7 Home Repairs You Just Can’t Ignore

Owning a house can be expensive, which is why so many homeowners procrastinate on repairs. Some fixes, however, should never be delayed. Ignoring these problems can result in much more expensive repairs later on - or even injury and death.

I've attended hundreds of inspections with the buyers I represent. Here’s what home inspectors say you should be on the lookout for:

A water leak -- anywhere
A stain on your ceiling. A toilet that rocks. White powdery stuff that grows on your bricks or foundation. A musty smell in your house.

Whatever the source, the culprit is water, and the damage can be severe. Left unchecked, leaks can lead to rot, dry rot, mold and termite infestations. Water can cause roofs to collapse, foundations to buckle and all manner of expensive repairs. What’s more, water-related problems can get your home blackballed by insurance companies worried about the soaring number of mold related claims nationwide.

The fix:
Stop the leak by any means necessary, repair the damage and take the required steps to make sure the problem doesn’t reappear. Minor roof leaks, for example, can be patched with roof cement, but if your roof is aged and failing, you may need to have it replaced. That’s expensive, but not as bad as replacing the trusses and underlying roof structure that can rot away if not protected.

Flickering lights
Do your lights dim when the fridge switches on or you crank up the microwave? You may have bad wiring or too many appliances hooked on to one circuit. Either one can cause a fire. Flickering lights also can be a sign of failing connections in aluminum wiring, a feature in homes built in 1965 and 1973.

The fix:
You can try to distribute power hungry appliances more evenly, by not running more than one at a time or by plugging some into another circuit. But the best fix is a cure: Get an electrician to upgrade your wiring, add more circuits, or both. If you have aluminum wiring but can’t afford to upgrade, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recommends making your wiring safer by using special crimp connectors rather than the usual twist-on style.

Rodent incursions
If you hear the pitter patter of little rodent feet, don’t turn up the stereo to drown them out. It’s not just that rodents can carry disease and make a mess nesting in the tax records you’ve stored in the attic. Rats, mice, and other vermin love to chew through insulation and wiring, and are suspects in many house fires.

The fix:
Use traps and bait products or call in an exterminator. Mice droppings can carry the deadly Hantavirus, and rodents themselves can carry everything from salmonella to the plague, so professional help might be the wisest course.

Soaring fuel bills
If you are paying a lot more for gas or oil and there hasn’t been a rate hike recently, the culprit could be problems with your furnace. This is more than a pocketbook issue, since poorly functioning systems can cause deadly carbon monoxide buildup in your home. The Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates about 200 people die annually from carbon monoxide exposure in the home, typically from malfunctioning heating systems.

These are just some of the problems that arise. If you would like more information or a personal home consultation please contact me.