HouseMaster survey educates home buyers, sellers

Aimee Dixon Plumlee, co-owner of Springfield's HouseMaster, 1918 S. Ingram Mill Road, said the tool will help people determine the probability that their roofs, electrical systems, structural components, heating and cooling systems, plumbing, insulation or water heaters might need to be replaced or repaired.

The survey uses information gathered from more than 2,000 home inspections throughout North America. Customers plug in their home's age and the survey will show them whether they had need to budget a few thousand dollars for something like a new roof or furnace.

For example, homes that are 13 to 29 years old need their boilers repaired or replaced nearly 60 percent of the time, according to the survey. For homes 12 years old and newer, according to the survey, more than 22 percent of homeowners reported water seepage and drainage issues - the most common problem for homes in that age group. The survey suggests adding a sump pump or pit to alleviate such problems.

Not surprisingly, homes older than 30 years were those with the most suggested repairs, for problems with roofing, heating, cooling, inadequate insulation and electrical systems.

“The fact is, most mechanical items in your home are not designed to last for 30 or 40 years,” Plumlee said. “Even a five-year-old home, it's not new and things are into their service life.”

Don Jacques, owner/broker of The Jacques Co. real estate firm, 3003 E. Chestnut Expressway, cautioned against making blanket assumptions about a home's condition based on its age. He said a “common-sense approach” is best, and that every house is unique.

Last summer he had to replace an eight-year-old air conditioner on a rental property while 18 identical units at identical properties on the same street - Roanoke Avenue - kept humming along.

Meanwhile, he said, “I've got some rent houses with old, old, old furnaces in them that are still working fine.”

He said any home older than 10 years should be looked at carefully and that 90 percent of homes have minor defects, such as a faulty electrical outlet, but only about 20 percent of homes require major repairs.

“It's just dangerous to put a flat timeline on it,” he said.

Dixon Plumlee agrees that every home is distinctive and said that the corporately developed survey is merely an educational amenity meant to draw people to the HouseMaster Web site, www.housemaster.com.

“This would in no way replace any kind of a home inspection because every single home is totally different,” she said.

HouseMaster has franchises in more than 370 cities in North America. Each location is independently owned.

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