Unfinished House

eppdso

I am looking into buying a house that a local builder was unable to finish. It has been sitting for about 1 1/2 years with no work being done on it. My question is if anyone has purchased one of these building and what kind of problems did you run into. I have done several walk throughs of the properity and it appears to be in good shape. Anyones advice would be greatly welcome. I guess i should let you know what stage it is in, It is framed and sheeted with a little of the plubming done. There is HVAC in the house but the furneces are gone now. Repoed but the supplier i believe. There is no insulation, drywall or electrical in the house. Windows are installed but no siding. I am attaching a fe pictures so that you may see where it is in the building stage. Thanks for your time.

ChrWright

I've finished a couple of houses in similar situations. All of the problems I encountered were related to mechanicals, for the most part. I'd look hard for cut corners since builders in trouble tend to shave dollars by leaving out hidden elements (fireplace masonry footings in the slab, etc.)

Was the house weathered-in during the time it sat? (roof, windows trimed & flashed, etc.)

I've been working in house that sat without roof for a good long while before it was finished. Lots of moldy subfloor & decking... In this day and age of mold sensitivity, I'd be careful when you go to sell. Anyone who builds new houses needs to have a mold clause in their contract to cover them. For most people, it's not a problem. But I've had one or two clients with EXTREME sensitivity. One in particular had to move out of a house she was renting because she got migrains constantly just from being in the house. It turned out the house had been through a fire and the house had had a very poor restoration.

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thom

Talk to the local building department. You will need to get new permits. See what inspections have passed and what they expect from you.

Find out what liens have been filed and what it will take to pay them off.

It seems like you're buying a lot with a foundation and deteriorated framed shell. Not a whole lot.

wink

i don't know about your area, but in ours the building department will do a quick preliminary walk thru for you before they do the official frame inspection. if they are not to busy, maybe your department will do the same for you, to let you know if the builder kept up his standards. hope this helps