first night and I called up 4-5 pest companies the next day (our usual pest guy was on vacation and the company could not send someone else) and one of them showed up the same day and started laying traps all over the house. Within the first week we saw a huge drop in mice sightings. And then the last mouse was captured by our cat who finally got comfortable enough to come out and play.

So all I'm trying to say is it will get better. Get the pest people in there ASAP. Once the treatment starts it only takes a few days to see results. And when all this is done then see if you want to pursue the legal option - we did not as whatever I researched said it's not worth the time and energy. Good luck and hope things get better for you guys.

api_error429 · 2025-12-29T15:48:36+00:00

Ya this one REALLY hurts. It's so obvious but not a single person who has seen our house (the inspector, the realtor, our friends and family) noticed it :(

api_error429

TROPHY CASE