Ryan, I would NOT close until you receive the okay from a structural engineer (not a home inspector). If your wife wants to know what kinds of things a structural engineer could discover in a brand new home, how about just a few of the things that ACTUALLY DID exist in my brand new home: - Windows installed without flashing (water leaked into the wall cavities, causes mold, rot, early demise of house) - Drip edge material missing from roof installation (water seeps under roofing, causes mold, rot, etc.) - Nothing supporting load bearing wall (portions of the house could have collapsed) - Main steel I-beam supporting center of house too short (could have caused structural issues) - Roof trusses incorrectly cut and patched (portion of roof could have collapsed over time) - Drainage system around foundation incorrectly installed (excessive soil and water pressures could have compromised the foundation) - Fireplace box incorrectly installed (fire hazard) I could go on, but I think you probably get the point. It should be noted that our city inspectors APPROVED the construction. Our builder was a highly respected custom home builder, recommended by our architect. We did a lot of research on our builder before hiring him and found nothing to give us a clue that he was a bad builder (arbitration clauses keep disputes out of public records). Our builder was NOT the low bidder. The structural defects listed above were found DURING construction by our structural engineer. I will be forever grateful for his expertise. Looking back, no price is too great to know that we now live in a structurally sound home. I do not worry that parts of my house will collapse on my children or that mold will make them sick - because we hired a structural engineer and he pointed out things that we did not have the skills to see. Without question, I would recommend investing whatever is necessary to have every inch of your house FULLY inspected before closing. Anyone can check to see if the stove works, if the toilet flushes. It's the stuff behind the walls that can cause you the most harm - those are the things that need an expert's evaluation.

Thanks everybody for your suggestions. It never occured to me to mention they were indoor, I've never had a nice enough lawn for an outdoor sprinkler systems so I just assumed everyone would know I meant indoor. Hm.......maybe that's why I've never had a nice lawn since I never had outdoor sprinkers? ha!! Anyway, I have done alot of thinking about this and decided (even though I'm mad about it) to go ahead and replace the sprinkler heads. Afterall this is business, not personal though at times you do take it personal. As a 1st time home buyer, it would bother me too. I try to keep good karma around me, or the "do unto others thing........" Doesn't always work that way, but hey......at least I feel better about it. The average cost will be about $4k but I know I will have to do it for the next buyer as well, as no one is probably going to buy my house if I disclose "recalled sprinkler heads" or I will get a lowball offer. I actually have a friend who does this for a living and he will do it for me at a reduced cost. In my counter-counter (whatever count we are now on), I offered to replace the sprinkler heads but retracted my offer of $1k repair credit. So, this is what I'm doing: 1.) fixing the roof w/a warranty on work (which is all they wanted afterall) 2.) replacing sprinkler heads 3.) putting soil under front step 4.) replacing missing flaps on outside exhaust hole 5.) $10k in closing 6.) $200 carpet cleaning allowance (on brand new carpet) 7.) throwing in my dining table + 6 chairs That's all I can remember off the top of my head. Anyway, we'll see what happens. Thanks for the advice. P.S. I had NO idea these sprinkler heads were recalled. They were apparently recalled the month I bought my house. I have a feeling the owners got the letter and hid it. I talked to my neighbor today, (we bought at the same time) and she said she never got notice either and thinks her seller's probably hid it from her too.

cordavamom: "He said as long as the house had power he could do an inspection on the whole house, he'd turn on the water etc. The bank is okay with him doing this. Winter is well over, (it's 77 degrees here today). the bank has made no mention of my son having the home re winterized if the contract falls through -- is this normal?" I can't speak for what is normal with a bank. That said, obviously if the house has power and gas, the electrical and HVAC system can indeed be inspectedand of course, roof structural, which are non-utilities dependent. However, IMO, the HI is a fool to turn on the water....as he is bargaining that there are no problems with the plumbing that could cause property damage. Granted, with a 3 year old home, the chance of that being the case is less than with an older home...however, with a foreclosure, all bets are off as far as the norm...as all too often foreclosed properties are damaged due to owners who want pay-back because of the foreclosure (such as those who were duped by the predatory lenders) or, in a divorce, people can get mighty vindictive. Sometimes the damage is obvioussometimes hidden. We had neighbors who divorced. They had a beautifully upgraded home, very well maintained; the hubby was the original owner of the house brand new, pre-marriage. They split because the wife was having an affair; she continued to live in the house with the children...then had affair guy move in with her. Needless to say, soon to be X was VERY upset...the house went into foreclosure. Wife and affair guy moved out. The bank held an open house through a realtorand we were shocked to see what had been done to the insidedamage everywherethe couple who bought it spent thousands on repairsand he was a contractor..so labor was not an issue. That said, your son needs to make certain that the HI carries errors and omissions insurancethat way, if any damage occurs once the water is turned on, the HI has the financial resources with which to cover it....in addition, your son should make sure that there is some sort of condition in the HI contract where your son cant be held for damages due to the HI turning on the water when he hasnt a clue as to whether of not there is a plumbing problem Last but not least, the water should be on for at least 48 hours prior to inspection, in order to determine if there are any leaks as water somtimes needs a while to circulate before some problems can become evident Last but not least, as you son has no claim to the property, the bank, as the owner/seller would be responsible for any required "winterization", unless your son signed something agreeing otherwise Hope this helps

Do you know what is bad etiquette bry911, being a know it all. Well then you are going to hate this next part. Most large states just raise prices based on sales for the year. I don’t think anyone needs a lecture on it. Well that is a lot of wrong in one sentence. States don't typically handle property assessments and most don't even collect ad valorem taxes, they simply set a maximum rate. Individual taxing authorities, which is typically counties but it can be multiple small counties or subdivided cities, decide on the local rate (up to the state's maximum rate) and handle assessment in their area. There are two revenue schemes for property taxes in local governments. The less common is a flat rate x the property tax base. The more common is property tax treated as a residual source of revenue. That means property taxes are used to bridge the gap between all non-property tax revenues and budgeted expenditures. Because rates are hard to change and there are state mandated limits, the most common way to make revenue goals is [the amount required from property taxes / tax rate = property tax base]. It is much easier to increase the property tax base than it is to increase the property tax rate and there is much less political fall out. If new sales are sufficient to increase the property tax base, assessors may not do additional assessment. If insufficient they will reassess. Generally, the more expensive your home the more likely they are to revalue the property. I have had two property tax value increases since I purchased my home in May of 2016. Although I study inefficiency in capital, I am an accounting professor. So yes, I happen to know quite a bit about government accounting. I don't know it all and I am willing to learn more about the subject I am a professor of. But Cody found a thread he could join in on. A college kid trying to work his way through college. I was trying to build the kid up. Well let's not worry about someone following advice into financial harm so long as someone feels good. I am one of those old fashioned professors, who marks incorrect answers, wrong. However, in this case I didn't say Cody was wrong, I simply gave a qualification of his answer to check your local area.