On 15 May 2006 04:57:45 -0700, "
wrote:

long term all asbestos is going to be required to be removed.... its
just a matter of time.

TOH had a episode on this. guys in moon suits, hazmat containers, water
hoses to minimize dust. its removable at a large expense.

side over it? at resale time you must disclose it there.

does the home have knob and tube wiring? if its still in use good luck
getting homeowners insurance. most companies refuse to insure a home
with that wiring.

at least get a home inspection, you will pay for it a few hundred
bucks. but thats free in comparision with just one problem found later.

on a home of this age expect zero energy efficency, bad wiring,
galvanized water lines all needing replaced, cast iron sewer lines rust
out, metal porch roofs rust, somew parts are hard to impossible to get.

dont get me wrong it can be a wonderful home just dont get in over your
head!

Home inspection and contractor written estimates on repairs so you know
possible costs in advance


Gee, you are just a bundle of optimism.
After reading your post above, I doubt that the original poster would
be willing to buy ANY house.

I've purchased 15 homes in my life, many of them old homes build 1880
to 1942 and never had all of those problems all at once in a single
house. Even if a home is riddled with problems, it's all a
price/benefit tradeoff. If the price is right, the problems are
irrelevent...

I've never used a home inspector - don't believe in them.
It's just my own philosophy and my sense of independence but I believe
that if I'm not knowledgeable enough to know the condition of a house,
I shouldn't be buying it. I'd rather be blaming myself for missing
something rather than blaming a home inspector. Thus I've made myself
knowledgeable and advise others to follow the same path.

Most home inspectors that I've met have little knowledge beyond the
superficial. They've taken crash courses, gotten a state license and
then either put out their own shingle or join some existing firm.
If they had real expertise, they'd be working as contractors, making a
much better income.

I've only missed one major thing in all the above homes, probably due
to my enthusiasm to close the deal ASAP. I bought a "winterized" beach
house and failed to note the lack of heat in three rooms. It cost me
$1800 to solve that problem.

However, did it make a difference? Nope, I would have bought the home
in any event and the deal was so good that $1800 made little
difference. A bank had accepted my cash offer at 50% of their asking
price and I wasn't about to try to whittle them down for another
$1800.

It's all in the deal...

Doug