I hear it all of the time. Buyers do not want a house that requires too much work. Many want to be able to turn the key, and walk right in. What a wonderful feeling! It lasts for a period of months or years-until something finally goes wrong. Welcome to home ownership.
My husband and I had very little trouble for the first 4 years that we owned our current 30-year-old home. When we purchased, we were told that the roof was 7 years old, the appliances were relatively new, and we would not have to stain the cedar siding for a few years. We were happy.
During the course of the past 6 months though, things have starting to go wrong. First, it was the roof. Only 11 years old, it began to leak over our screened porch. The roofer and adjuster found many places where there had been wind damage, so it had to be completely replaced. With 2 layers of shingles, we had a tear-off to deal with-which increased the replacement cost.
Next, the garage door opener stopped working at 15 years of age. The gentleman who installed the new opener said that the average life is 10 years, so that one had given 5 extra years of life.
Soon after the garage door gave up the ghost, our microwave literally blew up. It was a countertop model that had been mounted under the cabinet above the stove by the previous homeowner. Evidently, that proved to be a bad idea when the heat from the stove melted something in the microwave.There was black smoke and there were toxic fumes all over the house.
With all of those repairs made, we were home free-or were we? This week, we actually found out that our central air is on its last leg:( The furnace is fine, but the AC has passed its 10-year useful life. It has a refrigerant leak and needs to be replaced.That will definitely delay our plans to have the house stained.
Even if you start out with a brand new home, things are bound to happen. Over time, applicances will fail, water heaters will need to be replaced, HVAC systems will get worn out, and damage will have to be repaired. Home ownership is definitely not for wimps.
Dawn Isenhower
Realtor
Coldwell Banker West Shell
Milford Office
office: 513-831-8001
cell: 513-236-1254
Comments(1)