Inspection report

[gabster54]

What is the name of your state?SC
I am selling my rental home without a real estate agent. i had a contract on the house but they backed out because of "possible" major defects. i took the house down from sale and had these items checked. one was a roofing problem which my roofer determined that there was no problem and has stated this in a letter. the other is that the house slightly slopes to one side. we have determined that it is not a structual foundation problem, but just the way the house was added onto over a carport which was sloped. So my question is how much do i disclose on the disclosure papers? and what about the other minor problems that were found? am i responsible for disclosing that too? i want to be upfront but don't want to scare everyone away with trying to explain what is wrong with the house, but on the other hand don't want another inspection to come up with the same major problems and then try to explain (later) why it isn't a problem? just not sure what to do. thanks for any advice

 

[adjusterjack]

Here's the statute:

http://www.scstatehouse.gov/code/t27c050.php

Here's the disclosure form required by the state:

http://www.llr.state.sc.us/POL/REC/RECPDF/DOC360.pdf

You're OK as long as you answer all the questions truthfully.

If you want to add stuff that's not on the form, that's up to you.

one was a roofing problem which my roofer determined that there was no problem and has stated this in a letter.

What was it about the roof that the seller objected to? And how did your roofer determine that it wasn't a problem?

the other is that the house slightly slopes to one side. we have determined that it is not a structual foundation problem, but just the way the house was added onto over a carport which was sloped.

In spite of it not being a foundation problem, that the structure is visibly not level is a big problem for any buyer. It would help to see photos of the condition. You'll have to post them online someplace and provide a link.

 

[gabster54]

Here's the statute:

http://www.scstatehouse.gov/code/t27c050.php

Here's the disclosure form required by the state:

http://www.llr.state.sc.us/POL/REC/RECPDF/DOC360.pdf

You're OK as long as you answer all the questions truthfully.

If you want to add stuff that's not on the form, that's up to you.



What was it about the roof that the seller objected to? And how did your roofer determine that it wasn't a problem?



In spite of it not being a foundation problem, that the structure is visibly not level is a big problem for any buyer. It would help to see photos of the condition. You'll have to post them online someplace and provide a link.

Thanks for the information on disclosure. Regarding the roof. The inspector saw wood (under the roof) that had water stains on it. if he had bothered to take a moisture reading, he would have seen that the wood is now dry (per roofer) and has been ever since i replaced the roof a couple of years ago. There is also the appearance of a sag in the middle of the roof, but the roofer says that this is due to the fact the the rafters are spaced widely apart right there and not sagging for other reasons. Regarding the slope, it is so slight that you would not be able to see it in any pictures of the house. You can feel it when you walk through the kitchen or into one of the bedrooms. I had my general contractor remove some of the siding on the house to see if there were any cracks in the cement blocks showing some type of foundation problem, but there weren't any.

 

[adjusterjack]

You're not going to like this but you've got what real estate people call a "distressed property." It's no surprise that your structural problems caused the buyer to walk away. Others will walk away too unless you fix the defects or substantially drop the price and sell it as a fix up.

I'm a retired property adjuster. I've seen these kinds of conditions many times. They aren't covered by insurance, of course, but that didn't stop our customers from trying to get us to pay for it.

The water stain could have been easily fixed with sealer and paint but the other two issues are serious construction defects.

There is also the appearance of a sag in the middle of the roof, but the roofer says that this is due to the fact the the rafters are spaced widely apart right there and not sagging for other reasons.

There doesn't need to be any other reasons. That the rafters are spaced widely apart means that the roof framing was done improperly. Roof rafters are 24 inches on center. If further apart the sheathing can sag. That can be fixed by getting up under the roof, shoring up the sag and installing bracing between the rafters to support the sheathing and the roof material so there won't be any more sag.

As to the sloping floor that can be felt when walked on, that can be fixed by pouring a self-leveling compound and covering it with level flooring.

Your roofer and contractor might be willing to whitewash the conditions but a buyer would be wise to rely on his own experts.

You're either going to be spending a lot of money to fix the house, or drop the price substantially to get it sold.

You don't have to accept my opinions, just wait and see how things go.

 

[gabster54]

You're not going to like this but you've got what real estate people call a "distressed property." It's no surprise that your structural problems caused the buyer to walk away. Others will walk away too unless you fix the defects or substantially drop the price and sell it as a fix up.

I'm a retired property adjuster. I've seen these kinds of conditions many times. They aren't covered by insurance, of course, but that didn't stop our customers from trying to get us to pay for it.

The water stain could have been easily fixed with sealer and paint but the other two issues are serious construction defects.



There doesn't need to be any other reasons. That the rafters are spaced widely apart means that the roof framing was done improperly. Roof rafters are 24 inches on center. If further apart the sheathing can sag. That can be fixed by getting up under the roof, shoring up the sag and installing bracing between the rafters to support the sheathing and the roof material so there won't be any more sag.

As to the sloping floor that can be felt when walked on, that can be fixed by pouring a self-leveling compound and covering it with level flooring.

Your roofer and contractor might be willing to whitewash the conditions but a buyer would be wise to rely on his own experts.

You're either going to be spending a lot of money to fix the house, or drop the price substantially to get it sold.

You don't have to accept my opinions, just wait and see how things go.

thanks, appreciate the advice.