Seattle Real Estate:  Tips and advice on saving yourself some money from an emergency....

It is important to make sure and take every precaution to keep your house water tight, but in Seattle we need to be especially mindful of some pretty important home maintenance in order to protect our investments!  We actually do get a lot of blue skies here in Seattle along with our rain and it is important to take advantage of those lovely sunny days in order to keep our homes water tight... 

Guess what?  The rain is starting and the mist is working its way into the houses and ruining my beloved tomatoes...  I will move them indoors, but here is a good checklist for the house.  Get out there before we get any heavy rains and make sure to go over this list to protect your home! 

• Gutters!!!

• Roof

• Siding

• Windows/Doors

• Vegetation control

Gutters: Please, please, please - have your gutters cleaned and checked twice a year - or at the very least once a year. I, too, thought that the cascading waterfall over my front porch was quite beautiful when it was overflowing from my gutters, but those gutter systems are put on there for a reason!!!! I have a wonderful client (who shall remain nameless) who has finally learned the importance of gutter maintenance after the first two homes had issues as a result of bad gutter attention. One house had the basement flood and the second house had water flow over the top of the gutters right on to the fireplace exhaust and then straight down to his newly refinished hardwood floors (He put a protective flap over his fireplace vents in his next house.). If you don't want to go up there, hire someone, but gutters are almost as important as a roof in my opinion.

 Roof: Of course monitor it - make sure and have a licensed roofer check it once in a while. Look for missing shingles and look for moss. Moss is quite common around here and it starts to grow up under the shingles and causes them to fail after a while. Moss should definitely be cleaned and again, there are professionals that can do this!

Siding: Look for cracks in the siding or caulking spots that need re caulking. Make sure that the siding is properly stained or painted to avoid water exposure to untreated wood. If you are unsure, call in a professional contractor.

Windows/Doors: Obviously make sure they are properly functioning, but also check the water tight weather strip at the bottom and around the edges and make sure all the caulking around the exterior is intact or call a contractor in just to make sure if you aren't.

 Vegetation Control: Every single inspection I have been to calls out one thing: Make sure the plant life dirt are away from the house!!! Weed the perimeter and cut back the branches - it will cut back on water intrusion as well as have a positive effect on pest control.

Your home is your biggest investment! Seattle does get rain, but simple home checks once or twice a year can save you from costly deferred maintenance mistakes!!!

Are you interested in Seattle real estate?  Seattle Realtor?  realestate@cooperjacobs.com