Foreclosure Home

[sgoertzen]

My husband and I are considering by a house that is in foreclosure. The house has been sitting empty for 4 years, so needless to say it is in pretty bad shape. The house is only 8 years old, but has never been painted since it was built. A lot of the windows have some major wood rot, and the siding along the side of the house has what appears to be wood rot along the bottom probably about a foot up from the foundation. My question is this: The realtor and his painter/repairman have both said that we don't need to be worried that there might be damage to the actual structure of the house since it is only 8 years old. My fear is that once we start tearing off some of the siding, we are going to find that it is all rotted underneath and it will end up being a much greater expense than we thought. Can anyone give an opinion on whether or not they think the rot could be deeper? Is there any good way to tell before you start ripping stuff off? There is one hole in the outside window sill that has been letting water through and the drywall on the inside has been ruined right there. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

[HayZee518]

ok, evidence of water on the lower half of the siding will effectively effect the sub surface which includes the sheathing and quite possibley the studs. The sheathing will rot and take with it the lower part of the studs. The realtor evidently doesn't know what he is talking about. he's there to sell a house not offer answers to complaints about the house. he gets paid via commission to what he sells and doesn't give a darn about the condition of the house before your purchase. after the closing you are a thing of the past, he could care less about the sale he just made.

[KSever]

The realtor and his painter/repairman have both said that we don't need to be worried that there might be damage to the actual structure of the house since it is only 8 years old.

Ask them if they will sign a letter stating if there is rot and wood underneath the siding has to be replaced if they will put up the money for this repair. This will tell you if they actually can back up their statement

[leone184]

Hidden rot

Even with the house being vacant, it still seems odd that there would be major rot on an eight year old house. You could be up against shoddy construction. It's amazing how the materials the builders use for new construction has changed (very seldom for the better). A seasoned home inspecter told me that houses built about 40 years old ago were made with materials that were expected to last about 125 years. The materials used today have about a 35 year life expectancy.
If the rot is easily visible, I'd be shocked if there was not any hidden damage. The drywall inside is a major red flag. If it were me, I would only buy the house with the assumption that there is major hidden damage, and if not- then you got a great deal.
What you describe sounds like the classic "tip of the iceberg", and for the agent to tell you not to worry because the house is only 8 years old is ridiculous.

Hope this helps.