House Make Up
Hmm, what are they trying to hide? Unfortunately that's the first thing I also think of when I see a home
freshly painted. You can tell from the driveway that the home was 'normally' not taken care of so what else lurks beneath that fake freshness?
This is a great reason why a home inspection is of utmost importance. Do you really know what to look for? Get an inspector that does!
This post is from James Quarello in CT.
As every guy knows most women wear make up. And most every guy knows the process of applying said make up takes a bit of time. The whole routine of painting, checking and reapplying and rechecking, all very time consuming. Now I used the word painting, because in essence that is exactly what is going on. I have even heard the ladies refer to putting on make up as painting my face. When it comes to homes, painting gives everything a fresh clean look. Often the home is painted prior to sale. Like make up, paint can also be used to hide or soften imperfections.
As a Connecticut home inspector I really dislike a freshly painted home. My initial thought is;
What are they trying to hide?
A freshly painted basement hides most if not all the clues that the place annually floods with up to six inches of water. The interior ceilings now conceal their tell tale water stains. On the exterior, rot and water damage has been painted over, the paint now acting as an adhesive to hold the wood together.
These attempts to hide problems can be marginally successful. Since I know the paint is new, I just look closer and harder for clues. Sometimes the paint simply hides nothing. In fact it can bring attention to the problems. Take for example the exterior of a home I recently inspected. Nice fresh paint and plenty of evidence of deferred maintenance and wood decay in spite of the attempted cover up.
Actually I wasn't even the first one to notice, the buyers had seen some of the more obvious defects during their tour of the home. What they weren't prepared for was the depth of the problem. Water damage and decay to the exterior means the same is almost certainly present hidden behind the walls. The extent of the damage can not be gauged until the repairs begin.
Accepting these problems is a fairly big gamble to take. The repair costs can increase quickly, bankrupting a young couple's budget in short order. Even more troubling is the sellers clear attempts to deceive. I can think of nothing else that can erode a buyers confidence quicker than a dishonest seller. It begs the question, what else is being hidden and won't be discovered until we move in. That can't leave a buyer feeling very warm and fuzzy.
There are times when paint is just paint and other times it's lipstick on a pig.
James Quarello
Connecticut Home Inspector
2010 - 2011 SNEC-ASHI President
NRSB #8SS0022
JRV Home Inspection Services, LLC
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