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Old 11-24-2014, 03:23 AM
 
5 posts, read 9,290 times
Reputation: 10

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I found a town-home I really like in Seattle, it's a 2006 town home. The previous owner rent out the house to the same tenant all the time, so he doesn't really know the home condition. Water heater and siding never maintained. After the inspection, I found pretty serious water intrusion of the balcony(see attached). I am not sure whether this level of the water intrusion is normal for a 2006 house. Will this be a deal breaker?
Attached Thumbnails
water intrusion of balcony-house.jpg  
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Old 11-24-2014, 05:29 AM
 
Location: Ocala, FL
6,411 posts, read 10,232,200 times
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I suggest you have a contractor give you an estimate/opinion.
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Old 11-24-2014, 06:12 AM
 
Location: NC
6,032 posts, read 9,181,904 times
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Townhome should be your clue here. This might be a maintenance requirement of the homeowners association?????
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Old 11-24-2014, 06:36 AM
 
Location: NC
9,346 posts, read 13,977,542 times
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It's a town house. You will own the entire unit and be responsible for repairs. Like dontaskwhy said, get an estimate to fix it. You or the current owner will need to fix it. The price you end up paying will reflect this. A professional will determine the likelihood of unseen damage.
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Old 11-24-2014, 07:32 AM
 
Location: DFW
40,930 posts, read 48,952,149 times
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MY GF just bought a 2007 Condo and had to have her dual Balcony door completely replaced.
It was poorly installed originally by the builder.
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Old 11-24-2014, 08:19 AM
 
5,048 posts, read 9,572,700 times
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Condominium is a form of ownership, not a style of architecture or size of a unit. You can have single family, townhouse, duplex or apt style units that are part of condominium ownership.

The person who suggested you check on the form of ownership is right. While you're at it, check on your monthly fees and if you're happy with what they cover. And check on the HOA/COA documents for the same.
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Old 11-24-2014, 10:21 AM
 
Location: Salem, OR
15,518 posts, read 40,261,953 times
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You are in the PNW. That level of water intrusion is very common. It is likely that the builder installed the flashing incorrectly and you are starting to see the effects now. It is a repair that needs to be done and most people would ask the seller to do it.
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Old 11-24-2014, 01:56 PM
 
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There's no hoa for this townhouse and seems it's quite common here. The inspector cannot really see if there's hidden damage. I am just afraid if this kind of water intrusion will make the structure damaged. Normally do people ask seller to fix it or ask for money?
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Old 11-24-2014, 04:38 PM
 
5,048 posts, read 9,572,700 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by smallwo View Post
There's no hoa for this townhouse and seems it's quite common here. The inspector cannot really see if there's hidden damage. I am just afraid if this kind of water intrusion will make the structure damaged. Normally do people ask seller to fix it or ask for money?
You should get an estimate...professional signed on paper...so you know what you're talking about. Then you can decide whether to ask them to fix it with another inspection to your approval since you say you can't see where the damage is coming from. Or you can ask for a reduction in price. Some people feel they can fix it for less themselves but ask for the full professional's estimate from the seller.
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Old 11-24-2014, 05:43 PM
 
Location: Salem, OR
15,518 posts, read 40,261,953 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cully View Post
You should get an estimate...professional signed on paper...so you know what you're talking about. Then you can decide whether to ask them to fix it with another inspection to your approval since you say you can't see where the damage is coming from. Or you can ask for a reduction in price. Some people feel they can fix it for less themselves but ask for the full professional's estimate from the seller.
You can't get an accurate quote on water damage like that out here. Water has been sitting on the beams so it needs to be opened up in order to determine the nature of the repair job. This is why most buyers ask sellers to repair it. The support beams could be in great shape or they could be rotted through needing replacement. A contractor will only quote what they can see and the quote will say that any extra damage uncovered will be extra.
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