Dear Tim,
Myself and wife have been looking at some homes for purchase (this will be our first home purchase). One of the homes we liked has Masonite exterior siding. From our searches on the web, we noticed some class action lawsuits against builders who built with Masonite and so forth (masoniteclaims.com). The house that we are looking at so far looks good. The seller had had some boards replaced that were apparently giving some problems.
Right now, we are not sure what to make of this information. Do we walk away from this and any homes that have masonite siding boards?
And also, what effect would this have in a future resale? The house is a '81 construction, and otherwise in seemingly good shape (have not gotten any inspection done yet).
And if in future, we do choose to replace the sidings with vinyl, would that be possible to do on any such house? (And I am sure it will be an expensive proposition).
Your insights would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
V.Srikanth
Dear VS,
If that siding stays dry it is fine. But that is indeed the challenge, keeping all seams and edges in great shape.
Keep in mind the siding can always be removed and a long-lasting material put in its place. Use this as a negotiating tool to LOWER the sale price! Print out the facts about how the siding is a liability. Present these with a written offer. Find out what it might cost to reside the house and deduct that from what they are asking plus whatever else you want to shave off the asking price to bargain.
Can you tell I am also a licensed real estate broker in Ohio?
You can always get more information about this problem if you call me. I do a cool call-in radio show each Saturday morning on WGRR 103.5 FM in Cincinnati from 6 - 7 a.m Eastern Time. Call me at 513-749-1035.
Tim Carter
Ask the Builder
http://www.askthebuilder.com
W3ATB clear on your final