How in the world can you check to see if there was a permit for every aspect of the construction?
Sure...you can check in the OTHER direction...match a permit to the construction. But how would you go about matching a facet of construction against a permit?...or lack of a permit? lol
And how would you even know what the standard was at the time of construction/remodeling?...if a permit was even NECESSARY back then?
Have a nice week...
Trent
Fighting for peace is like screwing for virginity!
He doesn't hafta. The burden of proof is on the insurance company.
Have a nice week...
Trent
Fighting for peace is like screwing for virginity!
Have a nice week...
Trent
Fighting for peace is like screwing for virginity!
But you said 'soundness of the foundation'.
Have a nice week...
Trent
Fighting for peace is like screwing for virginity!
Yer not including any of the header of the message to which yer responding, Pat.
The above is a LITTLE better...but you need to include even more of the message that yer trying to answer.
Have a nice week...
Trent
Fighting for peace is like screwing for virginity!
Yes - that's what you're trying to check, but you can't because there's a wall covering it. The soundness of the wall doesn't mean anything since it's not holding anything up.
If you can't determine those kinds of issues yourself you should be renting.
Egress is a bunch of crap. Sure, it's a safety issue if you're going to use the room as a basement, but you either take it as an accepted risk or you don't live in the room. I lived in a basement with no egress for many years growing up at a time when more than 3/4 of the basements in my neighborhood were finished with nothing but a set of stairs going to the main floor and many of those had kids living in them. Just because we are an overly regulatory society does not mean that you have to have a friggin' big window in a basement to use it as a bedroom.
Hi, Are you a lawyer? I think burden of proof is on the owner. Not having a supporting document is already an onus on the owner, IMO. I am not a lawyer. A retired EE. BTW, inspector asked if I was an electrician when he came for an inspection. Tony
I would contact the local building inspection department to see if there is any way to have it inspected after the fact. If there is, insist that the seller do this, and correct any violations, before you close. If not, insist that the seller pay to have the basement checked out by a qualified building inspector and pay for any safety problems uncovered.
Chuck
Exactly. You cannot legally claim a space is a bedroom unless it meets egress requirements. You won't be able to claim the room as a bedroom when you sell the property. I don't think this stops too many people from using these as bedrooms. Nor should it. I certainly agree about the overly regulatory society. I'm still trying to figure out how we all survived during the "dark ages" when people actually had to think for themselves, and take calculated risks. It's a wonder that we all survived. Sure am glad I have someone else do that thinking for me. I feel much safer...................NOT Dave
Having just sold and bought a house, the buyer pays for any inspection that he wants. The seller's obligation is to disclose truthfully what he knows about the property.
At least around here that is the how it is done.
Well, at least we are combatting Darwinism by perpetuating the lives of the stupid. If we didn't the Democrats would have nobody to vote for them.
No.
Its just common sense, Tony.
You have a contract with your insurance company. If yer house burns down, they must pay. If they decide NOT to pay, they must prove to the courts whey they are not obligated to pay.
The burden of proof is on them.
And just because someone may have even CONTRIBUTED to the disaster doesn't release the insurance company from paying...unless that type occurrence is SPECIFICALLY outlined in the contract/insurance policy.
Many people burn their own homes down each year...and the insurance companies pay. But they will not pay for arson by the policy holder...as outlined in the policy.
If you breach the contract, you probably will not get paid. But the insurance company must have a reason for not paying...and THEY must provide the reason...and the proof thereof.
Have a nice week...
Trent
Fighting for peace is like screwing for virginity!
I don't think egress has anything to do with it at all. It just hasta meet 'common sense' requirements.
I have a room with a toilet in it, a bathtub, and a shower and sink. I don't think I could pawn this off as a bedroom.
And I have many rooms without a toilet in them. These can't be considered any kind of bathroom.
But I have several rooms that I can list as either bedroom, sun room, rec room, etc.
I have another small room...where we usually hang coats...that has a window...but is too small to put in any kind of a bed. I don't think I could ever pawn that off as a bedroom.
There is no 'legally' involved...that I'm aware of.
A listing can designate pretty much whatever you want. Its simply advertising.
The only minor problem would be if you sell the house without the buyer seeing the house...and a description is grossly exaggerated...and that description led the buyer to make his offer. And example would be a 3'x3' 'half bath' without any plumbing.
Have a nice week...
Trent
Fighting for peace is like screwing for virginity!
I find it boring to have to read the same post over and over in its entirety and assumed others did, too.
Pat
Risk in what sense?
Certainly there is a risk that the basement does not meet code, but this is probably fixable.
With finished basements there is always a risk that your basement might someday flood, so that's something I would consider and weigh.
There is a risk that your property tax will go up.
There is a risk that you may overestimate the value of having a finsihed basement when you make your offer. This would be my primary concern, because it's not something you can undo.
From a financial perspective, I would be careful about that last risk when making my offer. I just bought a house with a finished basement (there was a permit and everything passed code, so I'm not worried about that part). For me and my needs, it adds substantially to the usable square footage of the home (two "bedrooms" and a large full bath), extra sq footage I couldn't afford otherwise.
The way it was designed, you don't get the impression you are in a finished basement. Everything has been finished very nicely with the same quality of materials in the rest of the house so it doesn't "feel" sub-par. Plus the way the stairs are configured, it flows nicely with the rest of the house and doesn't make you feel you're entering a basement at all.
However, it was very tempting upon initial viewing to consider these extra bedrooms and make a bid as if it was a 4-bedroom house, not a
2-bedroom house with two "bonus" basement rooms that *might* be used as bedrooms (or may someday flood and be completely unusable). I was very careful in determining what I wanted to offer. I did not want to make the mistake of comparing the value of this house to a true 4-bedroom. I compared it instead to a 2-bedroom, and added a little extra for the fact that it had a nicely finished basement. This was exactly how the assessor ended up looking at it, too.Incidentally, it was advertised by the realtor as a 4 bedroom, but when I saw these two bedrooms, I politely corrected her on that.
I feel sorry for my neighbors who didn't think it through the same way I did; they ended up, IMHO, grossly overpaying for their property. Oh well... I suppose that ultimately when it comes time to sell, I may luck out and find someone willing to make that mistake, too.
Buyer should also be careful when assessing the value of finished attic space.
jen
In article , snipped-for-privacy@aol.com said... and assumed others did, too.
That's not the issue. Most people have a reader that only shows unread messages, so if they already read the message to which you were responding in a previous session they will not see what in the hell you are talking about without looking back through old articles.
Attic space is typically better than basement space because it isn't below ground. As long as the place is insulater properly and isn't a sauna in the summer and a freezer in the winter it is no different than an upstairs room (other than the extra flight of stairs).
If finishing the basement requires a permit and the seller did so without one then what they have done is ILLEGAL. This could create a mess for the buyer. In a situation like this it should be up to the seller to prove that the improvements were done safely.
It may be against the town's regulations, but it is hardly "ILLEGAL." It's about as illegal as speeding.
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