O/T Mother Nature is SUCH a Bitch
So we are about to close on our new house which is very exciting. The only thing holding up the process is the appraiser has decided the house needs a few repairs before the bank will sign off on it.
He picked out four things to be difficult about. Apparently the water wasn't on when he did the appraisal which is no big deal, two of the showers did not have shower heads installed, the lower back deck does not have a railing and the gorgeous natural log staircase has gaps that are too big and someone could fall through them.
The deck railing and the interior stairway were both things we were going to adjust at some point shortly after we moved in anyway though neither one is really that big a deal. The water wasn't on because the house is vacant and was winterized. Dude must have been working over time to come up with blocking the sale due to the shower heads not being installed. Hell, one of them was laying right there in the shower it just wasn't screwed in.
Anyway, so the seller agreed to pay for the materials if we would do the work which we agreed to because the loan has made it through underwriting review so we know it's going to close as soon as the appraiser signs off and this way we get it fixed the way we want.
However, it has been raining/snowing/generally nasty out for the last three days. DH and FIL are doing their best to get the work done as fast as they can but it's not easy when they already work a full day and then are trying to build a deck in the snow. We are supposed to get 6 - 10 inches of snow this weekend and it doesn't look like the weather will get any better for awhile.
Ordinarily we would wait a few weeks until the weather gets better to do the work but we can't close on the house until it's done and we have to be out of our rental house by the 29th.
Moving is such a pain in the tuchus.
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We sent you our snow ....
We sent you our snow .... (evil grin)
Relax. Because this appraiser is trying to get the house somewhere to code and in the vicinity of your purchase price, this is not a bad thing. Otherwise you overpay, the bank refuses to loan $$ and you have a frickin' nightmare on your hands.
Did you have a home inspection done also?
Congrats on your new home.
Yes, we did have a home
Yes, we did have a home inspection done and the inspector did not mention any problems with either the staircase or the porch. Though, in his defense, when the inspection was done there was so much snow that he couldn't tell how far the drop off was off the porch.
Frustrating, isn't it? The
Frustrating, isn't it? The spacing on the railings of the stairwell is a change in code from when the house was built correct? Do they not "grandfather" that stuff in? I cannot imagine how frustrating it will be to have to bring my house up to current code.
'Course I sold a house in 2000 in Texas which had 1/2 the house wired with white hot/black not, and the other half wired black hot, white not. I learned this when I changed a light fixture out. Unbelievable but I did disclose.
No, we are pretty sure the
No, we are pretty sure the railing was added after the current owner bought the house, otherwise they never would have had that approved by an insurance inspector or anyone else.
It's gorgeous but it would be easy for the kids to fall through the gaps if they were doing something they weren't supposed to do.
It sounds like an fha/va/usda
It sounds like an fha/va/usda loan. I have to take up for the appraiser a little in this. Being an appraiser myself I know the rules we are governed by. We are required to test the water and power on any of the above type loans. It is not up to us but a requirement for these type of loans and to not let the lender know that utilities were on and checked or not on at time of inspection could result in an appraiser losing his/her license or being reprimanded by the state board. Sometimes, even for a conventional loan it is a lender requirement. Typical verbiage in the order is along the lines of " appraiser must state if utilities are on or off at time of inspection. If your loan is for usda/va/or fha your realtor or the sellers realtor should know these requirements unless newer to the real estate world. Also for the above type loans, safety issues must be reported by appraiser. Rails being specific item appraisers look for. I can almost guarantee you that no appraiser is trying to block your sale or delay it. The appraiser doesn't have any interest in that part. The appraiser is the most unbiased person in your transaction. Their fee is not contingent upon any part of the sale. Their job is simply to report according to requirements with an honest and unbiased opinion. Anytime I get an fha/usda order I hope everything is up to the lending standards. The last thing I want is to have to go back out for a reinspection, BUT if there is something that is not up to fha standards, no matter how minor, you better believe I am going to report it. I am not going to lose my license over failing to report something that must be reported. There is an additional fee for a reinspection for this but for the time it takes to go back out and resubmit paperwork I would much rather be on to the next full fee assignment. I typically call the list agent or homeowner if a refi and let them know that the water and power has to be on at time of inspection to save an unnecessary headaches.
Sorry this was a bit of a rant. I just think appraisers get a bad rep because they are usually the last party involved in the closing process and always get blamed by lenders or realtors when both know how it works.
I'm not coming down on the
I'm not coming down on the appraiser at all...except the shower head that was laying right there. That seems a little nit picky to me but whatever.
I'm coming down on mother nature not letting us get the work done in a timely manner. Thankfully, we finished today.
Ok, wait, I do have one complaint about the appraiser. I called him and specifically asked what specs the railings needed to meet so we made sure to fix it properly the first time and his answer was, and I quote, "I don't know, just make it so no one can fall through." That was a bit irritating. Hopefully he approves of what we did.
ETA: I just reread my OP and I was coming down pretty hard on the appraiser. I was irritated at the time I wrote that and came across more strongly than I meant to. On behalf of all appraisers, I apologize.
I totally get it. I'm a
I totally get it. I'm a realtor too and know what it's like for buyers ready to close and get in their new house and I get why people think the appraiser is the hold up. The appraisal is always the last big thing we are waiting on. I had a hard time being patient when buying my own house and had to do a window repair and a reinspection. Sorry my post turned into a rant! Glad you got finished and hope everything goes smooth! The last days can be frustrating but it sounds like you're almost there!
It wouldn't be so bad if the
It wouldn't be so bad if the realtor wasn't emailing/texting/calling daily to ask if we have a closing date yet. What's the progress? Do you have a closing date yet? Any news yet? The next time I get one I'm going to get snippy and ask him if he is under the impression that we will keep the closing date a secret from him for some reason. Good god man, no one wants this sale closed more than we do but you don't have to hound us every day.
On the plus side our home owners insurance quote came in at half the price we thought it would. That was a happy surprise.
That's great on the
That's great on the homeowners insurance! At least you are getting a good update during the most frustrating part! I'll tell you what I tell all of my people, the last week or 2 waiting on the closing date and all the little hoops to jump through at the last minute is the most stressful and frustrating part. Deep breaths and you are almost there. Happy closing! You are almost there lady!