Don Quixote rides again. I usually do my best to stay off my high horse---but this is a recurring theme and one that seems to be happening more often as more people get in trouble with their mortgages and banks take possession of the properties.
The problem?
Winterization.
Winterization is the process of turning off all the utilities and draining the water pipes in the home (theoretically). I am baffled by this practice----it is akin to withholding food and water from a person in solitary confinement. I know, some would say it is a bit of a stretch to compare a human being (no matter what they have done) to a house----but I will stick with the metaphor.
At a recent inspection we were given permission to turn the water back on. There was an obvious leak under the kitchen sink and we had to immediately turn the water back off which prevented further evaluation of functional aspects of the plumbing---including drainage.
To winterize a home in any climate can be problematic, and I am hoping some of the inspectors here in the Rain from warmer areas of the country will chime in with the adverse effects of winterizing homes in their areas.
In colder climates, leaving the house unheated can do tremendous amounts of damage. Heated air holds much more moisture than cold air, couple this with people coming and going in the house or moving the air around through the heating system or with exhaust fans, there is less opportunity for moisture to find cold surfaces to condense on. (There are many situations where this can still happen---but when you don’t heat the house you can guarantee it.) Now let’s take the home and turn off all the utilities, close up all the doors and windows and say, “see you later.” Moisture is always moving into homes from the ground and the air inside the home will equilibrate with whatever the humidity is outdoors. This moisture tends to condense out of the air on the first cold surface it finds (because there is no warm air to hold it). These cold surfaces tend to be the windows and drywall of the home making these surfaces prone to mold and other fungal growth-----kind of like an empty refrigerator. We all know how nasty an empty refrigerator can get.
So let’s come back to why winterization happens. In a word: $Money.$
As Mr. Rogers might have said, “Can you say, ‘short-sighted?’”
Winterization is actually a euphemism for, “F*%# you house!” So, unless the house is going to be bulldozed, it makes far more economic sense to pay what it takes to keep your “investment” valuable. The amount of money saved by turning off the utilities will almost always make the home less valuable in the long run----not to mention less marketable. There is nothing like showing your buyer the inside of a refrigerator----everyone just can’t wait to get the heck out of there----and go have coffee at the one with the open house.
It is easy to understand when a homeowner has been pushed out onto the street due to loss of their job that they would not be able to maintain the utilities. When banks do it they become a part of the problem as opposed to part of the solution. Some would argue that they have always been part of the problem.
Charles Buell
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You have a great point. Empty homes can smell so bad, and even worse...Dinah Lee
Hi Dinah, sometimes walking into these closed up homes is like walking into a giant refrigerator.
Homes on death row...what a great blog entry....forget the winterization--I see homes that are on death row a lot...almost beyond repair.......a lot of vision needed in some cases.
Amanda----really good point, there are all sorts of causes that get homes on Death Row----Winterization is but one of them. Even 20/20 "vision" isn't enough for some of these:)
Here in Atlanta, GA vacant homes are winterized too. I didn't realize the damage it could do. Thanks for the heads up!
Jen, stay tuned---I hope that some of the inspectors in the Southern humid states will chime in here. I would be very surprised if the same sort of problems wouldn't also occur in you area. Trapped moisture is not very often a good thing----unless it is your cup of coffee:)
Charles, Nice. Great reminder, I hate the winterized homes as well.
It is hard to do an inspection if you can't inspect things.
Jim, and yet we are expected to:) It goes right along with our being able to see through walls etc.
I have always thought this was a really stupid idea. Yet, bank owned properties continue to pay for this service all the time, then spend more money to repairs needed by the error of their thinking.
I am not an accountant but I sure would like to know how this pencils out for them.
I've got one I'm inspecting on Thursday. I can't wait to see what kind of fun I'm going to have there. You know you're in trouble when they ask you to be around before the services are turn back on. In case there are any leaks they said.
