wrote in message
oups.com...
" I saw quite a few upgraded kitchens that were obviously
done for the sole purpose of selling the house. While all the cabinets
were at least of acceptable quality, the choice of color & style was
often not what I would've chosen."

I can say that applies to other parts of the house also, and that the
quality of the parts was usually the cheapest obtainable.


Right, but in other parts of (most) houses, you're probably not talking
about huge, expensive objects bolted to the wall, like cabinets. In other
rooms, the stuff you don't like usually involves things you can fix
yourself, like paint colors, or hideous light fixtures, chandeliers with so
much crystal that you wonder "just which of the servants is going to dip all
that crystal into cleaning solution a few times a year".

My realtor and I got into a pretty good pattern when looking at houses. Most
of the stuff involved things that the professional inspector would look at,
too, but you need to know whether you should even make an offer on the
house, so you have to check these things yourself. For any defect found,
deduct an amount of money that reflects what your weekend time is worth. I'm
a fisherman and a gardener. One weekend day is worth $1000.00.

1) Roof: I brought binoculars

2) Basement: I brought a huge flashlight, and a very sensitive nose. If I
was going to make an offer on a house whose basement raised doubts, I
would've brought halogen work lights. Basements are shadowy places. You want
to illuminate, and very thorougly.

3) Furnace: Check the dealer stickers, take notes, research the make &
model. If you're getting close to making an offer, insist on having YOUR
favorite HVAC person inspect the system. That cost me $75, and was worth
every penny.

4) Windows: Besides being relatively modern, make sure the ones you want to
open in nice weather actually WILL open. If not, find out why not. If
they're painted shut, insist on being able to bring tools for opening them.
If you can't get them open using normal measures, and you know what happens
to wood frame windows when they need to be brutalized, deduct $1000 per
window to cover the bull**** you'll have to go through to make them work,
and repair the cosmetic damage from getting them opened.

5) Electrical outlets: Bring a 3-prong circuit tester. First, you want to
check for proper wiring. Equally important, you want to see if the outlets
seem like they're going to pull out of the wall because some dumb ******
didn't have to sense to install the box up against a beam as god intended.
If they flex the wall when you pull out the tester, that's $1000 per outlet
if you intend to move the outlet and you're doing the work yourself.

6) Check ceilings very carefully for any signs of irregularity, especially
if they're textured. It may indicate water damage from roof problems or ice
damming. If the current owner has been there for many years and claims to
know nothing, insist on a polygraph examination, or move on to the next
house.

7) Toilets: Make sure they flush energetically. Also, see if they rock - not
correctly attached to the floor, in other words. If they do, call a plumber
and find out what he charges to install a toilet. Deduct that amount, based
on the assumption that if they're going to be checked, tightened, whatever,
it's not a bad idea to uninstall, replace the seal...the whole routine.
Deduct $2000.00 if you intend to do it yourself, especially if you've never
installed a toilet before.

8) Does the current owner smoke indoors? Do you intend to paint after you
buy the house? Deduct $1000 per room.

The reality is that the major stuff you look at - the kitchen cabinets,
carpet, these are things that are relatively easy. You just need the money
to do them, and most of the time, you pay someone to install. The stuff I've
mentioned - these are things that will drive YOU crazy. You need to get paid
for the trouble.