What should I do about a house I'm getting ready to buy that has a new garage
but the owner never got a permit for it?

Long story short - 44 year old home with new 3 year old garage in back. Looks
OK as far as being away from easements and property boundaries. My home
inspector didn't notice anything unsafe, but he's not a building or code
inspector. Entire garage electric is fed off of a GFI circuit on from the
deck. Seller said that he remembers getting a permit but can't locate the
copy. Multiple calls to local gov't offices indicate that no permit was ever
obtained. We can only assume that one was never issued nor was the building
ever inspected.

I have two main concerns. Safety and resale.

Safety. It may be possible that the garage was not built properly and is
unsafe or may fall apart after some time (or some other issue). I don't
really know how to address this without getting a building inspector to check
it out (more on that later).

Resale. When we sell the house later on we may be faced with similar issues.
My brother-in-law and his wife had to get permits for their finished basement
when they sold their home nine years ago. They were the fifth owner of the
home, and it was the second owner who finished the basement. It was quite a
hassle.

My potential solutions a

1. - getting someone in the home or garage building business to come out
and check out the garage. They should be able to look at it and see if it's
built properly and have an opinion about it complying with local building
codes.

2. - get a proper permit and inspection. Problem, and I know this sounds
screwey, but I can't. I've been told that only the homeowner can do this.
AND, the homeowner has to sign an affidavit stating that he won't sell the
home for one year. Sounds crazy and illogical I know. It was explained that
the rule was put into place because of some sleazy rehabbers doing poor work
and then flipping properties. I'm going to confirm that Monday

I could apply for a permit and inspection after I close on the property. But,
what if there is some serious problem that will cost many dollars to fix?
Yeah, I can go back to the sellers. But, I'd rather resolve all that now
while I'm still in control.

So, what suggestions can you offer?

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Hi,
Worst case, you wll be required to tear down the garage.
So purchase offer must be accordingly. That's what I think.
Tony

Mail Ias wrote:

What should I do about a house I'm getting ready to buy that has a new garage
but the owner never got a permit for it?

Long story short - 44 year old home with new 3 year old garage in back. Looks
OK as far as being away from easements and property boundaries. My home
inspector didn't notice anything unsafe, but he's not a building or code
inspector. Entire garage electric is fed off of a GFI circuit on from the
deck. Seller said that he remembers getting a permit but can't locate the
copy. Multiple calls to local gov't offices indicate that no permit was ever
obtained. We can only assume that one was never issued nor was the building
ever inspected.

I have two main concerns. Safety and resale.

Safety. It may be possible that the garage was not built properly and is
unsafe or may fall apart after some time (or some other issue). I don't
really know how to address this without getting a building inspector to check
it out (more on that later).

Resale. When we sell the house later on we may be faced with similar issues.
My brother-in-law and his wife had to get permits for their finished basement
when they sold their home nine years ago. They were the fifth owner of the
home, and it was the second owner who finished the basement. It was quite a
hassle.

My potential solutions a

1. - getting someone in the home or garage building business to come out
and check out the garage. They should be able to look at it and see if it's
built properly and have an opinion about it complying with local building
codes.

2. - get a proper permit and inspection. Problem, and I know this sounds
screwey, but I can't. I've been told that only the homeowner can do this.
AND, the homeowner has to sign an affidavit stating that he won't sell the
home for one year. Sounds crazy and illogical I know. It was explained that
the rule was put into place because of some sleazy rehabbers doing poor work
and then flipping properties. I'm going to confirm that Monday

I could apply for a permit and inspection after I close on the property. But,
what if there is some serious problem that will cost many dollars to fix?
Yeah, I can go back to the sellers. But, I'd rather resolve all that now
while I'm still in control.

So, what suggestions can you offer?

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Check the tax records and see if the garage in on them. If it is, it is
a good bet it is OK. If not, check with the county and local authorities
before you buy. This could be a very expensive error if you buy.

--
Joseph E. Meehan

26 + 6 = 1 It's Irish Math


"Mail Ias" wrote in message
news:c8Jmb.25320$ao4.37150@attbi_s51...
What should I do about a house I'm getting ready to buy that has a new
garage
but the owner never got a permit for it?

Long story short - 44 year old home with new 3 year old garage in back.
Looks
OK as far as being away from easements and property boundaries. My home
inspector didn't notice anything unsafe, but he's not a building or code
inspector. Entire garage electric is fed off of a GFI circuit on from the
deck. Seller said that he remembers getting a permit but can't locate the
copy. Multiple calls to local gov't offices indicate that no permit was
ever
obtained. We can only assume that one was never issued nor was the
building
ever inspected.

I have two main concerns. Safety and resale.

Safety. It may be possible that the garage was not built properly and is
unsafe or may fall apart after some time (or some other issue). I don't
really know how to address this without getting a building inspector to
check
it out (more on that later).

