Home Inspection Problem - Roofing

[Dano]

I have put up my home for sale in San Diego and part of the process is that we have the home inspected and reported to the buyers. The house is only four years old! My wife and I got a nice little jolt when we read the following:

....the edges of the roofing paper do not extend beyond the eves. This condition can cause deterioration of the eves and roof sheathing. It is recommended that a licsenced roofing contractor be contacted for inspection of the roof and for upgrade recommendations.

This may throw a wrench into closing the escrow. What do all you think? The roof is cement tile.

[zxcvbob]

I don't know tile roofs, but this sounds like something that can be fixed by adding a piece of metal flashing.

Good luck, Bob

[Tom Baker]

NRCA (National Roofing Contractors Association) Manual shows several kinds of tile roofing. Most, on quick inspection, show metal edge flashing. The idea of draping roofing paper over the edge may be a local make-do.

I would have a contractor provide an estimate for the retrofit and offer to either have it done or reduce the selling price. I would pay the contractor a fee that would be applied to the cost if he does the work.

TB

[Steve B.]

Get a real roofer out there to inspect it. I don't know much about tile roofs but I do know that home inspectors arent always reliable in their findings.

Steve B.

[SQLit]

Standard bull shit from an know nothing home inspector. Call you realtor and have them recommend an roofing contractor. Ask for an inspection and written report. File it with the rest of the crap you have to fill out and make sure that the realtor has a copy to forward to prospective buyers.

I just went through the same shit on my old house. The new owners wanted 8 tar shingles repaired per the home inspection report. I said sure mark em and I will have them replaced. End of conversation. They could not get the inspector to locate the shingles. Nor could he explain which ones were bad.

[Joe Bobst]

If this is a true copy of the report, then the so-called building inspector, IMO, comes across as a semi-literate hack. Find another building inspector and insist on verifiable credentials. Too many of these leaches are simply buying diplomas in a largely unregulated activity. A $10 course on a CD and a $50 city license are not any guarantee of competence. Be careful, choose wisely and good luck.

Joe

[Sue]

Wow the San Diego market must have really changed in the last month or so (I think it has). Last fall the usually drill was that the buyer paid for the inspection. Actually I'm a bit surprised that you, the seller, got the inspection anyway. I mean wouldn't the buyer want to pick out the inspector independently?

It guess it depends how bad you want to sell and they want to buy. You don't have to fix every little thing about your house before you sell. You could A. Give the seller an allowance to have it fixed B. Fix it and document that it is fixed C. Disclose it and do nothing.

[Greg]

Get a real roofer's opinion. Home inspectors can be wrong about what is "right".

[Jeff Cochran]

Call a roofer and ask. Or sell it with that disclosed and let the buyer do it.

Jeff

[Chet Hayes]

I agree. As a buyer, I would definitely want to pick the inspector. But, as I understand it, some sellers have it inspected so as to be able to give prospective buyers a copy of the report to put them at ease. I think this is more prevalent in areas with hot markets, where multiple offers come in quickly. If the seller gets an offer that accepts the seller's inspection report, they won't have an inspection contigency and that offer has a better chance of being the winner. Personally, I would never trust the seller's inspection report.

[Dave Balderstone]

When we bought this place we paid for an inspection that found cracks in the furnace heat exchanger. The seller's inspector disputed the report so our inspector met theirs, showed him the cracks and got an agreement that the furnace was unsafe.