First, this is not going to be a graphic or upsetting post. It has to
do with a For Sale By Owner home that in appearance is quite lovely.

There is 1) no basement (crawl space less than 6"); 2) hardwood floors;
3) a shed roof the seller claims has "just this year" been re-roofed
with "roll roofing" (no shingles). The home has only three
rooms--living room (with cracked plaster ceiling, recently repainted);
lovely galley kitchen (recently repainted, no visible cracks); and 3)
bedroom (with tremendously cracked ceiling and...lots of maroon-colored
spots).

Although we have been assured by a municipal detective that the
seller's son, a suicide, did not take his life in this property, and
that the manner of death did not involve a firearm or knife, I'm
puzzled by the *amount* of maroon-colored dots on the ceiling. Having
lived in another nearby municipality, I am familiar with maroon-colored
"dots" appearing out of nowhere on clean, repainted rooms. I observed
it all the time in a home I lived in and maintained scupulously.

I always believed the maroon dots were insects or insect eggs of some
sort, although (in my former home) when I tried to wipe them away, they
had the consistency of chocolate syrup, something I never used. I just
learned to live with them and didn't try to find out what they were.

In this tiny home I'm posting about, however, the appearance actually
looked like something from an episode of CSI. I inquired as
sensitively as possible about the source of the "dots." The seller
(the suicide's father) explained that the roof leaked badly after his
son's death. This is not an outlandish explanation, given that the
tiny building used to be a barber shop and that between the ceiling and
shed roof there is no crawl space at all.

The location, price, and maintenance of this property, and the sellers'
(apparent) forthrightness, make it desirable for someone who has
maintained too many large homes. The purpose in purchasing it would be
to use as a retirement home for a family member. I am wondering,
though, if some unintentional sleight of hand is at work, insofar as
the sellers believe the suicide "reputation" will divert potential
buyers from more realistic real estate issues, such as mold (and
fuse-era wiring).

Anyway, if anyone can identify what goo-ey, brownish-red "dots" that
appear on ceilings are, and if rather than blood they are evidence of
dangerous mold, I'd appreciate reading it here.

One last thing--I know this post will be extremely amusing to some
readers. Could you please laugh at it privately? How 'bout I laugh at
it for you? I'd just really appreciate some educated responses.

Thanks for taking the time to read the weirdest post you'll read all
day.

run away. fast and far. If the roof "leaked badly" as the seller
admits, and yet the only fix was to roll a new layer of asphalt on top,
there is likely serious water damage above the ceiling. You're seeing
stains soaking through now, it'll only get worse. Any insulation up
there will be soaked and a breeding ground for mold, same for any wood.


If you really really want this place (though I would recommend against
it), have a contractor accompany you to the property for an inspection.
Get a rough idea what the repair would cost for a new roof (yes, new -
it'll possibly have to be stripped and replaced including sheathing),
new drywall ceiling, insulating, etc. Add several thousand to that
estimate and deduct the total from the purchase price. I would also
give serious thought to a thorough inspection of the rest of the house.

You also mention a fuse box instead of breakers. That by itself isn't
a terrible thing, but it does indicate that the electrical system
hasn't been updated. If you're STILL planning on buying, you might
also ask an electrician for a rough estimate (bring one along with the
gen. contractor on your inspection) and deduct THAT + a couple thousand
from the purchase offer.

If you're buying this house to plonk 'ma down in and hoping that it'll
be low maintenance, I think you might be mistaken. It's apparently an
older house, with at least one known major problem (recent, severe roof
leak), and another potential problem (wiring), and who knows what else
(old plumbing?). I can't see it, so I can't say for sure, but I would
definitely recommend against it based on your description.

Pay an inspector to look at it

Although we have been assured by a municipal detective that the
seller's son, a suicide, did not take his life in this property, and
that the manner of death did not involve a firearm or knife, I'm
puzzled by the *amount* of maroon-colored dots on the ceiling. Having
lived in another nearby municipality, I am familiar with maroon-colored
"dots" appearing out of nowhere on clean, repainted rooms. I observed
it all the time in a home I lived in and maintained scupulously.


Both the re-painted ceilings and the maroon dots make me
think there's an ongoing water-problem with the roof.

I wouldn't buy the house unless I could get it cheaply
enough that I could completely tear off the roof and
re-build it, and still come out ahead. (of course,
if you go that route, you can probably get a little
extra space out of the deal, by putting on a higher roof.

If the location is good, it might be worth buying
just for the lot, but the house itself doesn't sound
like much of an improvement.

I beleive I have seen your gooey brownish-red "dots", except in my case
it was on a wall in a closet upstairs, again under a shed roof. They
appear now and then, apparently either from the inside of the house
(depositing on the drywall) or from within the wall (diffusing straight
through the drywall). They slowly ooze down the wall a few inches until
I just wipe them off with a paper towel.

I have no idea what it is. As far as I can tell, the roof doesn't leak,
the wall is otherwise bone dry, it is not mold of any kind (it is truly
liquid), it doesn't damage anything, leaves no other traces, and
doesn't smell. The problem is localized to two small areas, about 1
square foot total, in a single closet.

Sorry I can't help, except maybe to say you probably aren't crazy, and
yes, the stuff is wierd.

"louie" wrote in message
oups.com...
run away. fast and far.

Don't feed the trolls!

Louie, Kevin, Mark, and Goedjn--great thanks. Actually, the effort
involved in making this post was enough for me to come to my senses.
What Louie and Goedjn say is absolutely right: the low price of the
home is totally offset by the disproportionately high looming
restoration expenses.

Just one word, "Kathy": I hope when you need help here on this
newsgroup, folk are nicer to you than you were to me.

Guys, thanks again. Great advice, and it was well taken.

After a little more digging, I think I have your answer (and mine too).
Google for "Surfactant Leaching"

Although the picture on all of the pages is rather extreme, the
description and conditions match our scenarios almost exactly. A rare
condition, and apparently almost always with newly applied paint, and
relating to humidty and moisture.

You obviously had moisture problems. My closet gets very humid, because
it is unheated and in a far part of the house.
-Kevin

kevin wrote:
After a little more digging, I think I have your answer (and mine too).
Google for "Surfactant Leaching"

Although the picture on all of the pages is rather extreme, the
description and conditions match our scenarios almost exactly. A rare
condition, and apparently almost always with newly applied paint, and
relating to humidty and moisture.

You obviously had moisture problems. My closet gets very humid, because
it is unheated and in a far part of the house.

Hey, Kevin, thanks! I did Google "red mold" before I made the OP; none
of the search results mentioned this technical term (surfactant
leaching).

Now this kind of stuff is what makes me like the Internet. (Just had
my identity stolen for mucho dollars, and that kind of stuff makes me
hate it.)

posted:

Now this kind of stuff is what makes me like the Internet. (Just had
my identity stolen for mucho dollars, and that kind of stuff makes me
hate it.)


....how do we know that this is really you?