This could expand into a moisture issues as well by introducing a big temperature change at the roof line.

I know this is really ignorant - be gentle.

It is caused by salts/minerals in the material composing the mortar, or brick itself, being leached out (by moisture) to the surface of the brick.  

She divulged this info at our monthly poker game... it just fell in my lap.Data:1700sf3 Bedroom, 1 & 1/2 Baths, w/  bonus office space1 car garage (typical for neighborhood)Comparable properties in neighborhood sell between $150-160kEstimated damage (moisture and general damage) with a contractor at $45k (yeah, nothing to sneeze at; new roof membrane, hvac and ducts (ducts on roof on old NM house), gyp bd work, mold abatement, all new flooring, interior doors, etc.New work would include redoing the kitchen (simple and small, maybe $10k)Upgrade electrical service so we can upgrade the AC ($1.5k)Spruce up landscaping front and back $5kSmall contingency of $4.5k for misc.I feel pretty good about $65k as a healthy flip budgetSo, she owes $98,000We think it only makes sense to go into this if we can get it for $60,000 max (begin negotiations at $50,000).Purchase + flip = $125,000Potential sale on low side of $150,000Potential Profit on low side: $25,000 - carrying costsSo, the real meat of the question (other than feedback on my flip numbers) is what to do about getting the property for its current worth.

The inspection showed no moisture except a slight leak in a kitchen sink drain.

Reduce your credit card debt - never mind trying to eliminate it, pay it down to a utilization which will boost your credit score.Oh, and pay it down GENTLY - a few good size payments, not all in one chunk.

Leave it to Gentle @Ben Leybovichto start a thread with a provocative title "Are most investors idiots. "  This post is an indirect response to his and no I don't have a website. 

Maintaining it is fairly simple also, after each tenant moves out scrape the caulk from around where the tub and tile meets and the corners and re caulk, make sure the caulk matches the color of the tile to blend. replace the caulking every turn to make help prevent the caulk from failing and letting moisture into the wall behind it, if it molds then eventually your tiles will start popping and you will have to tear it all out and replace wall and tiles again. if the tub gets worn down or even as i have saw in the past extremely dirty when no matter how much cleaning you do the grime wont come off just sand it with a fine grit paper and home depot sells a resurfacing spray kit for around 60$ and if you take your time will take about 1-2 hrs then 24 hrs to dry and will look like a brand new tub.

It's waterproof and requires no underlayment (or even moisture barrier in dry climates like ours). 

You will have a lot of wood rot due to moisture and termite treatments thats the nature of the area.Hope this helps