Chapter Five

     Most roofs are now made with asphalt shingles. The advantage of this material is that it can be patched when a leak occurs and is relatively inexpensive.  Some owners take full advantage of the fact that you can layer a new asphalt roof over an existing one instead spending the money to have the old one removed.   Be wary of this possibility because a roof with a number of layers is not going to be as durable as one that has been properly replaced since it is now taking on more weight than it should.   Look for a waviness to the roof which can indicate a build-up of layers.   A wavy roof can also be a sign of excessive moisture or rotting.

     One of the main causes of leaking roofs is that the flashing has failed.  The flashing is material that is preventing water seepage in the area where the chimney meets the roof.  It can sometimes  be punctured or torn due to old age and corrosion.     

     Home inspectors often do their roof inspections using binoculars, but even with the naked eye you should be able to see if the ridge of the roof is straight.   The ridge is the very peak of the roof and should not be swaying or sagging.   A sagging ridge can mean a cracked or rotted ridge beam.   Also look for lifted or missing shingles. This can indicate old age or poor maintenance.

    Always ask the seller or broker the age of the roof.   If  the roof is the original one on a home that is 20 years or more, this is something to take note of.   The life expectancy of an asphalt roof is usually 20-25 years.   It could last longer depending on climate and maintenance, but these numbers are guidelines that manufacturers use when talking about their warranties.

    When you are inside of the house you should check the ceiling areas for any signs of water damage.   Water marked ceilings can indicate that the roof has been leaking.  The exception to this is, obviously, a room that is located under a bathroom.  In that case, the water marks could be from an overflowing tub. 

                                                                                                             A typical asphalt roof with several attic vents

Water Drainage

    Water should not be allowed to run wherever it wants to on a property.   It should always be directed away from the house. This is usually accomplished with the installation of gutters and vertical downspouts.   The idea is to catch rainwater from the roof and lead it away from the home preventing  water from seeping into the foundation and causing a damp basement.  

    Guttering can be thought of as a necessary evil.  It is not particularly attractive and requires a certain amount of maintenance.  It is a natural collection area for  leaves, twigs and pine needles and should be cleaned out regularly.  This process can be helped by covering the gutters with removable screens or caps which can be popped off when necessary and run through with a garden hose. 

     Most of the gutters installed on homes are galvanized steel or bare aluminum which need to be painted to match the home.  There are also aluminum with factory baked enamel paint and vinyl gutters.  Vinyl gutters can become brittle in the cold weather but require very little maintenance. 

     Sometimes a home has natural drainage due to the slope and contours of the land. In this case, gutters and downspouts may not be necessary.  If you are looking at a home without  gutters, check the natural grading of the property to ensure that any water problems are being directed away from the structure.

    The most common problem with gutters is their installation and maintenance. When viewing homes, take note as to whether downspouts are neat, trim and securely fastened to the house and whether they seem to be performing their desired function.  If they are bent, sagging or not aiming the water away from the structure, they are in need of repair.

Downspout needs a diverter to send water away from the structure.

Exterior Doors

    The most common doors are solid wood, steel and fiberglass and all can suffer from warping, splitting and scratches from the family pet.  It is also important to note whether or not the door closes properly.  If it does not,  this is an indication of a problem with the frame.  It could also be a house settlement issue or the actual door may be warped or expanded from the weather. 

    Steel doors have  magnetic stripping around them.  Sometimes the stripping can be partially ripped out from wear and tear.  Check the bottom portion of a steel door.  It can be rusted from the rain or from having salt poured onto the front step.  

    Fiberglass doors can become faded from being exposed to too much sunlight.  They can also suffer from the same warping problem as wooden doors.

    Storm doors should be checked for some of the same problems as previously mentioned.  Additionally, the damper arm, which is a cylinder-like item that causes the door to close slowly, can be bent or ripped out of the door frame.  Make sure that this mechanism is in good condition and securely attached.  

Windows

    As you walk around the house the most obvious window problems are broken or missing panes of glass.   These should be repaired by the seller as part of the negotiations following your home inspection.   It is also important to inspect the wooden frames around the windows to check for rot or to see if painting is needed.  

    From inside the home, look at the window sills to check for chipped and cracked paint.  This is important, particularly in an older home.   If the home was built prior to 1978 there is a possibility that lead paint is present.  If you are looking at an older home and the sills are chipped, blistering and flaking,  you can almost be certain that there is lead paint.   If the sellers have done extensive renovations, including stripping, refinishing and installing replacement windows, this becomes less of a probability.  However, if they are stating that there is no lead paint in the house due to renovations, ask for a "Lead Paint Letter of Compliance."   This is a legal letter that states that either there are no lead paint hazards or that the home has been deleaded.  It must be signed and dated by a licensed lead paint risk assessor.

    Other considerations when looking at windows are whether or not they open and close easily.  Double-hung windows often have a pulley, rope and weight mechanism.  Many times these are not in good condition in an older home since the owner may have painted over them a number of times, thus reducing their functionality.  

    A single pane of glass would not be energy efficient in summer or winter.  Because of this, most homes have double pane glass windows with a vacuum seal between each pane.   Eventually, the insulation barrier is lost.   You can tell that a window has lost its seal from the visual affect of moisture between the panes.   These panes must be replaced to regain their functionality as well as to be aesthetically pleasing. 

Vinyl Siding

    Home improvement companies sell aluminum siding with the promise that it will never need painting.  Although it comes with paint bonded onto it, many owners eventually feel the need to  repaint.   This does not negate the fact that it is is low maintenance when compared to clapboard or other wood siding.  One of its features is the ability to keep a house cool in the summer by bouncing back the sun's heat rays.  The siding is usually sold in a thin (.19 inch) and a thick (.24 inch) version;  the thicker be able to hold up better under normal wear and tear.    

