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Common Problem on Bank Owned Properties or Vacant Short Sales: The Damaged Garage Door

By
Home Inspector with NICKELSEN HOME INSPECTIONS - Vancouver WA Home Inspector

Bent Garage Door

The proliferation of vacant homes in the last few years, due to foreclosure and shortsale (when vacant), has led to a subsequent proliferation in particular problems.  I could list dozens of issues that are more common on such properties, but one that I wanted to mention is "the damaged garage door".

General bank owned properties, HUD properties, Fanny or Freddy properties, etc. will be winterized after they are taken over, and many of the winterization companies or others involved in the property will put locks on the garage door tracks or if the door has a lock on it they will at best lock it and at worst lock it then put a pad lock on it.  Other "methods" include: using electrical wiring or a hanger in the track to "tie the door in place".  Regardless of the method, what these people are trying to do is keep the door from being opened, particularly if the door has a door opener.

But, then co

mes the showings... the garage door is impeded from use, but in many if not most cases the door opener will still be hooked up.  Buyer or Realtor (or various contractors, especially if it is a HUD property) comes along and "tests the door opener".

Garage Door Opener Chain Loose

Opps...

They didn't realize that the door was pad locked or otherwise locked...

At this point various things can happen:

1.  If the door is a very (very) basic metal door with no insulation (in other words, a cheap-o), the entire door can cave in.  Been there... done that... unfortunately...

2.  The door opener itself (the arm that is connected to the door) can rip off the door.

3.  The door can bend or buckle where it is conneted to the door opener.

4.  The chain can become loose or damaged.

5.  And a host of other issues...

6.  If not all of the above...


Which, again, has led to a proliferation of bent or cracked doors; damaged door openers; arms having pulled off the door; etc.Four years of this, and nobody has learned...

Solution:

If I was in charge of these properties, either as a realtor or other representative for the banks, I would do the following:

1.  If you are going to lock the door, be sure to UNPLUG the door opener!!!  This takes hardly any time, but could be all the difference.

Lock on Garage Door2.  Put up a small sign next to the door opener control, usually in the garage, that says "DO NOT OPERATE".

3.  Put blue tape over the button/control, making it clear that the person who see is should "think twice" about the prospect of operating it.

These very basic things could save the door/door opener...

And While  We are On It:

Another common problem is that the door will be locked when I arrive at the home inspection, but NO KEY IS TO BE FOUND.  The inspection comments on the home "as it exists on the day of the inspection".  It is unfortunate that some people are unable to have their garage door opener/door operation inspected during this important part of the buying process.  If people are going to lock these doors on such properties, they should have the courtesy of leaving the key in the kitchen drawer or something... 

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Nickelsen Home Inspection

If you or anyone you know is in need of professional home inspection services and structural pest inspection/pest and dry rot inspection services in NW Oregon or SW Washington, please consider referring them to us.  We cover the Gorge to the Coast, and Salem to Olympia, including Vancouver and Portland and much more.  


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--

Justin Nickelsen, CMI

Nickelsen Home Inspections, LLC

"A Conduit for Educated Real Estate Transactions"

Serving Oregon and Washington From the Mountains to the Coast

Professional Licenses, Memberships and Certificates

  • Certified Master Inspector (CMI) with the Master Inspector Certification Board
  • The American Society of Home Inspectors - ASHI Certified Inspector and Member #246145
  • The National Association of Home Inspectors - NAHI Member
  • The International Association of Certified Home Inspectors - InterNACHI #0073170
  • IAC2 Certified Indoor Air Consultant - IAC2-01-0235
  • Vice President of theOregonChapter of InterNACHI
  • Founding Member of SWWAHI - TheSW WashingtonAssociation of Home Inspectors
  • OregonLicensed Home Inspection Firm CCB# 172294
  • OregonCertified Home Inspector OCHI# 1173
  • WashingtonStateLicensed Home Inspector #415
  • Licensed and Certified StructuralPestInspector through the Washington State Department of Agriculture (71352)
  • Member of theWashingtonStatePestManagement Association
  • Passed the National Home Inspectors Examination
  • Second Generation Inspector
  • Annually Performing 450-550 Inspections/Thousands Performed in Career
  • Past Experience as a Contractor - All Phases of Residential Construction
  • Annually Maintaining Over 50 Hours of Continuing Education (twice the requirements of OR and WA)
  • Past Member of OAHI - TheOregonAssociation of Home Inspectors
  • Past Member of NWOCHI - The NWOregonAssociation of Certified Home Inspectors
  • Past Member of OREIA - TheOregonReal Estate Inspection Association
  • Specializations: Electronic Radon Measurement, Early 20th Century Properties, Early 1990's Properties, New Construction, Log Homes, Structural Pest Inspections (Termites/Carpenter Ants).
  • Advanced Skills: Oral and Written Communication, Advanced Reporting and Detailed Analysis.

Comments (2)

Ronald DiLalla
Century 21 Discovery DRE 01813824 - Anaheim, CA
No. Orange Cty Real Estate

Hi Justin, as you stated there are numerous problems in this area....I must say though, garage doors and openers have not been a major problem here in Southern California.

Feb 11, 2012 06:56 PM
Justin Nickelsen
NICKELSEN HOME INSPECTIONS - Vancouver WA Home Inspector - Vancouver, WA
CMI - (p 360.907.9648), Vancouver/Portland/WA/OR Home Inspector

I wouldn't say that this is something that the average joe or jill may notice.  The average realtor only needs to sell 10, 20 or 30 homes a year.  We inspect over 1250 per year, and I do over 500.  Any anomoloie or change is going to be noticeable to me because of the sheer number of homes we inspect, whereas a realtor may not notice it as much.  I wouldn't say it is a geographic issue either: California vs. Oregon or Washington.  It happens more because of the number of vacant repossessed homes.  The higher the number, the more opportunity for such issues to arise.  The other thing to consider is that this issue doesn't always lead to a door that "doesn't work", so it could have happened and have gone unnoticed unless it is being looked for (e.g., by a home inspector).

Feb 11, 2012 07:04 PM