City Inspection

What is the name of your state? MICHIGAN
I have accepted and offer to buy my home. During the city required inspection today, i was informend that I must replace a porch and the driveway of the home. These items are now in the exact same condition as when i purchased the home in Feb. of 1997.If I could buy the house in that condition, why must I know spend over 6,000.00 dollars to replace something that was ok'd when I purchased?
If I refuse to make the necessary repairs, what are the legal ramifications? Can the potential buyer sue?I am already paying 3,800.00 in closing costs for the buyer. I surely can not afford to spend another 6,000.00.
What can I do?
thanks
Cathy

[FarmerJ]

Does your city allow the buyer to make those repairs If agreed to and If by chance the home doesnt sell are they going to force you to make those repairs any way .

[faithandhope]

You might contact the city and see if it falls under the grandfathered clause. Also, if the city is like our regulators here in Texas, they come up up with new things that they require all the time. We might do an inspection and the buyer says well I bought this home 2 yrs. ago and that wasn't required or why didn't my inspector write it? Well, the inspector that performed the new inspection is now required to write it up and the old inspector was not. I would contact that department. Best of Luck.

[HomeGuru]

[quote]Originally posted by CATFIRMAN
[b]What is the name of your state? MICHIGAN
I have accepted and offer to buy my home. During the city required inspection today, i was informend that I must replace a porch and the driveway of the home. These items are now in the exact same condition as when i purchased the home in Feb. of 1997.If I could buy the house in that condition, why must I know spend over 6,000.00 dollars to replace something that was ok'd when I purchased?

**A: you have not stated why the City is requiring you to replace those two items. Is it due to building codes violations, no building permits, zoning problems such as encroachments into the yard setback areas etc.
Ususally the buidling depatment does not require replacement of an entire porch and driveway.
And, did you have the same City inspection when you bought the property in 1997? If so, where is your written inspection report and what does it state with respect to the porch and driveway?
**********
If I refuse to make the necessary repairs, what are the legal ramifications? Can the potential buyer sue?I am already paying 3,800.00 in closing costs for the buyer. I surely can not afford to spend another 6,000.00.
What can I do?
thanks
Cathy

**A: depending on how you wrote your contract the Buyer may have the option to demand correction of the items or terminate the contract.

Inkster, Michigan,
They said I have to replace it because it is pitted. I feel that it is purely cosmetic. It is exactly they same condition as when i bought it!!! DO you think that I can just re-surface it with a skim coat of concrete?
The buyer has agreed to buying as is,,,but I have taken a closer look at the purchase agreement and it is a FHA/HUD

[faithandhope]

FHA should not have anything to do with a cosmetic requirement on the driveway, their inspection will be house/structure related. The driveway requirement does not make sense but you could re-seal and retexture fairly easily. Best of Luck.

[HomeGuru]

Originally posted by faithandhope
FHA should not have anything to do with a cosmetic requirement on the driveway, their inspection will be house/structure related. The driveway requirement does not make sense but you could re-seal and retexture fairly easily. Best of Luck.

**A: yes, the requirement of FHA and the City does not make sense at all.
Unless the driveway has no permit or is in violation of building code (affects health and safety) why would the City require replacement? I believe we are not getting the full complete and accurate story.