| Author |
Message |
Naja
Member
06-28-2003
| Wednesday, October 22, 2025 - 12:37 pm 
RN OMG! I forgot it's my Dolly's 4th Birthday!
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Dipo
Member
04-22-2002
| Wednesday, October 22, 2025 - 3:41 pm
RN, So I gather you made an offer on the house, LOL.
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Naja
Member
06-28-2003
| Wednesday, October 22, 2025 - 4:01 pm
RN no not yet. Still have to wait for the structural engineer to check out some stuff.
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Dipo
Member
04-22-2002
| Wednesday, October 22, 2025 - 4:32 pm
RN, Oh good, I was hoping you were waiting for inspections on it as well.
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Seamonkey
Moderator
09-06-2000
| Wednesday, October 22, 2025 - 10:21 pm
I hope that inspection goes well. It sounds really good.
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Naja
Member
06-28-2003
| Thursday, October 23, 2025 - 4:34 am
RN Well, I found a house I might like better. We'll see.
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/16800-E-31st-St-S-Independence-MO-64055/2303943_zpid/
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Grooch
Member
06-16-2006
| Thursday, October 23, 2025 - 6:16 am
The outside is very similar to the other one, but the inside is nicer.
The only thing I'm worried about is the slope in the backyard. If there are heavy rains, will everything run off from the neighbors yard into yours and flood it? Will it flood the garage or basement? And most importantly, will your house insurance cover it, or will they say you needed flood insurance for them to cover it?
I'm only asking because I remember a lot of people got screwed with Hurricane Sandy and the way their houses were designed. After you walked into the house, some rooms you had to step down a few inches to enter, and the insurance companies said those rooms were below the main level of the house and refused to cover damage in them. It's a real bs thing they got away with. So, just keep that in mind if you really like the house, and ask your insurer, and don't rely on the realtor or the owner.
Anyway, good luck! 
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Naja
Member
06-28-2003
| Thursday, October 23, 2025 - 6:18 am
RN Look how much lower the house to the right is, Grooch.
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Grooch
Member
06-16-2006
| Thursday, October 23, 2025 - 6:29 am
And I have an issue with run off water from neighbor's yards. In my town you can't build a fence higher than 4 feet. So what people do is build 3 feet berms and plant bushes on top of them. It looks so stupid. Especially the ones where they plant green giant arborvites on them and they grow over 20 or 30 feet.
Anyway, the neighbor on one side did that with burning bushes on their berm which is right next to our driveway. All the rain runs off their berm and floods the end of the driveway and a patch of the land. And I can't see when I'm backing out of the driveway because of those stupid bushes!
I've been slowly dumping my used potting soil over there to create some height to keep the water towards the road. It's been helping.
And it makes me so happy the deer are starting to eat those stupid trees. You can't see anyone's house anymore when you drive around. It's just one giant wall of overgrown ugly trees.
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Naja
Member
06-28-2003
| Thursday, October 23, 2025 - 6:31 am
RN It's an "as is" house so I am waiting for their disclosure. Should be here soon.
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Mack
Member
07-22-2002
| Thursday, October 23, 2025 - 6:32 am
I’m a little concerned about the deck. One, the railing is missing from one side of the deck. It either has failed or was not completed. Two, looks like the supports are just 4x4s. Considering the size of the deck I’m not sure it’s substantial enough. Definitely need that inspected if you go forward with a purchase.
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Grooch
Member
06-16-2006
| Thursday, October 23, 2025 - 6:37 am
Look at the 28th picture. It's either the garage or the basement. It looks like water damage near the bottom and even on the door. Hopefully I'm wrong.
I didn't look hard at the deck, but those supports didn't look good to me either as I was swiping through. Good catch, Mack.
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Grooch
Member
06-16-2006
| Thursday, October 23, 2025 - 6:41 am
Mack, there's a lot of cracking in the garage floor. Why would there be? Foundation problems, or not thick enough to withstand freezing temperatures?
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Grooch
Member
06-16-2006
| Thursday, October 23, 2025 - 6:49 am
Oh, I don't like that deck at all. And since the back door opens up on it and it's like 10 feet in the air, that is a lot of maintenence to keep up. It might as well be a 2 story house.
And what's going on with that electrical box in the garage? It's to fuzzy to get a good look. But it looks like a lot of exposed wires over it.
