The inspection on Wednesday was fascinating: Faren West, the inspector, was incredibly thorough, right down to finding the rats in the attic. The tally:
- One broken window pane
- A tiny leak in the drain from the tub
- Broken window springs
- Broken seals on a couple of the double-paned windows
- A dishwasher hose not up to spec
- A gas line that’s pretty much ok, but not up to spec
- An electrical line under a kitchen cabinet that should be in the wall
- A hole in the floor near the bedroom radiator
- A broken knob on the radiator
- No ventilator for the gas range/stove
I requested that the broken window pane be replaced, the broken window springs be repaired, and the leak on the tub fixed. The tub was the big one–Faren warned that there’s a slim chance the entire tub would need to be replaced.
The owners agreed to repair the broken window springs and have a plumber look at the tub. They’re issuing a credit for the broken window pane. I’m worried about the credit for that: I doubt it’ll be sufficient, but I can’t prove otherwise.
As to the other stuff, I’m thinking of having the bedroom radiator removed and a theromstat-controlled electric heater installed in the wall between the bedroom and the bathroom, so I’ll need to have the floor repaired anyway.
I’ll have the hose to the dishwasher fixed when I have a garbage disposal put in, so that’s not a big deal, either.
The good news is that someone re-wired the entire place a few years ago. There’s a home-owner’s assocation rule that one can not use bulbs greater than 60 watts. But it doesn’t apply to my new wiring!
I saw one last unit before the inspection. It was larger than the one I’m buying, and southwest leaning west, rather than southwest leaning south. It didn’t have a dishwasher, but it had lots more closet space and even a little nook for my diner booth. But I can’t live without a dishwasher, and I don’t need more space for junk. Less is better.
We’re on our way.