DIYbanter - View Single Post - I have a opportunity to buy a cat pee house, Should I?

aemeijers

wrote:
I have a chance to buy a house that the retail value is 435000 for
about 300000. The place really stinks from pet urine. It's mostly cat
but the neighbor said there were 2 dogs as well as the 9 cats.

Can I fax this place for 50000???? so I have money to renovate and
make a profit when I sell it?

We can't see or smell the house from here. It all depends how the house
is built, what the floor and wall coverings are, how much work you can
do yourself, so on and so on. I've been in few cat houses where
Cleansing Fire was the only viable solution.

Personally, I would only consider such a place if it was a hell of a
deal, and nothing in the area was even close, price and features wise.
You may end up doing close to an entire gut job on the interior,
including replacing part of the subfloor, and the bottom 4 feet of
drywall anywhere spraying took place. A UV lamp and goggles, or an
electric stick-mounted urine tester like inspectors use in rest homes,
would probably come in handy. Local safety equipment dealer should be
able to hook you up, or point you to a company that can do a site survey
and provide a report. (Before you ask, the stick tester has 2 points on
end, and measures the conductivity between them. If carpet or wood or
bedding or whatever conducts electricity too well, it indicates it has
been repeatedly soaked in pee, which is basically like sea water.)

In most areas, there are a hell of a lot of cheap houses right now from
upside-down owners looking for a way out. The margin for house-flipping
is likely to be real skinny for several years.
--
aem sends...