Framing and Sub-Flooring - water damage - how long before effects are gone?

I am looking at a place where one of the rooms had a water pipe in the attic burst over it about 2 years ago. The room was carpet and what I'm told is most of the water stayed in this room. The floor beneath it had almost no damage, but for some reason more water made it's way down 2 floors (ground level) and some minor repairs were needed there.

I saw some insurance documents on how much money was spent on repairs, but it does not detail what was actually done. It's just a dollar figure, no bill of materials included.

Now it's a full 2 years after the incident (I believe it's acutally closer to 3 now) and everything looks/seems okay. But I feel a little leary because it seems the realtor is trying to withhold as much information about the incident as possible. When they relay answers back from the seller, it's always a really short answer.

After what time period can I feel confident that no problems will arise from the incident? Is 2-3 years enough, or would the answer really be never? I would imagine everything has long been dried out as part of the repair, and any wood that may warp would have done so by now?

Yah, if the wood is not rotten/moldy, then its not going to get any worse any time soon. 2-3 years is a long time. An inspector is going to look at it visually, and take a moisture sensor to it. So there is not much to it, but if there was no water penetrating for 2-3 years, I can assure you the moisture meter is not going to show it, so if it looks good, that's about all your gonna get from an inspector. Got any pics?

Well I have pictures, but of the current state only so I don't believe that's going to show you anything of value. The carpet was replaced, the walls repainted, etc.

But I feel a little leary because it seems the realtor is trying to withhold as much information about the incident as possible.?

All I can say from experience is remove the emotion from a house purchase, and look at it as the single most expensive liability you will ever get yourself into. No house is perfect, but if your gut makes you leery and the realtor is in any way shady, it might be better to walk away. If it is absolutely the most perfect thing you ever found, forget about it and worry about it later. There are millions of houses for sale. I would suggest Getting a comprehensive mold test and circumventing the lawyers and realtors and talk to the owners directly. If they need to hide, there probably is a reason why. There is nothing that requires buyers and sellers from having to communicate through 2 or 3 middle men -- that is only designed to make other people more money at the expense of the buyer. See if there is any way to talk with the contractors who did the repairs. Get a new-home maintenance insurance policy that covers appliances, damage, insects, pipes, etc.

All I can say from experience is remove the emotion from a house purchase, and look at it as the single most expensive liability you will ever get yourself into. No house is perfect, but if your gut makes you leery and the realtor is in any way shady, it might be better to walk away. If it is absolutely the most perfect thing you ever found, forget about it and worry about it later. There are millions of houses for sale. I would suggest Getting a comprehensive mold test and circumventing the lawyers and realtors and talk to the owners directly. If they need to hide, there probably is a reason why. There is nothing that requires buyers and sellers from having to communicate through 2 or 3 middle men -- that is only designed to make other people more money at the expense of the buyer. See if there is any way to talk with the contractors who did the repairs. Get a new-home maintenance insurance policy that covers appliances, damage, insects, pipes, etc.

Why would he have a lawyer involved????? Also a home warranty is the worst thing you can do with your money. None have good ratings and they always get low end people to do the work.

I think what James was saying is that theres no reason why you can't talk to the owners directly IF they want to. If they don't, theres likely a reason they want to hide behind Realtors or Lawyers... It may be that they are honest folks and the Realtor doesn't want them talking to potential buyers. The owner may have more info on the actual damage and repairs done. May even have names of companies involved in the repairs.

I agree that Home Warranties are normally not money well spent..but if you get one as part of a purchase (I offered one when I sold in VA, and was given one when I bought here), it gives you a little piece of mind for the first year if you have a major failure of an appliance or system.

The big advice is the complete mold test by a reputable company that YOU choose...not the seller or sellers Realtor.

JMO...as is almost everything I post...lol

In the north east, lawyers and real estate transactions are the norm. Don't ask me why ... but it seems more of a custom than anything else. The only real function the lawyers here do is file municipal paperwork, which you can do yourself.

I don't have much experience with home warranties , but I've known a few people who made out well with them.

If there is any service you need, always do it on your terms -- including insect/home inspection, title work, loan shopping, etc . You find and hire the person, pay for the service, get the results. The realtor represents the seller's interests by law. Don't ever rely on other people to set these things up for you. Lawyers and realtors may tell you that it is required that you use "their people" for various services, but in most cases this is not true and the buyer & seller have specific rights that they can exercise on their own.

But yes, a mold test would be a good start. If a mold test comes back with anything serious walk away. If it comes back clean, then things are probably fine. Mold needs moisture to live -- if moisture still exists it is not a good sign.