All Forum Posts by: Jessica Hood

Thanks for all the info!

The plumber met me at the house. I brought a bucket, pan, and lots of towels just in case. Let me say... I'm glad I did. It was quite the adventure!

He attached the water meter and turned that water on. There was a faucet full open/on in the upstairs bathroom we didn't think to check. So the water was pouring into the sink full force, which shouldn't have been a problem except that the drain was completely clogged. By the time I got up there, the small sink was overflowing onto the bathroom floor. It made quite the mess, but I was able to clean it up. The water was drained out by the time I left.

There ended up being what must be a ruptured or disconnected pipe connecting to the kitchen sink behind the wall. We couldn't see anything around the sink itself or around the sink cabinet, but water was pouring out into the crawl space area from the wall behind the sink.

There was another small leak noted at an easilly accessable point. Most of the pipes are pvc in the house.

The water heater was leaking from the connections at the top and also leaking out the bottom.

The two water valves for the washing mashine had slow drips because they were not closing all the way.

The water spicket outside also had a slow drip.

The small water line for the ice maker in the fridge was also leaking.

When we were done, we turned off the water, then opened all the faucets on all floors to let the water drain out. We then added the pink RV antifreeze.

We didn't open the valve to drain the water heater because the water was all leaking quickly out the bottom anyway. It had stopped by the time were were ready to leave. We are going to have to replace the whole thing I think.

I hate that we have to deal with the bank to get all of this done. It's all work my hubby and I know how to do, but the bank requires a licensed plumber. Ugh.

Of course, now it is snowing here in Ohio and I am all paranoid about pipes freezing. :roll:

Thanks everyone!

To clarify, we have won the bid and should be getting the signed contract back from HUD tomorrow.

We were not afraid of the worst case scenario when we placed the bid. If the whole system needed to be replaced, that would be fine, but I am sure that is not the case. Accessing that kind of money is not a problem. We just don't want to finance any more then need be because we plan on living here for several years (it's not a short term flip investment).

We are using a 203k Streamline rehab loan so any issues like that will not prevent financing. We just have to have an estimate in place to give to the bank for the repairs before they can work up the loan.

It makes me feel better to hear that other people have experienced it being something simple. Helps keep me hopeful, but I am preparing for the worst.

I am not sure why this guy hasn't mentioned doing a pressure test with air. I will ask him. He is supposed to come out today.

Thanks Jon. We have already won the bid. I am just trying to figure out how to go about figuring out if there is a problem with the plumbing system. Since it is winterized, I am concerned about the plumber coming out, turning the water on, and the pipes freezing during that couple of nights until the gas company turns on the furnace. I don't want to have to re-winterize again. But I am not exactly sure if he will even have to turn water on. I am just trying to be prepared really.

Hello friends,

You are all always so helpful so I thought I would ask...

My husband and I are buying our first home. It's a HUD foreclosure that is vacant. Their property condition report says the plumbing system will not hold air, but they do not provide any further information about it.

I have to know how much money to work into our 203k loan for all the repairs so I am having someone come out to try to figure out this plumbing issue.

The home is winterized with antifreeze. The gas/heat will not be turned on until the 29th. The plumber wants to come out tomorrow the 27th and turn on the water long enough to check it out.

I am not sure what to think about that because won't we have to re-winterize the plumbing?

I also heard that sometimes even though the HUD property management says the plumbing system will not hold air, there may not be a real problem.

Does anyone have any experience with this? Any advice or suggestions as to how to handle this situation?

We have checked the whole house and cannot see any visible signs of leaks or broken/loose pipes.

Thanks!

Hey everyone! I really need some urgent advice here! My hubby and I are buying our first home. We have it picked out and are in counter offer stages. Purchase price will be approximately $70k. The home is in need of a new roof. Hubby's father-in-law owns a large, well known, roofing company and hubby is a roofing technician for them. Hubby's brother and brother-in-law also works at the roofing company. So needless to say, we are armed with experts and a licensed contractor to do the repairs.

We are able to do the repairs without having to pay for labor. However, I am being told by the lender that the only loan I can get for this property is the 203k rehab loan. Also that they require the funds to cover the total cost of materials AND labor that would be typical from all other roofing companies. The lender will not let us borrow only for materials. We do not want to borrow for labor costs when we won't have any. If we borrow only for materials, we can do the job for about $2k. If we have to use the going rate from roofing companies including labor... it's more like $7,500.

Is there some way around this? Some alternative way to finance this so we can do the repairs ourselves? Are there any loans we can obtain that would give us the mortgage without requiring the rehab expenses be financed so we could just pay them out of pocket?

Also, is $5k in closing costs typical for a 203k loan??

Thanks everyone!

Thanks Shana! I am definitely not going to let this stop me. This is what I want to do and I do believe some way or another it will happen.

Ofgift: Sorry to hear that. I am skeptical of people in the personal injury area. You never can be sure who is really working for who.

