Hi Everyone! As I was driving to my most recent home inspection in Ogden Utah I had a thought, "I wonder what the biggest tip a home inspector would give to a potential home buyer or current homeowner?" I'm always trying to find new ways to help my clients and educate myself, so lucky for me the home inspector I was meeting was kind enough to take time out of his busy day and help us out! Enter Chris Hutchens of All Points Inspections. If you're interested in Chris' tips for items to lookout for when buying a home, or even just maintaining the one you own keep reading.
Chris' tips and simple things you can do and look out for in your home
The biggest enemy to a home and its components is water. The building envelope of a home is made to shed water, but it does require simple maintenance.
Basic maintenance like caulking around trim and windows goes a long way. In these winter months(as we know) anywhere water can sit, it will freeze. Checking your home once a year and refreshing caulking where needed can save a headache in the future.
This can also pertain to driveways. As expansion joints in driveways are made to crack, this can and will allow ice and water to heave the soil causing more cracks and trip hazards. Even though this may be cyclical with the weather, some flexible joint sealant can help prevent damage.
Shoveling your driveway should be part of basic home maintenance when needed. This will lessen the need for a snow melter or "salting" your driveway. Using these can cause pitting or "spalling" of the concrete, basically deteriorating your driveway.
Lastly, grading is the most called out item on a home inspection. Making sure that water is directed away from the home can be a big help in preventing excessive wear and water intrusion to the home.
As a home inspector that has been around, seeing these item taken care of on a home shows not only pride of ownership but an understanding of some basic maintenance needs.
_______________________________________________________________
A lot of those items are so simple but when neglected can turn into major problems. As a real estate professional I know the value of home maintenance and pride of ownership when selling homes. Buyers can feel nearly immediately if a home has been well maintained, and it reduces days on the market and equates to a higher sales price in most scenarios.
If you don't know how to do some of these maintenance items you can reach out, I would be more than happy to help, or connect you with a trusted professional or some references.
If there are any other questions I can help answer I am always available to answer any questions and help in any way I can
Chris is willing to help us with future questions, so if you have any questions you've been wanting to ask a home inspector leave a comment below or send me an email and we will get them answered on the website in the future!
Until the next time!