Helpful information for Colorado Springs Home Buyers:

June 11th, 2008 ·

Colorado Springs Home Buyers generally hope to find a home that has been well maintained and is reasonably priced. The pricing side of the equation starts to become apparent after looking at several houses but the maintenance isn’t always quite as clear. In a mad dash to put the home on the market, home sellers will often try to make up for years of neglect in a few short weeks in order to put their best foot forward. Here is quick list of items to look for when viewing homes, items that might indicate there are some deferred maintenance issues. This doesn’t necessarily mean the home isn’t a good buy, it’s just more information to keep in mind while preparing your offer and at the time of inspection.

Chipping peeling or faded paint or stucco- This is usually apparent on the walk up to the house. If the seller didn’t attempt to mask this, I would definitely pay attention to the other items on this list.
Curling shingles on roof-Curled shingles (wood or composite) generally means the roof is old. In Colorado Springs, we do get a significant amount of hail, so it’s rare to see a roof reach a ripe old age. If the shingles are curled, chances are good there is some hail damage.
Poorly maintained Wood windows-Oldach wood windows were prevalent in Colorado Springs. Make sure to look for them Click Here for a quick explanation of Oldach Wood windows and why they are a problem.
Pine Needles in gutters-Many areas in the Pike’s Peak region feature Ponderosa Pines. These can be great big towering trees and add a lot of value to the property. They also shed a lot of needles, many ending up in a home’s gutters. This can create problems with the roof, fascia and gutters themselves but most of all point to what could perhaps be a general lack of maintenance.
Deck stained but not sanded-The intense sun and wide range of weather in our region make ongoing maintenance of wood decks a necessity. Seasonal maintenance consists of washing, sanding and staining. Sanding is only necessary when the wood fibers start to crack or separate. You can always tell when the home seller made a mad dash for the market. They generally stain over cracking and/or separating wood fibers. The stain tends to lay on top of the wood as opposed to soaking into it.
Furnace dirty or no service tags-The furnace is the least cosmetic but most telling place to look for signs of deferred maintenance. If the furnace has no recent service tags on the exterior or is covered with dust, you have a pretty good clue that the mechanical systems of this home have probably been neglected.
Dust in or on the heating vents and return air vents- This is another good clue as to the maintenance of the forced air natural gas furnace. If there is dust on the vents, chances are the filters weren’t changed on a regular basis. This means the furnace lower motor could have been place under a lot of stress. Something a home inspector will be able to advise you on.
Perimeter soils not grading away from the foundation-The soils around the foundation of your home should grade away from your foundation. At least in Colorado, we want to keep water away from the foundation of the home. This prevents any clay that might be around the foundation from expanding and potentially creating problems.
Window wells full of junk- Window wells should be clean and debris free. Additionally, fill soils should be 4″ to 6″ below the bottom of the window.
Broken Thermo-seals on dual paned Windows- Our extreme climatic changes can cause thermo-seals to fail on dual paned windows. Although this doesn’t really compromise the integrity of the window it will become an eyesore. You should look for moisture between the window panes in the early stages and a light white film in the later stages. The fix is simple, replacement of window glass and we have seeral contractors that can preform this procedure. Once again, not the end of the world, just one more thing to look for.