Without a Roof Over Our Heads

The dreaded day for inspection came. We stayed out of the way, hanging out in the RV and making phone calls and dealing with stuff. We'd occasionally make a foray into the house. We had to get a charger for the phone. We needed a bite to eat. We had to use the bathroom (yes, the motorhome does have a potty but we don't have a way to dump the tanks, so we prefer not to use it). We would catch snippets of what was going on inside.

Mr. Dreamer heard the buyer-to-be planning where to put furniture in the living room. He wants to be able to see the fireplace, the TV and the barn from where he sits! I understand. I love looking out and seeing the yard and the barn, too. I also love NOT seeing a house right next to me. That's going to be a difficult part of the move. Wherever we end up, we will have neighbors close by. We certainly aren't used to that.

The inspector seemed to be very thorough. When I came in to grab something for lunch he was sitting on the floor by the kitchen sink talking about the reverse osmosis filter, and inspecting the hoses. He had hot water in the sink, presumably seeing if the stopper stops water; the stove was warm and the dishwasher was running. Then he moved on to the dining room. He pulled up both of the floor vents and used a nifty mirror/light combo to look in the ducts. OMG I bet he found a kitten (or two) equivalent of dog hair!!

We were both dreading the report. We didn't want anything wrong with the house that would queer the deal. The last time we had a house inspection for a move the prospective owner had a list off 20-some things from the report that they wanted addressed. Luckily, their realtor was much more reasonable and told the woman to pick 5.

Within 24 hours of the inspection we heard from our Realtor. There were 3 things on the list. But, oh... they are big things! Oh, and there were a few little things that they didn't ask us to fix, like a slightly wobbly toilet upstairs, an uncapped gas line in the basement and a slightly sagging piece of sheetrock in the garage, to name a few. But the biggies....

• The roof needs to be replaced. 
• We need a bunch of GFCI circuits installed
• The septic system needs to be repaired - we already knew about that, and it is scheduled for next week.

The roof has hail damage. I was beating myself up over not washing out the little bits of stone from the shingles that had collected in the gutters. We had a roofer stop by that day to give us an estimate. He took great photos of the hail damage. It is more than the little bits of stone. When large hail hits a roof it leaves a small, sunken divot on the roof. In the beginning it is black, over time it oxidizes and turns grey or white. The area under the divot is compressed and compromised and might begin to leak in 10 years or so.  So, not unreasonable for someone to want a house with a roof that does not have damage. We made a claim with our insurance and the adjuster will meet with the roofer next week. They have hail maps, showing when hail has impacted specific areas. Yes, we have had hail this year, but will any of the recent damage show? Regardless, we will pony up and pay for the new roof. If we were the buyer we would expect the same.

Likewise, we will make an adjustment to cover the estimated cost of the electrician. We were aware of some wonky wiring, but not everything the inspector found. I don't totally agree that we need GFCI circuits down in the barn where the outlets are nowhere near the water.... but, if it means selling the house or not selling the house... let's just give them the money.

As I discussed in a previous post, we were aware of the need for the repair of the septic system and that repair is scheduled. There are a few other things on the inspection report, but nothing that the prospective owner wants addressed by us. Maybe he felt that if he asked for too much we'd tell him to forget it! We know the prospective owner really, really, really wants this house!

So... onward we go. The earnest money has been sent to the title company. The buyer is serious about buying. We are serious about selling....

I think!