A vacant home waiting for its next owner does not mean that everything in it will have to come to a halt since no one is using it. Worse, This leads to the home getting “sick”. By sick, we mean that it might develop certain undesirable conditions that might make it unsellable or hard-to-fix in order to be sold for the best offer.
Negligence is a common thing among homeowners who are only looking forward to getting their property sold without thinking of current situations of the different aspects of the house. As a home inspector, we look at properties that are vacant and have observed a few common things that homeowners do to them that make them gross.
If you are looking to sell your home, please keep your property healthy and avoid these common mistakes.
Do Not Turn off the Water Heater
Turning off the water heater will leave a great area in the home to be under 120 degrees. And in this temperature legionella bacteria will be able to breed and multiply. Legionella causes Legionnaires disease. Anyone who comes in contact with an “infected” home may be in danger including us, home inspectors, the owner, the agent, and any visitor who just wanted to take a look at the house and picture themselves in it, but instead gets sick from a minor negligence.
2. Do Not let the P-traps Dry Out
Truth is, the p-trap’s purpose is not to catch expensive jewelry or a fail-safe for any related accident. It is located below the sink for one reason. The purpose of the trap is for the “p” to be filled with water so that sewer gasses will not be able to enter the home. Worse comes to worst, the water evaporates, not only sewer gasses will come through but also insects and mice will have access to the home. While a very effective safety precaution, this is also for hygienic reasons.
If possible, stop by the house to run the sinks with the windows open, and if the house does not get winterized, pour some antifreeze down the drain.
3. Do Not Turn-off the HVAC Unit
Molds. Molds. Molds. They love stagnant and moist air. More often than not, if the air conditioning unit is not running, the humidity inside the house, especially in the kitchen cabinets, will get worse as nothing is moving the air around. If left unresolved, the house will leave the home smelling musty and gross. And this will be the condition that will welcome visitors in, not in a good way, of course. Leaving the HVAC on might be costly, if you think about it, well, you can stop by, perhaps, once every week to open the windows and air out the property.
4. Do Not Unplug the Refrigerator
Have you tried opening an empty fridge that’s been unplugged for a long time? Surely, by just thinking about it, three words will come into mind: smelly, gross, and moldy. The potential buyer won’t also know if it is working or not. Most homeowners, and even home inspectors, don’t move the fridge to plug it in, especially if the floors are not that nice. As much as the house needs proper temperature mitigation, a smaller enclosed area surely needs proper maintenance. Leave the fridge plugged in.
Avoid potential problems in your vacant homes by leaving it to negligence. It needs as much care now that it is vacant as when you were living in it. Don’t let it get sick. Your Home Inspector will do everything in his powers to ensure that the property is safe to live in by pointing out all the potential issues in it, and knows what to do to keep it pristine and perfect for its next residents. We at the DMD Home Inspector will make sure that all corners are covered and all edges are checked. We care for your home as much as we care for you.