Yet Another "To Rent or Flip" -- Home next to abandoned / condemned house and GIANT oak tree (maybe 5 feet from slab?) ????

Question

This is definitely a multi-parter, as well as my first post. :D  I stumbled upon this forum recently and am not quite sure what took me so long to get this all off my chest.  But anyway, here I am, and here's my first post...

There's a home that I'm more than likely going to purchase, simply because I'm able to get it at around 50% value of comps (and firstly.... by comps, I mean asking prices of houses in the general neighborhood, which may not be proper terminology).  The home actually has quite a few upgrades (double pane windows, fairly new a/c, heat, wiring, ceiling fans, etc.), but it still needs a little bit of work, which should still put me at just around 60% value of comps.  And, of course, I like the price.  There is actually a fairly extensive commercial development that should be happening real soon, and it includes a new Walmart.  Someone told me that a Walmart being built within 3 miles of your home increases your property value by 30%.  :-0

The two things I don't like about the home...

(1)  The abandoned (possibly condemned?) home immediately next door is something of a deep worry to me.  It worries me because I would never want to rent  a house that could see a neighboring house with tarps over the roof, broken windows, etc.  A very LONG privacy fence should mostly solve the problem, but it could potentially bring rodents.  And this is a potential issue for Section 8 housing if I intend to rent it out in the future.  I believe the only issue that might prohibit me from certifying the house for Section 8 standards is:

[SECTION 8 "SITE AND NEIGHBORHOOD" REQUIREMENTS]

- Performance requirement. The site and neighborhood must be reasonably free from disturbing noises and reverberations and other dangers to the health, safety, and general welfare of the occupants.
- Acceptability criteria. The site and neighborhood may not be subject to serious adverse environmental conditions, natural or manmade, such as dangerous walks or steps; instability; flooding, poor drainage, septic tank back-ups or sewage hazards; mudslides; abnormal air pollution, smoke or dust; excessive noise, vibration or vehicular traffic; excessive accumulations of trash; vermin or rodent infestation; or fire hazards.

[END REQUIREMENTS]

Fixing up the house is one thing.  But I can't change the neighborhood.  And buying some property just to demolish the house can't be cheap at all.  It's really driving me crazy.  This has a pretty good potential to ruin the entire purpose of buying the house.  I could probably still rent it without Section 8 certification, but the Section 8 bit had some psychological appeal to me when I first considered rental property, and now the thought of such a good deal on a home that ISN'T capable of Section 8 approval -- no matter what I do to upgrade the property -- is.. perplexing me to no end.  I just like options, and this is clearly going to kill one of the options that get me interested in real estate in the first place.  :-/

(2)  The giant oak tree is definitely a few feet wide and around 5 feet from the slab (which also happens to be the side where the plumbing runs!).  These dimensions are from a 2 week old memory, but they should get the point across.  The GOOD thing about the tree is that it's beautiful, shades the house and most of the backyard.  The tree is actually a awesome, and I would NEVER want to cut it down based on what I see above the surface.  The trunk, all branches, etc. lean AWAY from the house; nothing hangs directly over the roof from what I recall.  I've heard a general rule that a tree's roots should have a similar width or pattern as its branches.  Does this also apply to leaning trees?  I'd think that the tree would need thick roots the opposite direction from its lean in order to anchor and support itself.  I doubt a home inspector would even be as qualified to answer such a question as hiring a specialist, like an arborist or something.  I think the general consensus is that the roots are not likely to damage a slab, but perhaps in another 15 or 20 years, the roots would be wide enough and have nowhere else to go??  This is also driving me crazy, but perhaps not as big a deal as my first issue.

Any thoughts that would bring me back to sanity are greatly appreciated!!  I will try to take pics the next time I'm over in that direction, but until then.  I guess you'll just have to use your imagination...

Roy N. · Answer

@Jason V.

That tree should come down.  It's leaning away from the house, which quite likely means it has roots extended under the slab to counter the lean.   Depending on the type of oak, there will be lots of shallow roots spread out at least the diameter of the canopy.   Being that close to the house, you will want to have it professionally removed and the stump ground out .... factor this into your acquisition/rehab costs.

As for the abandoned house next door ... looks like another opportunity.

Bob E. · Answer

I know you like the tree but it does look to be to close to the house, Why sell to after just a few years?  Cut the tree down, that is what the next owner is going mohave to do.

Jason V. · Answer

I took a few pictures that I've uploaded here -->  https://imgur.com/a/dcSXa

One issue I *just* noticed was definitely not there during my last trip to the house... an ant pile had gotten several inches tall against the front of the house.  They actually covered a couple holes where the mortar was completely absent from between a couple bricks.  Never really noticed them before.  But there's probably three "slits" along the whole house, where the mortar is completely non-existent.  Seems like a sign of poor workmanship, but I'm sure it can be fixed easily enough.  Just makes me wonder about the house.  Took a picture of the winged ant.  Thought they were termites, but their body/waist is too thin to be termites.

- There's a pic of the roof where a few shingles did not really bake on properly and are lumped up.  Perhaps this is because this is the area above the enclosed garage area.  Anyone think that this Section 8 requirement is not met with the roof shown in the pics:  "(ii) The roof must be structurally sound and weathertight."???

- There's a couple pics of the abandoned/condemned house next door.  You can even see a cat on top of the roof, right above the valley.  Busted window in the front and half of the vent siding dealy near the apex of the roof is missing.  Anyone think that this Section 8 requirement is not met with this abandoned house immediately next door:  "The site and neighborhood may not be subject to serious adverse  environmental conditions, natural or manmade, such as dangerous walks or  steps; instability; flooding, poor drainage, septic tank back-ups or  sewage hazards; mudslides; abnormal air pollution, smoke or dust;  excessive noise, vibration or vehicular traffic; excessive accumulations  of trash; vermin or rodent infestation; or fire hazards."???

- And finally there are more pics of the tree than anything else.  I thought that there were no branches hanging over the roof, but that's not true.  The base of the trunk *is* about 5 feet away, and it *is* about 2.5 feet wide or so.  Like I said, I love the tree... but the roots causing foundation issues anytime in the next 10 years would really suck.  If anyone thinks this could be a problem,  I'd probably sell the house after just a couple years instead of keeping it as a rental property.

This will be my last post until after the home inspection on Monday.  Just curious about the potential Section 8 housing issues with the roof and the neighboring abandoned house.  Just might consider saving the money for something a little more "Section 8 proof".  Like I said, I like my options....

Andy Mirza · Answer

@Jason V.

Welcome to BP! You're in the right place to learn and ask questions.

First, "asking prices" are not comps. You need to focus on closed sales within the last 90-120 days of similar houses that are within a half mile or so to your target house. The closer they are in square footage, age, numbers of bedrooms and bathrooms, lot square footage, the more accurate they will be for comping purposes. If you don't have access to your local MLS (#1 choice) use a site like Redfin and use the records for closed sales, not automated values. These are just generalities. Comping properties is an art and takes experience and skill.

Second, I wouldn't worry too much the condemned house next door as far as section 8 is concerned. If anything, there might be an opportunity for you to buy it. Now, if the ENTIRE neighborhood was condemned that might be a different story, but if it's just the house next door and the rest of the neighborhood is ok, then you're probably fine. You might not want to live there but your "customer" is the section 8 tenant and they most likely would be fine living in a nice house even though next door is an eyesore.

Third, I wouldn't worry about the tree unless you see clear evidence of some kind of damage happening now. If there's a problem 15-20 years from now, there'll be plenty of time to cut the tree down and uproot it. Hope this helps!