Yearly Do-It-Yourself Home Inspections Pay Big Dividends

By Ryan Dosen

Home inspections aren’t just for home buyers. Failure to perform yearly inspections on your own home is a mistake that can cost you big time down the road, especially when it comes time to sell. Like most problems in life, issues with your home are best dealt with early on and while they’re still small. Performing a brief yearly inspection of some of your home’s most common and easily examined problem areas will put you way ahead of the curve and in prime position to minimize the impact and cost of the inevitable toll that nature and life will take on your home.

 

Easy Do-It-Yourself Home Inspections

You’re probably not a home inspector. You may not know how to test your home’s electrical system. You likely don’t have the knowledge or tools necessary for performing a hydraulic load test on your home’s septic system. There are many items in your home that you’re probably not going to be able to assess on your own. But that’s no reason to avoid inspecting your home altogether. Especially when it comes to water intrusion, there are many simple inspections that you can perform on your own that will help you protect your most valuable asset.

 

Exterior Inspections

Timothy Dahl of Lifehacker.com recommends a yearly visual inspection of your home’s exterior and the usual suspect problem areas, perhaps with the aid of a pair of binoculars. Dahl recommends checking your downspouts and gutters for cracks, clogs, and damaged elbows, as runoff can get into your foundation and cause water damage. Dahl further recommends checking for peeling paint, which can be a sign of moisture penetration. You should also inspect for missing roof shingles and rotting window caulk, which can lead to water intrusion and insulation issues.

According to Dahl, “preventing water from entering your home is the number one concern during a home inspection.” By performing a simple, yearly visual check of your home’s exterior, you will be addressing this important issue head-on and giving your home a much better chance of staying in good condition.

 

Interior Inspections

Water intrusion and leakage inspections shouldn’t be limited to the outside of your home. Dahl recommends grabbing a flashlight and inspecting your walls and ceiling for dark blotchy stains (signs of mildew) and brown rings (signs of a water leak). You should also look for damaged grout, deteriorating caulk, and cracked tiles around your tub and shower. And don’t forget to turn on the hot and cold water at every sink, looking under the sink for leaks while the water is running. Checking pipes for rust and corrosion is also another good way to determine if you have leaks that need to be addressed.

 

Small Hassle, Big Savings

As mentioned above, you’re probably not going to be able to do your own yearly home inspection on the level of the detailed assessments conducted by licensed professionals before real estate purchases. However, it’s well worth it to take a few hours each year to inspect the items mentioned above. You should also consider taking out regular service contracts on some of your big ticket items like the HVAC and septic systems. You will end up saving money and aggravation later on by catching problems and fixing them before they turn into monsters. Monsters are no fun. Especially when they rear their ugly heads during your buyer’s home inspection, eating away at the equity you thought you had in your home.

 

– Ryan Dosen manages The Wayne Megill Real Estate Team of Keller Williams – Brandywine Valley in West Chester, PA. Contact Ryan Dosen to inquire about buyer or seller representation or to learn more about a career in real estate by emailing ryan@waynemegillteam.com or calling 610-399-0338.

This article was published by 21st Century Media and the Daily Local News (West Chester, PA). To read this article on the the newspaper’s site, please visit the Daily Local News.

To view all of Ryan Dosen’s 21st Century Media real estate columns, visit http://www.dailylocal.com/search?text=dosen.