Some more causes of concern don’t know if they’re big deals
Or not

?

Water damage?

Leaking in crawl space ?

All in all, apparently I keep being told home inspections are always a lot to take in but they’re really not that big of a deal and no house is free of problems! Are any of these real causes for concern? Please help!!!!

Our home inspection came with items tagged according to severity. Our realtor was also present during the inspection and

 had asked on suggested priority for repairs/ball park costs. The inspection company also made themselves available for questions. Can you go to either of them to get some perspective?

I'm not a contractor so can't advise you there, but you're on the right track getting a contractor out to take a look. Some of these items are probably minor but others could be big, expensive fixes. Don't fall in love with this house just yet . . . keep telling yourself that this is a business deal and be prepared to walk away if necessary. Take your time, talk to experts, and keep a level head. Good luck!

Usu the inspector will present the report verbally to you onsite at completion of the inspection, explaining the severe items vs the usual. Most use templated reports that can be 50 pages even when the inspection is "clean" however this has more serious issues.

Signs of moisture under roof deck, deteriorating siding, etc. are serious.

The home needs a new roof, some siding & trim replaced, new paint & repairs to the water heater to start with.

Amy, I don't see this as a nightmare. Having bought and sold several homes, I can promise you every home has issues.

I totally agree with Jeffrey that a new roof will solve the majority of these problems (assuming you use a quality roofing contractor anyway). So that is expensive, but I don't see it as a "nightmare", because the roof is apparently towards the end of its life expectancy anyway.

The issue will be whether you can get the sellers to pay for a new roof. I don't know your current market conditions. They are still BLAZING hot around me, although the interest rate rise is starting to cool things down just a smidge.

Work with your realtor, get some estimates on what this will cost to be fixed, and see whether the sellers are in the mood to negotiate. They may be ready to work with you on it, or they may decide to spin the wheel and see if some other home buyer wants the house badly enough to not care.

Again, every house will have issues. The roof is unfortunately somewhat of an expensive issue - but at least now you know and can proceed accordingly.

I was told the roof was in its third quarter of life so still has years to go. I’m unsure of whether to pass on this house or not the market is so hot by me. I don’t know if this makes a diff but as soon as I said I wanted it I was accepted. There was no bidding on this home.

Should I ask for lower price? Credit? Fix the damage? It’s listed for $420k

Agree with jrb451. The house needs a new roof. Period, without question.

The question is whether the sellers will agree to pay for the new roof. So work with your realtor to get a quote from a reputable roofing contractor. Give the quote to the sellers and ask them to pay for it. Negotiate from there...

These are all legitimate items. You have a competent inspector.

It boils down to as others said, fixing items are part of negotiations. The market will determine how much you can push on these for fixes or credits, and the type of issues will determine whether the seller will now have to disclose these to future buyers if the deal falls through.

Group items with urgent life safety issues, which a seller may agree, like the water heater vent and cracked glass. Then move to items that are immediate, but a seller may balk at because of difficulty or cost, like the roof leaks and flashing, siding deterioration from the roof problems, and the bathroom exhausts. Then items that are more longer term, like the sump discharge, downspout leaders, foundation cracks that may/may not allow water infiltration, that might require more time in the house or are simple cheap fixes. Once you have a handle on these groups, discuss them with your realtor what and how much push you have for negotiations, or if you are firm in your compliance with anything that will require you to walk if the seller doesn't agree.

Amy, there are a couple of ways to address the roof situation if you decide you still want the house: ask the seller to replace the roof as a condition of sale, ask the seller to leave money in escrow so you can replace the roof, request a lower selling price, or pay for the repairs yourself. Just keep in mind that even with a lowered selling price, the roof will still have to be replaced with cash up front. Do you have that money available?

