Not sure on who legally owns this... as it seems no inspection uncovered it when purchasing.

Of course, I had done some digging in advance, since I did uncover that they lived in a place they owned; I initially suspected they might be ready for foreclosure, but no lawsuit (PA is judicial) had yet been filed at the county courthouse. 

I personally enjoy the process of uncovering hidden gems through research and analysis, and in finding markets before they get 'hot'.  

I would think a consistent mailing to targeting sellers would uncover some hidden gold over time..

Never know, you might uncover a good private lender.

the project itself may not be too much, but the estimated costs may be eluding you.I have 35 years in construction, and sometimes what you uncover was better left covered.To me i try to stick with the 30% rule which has clearly been broached here.

Could it be outside uncovered?

Quote from @Bob Stevens: Quote from @Veena Vaidyanathan: I had a real estate agent represent me however they did nothing to uncover this. 

Pay attention to conversations where you uncover someone is a contractor or works in a specialized trade.

Try to uncover that reason.