Resale. When we sell the house later on we may be faced with similar
issues.
My brother-in-law and his wife had to get permits for their finished
basement
when they sold their home nine years ago. They were the fifth owner of
the
home, and it was the second owner who finished the basement. It was quite
a
hassle.

My potential solutions a

1. - getting someone in the home or garage building business to come
out
and check out the garage. They should be able to look at it and see if
it's
built properly and have an opinion about it complying with local building
codes.

2. - get a proper permit and inspection. Problem, and I know this
sounds
screwey, but I can't. I've been told that only the homeowner can do this.
AND, the homeowner has to sign an affidavit stating that he won't sell the
home for one year. Sounds crazy and illogical I know. It was explained
that
the rule was put into place because of some sleazy rehabbers doing poor
work
and then flipping properties. I'm going to confirm that Monday

I could apply for a permit and inspection after I close on the property.
But,
what if there is some serious problem that will cost many dollars to fix?
Yeah, I can go back to the sellers. But, I'd rather resolve all that now
while I'm still in control.

So, what suggestions can you offer?

Any help is greatly appreciated.

If i built without a permit i could be made to tear it down. do some
research

"Mail Ias" wrote in message
news:c8Jmb.25320$ao4.37150@attbi_s51...
What should I do about a house I'm getting ready to buy that has a new
garage
but the owner never got a permit for it?

Long story short - 44 year old home with new 3 year old garage in back.
Looks
OK as far as being away from easements and property boundaries. My home
inspector didn't notice anything unsafe, but he's not a building or code
inspector. Entire garage electric is fed off of a GFI circuit on from the
deck. Seller said that he remembers getting a permit but can't locate the
copy. Multiple calls to local gov't offices indicate that no permit was
ever
obtained. We can only assume that one was never issued nor was the
building
ever inspected.

I have two main concerns. Safety and resale.

Safety. It may be possible that the garage was not built properly and is
unsafe or may fall apart after some time (or some other issue). I don't
really know how to address this without getting a building inspector to
check
it out (more on that later).

Resale. When we sell the house later on we may be faced with similar
issues.
My brother-in-law and his wife had to get permits for their finished
basement
when they sold their home nine years ago. They were the fifth owner of
the
home, and it was the second owner who finished the basement. It was quite
a
hassle.

My potential solutions a

1. - getting someone in the home or garage building business to come
out
and check out the garage. They should be able to look at it and see if
it's
built properly and have an opinion about it complying with local building
codes.

2. - get a proper permit and inspection. Problem, and I know this
sounds
screwey, but I can't. I've been told that only the homeowner can do this.
AND, the homeowner has to sign an affidavit stating that he won't sell the
home for one year. Sounds crazy and illogical I know. It was explained
that
the rule was put into place because of some sleazy rehabbers doing poor
work
and then flipping properties. I'm going to confirm that Monday

I could apply for a permit and inspection after I close on the property.
But,
what if there is some serious problem that will cost many dollars to fix?
Yeah, I can go back to the sellers. But, I'd rather resolve all that now
while I'm still in control.

So, what suggestions can you offer?

Any help is greatly appreciated.


a variance may be in order here.
If it were me, the offer would be
original price minus garage appraisal.
otherwise make the seller pull a permit and sign off on it or have the
seller pay the fines that are due for NOT pulling a permit.

Hi,
Also if it burns down, insurance won't cover it.
Tony

mark Ransley wrote:
If i built without a permit i could be made to tear it down. do some
research

Depending on where you live and whether or not there is a mortgage company
involved in the sale, a certificate of occupancy might be required before
you can complete the closing. Where I live, if the town where the property
is located requires a certificate of occupancy with any change of ownership,
the mortgage company won't issue the mortgage without it. In that case, the
seller would have to get one. Since you already made multiple calls to
local government offices about this, it's not likely that anyone there will
issue the certificate without addressing the garage issue.

Hopefully, you have an attorney representing you who reviewed the sales
contract before you signed it. It's really a legal issue at this point, and
what happens next depends on exactly how your contract is worded and what
the laws are in your area. Sometimes it is possible to complete the closing
by having the seller put up money to be held in escrow by the title company
until certain issues are resolved. Most likely, the seller is going to have
to figure this issue out with the local officials before the closing. I
think you'll find that the part about the homeowner not being able to sell
the property for one year after getting the permit will be untrue.

"Mail Ias" wrote in message
news:c8Jmb.25320$ao4.37150@attbi_s51...
What should I do about a house I'm getting ready to buy that has a new
garage
but the owner never got a permit for it?

Long story short - 44 year old home with new 3 year old garage in back.
Looks
OK as far as being away from easements and property boundaries. My home
inspector didn't notice anything unsafe, but he's not a building or code
inspector. Entire garage electric is fed off of a GFI circuit on from the
deck. Seller said that he remembers getting a permit but can't locate the
copy. Multiple calls to local gov't offices indicate that no permit was
ever
obtained. We can only assume that one was never issued nor was the
building
ever inspected.

