Walk. In order to do the roof the solar panels normally need to be removed then new roofing laid.

If this is written by the inspector I question their qualifications. Especially the bit about a new house built on top of a flat roof then switching to the mention of an attic. Either it is an extension of the house as in a room in the house or it is an attic.

With all of those repairs few sellers would grant you enough to cover even a tenth of the cost. Your house needs to be rewired asap before moving in so talk to your family electricians to see how much that will cost. Understand that to reach some of the wiring the walls may have to have holes or even sections cut into and removed. Which would mean new drywall, painting, etc.

Wow. There are some major issues there, and it will take a lot of money to properly repair. Much as I might love the floor plan and neighborhood, I wouldn't want to buy that many problems. One thing that wasn't mentioned in the report, unless I missed it, is the potential for asbestos, which can be expensive to remove. Considering the fact that you have two small children and there is a potential for mold and asbestos, I'd walk away.

I have to agree with the others. That house sounds like a money pit. It is unlikely the owners will fix everything, since there is a lot of expense there to fix it all. There are a couple things, like the downspouts needing extenders etc, that I wouldnt worry about, but, there are way too many big money things needing done. The roof and the heating equipment and the deck, can be very costly. The electric can be very costly. I think it may be a good idea to walk from this house. It sounds like nothing has been maintained very well. It could be a danger and health hazard too.

Walk. Sounds like a money pit.

No one is going to be able to tell you how much to ask for a reduction in price without knowing all the details of the price, location, and status of the housing market in your area. The house could be priced to factor in the repairs, or it could be over priced. That is for something for you to decide as part of your negotiations.

I think the dangerous electrical issues should be paid for by the seller. Where I live the township does its own inspection for things which are not compliant to code before the house can be sold. Get the family electrician to give you an estimate as to what will cost to make the repairs. I didn't read anything where the house has the be rewired.

The most expensive repairs are the roof and the HVAC equipment. If the shingles are brittle then they will need to be replaced in the near future. I highly doubt the solar panel company will remove and replace the panels for free. The owner needs to give you a contact so you can find out what the solar panel removal will cost. Get a roofer to give you an estimate as to how much a new roof will cost. I think a reasonable request is the seller pays for half the roof and solar panel costs.

It is hard to determine from the description how much it will cost to fix the deck. There are potential code violations. If there are then seller should be paying to have them resolved.

Have your family HVAC tech do an evaluation of the HVAC system. He should be able to tell you the age and the life expectancy. If the equipment if working but old, then I am not sure you ask for any money on this. The evaluation will help as part of the negotiation.

The comment about the house being built over a flat roof house makes no sense. Was a second floor added to an original flat roof house? The inspector needs to explain this.

All the other things are minor. Interesting the report makes no mention of the attic insulation, the condition of the windows, the plumbing or the hot water heater. Perhaps all those items were good and you left it out of the post.

If you are getting a good price and up to fixing a 60 year old house then you should buy it. I would ask for the closing to be postponed so you can do all your research. The seller is likely to be aware of all these issues and will want to close as quickly as possible. Don't be rushed if you are not sure.

Built about 1960? What zip code?

In many parts of the U.S. construction quality began to slowly decline after about 1920, declined faster after the late 50's and perhaps hit bottom in the mid 70's. Some houses built in the 1950-1980 timeframe are worth saving but many are not if they require extensive work. E.G., the bones ain't good compliments of value engineering.

Agree w/ @mike_home... The first thing I thought after reading through it was what about the windows and insulation?

This may be a good fixer upper opportunity depending on location and other factors but I'd approach it with caution.

It's actually a peaked roof built over a flat roof. You might be able to stand up, but generally not. The "floor" is the hot mop/gravel bed, open trusses, wiring, and vents.

The home I grew up in had that done, and my first bought home also had it. Easier to check the roof and stuff, a little storage if it is accessible, but not a room.

The deck with small children, the electrical, the potential mold, and the potential joist issue are safety issues and should be checked and fixed.

The wall I would also want fixed. There could be something underneath the siding such as water damage that is causing the issue, but it doesn’t have to be. I think it should be checked further though.

The downspouts are something you could easily do yourself by adding some extenders so I wouldn’t focus on those. The same with the AC.

The house built over a flat roof sounds like they built a new sloping roof over the existing flat roof. It is common to take that cheaper easier way out than removing the old And build new. The issues there would be it is harder to get to wiring etc. in the ceiling and insulation may be good or not. The good part could be that if the roof leaks it will stay in the attic and the bad part may be you don’t notice a leak because the water collects in the attic.

The heater and roof could be major costs and could be soon or several years out. Having a person/company with specific knowledge in these areas would be helpful to give you an idea, but that is only an idea as it may continue to be fine for a while or fail a month after you move in.

