Hey everyone,
We have just moved out of our old house, a three bedroom ranch built in the seventy’s. We have prospective buyers who have made an offer. The only problem that they have with the house is that the building report said that there was not adaquate ventilation in the roof because there was no a ridge vent. The house was not built with a ridge vent; it has a pitch of 14 degrees, and one was later put in by a man who didn’t know what he was doing, he made this clear in the other work he did in the house. So, within the course of a few years the entire roof was rotted down to the sheating. We replaced the entire roof in 2000 and then had a second layer put on in 2002. Should we try and put one on now, or should we just nock 500$ off the asking price? If so, how should we do it? I have a general idea but tips would be appreciated. Thanks in advance. Knute
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That is a negotiated thing nbetween you and the new owners and possibly their bank/mortgage company. I would wait for them to make an offer and then respond to that. They might say, we'll buy it if you knock off five bills so we can get that vent installed or they might say, we wioll not buy until you not only vent the ridge and roof adequately but also repair any and all mold and rot problems that might be associated with ,,,
I'm curious how you know what their HI said. Most such reports contain in the openning paragraph a statement that the info contained is fopr the eyes of the person paying for it, along with other disclaimers
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The realtor told us about the building inspector's report. Thanks. KG
The roof should at least be ventillated to the degree specified by the 70s building codes. On a standard roof 4/12 roof that would be something on the order of 3-4 mushroom style vents for a 1000sq ft roof.
But if $500 will get you off the hook, I'd pay the $500. Cutting through two layers to put on a ridge vent will be a royal PITA, and then you'll kinda be on the hook if it leaks or something.
Agreed. When selling our house last year, we had a stove that would light only if the stars were in proper alighment and you said the right incantation. I showed the new owners this when they were showed the house, and showed their inspector that too. In negotiation, they claimed the stove still didn't work. Our attorny knocked $400 off the price for that and a few other incidentals.
Pay $400 to close a $250,000 deal... OK look at the zeros on the left and the right again. NO PROBLEM! You really have to make sure you don't get emotional about this. Under $1000, it's nothing to get worked up about. Under $10,000, it still just a concern. This is big money you are dealing with, think about it in percent instead of dollars - it puts it into perspective.
Funny thing, their inspector was so incompetent that I told my agent all the stuff he missed and that she should NEVER do business with him. They could have really raked us over the coals had they found the rotted windowsills.Rebuilding my home in Cypress, CA
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They have no disclosure rules in your state?
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As I understand it, the disclosures are for things that are KNOWN health hazards such as lead paint, asbestos, ghosts, etc. Which seems a little silly, since you would be penalized for finding out you had lead paint, for instance.
But as far as obvious plain sight things, that's what you hire a GOOD inspector for, just like you hire a good Contractor to do an addition. They should have the skills and knowledge to point out everything you need to know. I can say they had a bad inspector because we had a really good one when we moved into that house 3 years prior. He poked around, pointed out things that might be trouble points, or may not be up to code, or that needed to be altered. Before putting the house on the market, I called him back out and paid him to reinspect the house as if we were buying it again. Somethings on the new list I fixed, some I left optional for the new buyers. There were some things I pointed out after the inspection was over, such as a wall dimmer that went to two plugs for that we had halogen lights in. Though we were fine with the load on the circuit, they could have possibly overloaded it if they had plugged in more than 600 total watts. I explained that this was not to code, and I offered to replace the dimmer with a conventional switch. They declined.
I'll expain the things that may burst into flames, but if they miss the warped wood floor or the window sills needing paint... well... I don't count it as my responsibility to tell them how the house I'm selling sucks. That's the job of their realtor and inspector.Rebuilding my home in Cypress, CA
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Disclosure is for known substantial defects in the structure, not just health and safety items
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I'm curious what state you live in? Our disclosures here in Utah include any water infiltration (which rotted windowsills would indicate). Additionally we have to disclose if we know about it ever happening in the history of the house, not just during our tenure. However we have a box we can check if we think the problem has been addressed.
Illinois was where the house was located, and there was nothing like that on our forms. The sills and frames were slowly succoming to the dampness caused by close proximity to a tree next to the house that kept it humid. The worst of it I replaced with plastic sills and trim, but that was only a band-aid measure. I could not replace all the wood either, as some was discovered while it was on the market. While functional, the windows should have been replaced with vinyl energy efficient ones. They bought a house where the windows were patched together instead of a cohesive system.
There was a kitchen crank style window that was so bad that even patching it only got 1/2 of it to function correctly. I pointed this out to them as well. We agreed on $250 for possible replacement, which I don't think they did.
Rebuilding my home in Cypress, CA
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Does the roof have soffit or gable end vents?
Pitch is about 14 degrees ..."we replaced the entire roof in 2000......2nd layer in 2002 .... should we put on another layer....."
What is your roof coverering? You only got 2 years out of a complete re-roof? Needs another layer now?
14 degrees is roughly 3/12, asphalt shingles usually do OK.
Jim
3/12 Pitch is lower than the shingle manufacturers "standard" slopes, and special installation rules may apply in order to be warrantied. More overlap for the underlayment is one item that comes to mind that is different on low slope.
Rebuilding my home in Cypress, CA
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That's true. We have grace granulated ice and water shield for at least the first six feet of the roof everywhere; more in moisture prone areas. It is overlapped six inches on the seams. Yes, the pitch is less than the shingle's specs. but we installed it in such a way that we still have the full warranty. Thanks for the input. kg
From the point of view of a buyer, I'd much rather get the house with a known defect and some money off, instead of getting a "fix" that was hired out by the seller. The seller's interest would be to get it fixed as cheaply as possible. This is a case where the right answer is to throw money at the problem.
-- J.S.