So it looks like the townhome I was all ready to buy has some issues with the basement. The basement was finished without permits, and the home inspector suspects the wiring is not up to code. That's a big red flag. We've asked the sellers to have a licensed electrician inspect it. If he or she finds that it is indeed not built to code, then we'll most likely walk away from this one.

Our second and third choice homes don't have basements, but there are other things going for them. We shall see, we shall see.