Hi,
We're looking at buying a unit, late seventies construction - it's one of those big brown ones with car spaces underneath it (ie: on big concrete stilts, like this one). There are a few "strange" things with it that I would like some thoughts on..
The place looks like it's been rented for ten years to students. Nothing is particularly wrong, just a lot of "battle damage" on the doors, cupboards and a few cracked tiles in the bathroom. There's cracking around all the cornices, but I guess normally a re-paint hides those as they appear.
The unit has been painted in what looks like a mad rush - all the "details" are not done, and in places they've painted right up onto the ceiling a little. And then in other rooms, no new paint at all.
I can't tell if that's simply a half-done attempt to get a better sale price, or if they've discovered something expensive to repair halfway through the reno, and just rushed to the finish. To top it off, it's got all new carpet throughout. Which seems like an odd way to spend your money when you haven't done the painting properly.
Is that all a really bad sign, or am I just reading too much into a quick sale?
Another potential bidder has had a building inspection done (we'll get our own done next week), and the main issue raised was that "the shower tiles are cracked and there's some leaking". The REA for the place made a big display out of telling me that if we re-tiled we would need to rip up the existing tiles and re-do it.
Is it possible that the "leaking" has caused problems that we won't find until we get into the place?
And, actually on the topic of adding value - it's got a shower built in the bathroom which is tiny and tiled. I'd want to rip that out, re-tile, put the shower over the bath (or install one of those all-in-one plastic jobs) and replace the vanity/basin with something newer/nicer. Any suggestions on a budget for that? (I'm thinking 15k tops?).
Thanks!
We're looking at buying a unit, late seventies construction - it's one of those big brown ones with car spaces underneath it (ie: on big concrete stilts, like this one). There are a few "strange" things with it that I would like some thoughts on..
The place looks like it's been rented for ten years to students. Nothing is particularly wrong, just a lot of "battle damage" on the doors, cupboards and a few cracked tiles in the bathroom. There's cracking around all the cornices, but I guess normally a re-paint hides those as they appear.
The unit has been painted in what looks like a mad rush - all the "details" are not done, and in places they've painted right up onto the ceiling a little. And then in other rooms, no new paint at all.
I can't tell if that's simply a half-done attempt to get a better sale price, or if they've discovered something expensive to repair halfway through the reno, and just rushed to the finish. To top it off, it's got all new carpet throughout. Which seems like an odd way to spend your money when you haven't done the painting properly.
Is that all a really bad sign, or am I just reading too much into a quick sale?
Another potential bidder has had a building inspection done (we'll get our own done next week), and the main issue raised was that "the shower tiles are cracked and there's some leaking". The REA for the place made a big display out of telling me that if we re-tiled we would need to rip up the existing tiles and re-do it.
Is it possible that the "leaking" has caused problems that we won't find until we get into the place?
And, actually on the topic of adding value - it's got a shower built in the bathroom which is tiny and tiled. I'd want to rip that out, re-tile, put the shower over the bath (or install one of those all-in-one plastic jobs) and replace the vanity/basin with something newer/nicer. Any suggestions on a budget for that? (I'm thinking 15k tops?).
Thanks!
