inspect: Unincorporated St. Louis County Occupancy Permits, good or bad?
- 07/11/07 03:08 AM
So, I'm just trying to get some responses from what different professionals think about this. For those of you not in the St. Louis area, St. Louis County consists of 91 municipalities, all with their own rules regarding real estate. There is also a large chunk of the county that is unincorporated. As of July 1, all unincorporated areas require an occupancy permit for change of occupancy. It is a little early to tell how all this will shake out, but I have heard a few rumblings. Here is the checklist to prepare your home for the inspection. If you look at that, … (4 comments)
inspect: St. Louis Area Occupancy Permits
- 07/11/07 02:55 AM
So, you're buying a new house. Congratulations! Now, before you can move in, you may need an occupancy permit. These are nothing new. Many municipalities around the St. Louis area have been requiring them for years. Now St. Louis County is requiring them in all unincorporated areas. You should find out before you purchase your new home, whether you will need an occupancy permit to move in. It would be a tragedy to find out you can't live in your new home until you have some work done. Many times, the seller is responsible for getting the occupancy permit, but make sure … (2 comments)
inspect: Should I inspect my brand new house?
- 05/29/07 03:15 AM
Do I really need an inspection on a new house? Absolutely. New home builders make the same mistakes rehabbers do and if you were buying a 75-year-old home that has been "updated" you would have it inspected, right? So why not a new house? For the sake of conversation, I will call a new house something built within the past 10 years. This also includes brand new or custom built homes. Depending on your agent (yes, you should have an agent if you are buying a brand new house, they can help), they may or may not tell you to get an … (3 comments)
inspect: What a house!
- 11/07/06 03:28 AM
We had an incredible opportunity the other day to inspect the most interesting house I have ever seen. The previous owner of this 6 bedroom, 3 bathroom house was nuns. The owner before that, who had put on two additions, was a bricklayer. He could apparently get brick and steel cheap, because the additions were made of solid brick walls on steel joists! This was essentially a commercial building. The house had a courtyard in the center of it with sliding glass doors on three sides. Very cool layout. The main problem with a courtyard in the middle of the home … (1 comments)
inspect: What can my home inspector do for me?
- 09/06/06 05:04 AM
Last week and again later this week, we have had the opportunity to do not your normal home inspection. First, last week.We were called by a contractor to look at a house for code compliance. We are not code inspectors, we told him. He said to come by anyway. This was a home that has not been lived in, except by rodents and termites, for several years. The backyard was entirely overgrown, several walls were missing, and the kitchen and baths were devoid of fixtures. We asked him what he wanted us to do for him. His idea is he will … (0 comments)
inspect: The interesting things a home inspector sees
- 08/31/06 05:51 AM
Recently I was doing an inspection for a familiar client. He told me this was an important deal, and we should try not to scare the buyer. This was a pretty scary house. Not only was the foundation in question and the front porch about to cave in, but the roof needed to be replaced ASAP. The kicker was when we found out we could not test the water. Why? Another real estate agent had shown the house, but forgot to lock the door. Someone had stolen all the copper! They of course did not shut off the water, so the basement … (5 comments)
So, I'm just trying to get some responses from what different professionals think about this.;)
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