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Noob questions: Looked at house with down slope and big trees, problem?
invite response
2012 Jan 29, 12:28pm 4,260 views 7 comments
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Malkovich
2012 Jan 29, 12:39pm
I don't want it if it is going to slide down a hill. Or if I have to pay a company tens of thousands of dollars to remove some trees.
I take it homeowner's insurance won't cover these type of things.
Malkovich
2012 Jan 29, 3:42pm
ptiemann, thanks again for your helpful comments. I very much appreciate them.
elliemae
2012 Jan 29, 10:48pm
Trees not only add value, but also stabilize slopes enormously. Why would they be a problem?
http://www.smashinglists.com/10-amazing-human-like-trees-captured-on-camera/
Malkovich
2012 Jan 31, 11:20am
If you really want it(and for a fraction of the asking price) hire a structural engineer that specializes in soil mechanics and have him develop an estimate for stabilization of subgrade. It's going to be a pile of money and you want it to be to offset the inflated asking price.
Sounds like an interesting bargaining tactic. However, it is a short sale and the bank could just tell me to screw off. Still learning how these things work...
Malkovich
2012 Jan 31, 11:28am
Again, I am still learning, but it was described to me that in a short sale the bank has the final approval of any offers.
I've heard some stories of short sales that lag for months with all sorts of game-playing by the banks.
So I have to take that into consideration.
Looked at a house today in Oakland. I liked it but had two concerns:
1. It is on a somewhat steep down-slope. There were a couple cracks on the ceiling. One even traversed the ceiling and down a wall. The exterior looked like it had some cracks recently patched up in the stucco. The house is also next to a creek, pretty much on the slope leading to the creek. The garage floors had some minor cracks. The most alarming was the one that ran across the ceiling and down the wall.
3. It is on a corner lot and there is a section of yard (towards the creek) with 5 or 6 big, big oak trees. They look healthy but they are growing over the street even reaching the other side of the street.
Are these things to be concerned about? For the cracks, if I were to make an offer, would I hire a soil engineer to check out the seriousness of the situation? What about the trees? Are they a consideration in determining the value of the house and any future problems?
Thanks for any advice.