kyounge1956
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
- Joined
- Sep 11, 2008
- Messages
- 2,171
I've suspected it for a while now, cue to a couple of spots that appeared some time ago on my upstairs ceiling. This morning when I got up, it was raining like crazy and there appeared to be a darker patch in the middle of an already existing spot. I got up on a chair and felt it, and sure enough, it was damp to the touch and even felt like the drywall was a little soft. This is pretty pitiful, because this house was bought new from the builder only 14 years ago. The house I lived in before this was built in 1920—it had an existing roof on it when I bought it in 1985 and the same roof when I sold in 1997, and there was never a suspicion of leakage anywhere. A complicating factor is that it's only half of the building. I think the other half is a rental, not owner-occupied, and I don't know whether it leaks or not.
I'm planning to retire in a little over 2 years and sell the house at that time. So now I need to figure out what to do about this roof situation. I could fix it now, but that would mean either taking out a loan or reducing my retirement savings to pay cash for the repair. I also don't know what happens if you re-roof half of a duplex, or if that's even possible. I don't know the owner of the other unit and have only a bare acquaintance with the occupants. I could have a new roof put on immediately before sale, after the end of the 2012-2013 rainy season. I could then honestly tell prospective buyers, "it did leak, but I've just had the roof replaced". Or, I could do nothing and sell the unit as is. "Yes, those are water spots on the ceiling, and the asking price has been reduced accordingly." If I re-roof now, and the problem is something other than the shingles, the roof could leak again before the planned sale date, but if I wait, heaven only knows what might be going on structurally between then and now. Heaven knows if there is already structural damage, and I don't know if I want to find out because I have to disclose what I know to any potential buyer. I could ask a real-estate agent for marketing advice: "what should I do about this roof so I can sell the house in a reasonable time for a reasonable amount when the time comes? What will cost me more, a new roof or a price reduction?" Etc etc.
And I have no idea at all about how to approach the owner of the other half about doing both sides at once, if I decide to re-roof now.
I need your advice!
I'm planning to retire in a little over 2 years and sell the house at that time. So now I need to figure out what to do about this roof situation. I could fix it now, but that would mean either taking out a loan or reducing my retirement savings to pay cash for the repair. I also don't know what happens if you re-roof half of a duplex, or if that's even possible. I don't know the owner of the other unit and have only a bare acquaintance with the occupants. I could have a new roof put on immediately before sale, after the end of the 2012-2013 rainy season. I could then honestly tell prospective buyers, "it did leak, but I've just had the roof replaced". Or, I could do nothing and sell the unit as is. "Yes, those are water spots on the ceiling, and the asking price has been reduced accordingly." If I re-roof now, and the problem is something other than the shingles, the roof could leak again before the planned sale date, but if I wait, heaven only knows what might be going on structurally between then and now. Heaven knows if there is already structural damage, and I don't know if I want to find out because I have to disclose what I know to any potential buyer. I could ask a real-estate agent for marketing advice: "what should I do about this roof so I can sell the house in a reasonable time for a reasonable amount when the time comes? What will cost me more, a new roof or a price reduction?" Etc etc.
And I have no idea at all about how to approach the owner of the other half about doing both sides at once, if I decide to re-roof now.
I need your advice!