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Mack
Member
07-22-2002
| Thursday, October 23, 2025 - 6:54 am
Really hard to tell. Typically the ground under a basement floor doesn’t freeze. Doesn't mean there isn’t water damage or a poorly poured floor. It almost looks like they once had a small apartment in the basement and torn it out but left the kitchen for some reason.
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Mack
Member
07-22-2002
| Thursday, October 23, 2025 - 7:01 am
I think the electric box is actually in the basement but it looks sketchy. I think they added a box to the original service. From the apparent age of the house wouldn’t be surprised if it is or once was the old screw in fuses instead of breakers. By the way I did notice the garage floor is breaking up. Be careful Naja.
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Naja
Member
06-28-2003
| Thursday, October 23, 2025 - 7:05 am
RN With that house there is so much I'd have to do right away. It doesn't even have a fence across the front. With the other house, everything that's wrong can be dealt with slowly. I'd rather do slow.
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Mack
Member
07-22-2002
| Thursday, October 23, 2025 - 7:23 am
RN Good decision. It just seems to be there is too much wrong and that’s just off the pictures. The seller obviously knows there are issues which is why it is an “as is” sale.
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Grooch
Member
06-16-2006
| Thursday, October 23, 2025 - 7:43 am
Good, Naja. That house is screaming water issues to me really loudly. BTW, I looked up your planting zone and you are in 6a. I am zone 7a. I'm warmer than you, Naja in the winter.
Why am I mentioning this? Because Mack got me thinking about concrete. When my bf did construction on the house, they had to dig ridiculous deep holes to pour for the one outside wall that had to be built and for the walls for the detached garage. For some reason I'm thinking 5 feet. But that seems crazy. But I have a memory of one of the workers standing in the trench and only his head sticking above it. Am I misremembering. But I do know that the building codes were changed for new construction for that 1 in a thousand years deep freeze.
And the question of the back yard flooding. I remember when they were digging the foundation for the garage, (I live on a flat island) someone suggested that since the machine was already there, to put in a giant septic ring in the ground between the front of the garage and the back of the house. They said the rain off the garage roof has to go somewhere (even though it has gutters) and you don't want a frozen lake there in the winter. I don't understand the mechanics of it if there are gutters, but I'm glad it was done because it's always dry there, but at the other end of the garage, there can be a frozen giant puddle back there in the winter and that's fine. I'm not walking back there.
I've seen so many problems with water damaging homes, and then dealing with insurance, I'm sensitive about it. Look at what poor Seamonkey is still going through.
And who the hell would want to mow that slope of a lawn?
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Grooch
Member
06-16-2006
| Thursday, October 23, 2025 - 7:43 am
It's an "as is" sale? Another great catch!
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Grooch
Member
06-16-2006
| Thursday, October 23, 2025 - 7:53 am
How about this one Naja? There's a giant empty field behind the house.
Link
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Naja
Member
06-28-2003
| Thursday, October 23, 2025 - 7:58 am
RN It's too far from where I want to be, Grooch, but it sure is perdy.
RN My agent got the disclosure for the house I just posted and we decided there's too much that has to be done to the house.
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Grooch
Member
06-16-2006
| Thursday, October 23, 2025 - 9:57 am
RN is it a full moon tonight or tomorrow?
All the very weird, pita customers are all suddenly coming through the door at work.
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Grooch
Member
06-16-2006
| Thursday, October 23, 2025 - 11:35 am
RN- A customer just came in and wanted me to make him about a cup of venus fly trap soil. WTH?
He's coming back tomorrow to tell the owner to make me do it. The owner has Alzheimer's, so I can see him screaming at me to do it when I say no, because he doesn't know any better. His personality change this season has gotten stressful on me.
Anyway, I just googled what type of soil venus flytraps like. This is what AI says they like.
What type of soil is best for Venus flytraps?
AI Overview
Venus flytrap Soil and potting techniques - FlytrapCare.com
The best soil for a Venus fly trap is a nutrient-poor, mineral-free mix, most commonly a 50/50 combination of sphagnum peat moss and perlite or silica sand. Avoid regular potting soils, fertilizers, and tap water, as these can quickly kill the plant. It is crucial to rinse the components of the soil mixture before use and to always use pure water like distilled or rainwater for watering.
I'm not doing it, and the customer won't want to pay for opening up a bag of perlite and the sphagnum moss. He'll want it for free because he thinks he is a "good" customer.
Bah!
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Mack
Member
07-22-2002
| Thursday, October 23, 2025 - 12:19 pm
Naja - I’m guessing the disclosure on the now rejected house was substantial. ????
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