All Forum Posts by: Andrew S.

 I have considered it several times too and I came to the same conclusion: unless there is another factor, such as space, that comes into the equation, it is simply not economical to install a tankless in a rental.  I wish it were, but it isn't.  Not yet, anyway.  Maybe the prices will come down some more, eventually.  

Is it particularly expensive in Detroit to turn on water?  if you have never turned it on before, how can you be "99% sure" that all the plumbing is ok?  If there is a leak, its MUCH easier to fix it while the place is empty, so I don't know why you would take the chance on that just to save what?  20 bucks? 

 call Amy Bonis (google her - I'm not allowed to post #) - tell her Andrew sent you.

 Could not agree more!

 As far as certification, you can hire an outfit that has bedbug-sniffing dogs.  Costs about $100-200.  If the dogs don't find anything, you'll get a statement from them declaring your place "bedbug free".  That is probably about as good as you can do - I don't know how well it would hold up in court.

A word about "blaming the tenant" - I have explored this topic with the help of an attorney when I had a situation like this.  Turns out it is VERY hard to prove who brought them in - apparently, the bedbugs can stay dormant for quite some time, so unless the tenant has lived there for 10 years, you may have a very hard time conclusively proving to a judge that they weren't there before the tenant moved in.  I ended up footing the entire bill myself in my case, and I seriously considered bringing in the bedbug dogs every time I have a vacancy so I could refer back to it if I ever had bedbugs show up again.  However, this of course adds significant expense to each turnover, so I decided to take my chances.  

I like the "bedbug clause" in the lease, but I don't know how it would hold up in court (especially if it says tenant is responsible after only 14 days - that seems very short).  My attorney thought it would, at best, be a toss-up in front of a judge.  Maybe I need a more aggressive attorney, but the truth is that bedbug re-emergence is relatively new, so not much case-law on actual litigation yet.  That tends to make lawsuits unpredictable (meaning high risk and cost).

I agree with others, regardless of what code says, plan on venting both to the outside.  In the vast majority of cases, this is not all that big of a deal ( a few hundred bucks at most, unless you have a really odd attic situation), so if this is the only problem with the property then you are in good shape.

I think what @Mike Cumbie is getting at is that for you as the buyer, what is important is that you are comfortable with the inspection report and the final price.  In other words, as long as you like the deal and the inspector's findings have been incorporated (price reduction) in the final price to your satisfaction, then you are fine.  If I were you, I'd stick with the inspection report.  

Presumably, the appraisal was ordered by your lender?  If so, and if you have concerns about the accuracy of the appraisal, then let the lender know your concerns.  They may decide to order a second appraisal or proceed with the first one anyway.  This may impact your lender's willingness to move forward with financing the deal, but should not affect YOUR purchase offer.

No, I did not miss that part, but from afar it is not obvious to me why she would land on the street - she could also find another place to live, for example. That said, you obviously may have info saying otherwise, so only you can ma me that judgment.

I WILL say that there is a very high likelihood that you will come to regret trying to renovate the place while she stays there.  Better get ready to finance her housing for the foreseeable future.  I'd say if you do that, then why bother renovating?  Just buy the place and let her live there.

Wait a minute: the seller is offering to kick her out and provide you with an empty property - and you are now considering asking the tenant to stay in the property so you can fix it up?  You must be joking, right?

This sounds fairly high-end.  I would install gutters