My disaster in home repairs

A roofer that came 3 weeks ago and said he's call me back with a quote in a day or two, did call this morning - at 8:30am. He said that he couldn't find 3-tab shingles which is BS because I looked on Lowe's website and they are available there. I informed him of that and he replied that they wouldn't match what's on the main part of the house. He wants to use architectural shingles. He is supposed to phone later today witha quote on that job.

An exterior painter returned my call on Friday afternoon and said he would call me at 9:30 am this morning to set a time to look at what needs doing. It is now 1:30 pm and no call. I am not going to beg contractors to give estimates. It makes me seem desperate or in a hurry and then the price goes up.

I have used Home Advisor. Never again! That's where I got the guy that painted the front porch and the paint peeled off after a few months - and he had a 4-star rating.
 

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Uphill all the way. ;)

I probably have priorities backwards. Painting the trim is cosmetic and not essential, but is praying on my mind. The dampness in the cellar is less of a concern to me (because it is something I don't see), but probably should be taken care of. The inspector did mention something about what would be more helpful to me is a "property manager" rather than an inspector. I though thay were for more of a commercial property. What think?

mountain climb.jpg
 
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debodun said:
See, to me that is just a cosmetic repair, but I do appreciate your concern. (y)

I'd be willing to wager that window replacement and cellar dampness would be something a property advisor would tell me were higher priorities (more costly too).
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Don't go down to your cellar, what you don't see isn't there. Windows cover with plastic, problem solved. Cat urine, the carpets are already ruined use bleach that should equalize the color & reduce or eliminate any smell. Ceiling over the stove no big deal just change the plastic occasionally, maybe getting some decorative plastic. Mice droppings & mice. The droppings give you something to do to clean up, & trapping the mice a sport activity to see which is more successful. Upgrade the electrical, not needed because using more than one appliance at a time is wasting electricity. Brick work that spray foam insulation could fill the cracks & you could paint with an exterior brick color paint.

You might be able to get that handy man to make the cosmetic repairs really cheap, material cost probably less that $100.00. Meanwhile you can entertain yourself with that mouse trapping.

For those not understanding sarcasm read the above again.

Patching & ignoring items that are a health hazard may be all Deb can afford, but with maybe 20+ years to live in that disaster is her choice.
 
debodun said:
A roofer that came 3 weeks ago and said he's call me back with a quote in a day or two, did call this morning - at 8:30am. He said that he couldn't find 3-tab shingles which is BS because I looked on Lowe's website and they are available there. I informed him of that and he replied that they wouldn't match what's on the main part of the house. He wants to use architectural shingles. He is supposed to phone later today witha quote on that job.

An exterior painter returned my call on Friday afternoon and said he would call me at 9:30 am this morning to set a time to look at what needs doing. It is now 1:30 pm and no call. I am not going to beg contractors to give estimates. It makes me seem desperate or in a hurry and then the price goes up.

I have used Home Advisor. Never again! That's where I got the guy that painted the front porch and the paint peeled off after a few months - and he had a 4-star rating.
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Which is why you conduct your own investigation of whoever Home Advisor suggests. After all, they give you several choices. Btw, anyone seeing the condition of your house would realize you were in no hurry for the repairs, IMO.
 
Dealing with the unknown like Deb's age and her employment so it's tough to try to understand why letting a home she inherited get so deteriorated. I do feel sorry for her because she is living in a home that is a health hazard and desperately in need of thousands of dollars in repair. The list of needed repairs grew in this thread the more people offered opinions on how to get out from under the situation she is in.

IMO there is a real possibility that her home would be condemned if it was inspected for sale. Then what does she do? Could it be that her not being aggressive in getting an evaluation is due to fear that moving with no place to go keeps her from doing what would resolve her situation?

Only Deb knows & I wish her the best in whatever happens from now forward.
 
Knight said:
Dealing with the unknown like Deb's age and her employment so it's tough to try to understand why letting a home she inherited get so deteriorated. I do feel sorry for her because she is living in a home that is a health hazard and desperately in need of thousands of dollars in repair. The list of needed repairs grew in this thread the more people offered opinions on how to get out from under the situation she is in.

