We just looked at a bunch of houses for
sale in western North Carolina. One of
the houses was very nice on very nice
property. One problem, there was a
musty smell in the area of the 2
bedrooms. On further checking, the
basement under the bedrooms also had the
same smell. The house did not have
central heat or AC. The heat was
provided by electric baseboard units and
fireplaces. If we were to bid on this
property and subsequently buy it, we
would add central heat and AC. My
question, how does one proceed with the
musty smell problem. Do I hire a home
inspector to check it out? Or do I hire
a water sealing company to check it? Or
what? Any suggestion would be greatly
appreciated.
Thanks.

"Art Todesco" wrote in message
. net...
We just looked at a bunch of houses for sale in western North Carolina.
One of the houses was very nice on very nice property. One problem, there
was a musty smell in the area of the 2 bedrooms. On further checking, the
basement under the bedrooms also had the same smell. The house did not
have central heat or AC. The heat was provided by electric baseboard
units and fireplaces. If we were to bid on this property and subsequently
buy it, we would add central heat and AC. My question, how does one
proceed with the musty smell problem. Do I hire a home inspector to check
it out? Or do I hire a water sealing company to check it? Or what? Any
suggestion would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.

If you are serious about buy this house, or any house for that matter, by
all means hire an inspector. A hired inspector's judgment won't be impaired
by emotional attachment.

J.A. Michel wrote:

"Art Todesco" wrote in message
. net...
We just looked at a bunch of houses for sale in western North
Carolina. One of the houses was very nice on very nice property. One
problem, there was a musty smell in the area of the 2 bedrooms. On
further checking, the basement under the bedrooms also had the same
smell. The house did not have central heat or AC. The heat was
provided by electric baseboard units and fireplaces. If we were to
bid on this property and subsequently buy it, we would add central
heat and AC. My question, how does one proceed with the musty smell
problem. Do I hire a home inspector to check it out? Or do I hire a
water sealing company to check it? Or what? Any suggestion would be
greatly appreciated.
Thanks.

If you are serious about buy this house, or any house for that matter,
by all means hire an inspector. A hired inspector's judgment won't be
impaired by emotional attachment.

Actually, I've never been impressed by
home inspectors, but I must admit,
I've only had one or two experiences as
I have owned one home for 35
years. But, getting the "emotional"
attachment out of the decision process,
is important. Also, getting a
"restoration" company is also a good plan.
Thanks for the info.

Art Todesco wrote on 21 May 2007 in group
alt.home.repair:
Actually, I've never been impressed by
home inspectors, but I must admit,
I've only had one or two experiences as
I have owned one home for 35
years. But, getting the "emotional"
attachment out of the decision process,
is important. Also, getting a
"restoration" company is also a good plan.
Thanks for the info.

I've always gotten my money's worth from inspectors. Every time I hired
one, he found things that I didn't. I then negotiated with the seller to
repair the problem or adjust the sales price. The value has always been
multiples of the inspector's fee.

I ask the inspector to be very picky, then present the official report
to the seller listing the 100 or so things that are wrong with the
house. I ignore the piddly things to show what a nice guy I am, and ask
the seller to replace things that are important, don't meet code, or are
just expensive. The seller has always been accomodating.

You can also rely on the inspector's insurance in case he misses
something major.

--
Steve B.
New Life Home Improvement

On May 20, 10:53 pm, Art Todesco wrote:
We just looked at a bunch of houses for
sale in western North Carolina. One of
the houses was very nice on very nice
property. One problem, there was a
musty smell in the area of the 2
bedrooms. On further checking, the
basement under the bedrooms also had the
same smell. The house did not have
central heat or AC. The heat was
provided by electric baseboard units and
fireplaces. If we were to bid on this
property and subsequently buy it, we
would add central heat and AC. My
question, how does one proceed with the
musty smell problem. Do I hire a home
inspector to check it out? Or do I hire
a water sealing company to check it? Or
what? Any suggestion would be greatly
appreciated.
Thanks.

One other thing I'd be concerned about is
damage from long-term excessive moisture,
which would be a major contributor to the
fragrance you describe. Could be from above,
from below, all of the above, but I'd seek the
source(s) and assess structural damage first.

One thing more ... the home inspectors I've
seen are well-intentioned hacks, missing
obvious probs I pointed out. Conflict of interest
thing: they don't want to disturb brokers who
might give future referrals. Meaning: find
inspector on your own, or ask broker for
referrals (to NOT call.)

HTH,
J

"Art Todesco" wrote in message
. net...
We just looked at a bunch of houses for sale in western North Carolina.
One of the houses was very nice on very nice property. One problem, there
was a musty smell in the area of the 2 bedrooms. On further checking, the
basement under the bedrooms also had the same smell. The house did not
have central heat or AC. The heat was provided by electric baseboard
units and fireplaces. If we were to bid on this property and subsequently
buy it, we would add central heat and AC. My question, how does one
proceed with the musty smell problem. Do I hire a home inspector to check
it out? Or do I hire a water sealing company to check it? Or what? Any
suggestion would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.

Art, mold can be a serious health issue. Do be careful. Perhaps the smell
is just wafting up into the bedrooms. Basements are havens for mold.

Carefully check the bedroom ceiling and walls for signs of water damage. It
could be a roof problem.

A good home inspector might help, but I have yet to find one ... 5
experiences with them and all blah to negative.