Key to Home Maintenance

One of the first things I notice when I go out to evaluate a property for a client is whether or not the home has gutters.  If gutters are present, functioning, and kept free of debris; I can feel fairly confident that there are going to be very few issues found on the home inspection. Conversely, if gutters are not present and functioning then chances are that the home inspection will reveal many costly issues.  I have listed and sold many homes in a particular neighborhood where the builder chose not to install gutters as a standard feature and the subsequent buyers also did not see the need to do so.  Every single home without gutters has an issue at the french doors leading to the back deck.  Rain water pours off of roof and splashes off of the deck back against the doors. This causes rot and and subsequent water intrusion which can cause damage to the sill, subfloor, etc. Please spend the money to have gutters installed on your home. Doing so will save you a lot of heartache in the end.