IMO there is a real possibility that her home would be condemned if it was inspected for sale. Then what does she do? Could it be that her not being aggressive in getting an evaluation is due to fear that moving with no place to go keeps her from doing what would resolve her situation?

Only Deb knows & I wish her the best in whatever happens from now forward.
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On what grounds? A deteriorated kitchen ceiling? Windows that require repointing? Stained carpeting and flooring? A basement with damp areas?

So what you're saying is, 100% of all homes bought and sold in the USofA, are in 100% perfect condition?
 
About 18 months ago we were considering selling our house and consulted a local realtor to learn its value and what work, if any, needed to be done to put it into sale condition.

He said the seller's gold-standard priority list has water and electricity at the top. Fix leaks, roof, gutters, mold, plumbing and electrical problems. (For us that meant taking care of a problem with our pool. Which we did by hiring professionals, and didn't go with the lowest bidder.)

He also said that homes need to be in good repair, but repainting, updating kitchen cabinets or appliances, new carpets and flooring, bathroom remodels, etc., are waaaay down the list and often don't sell a house or give a full return on their investment.

Of course, there's always the option of selling at a discounted price in as-is condition to parties interested in repairing or razing the house.
 
I think the last option is a good option. I know at this stage I couldn't afford to get my coop in up-to-date state, if the intention were only to sell.
 
Yes cosmetic updates don’t matter because people will repaint etc, but other things should be fixed. unfortunately, we’ve had to fix things in every house we moved in even though we get the properties inspected. As the inspections don’t expose everything.

Its seems it’s common for a lot of people to not keep their houses in good shape. I’ve never understood this because if you fix things as they break then you don‘t ever have a huge problem and bill to contend with.
 
debodun said:
I am 68, female and single. I have to get by on around $3000 a month between my pension and SSI plus what money I've saved. I don't want to have to start diving deeply into my nest egg.
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Is the house paid for? I may have missed that. If it is, and you’ve lived it it for decades, you’ve got your money’s worth and, IMO, you should move. At 68 it’s had to keep a house as big as yours anyway. At least it would be for me. I have trouble keeping up my 1400 square foot one level house. Not to mention all the yard work we are having to do. Sigh.
 
Aunt Marg said:
On what grounds? A deteriorated kitchen ceiling? Windows that require repointing? Stained carpeting and flooring? A basement with damp areas?

So what you're saying is, 100% of all homes bought and sold in the USofA, are in 100% perfect condition?
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The unseen but able to discover mouse droppings, the 20 amp service, the mold due to rain & water filtration into the walls & basement, the collapsing window casements that repointing won't fix only hide the deterioration. Toss in the plumbing I think was the reason for the ceiling to collapse, floor replacement for cat urine & stains .

And no older homes are not in 100% perfect condition that is why some are condemned for human habitation. The condition or repairs needed detract from the sale price, but I'm sure you know that. Given the quantity & kind of repair needed what would you offer to buy the house for? Would you buy it to renovate ?
 
Aneeda72 said:
Is the house paid for? I may have missed that. If it is, and you’ve lived it it for decades, you’ve got your money’s worth and, IMO, you should move. At 68 it’s had to keep a house as big as yours anyway. At least it would be for me. I have trouble keeping up my 1400 square foot one level house. Not to mention all the yard work we are having to do.
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Yes, it's been paid for for decades. My parents bought it in 1975. My father passed in 1983 and my mother didn't keep up on the maintenance for the 23 years after that she outlived him. I would often mention to her that this or that should be taken care of, but she never wanted people she didn't know working around her and disturbing her peace of mind. One time we desperately need plumbing and I went ahead and got a team to fix the clogs and leaks. When they arraived, mon barricaded herself in her bedroom until it was all over and she didn't speak to me for a week afterwards. Now I am trying to play catch-up. I've already invested thousands in the house and it doesn't look any better and problems are escalating.

One realtor that looked at it when I was considering selling said "The bones are good, but it would have to be gutted and re-done." Another indicated that I would have to put a minimum of $200K in repairs or she wouldn't even accept it for the market. I just couldn't see paying that much to do something that another owner would just rip out an put in what they wanted.
 

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