Tree in front of a house

[Duc-Dung Pham]

Hi all,

I am trying to buy a duplex that could be a good deal for me. The cashflow meets my expectation and the property is located in a low crime, populated area. The only concern for me is a big tree in front of the house (See picture below). 

Do you think that tree is too close to the house? Has anyone experienced tree root damaging foundation/sewer pipes?  

[Fred Heller]

This is a comment from someone who actually lives here and has actually visited this property.

I visited this property yesterday. And yes, that tree is a problem. Half that tree extends perpendicular across about half the home. It will eventually fall and damage the roof.

I don't like to see limbs that are perpendicular to the tree. They don't have support and will eventually fall. My neighbor had a tree like that where the limb grew over his driveway. The limb cracked and fell and took out both of his cars in the driveway.

Setting that aside, there is a lot of rotting leaf debris on the roof from the aforementioned tree. This debris can damage the shingles over time. So that means you need to clean the roof frequently or get rid of the tree.

And a big tree (and this is a BIG tree) that close to the home can potentially damage the foundation. It will either suck all the moisture out from the soil underneath the foundation or damage the foundation by growing roots under it.