It's been long....and drawn out.... but there comes a change.....

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[XJFever]

You can sign up for a home energy audit from the state.  My good friend is one of the "auditors".  It's free and could help you save some more money.

I completely forgot about that, our realtor ( a friend of ours) mentioned that, and I guess It went in one ear, out the other, definitely going to do that.

thanks guys !

-Kevin

[jeepgod]

This won't help you this year but you can pre-buy your oil after you know an approx amount you use. This will save you knew by locking in on a price.

I have had oil heat for years and it is fine. Yes the cost can go up and down but you just need to keep it in mind. The other thing you can do is have the oil co do auto fill so you don't need  to worry about running out of oil. If you do run out diesel fuel can be used. Just an FYI

I use wood to supplement my heat. I have a wood stove and when I am "on it" with the stove I can heat my whole 2800 sqft home with the wood. But it requires dillegence and I can't always do that. But by using wood I cut my heating bills in half per year

Good luck with the house

[jps4jeep]

Congrats Kevin, wife and family!

[jps4jeep]

But by using wood I cut my heating bills in half per year

No Truer Words.
 
I burn as often as I possibly can and I would say my oil consumption is about 30% of what it would be with out burning.  For reference we had 100 gallons delivered last October (right before halloween), didn't have to order another 100 gal. until early March, 1700 sq-ft house with drafty 1940 windows.

[XJFever]

awesome info guys.... another aspect I totally neglected.... ductless split systems, I have actually installed a couple of these when I worked for the HVAC company, and it's actually very simple... the one step I never did was actually charge the system with refrigerant.
They have systems that will heat as well as cool, and are really energy efficient, it's just that initial cost that's a hurdle. I'll have more figured out as I go a long, like Ive said, it's all very new to me but I am reviewing the options.

-kevin

[jps4jeep]

I believe you need to be properly licensed in MA to charge a system.  You should be able to run the line sets though.

[Krome]

Drop a line if you need an excellent hvac guy. I found one.

[XJFever]

well just an update, sadly it's looking like we will be backing away from this house.... upon further inspection ( an actual home inspector) discovered the roof is a lot older than 3 years ( estimated between 12-15 years) there was a bit of hidden rot on window sills that were blocked by bushes, a bit of mold in the attic from an improperly vented bathroom exhaust vent... and the deck needs to be torn down and replaced..
We sent the inspection report to the home owners, and told them they need to fix the mold, fix the deck in some way shape or form so the FHA will approve, and come down on the price even more to cover the roof....we have not heard back from them and I gave them 48 hours to answer...
One way or another they need to fix that stuff to sell, or else they are going to have to list it for a whole lot cheaper, and as a cash sale or rehab loan...

So Pissed.... but slightly relieved the inspector caught all that stuff.

-Kevin

[jps4jeep]

Stay headfast, if the seller does not want to fix but wants a quick sale, these are good bargin tools to drive the price down. Most of those are easy problems to fix. The roof should last a couple more years, assuming they are 20 year shingles.

Help from friends can go a long way.

[XJFever]

well the scum bags backed out, and only updated the listing by removing the description on the roof being recent.... they are still neglecting that the deck needs to be removed or repaired, and the mold in the attic... to hell with that places, it's disgusting that the two selling it is Lunenburg FD and Fitchburg PD, may it rot around them and the bank seizes it.. screw them.

[Axle]

all typical issues for an older, inexpensive home unfortunately.

[jeepgod]

Just an FYI, although home inspectors can do a good job at home inspections remember some of the stuff they say isn't all together based in fact. I have had many many dealings with home inspectors and most of them have no practical knowledge of home construction or real world hands on experience with homes.

The reason I say this is the inspectors assessment of a roof being "X" years old could be completely not accurate. I am not saying that you should go back and buy this home I am just trying to put some things in context.   3 tab shingles installed 10-15 years ago had a 25 year warranty and a 27-30 year life. So even if the shingles were 10 years old there was still tons of life in that roof.  Home inspection is almost a scam of some sorts and I have argued with som many of them cause they really don't know what they are talking about most times. Like "mold" inspectors love mold, it's a hot ticket item and 9 times out of 10 the mold they find is not anything to be concerned about. It's as easy as wiping it off with bleach, the end! I am a certified lead and mold specialists and I deal with this all the time! Drives me nuts! I get a call from a home owner saying the home inspector said I have mold. I go and look at it and it is just a clean it up situation, not going to kill you or make you sick. Mold is everywhere, it's just the newest hot topic, like pressure treated wood a few years back. Pressure treated wood was surely going to kill al the babies that play on swing sets or crawl on decks cause of the arsenic that was used in the rot preventive process. It was shown that the amount that would be needed to make you sick was nearly impossible to consume. But by that point the powers that be said "pressure treated wood is bad" and that was the end of that.


Like i said, I am not saying run back and buy the house. Just keep it in mind when reading a home inspection report. Also be prepared to run into this stuff over and over again. It's the nature of the beast with buying a home.

Good luck and don't let it get you down. In the end you will find a great house. I always tell people if there was one you loved there are 10 more you will love. Never get emotional involved with a sale.

If you ever have questions about a house feel free to hit me up. I am happy to help in any way I can. Here is a little tip I use when I look at investment properties I take pictures of every single room and detail anything that looks suspicious. That way when I go home I can remember what I saw and research stuff.

Good luck

[XJFever]

our realtor had a contractor go check out the property... the deck needs to be torn down, the legs for the deck is PT directly into the soil, no concrete foundation what so ever... so it needs a whole new deck/ some sort of stairs for that exit.

and the roof is actually an illegal three layer roof over... so that whole " reshingle" BS they tried to sell us was just that.... all in all they are looking at roughly 15-18,000 dollars worth of work.... so yeah, the search continues.. haha

thanks for all the info guys.... hopefully I get some good news soon.

-Kevin

[Axle]

there are thousands of houses for sale right now. a better one will come along.

[98xj]

Sorry to hear Kevin. Good luck in the search!