Home Inspection.

Well, we've gotten the complete results of the home inspection, and everything looks relatively good. There are a few issues, but for the most part, we're in good shape. We've sent our letter of requests to the seller, in hopes that she'll fix what we want done, but we're not holding our breath.

There were only three big things, but they're all manageable: there is no circuit breaker, as the panel has screw-in fuses, the chimeys both need some masonry work, and there are two trails of "termite mud" near the sill in the garage. The fuses are no problem, really. We had intended to upgrade the service to 200 amp anyway, but we're trying to get some money to offset the cost of the panel and the breakers. My father-in-law will be doing the installation, so labor isn't an issue. He works for beer and food, thankfully. The masonry also isn't a problem, as there are just some loose bricks, but we'd like to have her pay for it, rather than making me get up on the roof and do it myself.

I work on cars. On the ground. Not that I have any aversion to heights, it's just the steep roof and the concrete driveway that get me. That, and the couple hundred pounds of bricks, mortar, and tools I'd need to haul 40 feet off the ground. Thanks, but no thanks.

The termite mud, as our home inspector called it, indicates that there are some termites in the sill, however, they haven't done much damage, according to his estimates. The fix is that she'll need to get the wood inspected and have it treated. This is part of the contract, and she's required to do so, thus, we're not worried about having to shell out $700+ for the treatment and more for the repair of any damaged wood.

As for the seller, she's a miserly old woman. I swear to God, she didn't crack a smile for the entire three hours we were in that house, just sat on the couch in the living room and scowled. You'd think she'd be happy, you know, getting $242K for a home she probably originally purchaed for $15K, 44 years ago. A home that is undoubtedly completely paid off, hence, that $242K goes STRAIGHT to the bank with her. If I had that kind of money, wise investments would pay off very nicely.