From: C G <"piper_chuck"@nospam,yahoo.com>
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house alt.home.repair
Subject: Re: Any risk in buying a house with finished basement without permit   
 -Please advise
Date: Tue, 18 Nov 2003 00:00:25 GMT

v wrote:
> 
> On Sat, 15 Nov 2003 04:21:00 GMT, someone wrote:
> 
> >> >I would contact the local building inspection department to see if there
> >> >is any way to have it inspected after the fact.  If there is, insist
> >> >that the seller do this, and correct any violations, before you close.
> >> >If not, insist that the seller pay to have the basement checked out by a
> >> >qualified building inspector and pay for any safety problems uncovered.
> >> >
> >> Then he will never buy this house.  The seller will not agree to those
> >> condition, PLUS will hate his guts for turning him in to the city.
> >
> >How do you know what the seller will or will not agree to?
> 
> Have you bought many properties where the Seller agreed to pay for
> *any* problems that turned up?  I have been buying and selling for
> over 20 years and it just doesn't happen frequently enought to be a
> realistic suggestion.  (I've never seen it happen at all, but in then
> infinity of the net, am leaving a way out.)

Yes, I have.  If there is a problem that needs to be fixed the seller is
going to have to either pay for it, lower the price, or tell the buyer
"no deal".  

> 
> Sure the Buyer can have an inspection.  But the Seller is HIGHLY
> UNLIKELY TO THE POINT OF IT BEING RIDICULOUS TO EVEN WASTE YOUR TIME
> ASKING, to agree to fix "any" problem found.  Buyer can show the
> Seller the problems and ask, or even get an agreement that (say) the
> first $1,000 in repairs is covered, but rational sellers will not
> agree to open ended clauses that encourage the Buyer to try to get a
> free renovation out of the sale.  And if you ask for unreasonable
> stuff, you are likely to piss off the Seller and get thrown out of the
> deal and NOT get any concessions.

The trouble with this seller is that he did something in violation of
local building regs.  The buyer in this case has him by the balls.

> 
> And don't say how do I know the Seller won't NEGOTIATE, SURE he
> probably WILL "negotiate", but that is not the same as agreeing to
> your ridiculous terms.  Whatever makes you think he WILL agree?  And
> DON'T say there is no harm in asking, there certainly is, if you knew
> anything about negotiation.

Are you finished arguing with yourself?  I never said he would agree. 
However, since he's in a pretty difficult situation, the odds are good
he would.