"AS IS" HOME FOR SALE

"AS IS" HOME FOR SALE

My daughter has been looking for a home and she saw one she loved. It is a really tight market in our neck of the woods, homes are selling within hours of coming on the market. 

The home she found as it turns out is listed "as is". When we went to view the home it was about 89 degrees outside. The windows were open, it was about 7:30 PM and it was hot and humid. As we walked through the home we noticed a crack in the living room ceiling, then the bedrooms, one rather badly cracked, and finally throughout the home.  We attempted to shed some light on the subject, but the only light that worked in the home was in the kitchen. All the other light switches produced nothing. 

As we proceeded through the home we not only noted the lights weren't working, but the steps leading to the second floor had fairly extensive cobwebs. One bedroom on the second floor filled up from the door all the way across the floor with stuff, stuff just dropped right inside the door so one would have to climb over it to get into the room. The floors were mostly hardwood that need redone, where there was carpet it was deeply soiled. 

We began to wonder if the air conditioner worked; from outside the home it looked a little rough. We had a heavy rain the night before so there was water in the garage, a tree grew across the driveway so a car could not get through, the driveway was washed away at the bottom. The exterior needs paint.

The seller condition report was not completely filled out. When the agent reached out to the listing agent he said the house was sold as is. The seller had no knowledge of how or how long plaster has been crumbling from the ceilings. We made another appointment to go back with flashlights and try to figure out if the home had a structural problem or was it just not maintained. 

When we went back with flashlights this week the air conditioning was running. Yeah!! Some of the fixtures had lights in them. The basement that was too dark to see in a few days earlier revealed a small litter pan filled to the brim and an unbelievable amount of cat feces all around the floor and a cat urine smell.

I've seen homes "as is" and the condition often is not great. What is puzzling about this home for sale "as is" is the lack of housekeeping based upon the asking price and the lack of forthrightness in disclosing flaws. It is clear there is a foundation problem, maybe it could be repaired. It would have behooved the seller to be open about the problems and certainly would be helpful to clean up the mess even in a home sold "as is".