Unless you have a healthy stash of money to fix up the house, or a contractor in the family who will do work for cost, be very careful what you take on. Some repairs can wait a year or longer, but others need immediate attention or you risk the house deteriorating along with its value. Get solid estimates on the critical repairs, have your realtor negotiate with the seller (that's what you're paying them for), and then decide if you can afford the house with the new information. Don't get swept up in the property frenzy -- better to wait than get in way over your head. Stay cool and don't let anyone pressure you into anything. There's always another house. Best wishes.

There are several issues related to the roof. It appears the shingles may still have life left, but that the flashing seems to be failing as it looks like it is leaking below a roof penetration. To fix leaks like that you need to take off the shingles in that area and replace and since there are several spots needing help replacing the roof appears to be the best action (although seller is likely to disagree). The bathroom fans would need some vents added to the roof so that you can vent them outside. Not sure what kind of mold and what needs to be done there, but that doesn't seem major to me if you replace the roof. If the roof was replaced you could replace the sheeting in that spot and have it completely removed and with the additional roof vents connected to the bathroom fans the problem would be removed. The roof is likely going to be the most costly part and you have to decide how you want to handle that.

The sump pump could be grandfathered in if at some point the area allowed draining into the sewer system. If not then this could become costly and I would want a quote on before deciding how to proceed.

The venting from the water heater (due to the gas issue) and the ejector pit would be areas of concern and I would insist on those being fixed before I moved in. Sewer gas isn't healthy to have leaking into your house.

The rotten wood in areas seems like deferred maintenance and should be addressed to avoid further damage. I'd get a quote to see how much it would cost as there appears to be a lot. My first house I bought we had to do a lot of wood replacing as well as the roof. However, the roof was done as part of the sale with money in escrow. The one thing we ran into that was unexpected is being able to match the paint color so we had to repaint the whole house. We got a close match after several tries, but the difference got worse with time so we re-painted the whole house after 2 years.

The down spout is an issue, but you can extend it out some so it drains on the sidewalk and deal with it in a few years. Not an emergency either way.

The water on the floor would concern me and I'd want to know the source.

The hot and cold water switch in the master is not a normal thing, but you guys will get used to it and unless you have guests using it then it likely won't be an issue. I would consider that a "you can fix later and don't worry about it now." If there is an access area for the pipes to the shower then this wouldn't be that hard to fix. If not it is more involved and will depend on how easy it would be to get to the pipes in the wall.

Good for you! You found a competent inspector who isn’t afraid of the realtors ;) — some of things found are not always flagged by every inspection but are all valid. Call the inspector — you paid for this information so the company should be happy to discuss their findings with you and help you prioritize (most worrisome to eventually) and even some ball park cost estimates. Then you can decide whether you can handle the cost of making the critical repairs in context with the price offered on the house. If you can’t, negotiate or walk. If you fix it, when you go to sell it, you can advertise a “new roof/sheathing” in 2022 which is good selling point. Talk to the inspector — schedule a meeting.

Don’t put the seller in charge of major repairs like reroofing. They have zero incentive to have the job done well. Get a few quotes from reputable companies, talk to your lender about your options to cover the expense, and lower your offer accordingly if you can.

Moss is not mold. Chimney caps can be replaced. Not a deal breaker. Roof and moisture? Big deal breaker. I am reading all the information your inspector gave you. We all have good intentions with our comments, but if you want the house, follow inspector's advice.

I would want to know, that I can still buy the type of siding that is damaged to do repairs, too, otherwise, you may end up having to do a complete residing. Roof is most important, because it has been leaking and your sheathing may be damaged. Hot water heater is a safety issue..

They're probably trying to take advantage of the hot market to unload it. I wouldn't buy it at any price.

@elcieg - I don't think anyone mentioned moss as mold. My reference to mold was more about the moisture on the sheathing above the kitchen. There could be mold, or not. Replacing the roof and sheathing would solve that.

lyfia, not sure why you are addressing me, rather than the OP, but to clear up your confusion, my comment relates to the nature or importance of moss not being a "deal breaker" because it is not mold.

@elcieg - sorry for the confusion. I mentioned mold and just didn't see the correlation between moss and mold as they are such different animals, but I see what you were trying to say now.