A Week From Closing and I am Having Roof Issues

[Grant Doyle]

I am currently a week from closing on a fourplex. Last week we had the inspection and some issues were brought up concerning the roof. This is a flat membrane rubber roof. I just had a contractor out to bid on the roof and he made it out to be a story from hell. He said the roof could is multiple layers of old school TPO and we are not sure how many layers. The flash on the roof only goes up six inches and is very loose around the edges of a second story section. It has begun to crack and bubble in certain parts. He said someone can come in and put on a base and cap for around 15K but to do things the right way, putting on new TPO all around would cost around 36k and once we rip up those layers and see what's underneath it could escalate in costs significantly. Any advice from the community on what to do? I currently have two more contractors coming out to bid on the roof.

[Russell Brazil]

Roofers want to replace roofs, so they recommend replacing roofs. Ive had many a roof last long long past their official lifespans and beyond when a roofer says to replace it.