Got inspection report on old condo, which one should we worried about?

Question

Hello,

We are buying our rental condo, and using dual agency so I need to be more careful I think.

We just had inspecdtion report, and it was my guy and he found a lot of stuff.

I believe some of that are minors, but I am not sure what kinds of things I need to worry about.

My realtor (also seller's realtor, dual agent) said it's just minor stuff.

However, there are craks in the wall, elecric pannel from Zinco( inspector says Zinco is all over the place, and we just need to watch it.)

So if you guys can give me some advice, that would be great!

Thank you!

I am trying to upload pic, but this website is not working!!

Rick Albert · Answer

The best way to determine the actual concern is to get bids to fix the issues.

I will say Zinsco is a bigger deal than people think. They went out of business because of how bad they are. They would overheat and not trip, thus causing fires.

I would focus on health and safety items first, then cosmetic second. No condo is perfect and they will almost all have issues.

Steve K. · Answer

Using the listing agent as "your" agent is like using your exes lawyer in a divorce, or like using the other team's coach in the Superbowl. It's not even allowed in many places, for good reason. The listing agent has already advised the seller on multiple things like preparing the home for sale, pricing, marketing strategy etc. and they have a fiduciary duty to them as well as a relationship with them prior to you coming along.

I don't understand why people use the listing agent and then come to the internet and ask random strangers who have never even been to the property and may or may not have any clue what they are talking about for advice on what to do. Why don't you have your own agent representing you? An agent who is on your team and your team only would be able to give sound advice based on their many years of experience dealing with these types of issues (assuming you chose your agent wisely), and based on actually seeing the property along with it's issues and talking directly with the inspector, etc. They would have great specialists to recommend and would also be able to tell you whether or not the deal still makes sense despite these issues, or negotiate accordingly to get it to a better price so that it does make sense. Nobody here has a clue about that and the listing agent is obviously motivated to sell the property, make their listing a success and get paid. If you have already done dozens of deals and have a strong background in the trades, and know the sales contracts and the sales process inside and out, and have good connections with tradespeople, then that would be one thing. But you're asking about basic stuff and clearly need better representation here IMO.

Frankly I don't like your inspector's advice either. For example, Zinsco panels are considered outdated and potentially dangerous due to design flaws, specifically with their aluminum bus bars and circuit breakers, which can lead to overheating, failure to trip during overloads, and increased fire risk. What does "watch it" mean? Watch it catch on fire and burn the house down? No, you ask the seller to replace it. This is low-hanging fruit in any inspection objection process and if you had your own (competent) agent, that's exactly what they would advise you to do. Get an electrician out to get a quote to replace the panel and also have them look for any other potential electrical issues seeing as the electrical is obviously dated there. Specifically have them check for any aluminum wiring because that and Zinsco panels combined are especially dangerous. I would get quotes from several electricians and then ask for that money off of the sales price. I don't like having the seller complete any work, because they will obviously go with the cheapest option not the best option.

Regarding the cracks in the wall: you will want to get a structural engineer over there to tell you how serious they are. They could be settling cracks which could mean expansive soils or foundation damage, or they could be due to water damage from a previous leak, active leak, etc. Since it is a condo, you need to look into who is responsible if it needs repairs, the owner or the HOA. If it's the HOA which is usually the case with anything structural, do they have adequate reserves or will you be hit with a special assessment? Is the board pro-active and competent when it comes to making repairs and maintaining the property, or are they inept and broke, leading to it being a big mess to deal with? Get the meeting minutes, talk to the board, read the bylaws, etc. A good local buyer's agent would know if the complex is maintained well or not and save you a lot of time. I know about all of the condo complexes in my market for example: which ones are well taken care of and which ones have deferred maintenance, which ones have had lawsuits, condition of them and history, etc. I have been in all of them and save my buyers a lot of time by knowing which ones to avoid and which ones are good. This is the value that a good buyer's agent brings to the table.

Again, if you had a good agent working for you and just you, they would be helping you with this stuff! The listing agent works for the seller. They are not "your" agent.

Sorry to rant, this has just been driving me crazy lately as I have a lot of listings right now and I get a lot of calls from unrepresented buyers asking me to show them the property and I just ask them why they don't have their own agent. They often say they don't want one or don't need one, and it's obvious to me that they simply don't know what they don't know.

Unless you have more experience with the sales process than most agents do, know the sales contracts line by line,  and have a lot of experience working on houses, know which specialists to bring in and how to interpret what they tell you, etc. then you should have your own agent representing you.

Allan C. · Answer

Some insurance companies are not covering properties without upgraded mechanicals. Panel upgrades are $5-10k so simply ask for price reduction. I never have sellers make repairs anymore since they will go with cheapest bid. Don't nickel and dime the seller either - just determine which items have material impact on valuation of the property and get a lump sum deduction.

Nadeem Alamgir · Answer

@Jenni Lee your agent being a dual agent is in a tough spot because he has to walk a fine line here. It's best to reach out to the inspector directly and get a better sense of how serious some of these items really are.

The cracks in the wall could just be cosmetic, but they could also hint at foundation movement (worth asking your inspector directly if they recommend a specialist). As for the panel, even if it's just something to watch, you’ll want to price out what it would cost to replace now vs deal with issues later.

Sam Horton · Answer

Then I would remove the cost of the quote from the final sale price based on an expert's opinion, like an electrician or GC.

Sam Horton · Answer

Hi @Jenni Lee

I would speak with your home inspector and ask him what items he felt were the most pressing. You could attempt to get an electrician out there to quote replacing the panel with a more modern panel. Regarding the cracks, are they foundation cracks or cracks on the drywall? It could just be settling over the years; however, if your inspector says it's a big concern, you could always ask for a GC or someone that specializes in crack repair (if its the foundation) out there at the same time as the electrician.I typically recommend that the buyer do the repairs, so you can hire someone you trust and can call back. Using the electrician's/GC quote, ask for a seller credit so you can apply the credit towards the repair. Hope this helps.