    While vinyl siding has the potential of developing holes in its surface, aluminum's biggest concern is with denting.   When dents occur,  paint can come off revealing the bare metal underneath.   If the dent is deep, there is often rust which needs to be sanded and repainted.

   Other things to watch for are scratches and rusted nails

Clapboard

    The word "clapboard" got its name from the Dutch word klappen, which means "to split".  This was due to the fact that it was originally hand-split from logs of white pine, hemlock or cypress.  Clapboard is the thin, overlapping wood planks that are installed on the outside walls of the house to protect it from the weather.  Along with  protection it also adds beauty to the exterior of the home.   

      Clapboard is always painted, not only for appearance, but to protect the wood from the weather.  Because of this, it is important to take note of the condition of the paint.   If the paint has worn away sufficiently to expose parts of the wood it will soon result in rotting.   Mold and mildew can be a problem as well if the siding has not been maintained by an occasional power wash.   

     Clapboard siding has a natural beauty that many people prefer.   It's just important to keep in mind that it should be painted every 5 to 7 years.

    Shingles and shakes are highly durable. When they are installed properly they can last the life of the house. They are usually made from western red cedar.

Composite Siding

    Composite siding was made from shredded wood, sawdust and pulp mixtures turned into hardboard or various combinations of these glued together with cement.    

    During the real estate boom of the eighty's a number of contractors experimented with the use of these synthetic building products and they were were doomed to fail.   They tended to rot prematurely, swell, grow mildew and fungus and buckle or warp.   Some of these sidings originally came with 20 year guaranties but experienced deterioration after the first few years.

    There have been over 11 nationwide class-action lawsuits involving these products with companies including Georgia-Pacific Hardboard, Abitibi-Price and Jefferson Smurfit.  A number of the suits have been settled, including a class action suit against Masonite Corporation which manufactured a hardboard siding that the court found was defective.  

     The Masonite hardboard was a product made from wood fiber, wax and resins.  It was designed to look like conventional lumber siding or clapboard.  Since most of the installations were done in the early eighty's, any Masonite siding that is still in existence, at this point, is usually identifying itself through buckling and discoloration.  

      It is not always easy to recognize composite siding, except for the damage that has occurred.  It is a pulp product that is usually held together with glue and sometimes finished with a shiny coat.  At first glance,  the siding will look quite normal but if it has been exposed to a number of years of weather it will exhibit a lot of breakage.    

    A good reason to do a property "drive-by" is to examine the environment surrounding the home. A home that looks great on a listing sheet may very well be across-the-street from an eyesore.  

    How close are the houses on either side?  Do the neighbors have old cars, boats or RV's stored in their yards? Some of these things can reduce the value of the neighborhood, and, ultimately, your property.   Once you have moved into the neighborhood you won't have much power to change the overall image of it so know that your first impression is critical. It will tell you what you think of the area and how comfortable you will be living there.

    Traditionally, neighborhoods contain houses that are similar in age, size and value.   If you are buying a large four bedroom colonial, you do not want it to be in a neighborhood of small capes and ranches.  Being the biggest house on the street can have a negative impact on how well a home will retain and appreciate its value.   It is always better to have homes surrounding you that are similar or better than yours since part of a home's value is judged by its location.

     One of the reasons developments are so popular is that they provide some control over the issue of  property value.   Since all of the homes in a development are usually built by the same builder, their sizes, styles and ages will be somewhat uniform.  Additionally, people living in them will, generally, be of the same social and economic status.  These factors give a noticeable impression of unity and stability and help to preserve the resale value of  homes.  

     Cul-de-sacs, slower traffic flow and safe areas for children are also aspects that contribute to keeping property values high. 

      In contrast to suburbia, urban neighborhoods are often not the result of planning, but of on-going growth.   People who place a high value on convenience are often willing to contend with some of its disadvantages.  These include lack of parking,  traffic congestion, and a smaller supply of  housing.  That having been said, for many people, life in a city is far superior to that of the suburbs.   There is less isolation, a faster-moving pace and greater access to cultural events. 

      Unlike the suburbs, there is greater diversity in an urban neighborhood.  People from different backgrounds, ethnicity and earning power often live in the same block creating a more homogeneous environment than their suburban counterparts.  In a city,  property values are based more on the actual structure and physical attributes of the home as well as the part of town you are located in.     

      If you choose to invest in an urban dwelling, there should be no shortage of buyers when it is time to sell.   There will always be those who thrive in the exciting atmosphere that a city can offer and who also desire a shorter commute to work.

                      Curb Appeal

     Have you ever read the words on a listing sheet "not a drive-by?"  This means that the home does not look good from the street, or, otherwise has no curb appeal.   An example of this was an unusual  house that I showed to a client.   The side of the house, rather than the front,  was facing the street.    Although, once inside, it was long and spacious, from the street it looked like a small bungalow.  This fact made it necessary to  for the owner to compensate for its obvious lack of curb appeal and lower the price. 

       If you have the ability to look past the obvious, you may be able to pick up a bargain.  Most people cannot see past a property's initial shortcomings.  If the landscaping has been neglected or the house needs a coat of paint, many home buyers will not even go inside.   Having the ability to visualize beauty in a distressed property is a valuable gift.   If you are also handy and able to make your own repairs, you may be greatly rewarded for having had an early vision of the finished product.

     Typically, the first impression a property makes is crucial to its resale value.  There must be plants, bushes, and landscaping details to enhance the appearance of the home.  The driveway  needs to be in good condition,  presenting a pleasant entrance.  If the house does not look good from the street, most buyers will just keep driving.