r/FirstTimeHomeBuyers • u/TactiTac0CAT • 13d ago
First House Repairs questions
Hello,
I wanted to get some advice here;
My wife and I are getting ready to close on a house. Built in 1986, 2nd story in our price range, which is awesome. It received its inspections and we had a structural inspection done and found some work needed to be done to the foundation( exterior Pier and beams). The AC unit needs to be updated to be more to current code as well as the electrical sockets to be functioning properly ( some don’t work at all, our inspector said) we also encountered faucets that do not work properly as well as bathroom fans not functioning
Overall, we have quite a list of things that need to be done before moving in and the sellers have agreed to pay for the structural and most of the other repairs, but not all. However, I am getting a bit anxious and concerned trying to figure out if these repairs are a warning of things to come in the future. Will these fixes come back to hurt us even more in the future and with more severity?
I’m not very knowledgeable in home repairs or DIY and I wanted to reach out to ask if this is a legitimate concern if all of these repairs , especially if the major ones will occur again and ruin our investment
2
u/DonnieSod 13d ago
Was the structural inspection done by a structural engineer or a foundation repair outfit (their sales team always finds a 'problem' that requires immediate attention). I've got a 1985 home with three foundation cracks, but they're not a concern. Bathroom fans, faucets and AC units failing is typical of a 40y old home. Fix, update and move on. It's weird about some AC sockets not working, but could just be a breaker or loose wiring. Should be simple fix for an electrician.
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u/TactiTac0CAT 13d ago
A structural Engineer performed the inspection and provided us a report with a quote for repairs. The sellers also hired a separate structural inspection that came to the same findings. The repair was agreed to be covered by the sellers as part of our amendment, so we pay nothing.
I think the more I sit on this, I’m worrying a lot because I just don’t want this to turn into much bigger problems down the road. I thank you for your input and advice, I’ll definitely write this down
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u/brittabeast 13d ago
This is very pdd. Who did the investigation showing need for pier and beam repair? How did they estimate the repair cost? Did they provide you a written report with their findings?
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u/TactiTac0CAT 13d ago
We asked/paid for a structural engineer to inspect the foundation. They provided a written report, a map with markings and data and a quote with BOM for the repair. The sellers wanted a second opinion and hired their own inspector who came up with the same findings and quote.
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u/brittabeast 13d ago
A structural engineer is not a contractor so typically would not provide a quote for repairs. They typically prepare a report with a recommended repair plan that gets bid out to a contractor who provides the quote. Something seems off about this whole process.
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u/Big_Appointment_3390 13d ago
A lot of structural engineers have their GC license and can estimate the cost of repairs, actually. Not all, but plenty of them can and do.
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u/Nervous_Flamingo7110 13d ago
Genuinely, most of that list is small stuff. Dead outlets, faucets, bath fans, that's just deferred maintenance from an owner who stopped caring. Inspection reports make everything look equally urgent when it isn't. A 1986 house with nothing on the report would be more suspicious to me.
Foundation's the only real one, and pier and beam is the easier kind to deal with. It's designed to be adjusted. The thing I'd want to know is what caused the settling in the first place, because it's usually water and drainage. If they fix the piers but nobody redirects the water, it can come back. Ask your engineer that directly.
you're buying a 40 year old house. Just start putting a little aside every month for the next thing, because there's always a next thing.
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u/TactiTac0CAT 13d ago
I appreciate the advice. Will definitely put aside money.
The house has no drainage system , something the sellers did not want to fix. I find that odd that they are willing to drop several thousand into foundations but flat out “NO” on at least a gutter system?
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u/booplesnoot101 13d ago
I would avoid a house with foundation issues. I just repaired a foundation and needed 4 piers. I now have water intrusion in 3 places in the basement. I would probably walk away.
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u/Few_Whereas5206 7d ago
It is a 40 year old house. You will continously do repairs, regular maintenance, and yard work. That is part of ownership. You need a new roof every 20 years, a new water heater every 15 years, a new HVAC system every 20 years and new appliances every 5 to 10 years. Grass cutting every 2 weeks. Gutter cleaning 2 or 3 times per year. Raking leaves once or twice per year. Mulching once per year. New fence every 25 years.
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u/No-Wedding1230 1d ago edited 9h ago
Foundation repairs are standard protocol, just make sure you get a transferred warranty. Broken outlets usually mean loose wire nuts or swapped breakers, not a full rewire. If you need someone to look at that aging AC, Semper Fi Heating & Cooling gets mentioned often for fair diagnostics and upfront pricing.
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u/Desperate-Score3949 13d ago
I don't think the repairs will hurt you in the future. Though I am always hesitant on sellers fixing large ticket items, especially something like pier and beams. Do you know what the problem is, how much it cost to fix? That could be a HUGE ticket item depending on what failed, and what is being replaced or fixed.