At the beginning of the year we are reminded by many to “declutter and clean.”   With the cold, rainy winter we are having in Florida, we find ourselves at home more… with the extra time…we have time to address some home chores.  In this week’s blog, I report again on how to maintain your real estate investment, and the much needed routine maintenance on things around the home. I read an article from the  National Association of Realtors that addresses eight common fixes that show up in inspections reports… “fix now or fix later?”   Bob Vila’s article addresses 18 areas of your home you may not be cleaning…and should.

You may not be selling your home, but you do want to have it in its best shape, and keep it that way. You  don’t want to have to do a lot of repairs before you put your home on the market. Some items found in an inspection can make or break a sale,  particularly if the buyers are unsure about the items flagged in the report.  No home is perfect according to a NAR home inspection service person. The home inspection a visual review of the home’s structure and its key components, including the plumbing and electrical systems.  Higher cost replacement parts and systems may be used to renegotiate the sale price. So what are some of the things that you should be looking for in keeping you’re home  in good shape? A  home inspector will look for signs of structural issues. Even minor hairline cracks in the concrete slab or on the interior walls can set of an alarm. Inspectors will walk on the outside of your home, looking for cracks in the stucco.  Some electrical panels have been recalled because of fire hazards.  They include some of the “Challenger” brand boxes that were put in Black Diamond homes back in the 1980s and early 90s.  Inspectors will be looking for plumbing issues including leaks. Even small leaks can lead to a lot of damage.  They will check, of course the age of  home air conditioning and hot water systems. How old are they? How much life do they have left?  Inspectors will look for potential safety habits in a home  such as tripping hazards from cracks in the driveway or steps into the house or missing or loose handrails.   You need to replace your smoke detectors every 10 years.   Inspectors  will look on the outside of your home for drainage “washouts”  to see if the water from  sprinklers and/or rain is draining properly away from the house.  Too much water near foundation is not good.  Everything is fixable and none of the items that I mention today should be dealbreaker during a sale if owner has been proactive in maintenance.

link to full article:8 Common Home Inspection Issues- Fix Now or Later?

Bob Villa gives you some other ideas about 18 cleaning spots often neglected in your home. People can have areas of their homes they never even think about cleaning… places where dirt, dust and germs may be lurking. When was the last time you cleaned your shower curtain? Your kitchen trash can and its cabinet area.  Vila  includes information on vacuuming underneath and behind furniture, replacing refrigerator gaskets, periodic cleaning of refrigerator coils. Clean out dryer vents yearly.  Your remote controls and hand held devices can also harbor germs.  Clean: the tops of ceiling fans, window treatments, light switches, and shower curtains. —-If anyone has someone who will clean window treatments like our Levolors,  please let me know. It’s expensive to have them cleaned, but there are not many people who do this job, and I’m looking for someone.  

Link to full article: 18 Spots in Your Home You Probably N ever Clean—But Should – Bob Vila

I have cleaned out file cabinets, kitchen drawers,  tried a new product to clean the tile grout, donated a lot of Christmas decor and clothes…I much rather be riding my bike or golfing…hope this weather turns warmer soon.  

Last October I received a phone call from a Black Diamond resident who owns a village home concerned about homeowners insurance. He was able to get a four-point inspection and got affordable home insurance. Didn’t think much about it until in the last couple weeks,  I had someone come through who wanted to buy a home in Black Diamond,  but said if a  homes’s  roof is more than 20 years old,  that homeowner’s insurance was going to be close to $6000.  Again I didn’t think much about it,  and told him to do this that and the other thing …get a four-point inspection and check with several insurance agencies etc.  And then this week,  things got personal when we received our homeowner’s insurance bill.   It went from $3816.34 to $5346.31!

Our roof is 23 years old.   That is part of the reason, price is up,  but also building replacement costs are up.  (Good thing the house is worth more money.)   Our roof has never leaked,  why replace it to lower insurance costs?  We were told when we built, and Don Poss who replaces most of the tile roofs in Black Diamond still says tile roofs last 35-50 years.   Insurance companies do not view it that way!   So I decided to do some research this week,  and you will see that almost none of the village homes’ roofs,  have reached even 30 years before replacement.

A little history here of Black Diamond roofs…Some of the villages had problems when the homes were built… the roofer did not put steel in the valleys and the roofs leaked.  Many had roof repairs and that’s a bandage… because eventually the roof has had to be  replaced. You  will see I have gone through the  villages here starting with the oldest  to the newest, and you can see the ages of the home,  what was paid for a new roof.   Roof replacement costs have skyrocketed,  But why  do you replace your roof if it’s not leaking?   And of course,  our Black Diamond ARB rules cite that you cannot just put any roofing on your village house. If it’s in the villages that have tile roofs, you have to have a tile roof . Exceptions over the years have been made for Bent Tree who had cedar shake roofs and  Pinelake  because roofs were leaking and after active hurricanes like CHARLIE made roof tiles very expensive and unavailable.  So exceptions were made for those .two villages, and  they came up  with an acceptable asphalt shingle roof as a choice. 

Now today, when you look in Barton Creek,  I think some rules have been changed. There are tile roofs that have been replaced with tile, steel  (looks like tile) and a composite roof, all pretty pricey.   About three other village homes have been replaced with a steel roof that looks like tile. 

I think we have some major problems coming…  With real estate prices up,  home mortgages costs up, I read… Florida has three times the costs for homeowners insurance…resale sales of homes with older roofs are going to be hurt.   Our  ARB needs to rethink,   allowing the villages to choose a roof that is good looking, durable and may be not so expensive.  

I was told by my insurance company to shop for another insurance company would-be costly since it is like starting over…inspections would need to be done.  Instead,  I was told if I have a wind mitigation inspection,  it can lower the price of my insurance.  My inspection is scheduled for Wednesday- I will let you know.  Cost for inspection is $120.    My home was built in 2001 and in 2002 Florida roof specifications were changed and required 4 point wind mitigation construction.    So a home built after 2002,  should have the right wind mitigation specs.    I do not know, if a roof is not built  to the new 2002 standard code, if it can be remedied … I  emailed  a couple of builders,  but did not hear back. 

Another roof topic…colors!   Treyburn now has 4-5 colors instead of just terra cotta.  Barton Creek roof changes also make for  more than one color.  I think all look fine. One village color for all  …not necessary .  Choices with approval I think are good! 

If you have not had your roof inspected since you bought it, or built your home, a roof inspection to look for cracked/moved tiles and replacement of the broken tiles,  can help with preventing leaks and damage…furthering the life of your home’s roof.

By the way,  Homeowner’s insurance companies are not insuring homes with hot water heaters over 15 years old.

These roof change out  facts came up from the property appraiser’s office website for the most part.  Scary,  few to no homes’ roofs make it to even 30 years old!

They can do a wind mitigation

Anderson Inspection Matt Foster 352-346-4711

JD inspections Jamie DiLeo 352-634-5223

Home Inspection Services Dan Torres 352-220-4994

Southern Exposure Chris Ensign 352-302-6