Robert: Ouch! I can understand how that must have been too. I had some guy back into my parked Camaro many years ago and take off. I was at a night club inside when it happened. Thank goodness there was a camera in the parking lot. I watched the video as the guy hit my car so hard it moved a good foot off the ground. The owner of the club knew who he was and I was able to track him down. Turned out he was a car salesman and begged me not to report it. Let's just say he paid handsomely for that priveledge and it worked out to my benefit. But I tell you, people are selfish and only care about themselves. I can't stand it.

Norm: Thanks for the advice. I am not sure if I would want a lawyer all the way in NY though (assuming he's where you are). I have a lawyer who is supposedly really good. I guess I can understand if he is backed up, but I feel like they should have made that clear before taking my case.

Kevin: I agree. I think I will get some more opinions. What scares me about the delays is all the companies going out of business lately. My luck, the insurance company will go down the drain before I get paid. LOL!

Stephani: I would like to speak with you. Send me a pm when you have time please.

Tom: I spoke with several lawyers before hiring mine. They all (including mine) are certain that my case is worth a substantial amount. The settlement we offered was based on the whole situation and the amount of doctor's bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering. The average amount for a case like mine usually has a high payout for the victim. So yes, based on what my lawyer put together, I would pocket a significant amount after all the bills were paid. Enough to get me started with a pretty decent house to flip for starters. Of course I would always pay the medical bills first. In fact, the lawyer is supposed to pay all the expenses for me and then I get what is left.

Everyone: Thanks to all of you for responding. It's good to hear other people's opinions and experiences. It makes me feel better to talk about it.

That's for sure! Vultures! I mean, what if I happened to be one of their clients as well? Then what?

Anyway, I feel a little out of control in regards to this right now. All I know is what my lawyer tells me and the only thing they have told me is that they made the offer and it was turned down, then responded to with that ridiculously low counter offer and them claiming most of my doctor's bills were unrelated. I don't even know how they could possibly get that idea.

Anyway, having a lawyer, the insurance co won't even talk to me. So I am not sure what I could do at this point.

Thanks. I am better now. Minus the occassional achy pain in my neck, but I have been told I will likely have that forever or at least a very long time. There is nothing more medically to do.

I had no intentions of spending my settlement before I got it. I was told to expect either a settlement by now... or to have to sue. Because the case was so straight forward, I honestly expected a settlement. I have just been preparing in the event I did get it.

Now I will just have to wait or find other means.

I'm glad you made this off topic forum because I really was looking for a place to just rant about... well... how pissed off I am (pardon my language). Not that I want to air my issues on the web, but I think some of you could probably understand how I am feeling right now.

I was in a car accident back in December. I had just bought a BRAND NEW 2009 Camry in July 08. This jerk in a pickup truck ran a red light (didn't even slow down) and t-boned me in the driver's side. I was driving. He hit me so hard both the side and curtain airbag deployed into the side of my head and spun the car in an entirely different dirrection. Minutes after it was over the guy ran to my car to see if I was ok. Of course, I was very freaked out. I asked him what the hell he was thinking and he proceeded to try and tell me that I (yes... ME) ran the red light. So despite the fact that I think I momentarilly blacked out and could have major injuries, I knew I had to get witnesses immediately. So I climbed out my passenger side door and ran to the guy (still sitting in his car) that saw the whole thing happen. I told him that the guy was trying to blame me and begged him to please stay and give his statement. He was very nice and thank goodness he stayed. The guy who hit me proceeded to rant to himself about how that was his second accident in a row and how he told his dad he shouldn't be driving. Strange??

So my Camry was totaled and I ended up with some neck and left arm injuries that required about 5 months of therapy, xrays, and an MRI. I still have pain in my neck to this day.

I obtained a lawyer to handle my case, especially since the guy tried to blame me at first. I realized from the beginning that I may have to sue him/his insurance company if they would not settle. Sure enough, I found out yesterday that his insurance company is trying to say that they will only pay 1/3 of my doctor's bill... claiming that the rest of my bills were not related to my accident. And that they will not accept my settlement offer. WHAT???! Are you serious? How stupid can you get?! I was a perfectly healthy, athletic 30 year old woman before this. Well, whatever. That wasn't what really has me upset.

This stupid lawyer proceeds to tell me that they are so backed up with cases that they won't even plan on filing my suit until close to the time the statute of limitations runs out 12/2010. And on top of that, they tell me it will be ANOTHER YEAR after that before I even get a court case. So I probably won't get my settlement until 3 years or so from now!!!!!

In the mean time, if I don't pay all these doctor bills myself, then they will go to collections and destroy my credit.

What's worse for me is that I had big plans to start flipping houses with my settlement and now it's all down the damn drain. At least for 3 years unless I find another way. I was so excited too. I just found out my uncle started flipping houses (just bought his first flip) with his long time friend (he's been flipping 2 years). I thought we could learn from each other and now all I can do is sit back and watch. But he is on the whole other side of the US. Aaaargh!!!

Sorry... I just had to rant about this.