House buying drama!

[Richand]

Hi Guys,

Me and my partner are looking to buy a house, we have viewed a few now and went to see one on Wednesday night which we really liked.

All been recently refurbished, combi-boiler in Dec 2012, new bathroom with bath and separate shower, all rooms re plastered and new carpets etc all really modern and excellent.

the owner is also going to leave all white goods, a really nice sofa and other bits and bobs, we don't have anything as we share a house at the minute so that helps us a lot.

now, problem is I asked the question 'is there anything I should know about the house?' she then shows me the roof...

the back of the house the roof is terrible, one side missing big chunks of tiles and showing the rotten and broken batons underneath, the felt is still in place, problem seems to have been a crawler that had got under the tiles and destroyed the roof.

She says she has have a quote to redo the whole roof for £5000 and is willing to knock this off the price. I would have knocked her down regardless of this fact anyway as she was asking a lot more than any other house has sold for on the same street.

Should I knock say £7k off her price as the sorting of that roof is a massive issue, 2-3 days without a roof on the house and time of work, being messed around etc, the quote is just the tip of the cost to me.

Also, the mortgage company may well refuse my application when the survey takes place as I'm sure a half patched up roof knocks a significant sum off the valuation.

I have asked her to provide me the quote paperwork from the roofer as I want to see its from a valid company not just "my mate says it will cost £5k"

house is a 3 bed ex council semi.

 

[Richand]

The owner doesn't live in the house anymore, says she lives in her Nan's house who is now in a home and needs to sell to pay for her care.

her brother lives in the property now.

She was very vague on the quote, I asked for paperwork and she said she had left it at home. I had to ask her about the roof for her to tell me about the roof, somehow thinking that a survey wouldn't pick this up anyway?!

I do wonder what other skeletons are in the closet as she didn't exactly fill me with confidence.

another thing that bothers me is her family live next door, which means if she some how feels hard done by on the sale, they can make my life hell...!

house buying is a pain in the ass!

£5k in the midlands to re do a roof isn't exactly a rip off unless the beams need redoing if its been wreaked for sometime. a full survey would be done due to the roof and her vague behavior.

funny comment she made was 'all the viewers have been put off by the downstairs bathroom'....not the gaping holes in the roof and your above average asking price!?! some people.

 

[Richand]

I agree, why would you spend all that money on extensive renovations.

She has even knocked rooms into 1 etc, putting in french doors and double glazing but yet the roof is open in places with many missing tiles.

She is selling with an agent and I dealt with them who pleaded ignorance to the roof, I purposely avoided it when talking about the property to see if they would mention it, not once did they bring it up, I then mentioned it and they are all "oh, she mentioned that did she" and "yes we advised her she might get knocked down on price".

Estate agents don't give a crap about buyers I have learnt from that.

Walking away from it, good luck to her.

 

[Richand]

It is a steal and near my children and family.

3 bed semi for 78k (minus 5k for roof).

I love living in the midlands

oh and my partner loved the house and was telling everyone and showing pictures...!! women and houses are not sensible!