All Forum Posts by: Ken Bradley

For commercial loans the bank will require a Phase 1 a lot of the time.  You do not do a Phase 2 unless you see something questionable in the Phase 1 or have a known potential problem.  If you feel comfortable with the history of the property being undeveloped residential that is not near any other issues then I wouldn't worry about it.  You may want to ask the attorney why he recommends a Phase 1 and 2 and if it is just CYA then I wouldn't worry about it.

Thanks for the info.  Just a casual observer in South Alabama but seems like condos are really hitting the market and at lower asking price than last 10-12 months.  Thanks for the hard data.

Pat is probably right.  That short of a period of time, seeing the change over several doors, probably cheap doors swelling.  If that's not it, foundation problems can cause the same effect.  When you have uneven settlement across the house it can make doors suddenly seem tighter...because the house has shifted and they are now rubbing against the frame/floor.

Have received a few messages as of late and thought I would bump this discussion.

Sam, sorry for the delayed response, but what Jeff stated is correct.  The Phase I establishes your CERCLA liability protections and must be performed by an environmental professional.  Otherwise, you are on your own.  Everything you stated is in line with what occurred historically.  A lot of UST's were removed in the 80's and there is very little documentation on them.  It would be great if you could get your hands on the soil tests from the 90's.  Relative to the potential risk you are incurring by not performing due diligence in the appropriate fashion the cost is minimal. 

Are these meetings still taking place.  Would love to get involved.  Thanks

Cornelius,

     Unfortunately, you run into this sometimes in the country.  We bought back my great-grandfather's house and the previous owner brought in a manufactured home.  There were 2 septic tanks on the 5 acres...they ran a pipe "down the hill"...yeah.  Anyway, I'm a professional engineer in Mississippi and live out in Brandon. If it doesn't Perc you'll have to get a mound system (your ballpark probably isn't far off).  If it does, you can get a traditional septic tank which should be around 8-10k.  I can do the perc test for you if you end up buying it. Good luck.

You can find us at www.stonebridgeconsultants.com

Needing a Phase 1? Confused about the process? Or just need the piece of mind about the environmental liability of a future investment.  We can help...and at a reasonable cost anywhere in the South or Midwest. Our principle environmental engineer is licensed across the South and Midwest and our technicians have decades of experience with industrial, commercial, residential and military site investigations.  If interested, shoot me a message and let's see how we can help!

This is what I love about Bigger Pockets...this is all great info. Joe Splitrock, appreciate your first-hand experience because I was thinking it would be an enormous hassle to vacate this building and shift operations elsewhere.