This is a link (in English) of scientific trials made in Turkey of grafting chestnut on Quercus Vulcania Boiss that they say to be very common in Anatolia & Lebanon. Jerusalem is not so far, do you have this species in Israel ? They report trees having lived from 1893 to 1946 so it's rather durable. They report also that two rejection periods due to problems of compatibility do exist : an early one during the first two years an a later one during 5th to 7th year. So patience & resignation are needed. https://www.google.fr/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CCcQFjAAahUKEwjGxoGO1ODGAhVBOhQKHSsdC8w&url=http%3A%2F%2Farticle.sciencepublishinggroup.com%2Fpdf%2F10.11648.j.aff.20130202.18.pdf&ei=cyqoVYbBHMH0UKu6rOAM&usg=AFQjCNHV1jijNoPzsNbdZMGzE8jn_w-0wg&sig2=Wq5U54OHOrxB496Q5Ff3ew&bvm=bv.97949915,d.d24 You were wondering why I am testing red oak : this is because here, there grow much much faster than other species during the first tree years and from what I read, it's important to do the graft on young trees, and vigorous ones should work better. The fact that it is not in the same group as white oak does not seem important as chestnut group is much further anyway. It's proven that this association in durable on white oaks, on quercus petraea, now on quercus vulcania. On evergreen oaks, it works but we do not know about duration, a rejection on the 7th year could make the grafter think that it's purely bad luke when the Turkisk link says that this is a standard compatibility problem rejection. So the doors are open...

Captturbo, Plant the seed with the root shoot down or on the flat side if there is no root yet. Planting chestnuts in the ground is usually futile because of rodents. The way to get the trees established is to plant the seed in a garden-type setting, a seed grow bed or large pots which are protected from mice, squirrels, chipmunks, woodpeckers, blue jays, etc. Then the trees can be transplanted when they are older to their permanent site. You will want to start them in large (tall) pots, temporarily, until transplanted. Plant the seed about one inch deep, and when the seedling is about 8 inches tall, around 4 months the tap root will also be 8 inches long, it can be planted in a permanent site. If using a pot, make sure the pot is tall enough so that the tap root does not become root-bound because they grow a long taproot equal to what is growing above ground. Twist off the old nutshell before planting outside. You may want to make a hardware cloth tube type cage around each tree to protect the young trees from the rodents chewing the bark off. Believe me, every dang thing will attack the young tree until older. NOTE; Zone 10 may be too far south but it won't hurt to try. Lou

It looks like the OP may have gotten fed up and left, but if you're still reading.... If you have reasons to believe this house will be a money pit and a burden, then it's better to pass on it. But if this is a good house that will suit you and your family, I would feel like the love and good energy you bring to it will be enough to make it a happy place. I would also feel like that house "needed" me in a way, and like it deserves to have your loving attention. My house was new but vandalized by local teens before we ever viewed it. It was fixed by the bank that owned it, but once in a while, in a certain light, I can see where the wall or cabinet was scraped with something, etc. I feel bad for this nice house that anyone mistreated it and that my house is so much better off with me caring for it. I convince myself that the house knows this and returns the favor. It takes care of me and my family. I know giving the house the power of emotion might not sound logical to some people, but it comes down to your attitude and how you want to feel about your new home. I chose to look at it this way, and that helped me adjust to a big move and a whole new environment. And I would try to keep in mind that this difficult seller who may have lied will not be there any more. She'll be gone and out of your house and out of your lives. You don't really need to hear any more from her or deal with her again. Home inspections will be more reliable than anything she says. I can see a widow not wanting to deal with repairs, but is it too late to knock off some money from the purchase price in order to do them? That's what I would have tried and then fixed things on my own. I don't know about a natural death being a factor. Only you can decide that for yourself. But I was thinking things like people going through a divorce or bankruptcy and losing a home could be seen as negatives, too. But that doesn't have anything to do with your situation and what positive energy you'll bring to the house. I don't really believe in ghosts, but I have relatives who swear they've come in contact with them. And all of them live in PA. What is it about PA and ghosts? I hope this has worked out for you and that you'll come back and let people know what happened.

You're welcome, enigma. I noticed there are now 3200+ comments to the original article. I don't want to tell anyone else how to build their home(s), or regulate size, style, etc., but it seems to me that to design a home in the vernacular would be best. We live in a rural area--no zoning laws, no permits for anything except septic systems, so anything goes. The houses are mostly older farmhouses, newer ranches and modular homes, and a few trailers parked on a relative's property. Within a half-mile of our house are 4 new builds, two of them on opposite corners, 1/4 mile from our driveway. Three of them are two-storey, 3000-3500sf brick homes with Palladian-type windows, and attached garages in the front. The homes are beautiful, well-built, I assume, because they were sub-contracted by the owners, built on land that was part of the original farm that we also live on, and not as tract-housing. One of the brick homes is on the corner of our road and a state highway, about 25 feet from the highway, with only enough back yard to support an aerator, and park a boat. It backs onto another lot of the same size, undeveloped, unmaintained and weedy. We are all surrounded by cultivated or grazed farm land. Personally, I would have spent more money on a larger lot or acreage, and less on the home, especially as they built after both of their children were grown. The new build across the highway is a modular cape, probably 1400sf, in the traditional style with a detached garage, and it looks much more 'at home' in it's surroundings. These are all nice folks, some we've known for years, all (save one) in roughly the same per-capita income bracket, but the brick homes are bordering on the McMansion status, to me, because they don't fit the feel of the area. The brick may have been chosen because of low-maintenance issues, but a farmhouse, even a 3500sf farmhouse, would look better, IMO. The land around us is currently leased for farming, but may eventually be a tract development--I've seen lots of cornfields developed, too.