Walk or nah?

[Dm84]

Originally Posted by canwedoit

By the way, has anyone here ever gotten a roof replacement? Apparently the house's roof is from 1999 and should be end of life. Wondering how much asphalt shingle roofs go in Mass. I read online that they're about 12K. Does that sound accurate? I'll need to ask the roofer/contractor exactly but a roof estimate would be helpful.

One thing a handy friend said is that getting a new roof might make it cheaper/free to fix many of the other issues.

There are too many variables involved for anyone on the internet to give you an adequate quote. $12k sounds like it's in the ballpark.

[leorah]

This -v-

Originally Posted by MikePRU

Leaky roof and bathroom fan venting into the attic? I see the fan issue all the time. Leaky roofs happen, but the fact that it hasn't been addressed already means the house has been neglected to a degree. It's an expensive project and the current owners may not have the funds.

Most inspectors do a good job, but they can only find what's visible without taking things apart. My experience has been that deferred maintenance on one noticeable thing often means there are other, less noticeable things that will need to be addressed. Get an experienced contractor to give you an opinion, and then if you move forward with the purchase, be prepared to find other problems down the road.

[Cloudship]

What kind of house are we talking about here? Recent (80's or later), Mid Century (say 50's to 70's), 20's/30'2, or really old (pre 1900)? And if it is older, was it a recent remodel?

[MikePRU]

Originally Posted by canwedoit

By the way, has anyone here ever gotten a roof replacement? Apparently the house's roof is from 1999 and should be end of life. Wondering how much asphalt shingle roofs go in Mass. I read online that they're about 12K. Does that sound accurate? I'll need to ask the roofer/contractor exactly but a roof estimate would be helpful.

One thing a handy friend said is that getting a new roof might make it cheaper/free to fix many of the other issues.

That type of roofing shingle only has a lifespan of 15 to 20 years. Especially when you consider that there are clearly leaks then the roof must be beyond it's useful life. If it were me buying the house, I would want a credit for replacing the roof if the roof issues were not disclosed up front.

As already said, no one on the internet can give you an accurate quote but it'll be bigger than a bread box.

Originally Posted by leorah

Most inspectors do a good job, but they can only find what's visible without taking things apart. My experience has been that deferred maintenance on one noticeable thing often means there are other, less noticeable things that will need to be addressed. Get an experienced contractor to give you an opinion, and then if you move forward with the purchase, be prepared to find other problems down the road.

Inspectors are kind of "jack of all trades, master of none" types. They know enough to raise a red flag, but they're wrong quite often. However, I'd rather have someone raise a red flag and have it turn out to be nothing after investigating than miss something important.

[BostonMike7]

$12k would be in the ballpark but impossible for any of us to give you an estimate as there are too many varioables. I'd probably set up with the realtors to schedule to have a roofing contractor give you an estimate, and then ask for a credit with the sellers. You made your offer on the house not knowing the roof needed to be replaced.

[Boston_Burbs]

I would be the most concerned about the staining in cathedral ceilings/closed attics.

[canwedoit]

my mind is going to explode with all of the uncertainty, hah.

1. the house still is listed as active (shouldn't it be pending by now? it's been a week)
2. sellers say 40 years ago there was some water in the basement since the road the house was on wasn't paved yet. they say it hasn't been an issue since. it's a walkout basement so they're probably not lying. the ground was spongey on the day of the inspection, but it did rain so it was probably a non-issue
3. a roofer is coming tomorrow to take a look/give an estimate but i'm not sure if I should get someone to check for mold on the 2nd floor where the water stains were found. inspector said he didn't see much. not sure if it's a good use of time and money vs. another type of inspector.
4. seller is older and doesn't really know anything about the condition of the house.

i feel none of this is inherently bad, but I don't have enough experience. I could imagine many of these things being trivial. like the water 40 years ago thing, I wouldn't be shocked if most basements have water once every 40 years. i'm from a much cheaper area so I don't know how much of this is unusual or not. if all of this is normal that would be good to know, heh.

[scorpio516]

Originally Posted by canwedoit

Wondering how much asphalt shingle roofs go in Mass. I read online that they're about 12K. Does that sound accurate?

Who knows. There tonnes of variables. union vs. non-union. Quality of shingles. area. how busy they are.

Last winter, I was quoted about $600 a square for mid-grade shingles in Auburn (GAF Timberline, $100/sq material cost).

[just_because]

Originally Posted by canwedoit

my mind is going to explode with all of the uncertainty, hah.

1. the house still is listed as active (shouldn't it be pending by now? it's been a week)
2. sellers say 40 years ago there was some water in the basement since the road the house was on wasn't paved yet. they say it hasn't been an issue since. it's a walkout basement so they're probably not lying. the ground was spongey on the day of the inspection, but it did rain so it was probably a non-issue
3. a roofer is coming tomorrow to take a look/give an estimate but i'm not sure if I should get someone to check for mold on the 2nd floor where the water stains were found. inspector said he didn't see much. not sure if it's a good use of time and money vs. another type of inspector.
4. seller is older and doesn't really know anything about the condition of the house.

i feel none of this is inherently bad, but I don't have enough experience. I could imagine many of these things being trivial. like the water 40 years ago thing, I wouldn't be shocked if most basements have water once every 40 years. i'm from a much cheaper area so I don't know how much of this is unusual or not. if all of this is normal that would be good to know, heh.

Buying a home is difficult and there are a lot of decisions. It's important to realize that except for legal and ethical requirements, there is no right or wrong. Often people will want to know what is 'normal' but this doesn't matter. What matters is what's right for you and right for the situation. Don't be concerned with some vague notion of what is 'reasonable' or what others would do. If it's a buyer's market, you can afford to exert some power over the seller. If it's the other way around, sometimes you need to take a measured risk or you'll never find something. But make sure it's measured and make sure that you can understand your worst case cost scenarios.

You're smart to assume a new roof as part of this equation. You might limp by for a year or two but all indications are that this place needs a new roof and you need to budget for one.

Understanding the true condition of a house can be very tricky and that goes for a place like this and also for newly renovated places where sins may be hidden. In a way, you are in a better position in that it looks as if there was no attempt to hide anything. However, it's never good news when a house has been neglected as this one clearly has been. Required maintenance has not been done and the damage inflicted by this neglect is difficult to understand. With most older places, however, it's not unusual for some years of neglect to have been inflicted at some point in its life.

Chances are, you can solve the roof leaking problem with a new roof. You may find that the chimney has other issues causing leaking that won't be corrected with just a new roof and new flashing (e.g. might need repointing). The bathroom leaking is also problematic unless you can be 100% sure that the issue has been corrected (and even if it has, remediation of the 'downstream' walls, mold, etc can cost a lot too). If it's an ongoing leak, it could be a supply or drain pipe or fitting or it could be a breach in the grouting or sealant with progressive water damage with each shower. It could be something else as well. If tiled walls are soaked then it could require a very expensive repair and retiling. That could be in the thousands between plumbing work and/or tiling and wall replacement in the immediate area and downstream damage. Unfortunately, if the leak is hard to detect, you will be at the mercy of plumbers who could 'try' various things hoping to find the answer with you paying for multiple call outs.