I have two main concerns. Safety and resale.

Safety. It may be possible that the garage was not built properly and is
unsafe or may fall apart after some time (or some other issue). I don't
really know how to address this without getting a building inspector to
check
it out (more on that later).

Resale. When we sell the house later on we may be faced with similar
issues.
My brother-in-law and his wife had to get permits for their finished
basement
when they sold their home nine years ago. They were the fifth owner of
the
home, and it was the second owner who finished the basement. It was quite
a
hassle.

My potential solutions a

1. - getting someone in the home or garage building business to come
out
and check out the garage. They should be able to look at it and see if
it's
built properly and have an opinion about it complying with local building
codes.

2. - get a proper permit and inspection. Problem, and I know this
sounds
screwey, but I can't. I've been told that only the homeowner can do this.
AND, the homeowner has to sign an affidavit stating that he won't sell the
home for one year. Sounds crazy and illogical I know. It was explained
that
the rule was put into place because of some sleazy rehabbers doing poor
work
and then flipping properties. I'm going to confirm that Monday

I could apply for a permit and inspection after I close on the property.
But,
what if there is some serious problem that will cost many dollars to fix?
Yeah, I can go back to the sellers. But, I'd rather resolve all that now
while I'm still in control.

So, what suggestions can you offer?

Any help is greatly appreciated.

You bring up a good point. I would like to recommend that anyone buying
a home get your own lawyer involved before you sign. Your lawyer is working
for you. Both your real-estate agent and the seller's real-estate agent are
really working for the seller. They are both paid only if you buy and the
more you pay the more they get. So they both want to bargain for the
highest possible price.

--
Joseph E. Meehan

26 + 6 = 1 It's Irish Math


"ATB" wrote in message
...
Depending on where you live and whether or not there is a mortgage company
involved in the sale, a certificate of occupancy might be required before
you can complete the closing. Where I live, if the town where the
property
is located requires a certificate of occupancy with any change of
ownership,
the mortgage company won't issue the mortgage without it. In that case,
the
seller would have to get one. Since you already made multiple calls to
local government offices about this, it's not likely that anyone there
will
issue the certificate without addressing the garage issue.

Hopefully, you have an attorney representing you who reviewed the sales
contract before you signed it. It's really a legal issue at this point,
and
what happens next depends on exactly how your contract is worded and what
the laws are in your area. Sometimes it is possible to complete the
closing
by having the seller put up money to be held in escrow by the title
company
until certain issues are resolved. Most likely, the seller is going to
have
to figure this issue out with the local officials before the closing. I
think you'll find that the part about the homeowner not being able to sell
the property for one year after getting the permit will be untrue.

"Mail Ias" wrote in message
news:c8Jmb.25320$ao4.37150@attbi_s51...
What should I do about a house I'm getting ready to buy that has a new
garage
but the owner never got a permit for it?

Long story short - 44 year old home with new 3 year old garage in back.
Looks
OK as far as being away from easements and property boundaries. My home
inspector didn't notice anything unsafe, but he's not a building or code
inspector. Entire garage electric is fed off of a GFI circuit on from
the
deck. Seller said that he remembers getting a permit but can't locate
the
copy. Multiple calls to local gov't offices indicate that no permit was
ever
obtained. We can only assume that one was never issued nor was the
building
ever inspected.

I have two main concerns. Safety and resale.

Safety. It may be possible that the garage was not built properly and
is
unsafe or may fall apart after some time (or some other issue). I don't
really know how to address this without getting a building inspector to
check
it out (more on that later).

Resale. When we sell the house later on we may be faced with similar
issues.
My brother-in-law and his wife had to get permits for their finished
basement
when they sold their home nine years ago. They were the fifth owner of
the
home, and it was the second owner who finished the basement. It was
quite
a
hassle.

My potential solutions a

1. - getting someone in the home or garage building business to
come
out
and check out the garage. They should be able to look at it and see if
it's
built properly and have an opinion about it complying with local
building
codes.

2. - get a proper permit and inspection. Problem, and I know this
sounds
screwey, but I can't. I've been told that only the homeowner can do
this.
AND, the homeowner has to sign an affidavit stating that he won't sell
the
home for one year. Sounds crazy and illogical I know. It was explained
that
the rule was put into place because of some sleazy rehabbers doing poor
work
and then flipping properties. I'm going to confirm that Monday

I could apply for a permit and inspection after I close on the property.
But,
what if there is some serious problem that will cost many dollars to
fix?
Yeah, I can go back to the sellers. But, I'd rather resolve all that
now
while I'm still in control.

So, what suggestions can you offer?

Any help is greatly appreciated.