Dear everyone thank you for your informative advice. The seller won't reduce price however is willing to bring in independent licensed electricans/plumbers to review all the work to make sure all is functioning and will give us visibility to work being done. We are going to go into contract but will make sure fixes are outline in the contract.

Essentially new electrical/plumbing work was done on the first, third and fourth floor where kitchen and bathrooms were added. This work was done out of code and not filed. The price is comparable to un-renovated homes in the area however it is somewhat renovated.

daveinbedstuy - not sure the details as the inspector didn't give us specifics however hopefully our next inspection with a electrican give us more details.

Posted by: feelyng at May 6, 2008 8:28 PM in response to Buying a home not up to code

Dear All,

OP here. We have decided to go into contract and take the risk. We've set aside a fund to bring things up to code as issues arise.

Thanks for everyone's advice.

Brownstoner rocks!

Posted by: feelyng at May 9, 2008 6:00 PM in response to Buying a home not up to code

the house will burn down. That'll be nice. Your basement will flood. that will be nice.

aren't you glad it's not up to code?

Posted by: guest at May 6, 2008 11:43 PM in response to Buying a home not up to code

I'm struggling with similar issues and finding it very hard to know how to negotiate. There is a ton of work that is altogether functional, but we *know* they never got permits for any of it. There are a few things that are seriously non-functional and we are trying to figure out how much we want to get estimates before we go into contract.

Posted by: amanda at May 7, 2008 11:54 AM in response to Buying a home not up to code

You should bring in your own licensed master plumber and electrician to review the work. If seller brings them in, it won't be an "independent" review. If you don't want to pay for that and this is the only concession the seller will give you (and you want to move forward) then have seller agree that you will get a written opinion from a licensed plumber or electrician. Of course, teh problem is, they won't be able to see the important work behind the walls.

Or, you can just take the risk. My point is, they are offering you a false sense of security. There is a chance that every thing will be fine, and there is a chance that they are pawning off bad work that you can't see. If you have the tolerance, and the wherewithal, to live with the risk, go for it, especially if you are not paying a renovation premium and don't mind the prospect of reopening a bunch of walls if you find out that there are real safety and quality issues. Just don't talk yourself into the notion that the risk isn't there just because seller's guy tells you so.

Posted by: slopefarm at May 8, 2008 10:18 AM in response to Buying a home not up to code

Dear All,

OP here. We have decided to go into contract and take the risk. We've set aside a fund to bring things up to code as issues arise.

Thanks for everyone's advice.

Brownstoner rocks!

Posted by: feelyng at May 9, 2008 6:00 PM in response to Buying a home not up to code