Caulk and grout will fail 100% of the time. With exposure to moisture, expansion/contraction and normal wear and tear, caulk and grout will crack, peel and split. Just like vegetation in contact with your home, failed caulk and grout are conducive conditions for wood destroying organisms. Ignoring an issue like this can cause significant and expensive damage to your home. However, it is very easily repaired. Take a couple hours caulking around sinks, tubs, toilets, backsplashes and windows (don't forget the caulk around windows, trim and joints on the exterior) and re-grout as needed before the home inspection and you can easliy avoid another "nit-picky" item on the report. Grab a couple of these and make the job even easier!
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Kevin, great tip! Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us!
I love nit-picky inspectors. I encourage a pre-listing inspection so it's addressed beforehand. When I represent buyers, we get to renegotiate. Stay nit-picky!
Tony & Darcy-Thanks for visiting! Your welcome.
Trunda-Will do. Since you encourage pre-listing inspections, have you seen Move-in-Certified? You may like it!
Educating the seller before hand and making cosmetic repairs before the home is marketed solves many of these problems.
All the best. keep on blogging.
Bill
Thank you for the valuable info!
Bill-Absolutely! Educating and managing expectations is crucial.
Dinah-You're very welcome.
That is good advice for a seller and as a buyer, I like nit-picky! These days, I woudn't even consider buying a property without an inspection. You inspectors are worth your weight in gold! :)
Thanks Libby!
I always suggest my sellers redo caulk and trim plants from the side of the house and make sure that all of the socket covers are covered in the house. These are easy to fix and will get you hit every time.
Kevin,
Great example of a simple item to fix that can prevent serious damage (think mold, wood rot, etc). An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!
Kevin,
I hope you have all your tips in one document that you can give to Realtors. I'm sure many of them would be greatly appreciative of such help. I know I would.
Jim-Absolutely!