The Roof
A tip of my hat to Kathy who understands only too well what I went through.
The real estate agent told me the roof would be a problem because it was 20 years old. I did not want to replace it because two estimates were in excess of $12,000. Two roofers had told me that the roof had another two to five years in it. I had made repairs a few times and that was what I wanted to believe. The agent explained that any FHA mortgage would require a new roof, our only hope was a cash deal. OK with me, lets do a cash deal. Only those buyers are hard to come by.
Over the years the price of the house kept being lowered, following just slightly more than maret value. When a buyer was found he insisted on a home inspection. Of course the inspector found some defects in the roof but they could all be easily fixed. The costs for a fix would be about $1,500. However, the buyer insisted on a new roof before he would buy. Auurrgg!! A potential $12,000 cost that would not be recovered, an additional out of pocket expense. I was told about an over-roof that would be less expensive (shingle over shingle) and got the buyer to agree to this. Further, the mortgage companies recognized this as a new roof. I could save myself $5,000 going this route. Yep, this is for me.
Two roofers said they would not do it. "It does not look good." they explained. I found a roofer that would do the job for $6,400 and engaged him. The buyer wanted to move in on November 29 and we had plenty of time. The roofer, Emmitt, said he had a job to finish before he could start. When he was ready, I showed him the inspectors report and he said he had to look at the roof once more. That additional look cost an additional $750 because of some wood rot. Rain coused a delay, Getting a permit pulled caused a delay. His workers doing another job caused a delay. The slack was gone, the roof had to go on now!
He started on November 26 and said it would be done on the 29th. Some rain caused a half-day loss. The 29th came and the roof was not finished. Pat and I moved to Georgia on the 29th. My agent got a new close date, December 3, and Emmitt continued to work on the house. He found additional wood rot and increased the price an additional $150 to do it. A building inspector (hired by the buyer) found spots where water would pool, Emmitt was notified. When he finished the roof I reminded him that his contract called for gutters to be cleaned, realigned, and all leaks fixed. December 3 came and went, Emmitt was still working. We did close on December 6 and the City inspector had not yet approved the new roof. Well, it is now up to the new owners to get all the nitty-gritty done. Emmitt got his $7,300 which was $900 more than his original estimate.
The real estate agent told me the roof would be a problem because it was 20 years old. I did not want to replace it because two estimates were in excess of $12,000. Two roofers had told me that the roof had another two to five years in it. I had made repairs a few times and that was what I wanted to believe. The agent explained that any FHA mortgage would require a new roof, our only hope was a cash deal. OK with me, lets do a cash deal. Only those buyers are hard to come by.
Over the years the price of the house kept being lowered, following just slightly more than maret value. When a buyer was found he insisted on a home inspection. Of course the inspector found some defects in the roof but they could all be easily fixed. The costs for a fix would be about $1,500. However, the buyer insisted on a new roof before he would buy. Auurrgg!! A potential $12,000 cost that would not be recovered, an additional out of pocket expense. I was told about an over-roof that would be less expensive (shingle over shingle) and got the buyer to agree to this. Further, the mortgage companies recognized this as a new roof. I could save myself $5,000 going this route. Yep, this is for me.
Two roofers said they would not do it. "It does not look good." they explained. I found a roofer that would do the job for $6,400 and engaged him. The buyer wanted to move in on November 29 and we had plenty of time. The roofer, Emmitt, said he had a job to finish before he could start. When he was ready, I showed him the inspectors report and he said he had to look at the roof once more. That additional look cost an additional $750 because of some wood rot. Rain coused a delay, Getting a permit pulled caused a delay. His workers doing another job caused a delay. The slack was gone, the roof had to go on now!
He started on November 26 and said it would be done on the 29th. Some rain caused a half-day loss. The 29th came and the roof was not finished. Pat and I moved to Georgia on the 29th. My agent got a new close date, December 3, and Emmitt continued to work on the house. He found additional wood rot and increased the price an additional $150 to do it. A building inspector (hired by the buyer) found spots where water would pool, Emmitt was notified. When he finished the roof I reminded him that his contract called for gutters to be cleaned, realigned, and all leaks fixed. December 3 came and went, Emmitt was still working. We did close on December 6 and the City inspector had not yet approved the new roof. Well, it is now up to the new owners to get all the nitty-gritty done. Emmitt got his $7,300 which was $900 more than his original estimate.
posted by Marcel at
3:28 AM
4 Comments:
Oh my. You are closed, so you are done.
My roofer came back after the first rain to inspect his work. I went up with him. The roof is a very pale grey--I'm so glad that I didn't spend the extra $1,000 to get a white roof. There were three pools of water on the flat roof, but the roofer said only one of them needs to be addressed. Oye.
Send me an e-mail with your address in Georgia--my Christmas card to Florida probably will not find you there.
By
KathrynVH, at 12:39 PM
My Real Estate agent called me and said the recent rain in Florida revealed a leak near the chimney. The new buyers are upset and wanted to know if Emmitt had insurance. I do not know about that but he was a licenced roofer and I asumed he had insurance. Anyway, we never had a leak near the chimney and Emmitt must have disturbed the previous seal. At any case, it is now the problem of the new owners.
By
Marcel, at 1:53 PM
This comment has been removed by the author.
By
Marcel, at 1:53 PM
I wonder how long the new owner will feel free to contact you when things go wrong in their new home.
-Tracy
By
Anonymous, at 11:44 AM
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