The roof would be of a concern if the shingles are 20 year shingles as it really is on its end of life at 17 years and in my area we would not be able to get insurance with the age of that roof. 20 year shingles around here generally deteriorate after 15 year. My first house bought in TX we ran into this issue and it had to be replaced before closing To be able to insure the house.

So I would definitely negotiate on the roof.

thank you for your response! My contractor is coming with me on Monday to look further into the roof/HVAC/ and siding. For the electrical, the sellers are having the township CO inspection this week so they will have to fix the electrical from that inspection thank goodness. I am very fortunate that we are receiving this home as a cash gift from family to get us out of our crappy apartment. We are thinking to negotiate HVAC or roof, whichever our contractor says is the worst of the two. He is also going to look into the mold issue, but from what he could see from pictures thinks it is just from the utility room not having enough ventilation and the equipment was full of condensation for years. So he thinks thats and easy fix of drying out the room, replacing all sheetrock and installing an exhaust fan.

According to the inspection report, "someone will get sensuously injured."

A major concern for those of childbearing age, I'd say!

Move on!

Houses are sold as is. The reason for an inspection is to tell you "what is" and you've found out a lot.

Honestly, the "someone will get injured" comment seems to relate to an exposed wire, and these can usually be trivial to fix. No reason to overreact. But the place does seem like a can of worms, and maybe the result of a do -it-yourself kind of person whose skills fell short of what was needed. No telling with other things were done behind walls and other places not visible or other things not properly maintained.

I'd probably walk from it. A carefully written contract should have a contingency on buyer's acceptance of inspections but not always. If not, ask for a huge price concession, they'll decline it, that should give you an out.

Thinking the someone will get seriously injured is from the deck, that is in very bad shape. I would want that repaired quickly too. Safety for kids and adults, or even someone coming to visit could have a very unhappy ending. It is also a fairly large money item to redo.

My rule of thumb is that I would not expect a price reduction for things that an average house buyer (not a pro) should be able to spot, or anything that is already declared in any of the marketing and sales material. As a buyer, that would not stop me asking.
If I were the seller, I might try to claim that any repair work is already factored into the price (and hope I have a backup buyer when the first ones walk away!)
I do think price is only part of the decision. If a lot of work needs doing, you have to ask yourself if you have the appetite for that. I speak from experience of someone who has moved into a place that needed wholesale renovation, whereas I have the patience and skills better suited to a property where I just need to unpack and start living.

Is your family giving you the home, or enough cash to buy it? If it's the latter, then once you get reliable estimates for all the issues you mention, you should consider: are there other homes in the area which don't have those problems and aren't that much more expensive? What features of this house made you want it?

It is good to hear the township will do a CO inspection. This works in your favor. The inspector may also require smoke detectors to be installed on very level, and the test the ones that are already installed. In my township the deck would have to be brought up the code in order for the house to be sold. If is not then the deck has to be removed. It will be interesting to see what your township requires.

One more thing...

Our knowledge of indoor air quality (IAQ) was extremely limited in 1960. And even today we're still learning a lot such as the impacts of CO2 and particulates (PM1.0, PM2.5, etc.). As recently as the 1990's we thought CO2 levels of 10,000 (ppm) for a few hours was OK. Ten years ago that was revised to 1,800. Four years ago to 1,000 and more recent studies have shown that any amount over 550 has negative effects on general health, ability to sleep, cognitive & learning function, alertness and energy.

In any house you buy you'll want to know how you're going to keep the air quality where you want it for you and your children.

I have purchased a number of older homes, and this sounds like par for the course for me. All this "money pit" and "walk away" stuff is perplexing. If you want a new home, then get one.

If you want one from 1960, it is going to have systems near the end of their lives and some items to repair. Anything already disclosed or already visually obvious is off the table.

No Seller is going to rebuild the deck for you, or replace a roof that is not leaking. You are buying what you see. The only reason for inspection is to reveal unknown issues you will have to deal with in the future.

I'd ask for repair of the electrical issues because those can be safety issues. Then evaluate the cost of a new roof and a new deck, compare that with the cost of a similar house in perfect new repair, and ask for some reasonable dollar amount or amount off the purchase price. If you cannot afford to repair these items, think twice about an older home.

I like older homes as much if not more than the next person, and you can find them that are well-maintained - this one sounds like it's not. Which makes ya wonder what else was neglected that either you can't see or haven't discovered yet.

You say you have two small children. Think seriously about your available resources, meaning: do you have the time, money, and energy to spend here? And even if you do, is this house how you want to spend most if not all of your available amounts of those things?

Since your family is buying this home for you, take it and fix it up. :-)

Walk away…there are some big ticket items that have been identified.

Solar panels: Did the seller buy them or lease them? You must get that straight first. You can’t just take over a lease…just like you can’t take over any lease without going through proper channels. Keep in mind, if leased, the panels belong to the solar company.

Also talk to your lender. Depending on type of loan, they may dictate what needs to be fixed before a loan can be funded.

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