Water damage?

[Peimeiguy]

I'm trying to buy my first house.  I found one that's perfect.  Except, one spot on the first floor ceiling, a couple feet away from the front of the house.  The paint is peeling a bit.  No smell, no stain, no bubble or soft spot.  We had recent rain, the floor above ends a couple feet back, front has a small section of roofing over it.  Should I worry about possible water?  A couple investors/potential buyers have walked away in fear of water damage and mold.  I heard a previous home inspection may have said potential mold/water damage.  It is a short sale, way below assessed value.  The same room has a wood stove, and house has been vacant a while.

[Primm]

It depends on the reason for the damage. When we bought our house there was old (not current) water damage in the paint in the ceiling. The building inspector looked very closely at it and determined they'd had a solar hot water service in the roof at some stage but pulled it out (probably because it leaked!) and the water damage was from that.

Get someone who knows what they're looking for to have a look. If it's a simple roof leak then I wouldn't discount the house, if there's timber and structural damage I would.