Do you obsess, just a little, about that crack in your kitchen drywall, the one that looks harmless, but increases to the size of a giant sinkhole in your imagination? What about those tiny droplets of water around the base of your bathroom sink? Do they converge into a gurgling river when you dream about them in the middle of the night? Are you fearful that dozens of leaves are clogging up your gutters and damaging your roof — but too afraid to actually look?
Rather than disregarding these telltale signs, take action. Preventive maintenance — in both visible and invisible places — can keep expensive disasters off a homeowner’s to-do list, saving money for the improvements that enhance your home.
Does deferred maintainance effect value? Contact the appraisers at www.scappraisals.com for your value questions.
Cracking Up
Foundation cracks aren’t necessarily the harbinger of financial doom, he says. “Concrete will harden and will crack. There is typical shrinkage as concrete cures, so you can get cracks in concrete in the crawl space or basement.”
The rule of thumb: If a crack is a quarter-inch wide or wider, then there’s concern.
Inside the home, drywall can crack as well.
“A drywall crack that starts at any corner of a window or the upper corner of any door, at about a 45-degree angle, indicates settlement in the home,” Fenimore says. “Some settlement is normal, but if you have several of these cracks, that could be a concern and should be addressed by a qualified structural engineer.”
Read more: Home nightmares: What you should really worry about, and fix, now – The Denver Post http://www.denverpost.com/athome/ci_22965983/home-nightmares-what-you-should-really-worry-about#ixzz2PhoVTuOe
Green Real Estate Appraiser 