Below grade basement- no permit

[Adam Clouse]

Hey all- I'm looking at a ranch style house that has a nice, dry basement. The previous owner finished the basement completely at some point, then had to tear it down to the studs, before putting it on the market.  All the plumbing and electrical is set up already, but he never got any permits for it.

One of the main selling points of the house is that the basement is all framed out already, with utilities set. Do you see it being a major pain for me to finish it legally? Would I need architect plans since it is all framed already? Would it depend on how well the previous owner's work was done compared to code?

I appreciate the help on this!