Well, I guess congrats are in order for the end of your nightmare. May you have lots of luck finding that dream home :)

Whew! At least the waiting game is over and you can get on with life!

"Repairs need:
- PB pipe found from street to main, no shut off, cannot get insurance on house with that, approx. $4.5k to repair
- fireplace not working properly, damper is broken, needs replacement
- garage door does not open & close
- rotting wood around french doors leading to deck, doors have become misaligned and do not fit properly

Those were the major things,..."

None of theese are "major things".
They are not major structural problems, just annoying things.

If you want a new house, purchase one.
These are the types of issues that occur in older houses, and the presence of a lead water line indicates this is a very old house.

None of theese are "major things".
"They are not major structural problems, just annoying things.

If you want a new house, purchase one.
These are the types of issues that occur in older houses, and the presence of a lead water line indicates this is a very old house."

I disagree. The PB pipe is a major item it prevents you from getting insurance. If the cost of replacing it was factored into the lisitng price than fine, but if not, then it is totally reasonable to seek a concession to fix it. I can see why this is a deal breaker...even with an older house

None of theese are "major things".
"They are not major structural problems, just annoying things. The pipe IS a major thing. YOu can go to www.pbpipe.com to learn more about it or just Google the pipe. You cannot find anyone to write a new insurance policy with this pipe or, if you miraculously do, you will pay a premium! As I said, this was the only item we were really concerned with.

If you want a new house, purchase one.
These are the types of issues that occur in older houses, and the presence of a lead water line indicates this is a very old house." No one said we wanted a "new" house, this house is 10 years old and for price, it should be up to code. Not sure what you mean by lead water line? I don't recall saying that.

I disagree. The PB pipe is a major item it prevents you from getting insurance. If the cost of replacing it was factored into the lisitng price than fine, but if not, then it is totally reasonable to seek a concession to fix it. I can see why this is a deal breaker...even with an older house Yes, the next people to put a contract on this house, if they hire a home inspector worth his salt, will find the same thing, or they will unwittingly obtain HI w/o realizing this pipe damage is not covered. Again, the house is only about 10+ years old, maybe 12 I can't remember.

Really reading up on the PB pipe is rather scary. I definitely won't buy a home in which it hasn't been replace, esp. since I couldn't get insurance to cover it. We are talking in some cases $100K+ damages!

Gardensgirl, I think the reason Brickeyee referred to a lead water line is that Pb is the chemical symbol for lead. Apparently the PB line you're referred to in the house you tried to purchase is polybutylene plumbing.

After all of the hassle you've been through, it's no wonder that you're frustrated and angry by the response. However, if the only polybutylene in the house is the pipe from the street to the house, that line could likely be easily replaced BEFORE you take possession of the house, so that the insurance will no longer be an issue.

If you have the energy to deal with this a little longer, and you still think the house is the one for you, why not ask for a larger repair credit and fix the rest of the items yourself? Only the polybutylene pipe replacement needs to be done before you move into the house; the rest can be done later. Besides, you now know how who to talk to to get a response from the relo company.

Are you sure that insurance is a problem if ONLY the yard line is PB?
I'd understand, if the whole house was plumbed with PB but if it is only the yard line??

Also, PB doesn't mean it will leak. If you go to the FAQs at pbpipe.com, you'll see that only people who had houses with leaking PB lines were eligible for the class action resolution.

Thanks everyone for your responses. We only hoped the relo company would fix the pipe, the other stuff was minimal in our eyes, even though it cost a few bucks.

Yes, we would definitely have the pipe replaced before we moved in.

The problem with the PB pipe from the street to the main water in the house is, as I understand it, that the shut off valve is after this line, meaning there is NO way to shut the water off w/o calling the fire dept, who would be there faster than the water company to shut it off at street level. The insurance company realizes it is only from the street, but still will not insure because of the significant damage that would be caused. When it blows, it blows inside the house. I hope that makes sense? Also, the rest of the house does not have this pipe, if it did, we were told replacing it would be upwards of $20k.

As I've read up on this pipe, the consensus seems to be that it's not if the pipe fails, but only when. The class action lawsuit does provide warranty; however, you must have damage FIRST, they will not just come out and replace it. I've googled some of these damages, very scary. Plus, you will notice the deadlines of the claims and this house is out of the warranty period. So, you have to have damage to get the pipe replaced under the warranty.

I've been so hyper over this whole house thing, I'm sure somewhat unreasonable and plain crazy in my thinking, worries, etc. but this is an item that I am concerned about. Who knows........it's probably a combination of the crappy treatment from the relo company & it's agents, plus the lowball repair, plus frustration in selling our homes plus not wanting to move into a new home to have 4 feet of water in my basement and my belongings ruined because of a pipe burst. Sometimes things get blown out of proportion. I know you're not supposed to be emotionally involved, but it's so darn hard sometimes! :)

So, you were planning on getting the water line replaced from the street to the house before you move in. As part of the replacement, have the contractor install a shut-off. In my house, the main water shut-off is right in front of the the water meter. I can shut the water off myself, without having to call anyone.

After the new line and the water shut-off is installed, isn't the water line issue addressed?

Someone mentioned the next person to make an offer on the house and have an HI will hopefully discover the same pipe issue. Wouldn't the relo company be obligated to disclose the pipe issue to future buyers?

As part of the replacement, have the contractor install a shut-off. In my house, the main water shut-off is right in front of the the water meter. I can shut the water off myself, without having to call anyone. Yes, I was a little confused by this as well, but we would have taken care of it with the credit.
After the new line and the water shut-off is installed, isn't the water line issue addressed? Yes, it would be taken care of.
Someone mentioned the next person to make an offer on the house and have an HI will hopefully discover the same pipe issue. Wouldn't the relo company be obligated to disclose the pipe issue to future buyers? I don't believe it is mandatory yet, but from what I read, I think it will become a disclosure one day.

Here is what I found:

When a home containing poly piping is placed on the market, buyers will often discount the price (due to the material defect)  even if the poly has not yet shown any leaks  because it is known that poly piping will leak eventually. If a seller is aware, it is wise to replace any poly piping before putting a house on the market.

There are currently no laws specifically regarding the disclosure of poly piping on a property, but some property brokers have been sued for not disclosing the presence of polybutylene piping in buildings they sell. Real Estate brokers selling homes containing poly piping should be prepared to be held liable if buyers have a non-disclosure complaint. At the very least, both sellers buyers should be provided with some sort of information regarding poly piping and its dangers, and sellers should be given the opportunity to replace their piping before putting their home on the market.

There has been a $950 million class action suit that may provide financial aid for homeowners who have suffered damage from polybutylene piping installed under certain conditions. The deadline is expected to occur in 2007.

http://www.propex.com/C_f_env_polybu.htm

Their agent received our termination notice and said the company won't "budge". So, we said we didn't ask them to budge, we asked for our deposit back! They are so uncooperative to work with it's ridiculous!

Did you send their agent this link?

"Someone mentioned the next person to make an offer on the house and have an HI will hopefully discover the same pipe issue. Wouldn't the relo company be obligated to disclose the pipe issue to future buyers?"
That's why Relo companies only sell with "Special Warranty Deeds", meaning NO WARRANTY, because they've never lived on the property and no property disclosure.

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