She's at it again:Q I bought a home in Marine Park that I, after the fact, discovered had asbestos, water in the basement, a broken deck and a faulty aboveground pool. Am I better off renovating before I sell or finding a buyer who just wants to knock it down?
A You're a textbook example of why every buyer should spend a few hundred bucks to get a professional home inspection before they close.
Sorry Charlie - keep your money in your pocket and find a buyer who wants a teardown.
"A broken deck and a faulty aboveground pool" certainly are not reasons to tear a house down. Water in the basement probably means you need a new cellar door. Asbestos can be sealed up rather than removed for a fraction of the cost. These are things you would expect to fix when you buy an older house. As for Charlie, he sounds like a flipper and not someone who planned to live in this house. He also is a dimwit since he didn't get an inspection before buying.
14 comments:
This woman should lose her job. Does the newspaper realize she is making them a laughing stock?
"Water in the basement probably means you need a new cellar door."
Seriously, I think your a bit retarded. Water in the basement could mean the foundation is leaking. The repairs to a foundation could cost thousands upon thousands of dollars depending upon the level of damage. Most places also require you to remove asbestos from a residential home, not just seal it in as you sugggest. Alot of it depends on where its located and how much you have. Crapper, stick to the things you know, bashing politicians and making cutesey comments about crap, you know absolutely nothing about home repairs, but then again, neither does Barbara.
If the reason for the water was a cracked foundation, then you would think that would have been the first problem the guy mentioned in his letter. But without knowing all of the facts, it's hard to judge, which is why Babs shouldn't have picked this question to begin with since the writer did not go into specifics. I said water in the basement was "probably" caused by a leaky cellar door. I experienced this in 2 homes I have lived. It's not the most expensive thing to correct.
Found this in an old Times article re: asbestos removal in NYC -
Asbestos that is not deteriorated or frayed is not a health threat...On the other hand, if an old asbestos-clad boiler is being removed - or any asbestos-covered pipes leading from the boiler are likely to be disturbed - removal may be a prerequisite to renovations.
...it is not illegal for a homeowner to remove asbestos himself - the New York State Labor Law governing asbestos removal specifically permits owners of one- and two-family homes to do the work themselves
Now Charlie never explained whether he bought a one- or two-family home, so I don't know if #2 applies to him. He also didn't say where the asbestos was located, what condition it was in, or whether it was required to be removed for a contracting job. In NYC, if it's intact and you're not disturbing it, you can leave it alone.
Years back, DEP pushed for a bill that would have required disclosure of the presence of asbestos in a home prior to sale. This means Charlie could probably have his sale contract voided. None of this was mentioned by Barbara.
Mr. Anonymous, stick to something you know, because coming here and trying to make others look stupid just ends up making you look retarded.
"Seriously, I think your a bit retarded."
You use "your" when you mean "you are" and you're calling Crappy retarded?
"Most places also require you to remove asbestos from a residential home, not just seal it in as you sugggest. Alot of it depends on where its located and how much you have."
Why didn't you look up the statute instead of saying "most places" require it? All that matters is whether NYC does. What an imbecile. Go play with firecrackers.
Crapper, I think you and Babs should join forces, as you both have the intellect of a fifth grader.My complaint was that you are making simplistic assumptions in your answer that may not fit the homeowners specific situation.
You admit in your answer that you dont know his situaion! Geez.
Asbestos removal is an elaborate and dangerous process. The average homeowner would not have a clue as to how to remove it SAFELY by themselves. Leaving it in place may be an option in NYC in certain situations but it would create problems for potential buyers in the future. Crapper, it may not be a cracked foundation. It could be that the foundation has multiple problems. I owned a home in which we had leaking all over the place. Fixing the foundation would have cost about $10,000-$12,000. Our solution was to put in 5 french drains which naturally pulled the water away. The cost was about $4000. Please put more thought and specifics into your stories on the main page. You are getting very sloppy and sensationalistic lately.
It could mean a million things, moron. I agree with Crappy that Barbara should never have answered this. Lay off the webhost. He does great work.
"My complaint was that you are making simplistic assumptions in your answer that may not fit the homeowners specific situation.
You admit in your answer that you dont know his situaion! Geez."
Why is Babs making simplistic assumptions? That was the point I was making!
If you don't like the content here, there are plenty of other blogs for you to peruse out there.
Please put more thought and specifics into your stories on the main page.
That's exactly what Corcoran did. Dontcha get it?
Asbestos removal is an elaborate and dangerous process. The average homeowner would not have a clue as to how to remove it SAFELY by themselves. Leaving it in place may be an option in NYC in certain situations but it would create problems for potential buyers in the future.
Of course asbestos removal is dangerous, but that doesn't change the fact that you are allowed to remove it yourself. Charlie didn't say if he was planning to live there or renovate and sell. If the asbestos is intact, then it wouldn't be a problem for him or future owners as long as it stays that way. But again, who knows what the story is. There are so many problems with the question and answer printed in the News that it shouldn't have been printed in the first place.
"Why is Babs making simplistic assumptions? That was the point I was making!"
Because Babs is moron. You are supposed to know better. By the way, I love overall content here. If you care about the people who make this blog a success, you would take constructive criticism and admit that you are wrong once in a while. In all the time Ive read the blog, I dont think you have ever admitted a mistake. Even though youve made plenty of them. Sorry. The truth hurts. Now were done.
Actually, I just admitted not one but two mistakes on the bus shelter post from yesterday. I didn't make "a mistake" on this one. I simply showed that Barbara's answer was not a good one.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts; I learned a lot from you. Glad "we're done" now, though.
You're both wrong. The water in the basement is because the previous owner read an earlier Corcoran column and paved over the yard for a parking space. Now when it rains, the basement floods.
Good one!
Post a Comment