Just out of curiosity, why is the fuse box required to be replaced by breaker panel?

I understand why it may be desirable, but why is it required?

Our due diligence period is up the 26 of august 2016 which is not far away. House has been on market for about 5 months. Lender does not require but well is a safety hazard if it's not working properly.

@saltidawg..the type of fuses the house has are really old and very hard to find now a days . And some are not up to code.

But if it is working correctly and the inspection didn't note any problems in function at the box or in the house, that's more of an FYI so you, as buyer, will know that it is something you may want to upgrade or may be required to upgrade and bring up to code if you do other work on the house (remodel or repairs involving electrical work) or if you get tired of hunting down or no longer can find parts.

Same thing goes for your well. Repairs and upgrades are not the same thing. If something considered essential to use and safety in the home needs a repair, your lender or your insurer may require the repair, in which case you and the seller will have to decide whether and who will deal with it or walk. Otherwise, its' kind of like the legal disclosure you get with a prescription and probablly don't understand a lot of -- but there's a lot of scary stuff there than makes you wonder what you were thinking. Both has legal CYA/put you on notice stuff. The seller is only responsible for working systems now. Not somedays. Not even the day after you close.

@latscatx..I agree..we really like this house ..I guess all we.can really do is hope for the best and wait and see what happens.

You can ask and the sellers can refuse. You mentioned the house was a good deal. Could it have been priced with the electrical and well in mind?

Just what exactly is wrong with the well? Is it the well or the submerged well pump?

It's the original well from 1959. It's only 50 to 70 feet and very contaminated. We have small kids and inspector said it's a major health Hazzard.

jazzy, you wrote you had a really good real estate agent, if so, why are you asking these questions on the Internet?

I think I'd ask to see a water quality report before I wholly accepted that statement. Just looking at a well, or even the water it produces will not necessarily tell you that it's contaminated. Your local health department can help you sample and test the water quality. How many years ago the well was drilled doesn't really correlate to the quality of the water coming out of the earth. Additionally, unless you have a huge piece of land, drilling a new well will often yield you water from the exact same underground source. If the groundwater is actually contaminated, drilling a new well a few yards away will not remedy the problem.

@jim mat.. for my own info I always research everything and like to be ahead of the game ..

What criteria caused inspector to tell you well was very contaminated?

I love your answer lily's mom!! It's quite a piece of land and no near neighbors ...fuse box is just old ....electrical is in great condition...well would be about the only expensive thing to fix..

@ lilysmom..Absolutely..!!! Will wait for water results and hope for the best !! No issue that can't be fixed ...

How does the inspector know the well is contaminated? Have the owners been drinking from it? Give us some details.

Will wait for water results

So you don't actually have any idea if the well is contaminated, right? You can't tell if water is contaminated by looking at it or however the inspector supposedly 'assessed' it as a huge health hazard.

Are you sure that the inspector didn't just suggest that you get the water tested because it could be an issue? ie. something he suggests for every house that has a well

Absolutely ask the seller to fix the issues. If they refuse then they need to knock money off the agreed price so you can fix the issues yourself. Once it's known there are issues (inspection report), any new buyers will know about these issues too, and my guess is, they'll want them fixed too. Water..Hmmm kind of important.

the type of fuses the house has are really old and very hard to find now a days . And some are not up to code.

Did the inspector just mean that in general fuses are harder to find nowadays? Or is it these specific fuses? I was unaware that there were different 'brands' of fuses.

And when he said 'not up to code' did he mean the current code? A house that is five years old isn't up to current code. It isn't necessarily anything to worry about.

Be aware that an inspector isn't an electrician. They often screw up and misinform about the electrical system unless it's a glaringly obvious problem.

That said, upgrading to a breaker box is probably a good idea. But as saltidawg said, it's a desire not a necessity. By all means ask the seller to do it or try to negotiate a lower price, but they may not agree to it.

If you want a real assessment of the electrical system and whether it's dangerous, then get an electrician to look at it.

If I were the seller and was told by a buyer I must update the fuse box because fuses are "harder" to get, I would go down to the local hardware store, buy a dozen boxes of the necessary size fuses and tell them "here's a 20 year supply of fuses".

As far as the well, of course have the water tested. It could be something as minor as sediment. My well has sediment and an inexpensive filter system was installed when we built. I change the $5 filter cartridge 3 times a year and it takes about 10 minutes to do so.

Is your agent "really good" because she is very successful or because she has been your advocate during the negotiation?

Some agents are successful because they know how to smooth over issues that hang up a sale. And sometimes the buyer or seller can get the short end of the stick while the agent gets the sale and the commission.

Your sellers don't have to fix anything and you don't have to buy a house with issues that make you uncomfortable. Working out these details is all part of the process.

The well being contaminated doesnt mean the well needs to be replaced. Is it working? What is it contaminated with? It could be as simple as shocking the well because It is "contaminated with bacteria". Its very common in my area during early spring and late summer to have contaminated wells. A lot more get shocked and retested during those time periods.

None, whatsoever. The Sellers have NO obligation to repair or replace anything at all. Your inspection is merely to notify you, the Buyer, of the current condition of the house. You can ask, and the Seller can decline. I always decline, but occasionally do a small thing, or offer $500 in lieu of repairs.

Above, someone says the Seller "needs" to knock off money. No, he does not. He can decide if he wants to wait for another offer if you don't want it. He didn't offer you a perfect house. He offered you a used house, with all that entails.

Mostly, I try to get the house in the best condition I can before putting it on the market.

You said you are waiting for water results. So you have no idea if it is contaminated or not, then.

Wait and see. And it had better be state-of-the-art testing. I had an inspector tell my buyers that the crawl "had mold". But he never did any testing at all. He is not qualified to say that mold exists, which is even stated right on the Inspection report. I declined on the basis that no testing was done, and inspection report itself said that mold could not be determined without proper testing. If they saw something they didn't like, they were welcome to spray a gallon of Concrobium in the crawl space ($30).

Get an electrician to look at your box and wiring. If you have to have electrical done, it will be a thousand or so. Is the house still a good deal with that cost? If so, buy it.