Questions About Wall Achors
Hi,
I looked at a house today. It is not a foreclosed property. It has been in the market for month. Of course the house(38 years old) has not been updated since it was first built. Of course kitchen, bathrooms need to be updated and needs fresh paint inside out.
questions:
1.Furnace is 16 years old, How long the life for furnace
2. Aircondition is 16 years old too, so what is the life for that?
3. This is the thing i have no idea about:
in the disclosure of structural items: "Are you aware of any past or present movement, shifting, deteriotion or toher problems with the walls, foundations or other structural components?" the answer is yes, the solution is wall anchors. so i see the anchors around the three sides of the walls, looks nice and new(they have warantee for it), and it also it has inside french drain and sump pump too. i thouhgt those things scared people off, it scares me!!! so can anybody expain to me about wall anchors: does it mean the house foundation is really bad? and sump pump too, i thouhgt when people have sump pump means water still comes into the house!!
in general the basement is dry and clean!
any input is appreciated
thank you
Wall anchors are put in to rectify a foundation that is being pushed in from the external pressure of the grade against it. This is also why the interior french drain and sump pump were installed. Runoff water is pushing against the exterior wall(s) and forcing the collapse of the wall(s) as well as finding it's way into the basement. The interior french drain channels the water to the sump pump and pumps it back out to another location. Personally, I would stay away from this type of problem in a potential "buying" situation. Too many things to determine the cause and could result in a "costly correction" for the buyer.
Dave
Can you explain exactly what you are describing when you say a wall anchor? Is this located in the wall of the basement or on the basement floor around the perimeter of the walls?
it is located in the middle of the basement wall.
Okay, got ya, looks like Dave has the topic covered well.
In regard to the furnace, 16 years old I would consider about in the middle of its life span. Are you concerned with your purchase of the house and dealing with the furnace or the selling of the house by you and dealing with the furnace with the buyer?
If it is the latter, getting the furnace certified would be all it takes to eliminate any furnace objections. Most good home inspectors will recommend a 16 year old furnace be certified by the seller to their buyer, so just doing it before you try to sell the house just removes one more road block.
If it is in regard to the former, you can have the house inspected prior to buying, when we are buying at a discount asking for certification of a furnace is a bit over the top, I would rather have the unknown of the furnace hanging out there rather than have the seller certify it and then tell you to take a hike about using it as a negotiating tool for discounting the house.
Without certification you have the ability to say "Well, you also have a 16 year old furnace -" in order to get a better price. If they have it certified there is nothing to talk about.
thank you for kind replies.
how much the air conditioning unit when it is 16 years old, does it considered to be old or middle age?
I am actually trying to use roof, air conditon unit and furnace and plus paint inside out as a way to discount the price.
I asked one of my friend. She said she has a friend has wall achor installed several years ago and it works great so far
thanks again