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Taking a better look at the trees (not the house) they've been trashed by bad pruning. Poor trees. That's sad.
There are some dreadful people in the landscape business. Tragic the way that trees are treated.
I could not agree more. Looking closely at the background it seem an awful lot of the trees in the neighborhood were treated to severe or heavy handed pruning, some more than once. I'm not sure how or when it became popular to do but I've seen the same here, especially with Crape Myrtles (aka Crape Murder). I also noticed some of the pruning was the kind done to keep power lines free and those tree cutters never cut for aesthetics or tree life, and that has been a sad truth in every part of the country.
To the OP both trees will eventually cause problems but the one further away does not look like much of a current issue outside of being hacked into an ugly form. The one closest to the house is just that, too close. Several people have already stated why this is a problem. Much as I love to preserve green things if this were my offer I would want the tree removed or credit for its removal.
I don't believe the driveway cracks were caused by the tree. You'd easily be able to see the heaves in the concrete if that were the case. However, the tree is getting too big to be that close to the house. I'd remove it, grind or cut the stump out at least a foot below the surface and be sure it's killed so it doesn't continue to grow. I've had to remove a couple trees of similar size that were too close to the house. If it's done properly it's no problem.
Magnolias are known for heaving concrete but I also think yours may be far enough away from the house to be OK. I also think the driveway cracking is due to a bad pour rather than tree root intrusion. Best way to be sure is to call in an Arborist to assess the tree's location. That is a big old Southern Magnolia. It will be beautiful when in bloom but will also shed year round! Yours looks to be in good health.
We had a large Pecan tree that was right next to our house (over 40 ft tall). We had an arborist come in and look at it and to help us decide whether to remove it or not. It was recommended that we remove it immediately do to its condition. It was rotting from the inside and its truck strength had been severly compromised
Call a certified Arborist (not a tree removal company, they will ALWAYS recommend removal). That way you'll get a profession opinion on what is best.
Thanks to all for your inputs. CA , bay area has a crazy market. We could not get the house. bid tens of thousands more than asking price, but someone paid a crazy high price for it, with NO contingencies. how can one buy without the inspection process is something I don't understand, especially for older homes.
Thanks to all for your inputs. CA , bay area has a crazy market. We could not get the house. bid tens of thousands more than asking price, but someone paid a crazy high price for it, with NO contingencies. how can one buy without the inspection process is something I don't understand, especially for older homes.
I knew those hills in the background looked familar. Fremont huh.
Anyway you know a heck of alot more about trees now though dont cha.
LOL We know that most landscapers are not in that group, especially a certain helpful guy I know who knows his business. The problem is that so many people have no clue about the world around them and will believe the first guy who comes around with "Landscaper" on the side of his truck. Just look at some of the questions and unbelievable or silly responses we see here in this forum! Too many of these half trained idiots (at best) will do the things you see all around where trees are cut back to big limbs with water sprouts instead of removal and replacement. The same goes for inappropriate planting locations where a decade in the plantings are overwhelming the home and the trees are scraping the roof and gutters of a home.
I'm not going to limit this to "landscapers" or landscaping companies either since I've watched some local "tree services" do the same. By far the worst offender has been the people hired by the local utilities to trim back overgrown trees. People eagerly hire them to come back and do more "trimming" in their yards after hours ("For a great price!") so now my area has many of the same kind of disfigured trees and I cringe all winter long at the way they look. To many this is what "professionals" do so it becomes acceptable.
To the OP- I'm sorry the home didn't work out for you. Any home, old or new, needs an inspection, even if to just prepare you for what you need to fix or work on so you are wise not to get into that bidding frenzy. Good luck with your house hunting.
LOL We know that most landscapers are not in that group, especially a certain helpful guy I know who knows his business. The problem is that so many people have no clue about the world around them and will believe the first guy who comes around with "Landscaper" on the side of his truck. Just look at some of the questions and unbelievable or silly responses we see here in this forum! Too many of these half trained idiots (at best) will do the things you see all around where trees are cut back to big limbs with water sprouts instead of removal and replacement. The same goes for inappropriate planting locations where a decade in the plantings are overwhelming the home and the trees are scraping the roof and gutters of a home.
I'm not going to limit this to "landscapers" or landscaping companies either since I've watched some local "tree services" do the same. By far the worst offender has been the people hired by the local utilities to trim back overgrown trees. People eagerly hire them to come back and do more "trimming" in their yards after hours ("For a great price!") so now my area has many of the same kind of disfigured trees and I cringe all winter long at the way they look. To many this is what "professionals" do so it becomes acceptable.
To the OP- I'm sorry the home didn't work out for you. Any home, old or new, needs an inspection, even if to just prepare you for what you need to fix or work on so you are wise not to get into that bidding frenzy. Good luck with your house hunting.
LOL I was just razzing the Crepe Myrtle nazi a little. I have to admit that most of the Landscapers I know in the industry I would not let near my trees with a 14ft pruning pole.
Heck even I know my limitations and that's why I have several professional tree companies as trade partners.
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That's sad.
Too many of these half trained idiots (at best) will do the things you see all around where trees are cut back to big limbs with water sprouts instead of removal and replacement. The same goes for inappropriate planting locations where a decade in the plantings are overwhelming the home and the trees are scraping the roof and gutters of a home. 
