Solano Real Estate Scene: Fix leaks as soon as they appear

Solano Real Estate Scene: Jim Porter

Article By: Jim Porter – January 27, 2023

The rain totals for January, February and March of 2022 were the lowest in 100 years. These past 30 days of rain and snow was a huge relief for California, however water can be a home’s worst enemy.

Protecting your home from water damage is important because dry rot is not covered by homeowner’s insurance. Dry rot happens when wood gets wet and stays wet and only gets worse over time. I have seen a structural pest inspection where a tiny leak under a sink caused thousands of dollars of damage because the tiny leak was ignored for several years.

The key to protecting your house is waterproofing your property with paint, maintaining your roof and gutters, and making sure the rainwater drains away from your home. This is especially important when you have a raised foundation and a crawl space.

I guess it might sound silly to mention this and obvious, but correcting leaks under sinks, dishwashers, toilets, bathtubs and washing machines as soon as possible will save you thousands of dollars down the road and protect your family from potential health hazards from mold and mildew.

Most of the time rotted wood on exterior decks and roof rafters is visible and obvious, but just ask any experienced Realtor and they will tell you a story or two about dry rot simply painted over or a roof that looks watertight with plenty of life left in it only to find water damage and rotted wood under the shingles.

One of the benefits of this current market in comparison to the frenzied seller’s market in 2020 and 2021 where buyers were willing to buy houses as-is with no inspections, is today, in most cases, a seller will accept an offer giving the buyer 14 to 21 days to do any inspections the buyer wants to have done.

Great Realtors have lists of reputable inspectors and encourage buyers to have inspections.

Other than probate sales and bank-owned foreclosed properties, sellers and Realtors are obligated by law to disclose any known defects about the property.

Let’s celebrate this much-needed rain and snow and enjoy our lake levels coming back up for our summertime swimming and boating, but let’s stay out of water trouble by routinely inspecting and maintaining our homes.

Jim Porter, NMLS No. 276412, is the branch manager of Solano Mortgage, NMLS No. 1515497, a division of American Pacific Mortgage Corporation, NMLS No. 1850, licensed in California by the Department of Financial Protection and Innovation under the CRMLA / Equal Housing Opportunity. Jim can be reached at 707-449-4777.