Your Exceptional Life

Last night I had a dream. An old friend of mine had been signed to play as quarterback in the NFL. In the dream, the friend was the first woman to play in the NFL. I remembered that she cried when she got hurt. I hoped that she wouldn’t cry on tv the first time they hit her. We decided to throw her a surprise party to celebrate her success. A few of us would go to her house and decorate it and have a caterer etc. I got to her place, which was a flat in San Francisco and it was flooded; about three feet deep inside. As I stood there trying to figure out what to do, her cleaning staff showed up and said “Oh yeah, this happens all the time”. In my dream, I put on my Realtor cap and starting ticking off in my head the things that could cause it and the things that were probably messed up because of it.

And then I woke up.

Some folks don’t get to wake up. Some should. There are things that we can do to protect our investment, but a lot of people are just sleeping. The two worst enemies of property are infestations and water. The longer an owner sleeps, the worse the problem becomes. I will recount the story of the owner that didn’t want to spend the $30 a month for the termite control company. They lived in an area that was full of termites and the little buggers took over the untreated house. It cost him a lot more than $30 a month to correct the damage when he was ready to sell.

The little vermin like softened wood. The fastest way to soften your wood for them is to allow water issues to go unchecked. That causes two issues. First that will rot the wood and secondly it allows the pests to gain a foothold in the property. Ignoring those two issues cost the woman who sold my house to me a lot of money. She could have saved that money with a little investment up front.

Be sure your caulking is tight and in good repair. Be sure your pipes and faucets aren’t leaking. Caulk holes on the exterior of the property. Keep in mind that these will sometimes open with settling. Be sure the toilets are sealed properly. Be sure that shower is draining properly and that water isn’t spilling out onto the floor when the shower is in use. Make sure that water drains away from your property during rainfall. Make sure your vents are clear and secure.

Little things dealt with along the way can save you a lot when it’s time to put the house on the market.