The structural inspection was very interesting.  There are 2 long walls and 2 short walls in the basement.  The one long wall has bowed in about 3".  It appears to have been fixed.  I say "appears" because when the engineer tried to get the records on the repair from the county, there were none.  So whoever fixed it did not pull a permit.  So there is no way to tell who fixed it, when they fixed it, or if they fixed it properly.  The other long wall has bowed in about 2".  It has not been fixed.  It needs to be fixed.  To the tune of about $10-20K.

This came as a total shock to the sellers.  We are still not sure just how they came to own the house, but from what we can see on the property history, they didn't actually buy it outright and get a warranty deed on it.  (So there is even some question as to whether they have the title and the ability to be selling the property in the first place!)  But apparently they did not get a home inspection whenever they ended up with the property.  (BIG, BIG MISTAKE!!!)

They were trying to get US to pay for the structural inspection report.  My dad said to the sellers' agent, "You need to make sure your clients are aware that if we walk away from this, they'll need that report for someone else.  They'll need to disclose the structural problems to the next buyer who comes along.  They'll need that report.  They are the ones who need to pay for it."  (The sellers had written "don't know" under everything on the seller's disclosure, since they have never lived in the home and have it as an investment property.)

So we withdrew our offer this morning and have requested our earnest money back.

When the sellers' agent received it, she called my dad and asked if we would be willing to split the cost of the repairs.  When he told me, I said, "Is she insane???????" :shock:

But! While Dad, the sellers' agent, and I were in the basement, the agent for House #3 called.  Apparently that deal is falling apart again, after the current buyer found out about the Homeowners' Association dues and some MAJOR balking on the buyer's part.  The agent is going to be talking with the bank on Monday to let them know it's over.

So we looked at it today. :mrgreen: It is GREAT!!!  There was some water damage in the ceiling of the basement bedroom, due to a mess up when they took out the refrigerator.  It is "as is" since it's a foreclosure, but it seems to be something we can fix.  Of course we will be getting it inspected. ;) But the house is huge and seems to be perfect for us.  So I guess we'll see!

It seems to change everyday!