We have a short rainy season here in San Diego which often causes havoc with our roofs. After eleven months of beautiful sunshine and some Santa Ana winds of up to 90 miles per hour, those roofs are just so tired that the first rainfall seems to expose every leak in every home, and it doesn't matter whether the home, or roof, is new or old.

My Clients know that they can call me first about any problem in their homes because I won't charge them $100 for the phone call. When I get that call about the roof leak, invariably all I have to do is pull up the report and find in it a picture similar to this one:

That's a downspout for the second-story roof terminating on the roof for the first story. All that does is wear out the roof covering under that downspout more rapidly from the force of water running out the downspout, and create roof leaks anywhere lower than that downspout.

My recommendation in the report is to extend second-story downspouts to the ground, or at least into a first-story gutter. But, hey, who ever follows recommendations in home inspection reports?

Guess who typically says this:

"It's been like that for 15 years and hasn't caused any problems, so you can just ignore that one."

Answer choices:
(a) Realtor
(b) Realtor
(c) Realtor
(d) Realtor

or this:

"Well, your home inspector must not know what he's talking about because this home was built by one of the best builders in the nation."

Answer choices:
(a) New construction builder's rep
(b) New construction builder's rep
(c) New construction builder's rep
(d) New construction builder's rep

 

Not responsible for advice not taken. 

Some of Russel's blog entries

1. There's that police guy! Hide!
2. Sometimes it's just a question of semantics and definitions
3. Don't worry. Thanksgiving is still a couple of months away.
4. Little Johnny! You stink!
5. Mommy! Mommy! Come Here! Come Here!
6. Winterizing homes in San Diego in September
7. How to tell if your landscape watering is too much
8. My first "Active Rain Success Day"
9. What the heck are they cooking?
10. You mean that little jar will hold all that water?
11. A true real estate nightmare affecting hundreds of people
12. Look! It's a field of... Grain? Cotton? Corn?
13. You mean our fine, feathered friends do that?
14. If the shower head isn't working, just turn up the water pressure
15. The Great Band in the Sky
16. I purposefully burned a bridge yesterday
17. What part of that don't you understand? (Reading 101, English 101, & Spanish 101)
18. If I trip just one more time, I'll have a baker's dozen
19. Out of sight, out of mind, skip the work, charge for it
20. "How much will it cost?" "$399 plus a $100 aggravation surcharge."
21. I'm so tall that some times I have problems seeing the ground
22. Inspired by Heroes (A Tale of 9/11)
23. In a home inspection, if the thing works, the thing works
24. What do you do when deceit is obvious?
25. Sometimes it really is that simple (electric again)
26. Sometimes it really is that simple (attic)
27. Did you put that on the disclosure form? "Oh, we forgot."