All Forum Posts by: Mike McCarthy

Having seen the mess and aftermath of Sandy in NJ, I'll fill you in on a secret. Nothing the government does is quick. It took many property owners 1-3 years to rebuild since it took FEMA a long time to release draft and final revised flood maps. So people waited to rebuild since they didn't know if they would have to raise their home at all, or 2' or 4' or more. It would be a waste to raise their home 4', only to find out they still need to pay lots of $$$ for flood insurance since based on the revised maps they needed to raise it 5' instead. I'll leave the REI questions to the experts here, but just be aware of what you're getting into.

My (somewhat limited) experience has been that a defect is considered something that does not work. An old roof that may need to be replaced Ina couple years is not a defect. If shingles are broken or missing, leaking, rotting, etc, that's a defect. Same with an aging AC, if it works and blows appropriately cold air, it's not a defect. So legally, you can say 'no' to many of the issues that are brought up during an inspection. Per your contract, you are only on the hook to repair defects that were not previously disclosed and wouldn't be obvious. Selling a house a while back, a buyer came back with a laundry list of issues, one being that the 'garage is too small for her car'... My lawyer suggested responding no to all the requests and send her on her way - it wasn't worth the hassle.