Suesan----sounds like some good blog fodder. I had one a week ago that I had booked a month earlier due to problems getting the utilities turned on. The day of the inspection the electrical utility refused to power up the service due to obvious deficiencies and when the water was turned on when I got there the leak picture above was found under the kitchen sink. So in the end I could inspect the function of almost nothing: furnace, drains, sinks, water heater, toilets, appliances, receptacles, lights----didn't leave too much left except starting up the bulldozer:)
Mr Charles,
Your double standard is showing. You had little concern when this squirrel being was wasting away in a jail cell with no walnuts.
Very kindly,
Croakster
Nutsy----I guess you are finally starting to understand how I feel about squirrels:)
Croakster, you have no idea how long I have been waiting to use that word:) (sounds like the name of band or something----or maybe the way a porcupine celebrates)
Charles - I always thought it seemed odd to turn off things. I understand the idea of saving money, but in the humid summer of San Antonio, some of these homes will wind up with bigger bills in the end.
This is an all too common problem with bank owned properties. The majority of the time they refuse to turn utilities on for inspection purposes which in turn helps to make the property even less valuable. But whoever said that the powers that be at these lending institutions were good business people. Just look at the current state of the housing market that we have in this country...need I say more?
I'll chime in with a little bit of "how the listing agent sees this." We are supposed to have the power on in most homes if we have the listing. And we try but you can't believe how long it takes for us to get reimbursed for paying all the utility bills. It is easier for us to leave the house cold, winterize it and have less money invested. It becomes expensive.
If I were you, an inspector, I'd say when all the utilities are on and the house is dewinterized I'll do the inspection. You shouldn't be expected to dewinterize.
Matt especially the longer the house is left "winterized"
Jim, you will get nothing but agreement from me:)
Barbara, that is the way I do it. Occasionally I will have a buyer that is willing to have it done with the utilities off but that is usually only when extensive remodeling is planned and we know the systems need replacement anyway. On those they are usually just looking for major structural issues.
Charles, good points. Yes, we do winterize houses here in our area too. With so many foreclosures on the market, it gets too expensive to heat them...
Your building consultant for life in Nashville, TN ~ Michael
Charles, same problem here. because of the great differential tempertures from day to night here in El Paso, it does put extreme stress on the houses.
~ Life is Good
Mr Charles,
You are not yet understanding how I feel about not being paid for my services.
Michael, are you seeing harm to the homes as a result of winterizing?
Roy---I kind of figured that would be the case.
Nutsy---I see the mange is back:)
Wow! Banks part of the problem? Are you sure?
I see this a lot since investment properties, repos, tax sales, etc. are the major part of my business. I've come to one conclusion that I'm sure of, "They don't care". Banks need a quick course in Asset Management.
Jack---you can "bank" on it:)
I "so" agree! Add that to the bank's changing the locks arbitrarily, thus locking up my lock box, so we can't get back in easily ... what a mess.
And one has to love the "winterized" home where everyone continues to use the toilets .... ugh
Gay----yes the toilets----lets don't go there:)
Winterizing is a common practice in Kentucky, too.
This part of the country is cold and dry in the winter, and hot and humid in the summer. Unoccupied housed rot, literally.
Charles, you're preaching to the choir here. Maybe this post should have been entitled something about lenders and realtors shouldn't bother reading this. Maybe, then, it would get the lenders attention.
Andrew----the right readers often don't have access to the best information:)
Charlie - while representing relocation companies I have done my share of winterizing. The bills for winterizing can be as costly as the utility bill itself. I believe you are right about what winterization does for marketability. However, on the flip side - the chance that pipes could burst is a greater risk. These decisions are made based on a risk management theory.
Carol, have you heard about these companies that actually find people to rent these places to keep them livable until they are sold?
We bought a house that had been closed up for 4 years. No water on, (on a well), septic unused, no heat on. It was out in the country and lots of little critters had taken up residence. We worked on it for 5 months while we lived in town. I told the hubs the first little critter that decided he wanted to "come in from the cold, to his old home", I would be returning to town. lived there 3 years, and not a single one came back... inside.... they loved the garden shed!
Cheryl, most of the time if you make the house so they can't easily get in they will find a home elsewhere----who can complain about a good garden shed:)
I think you're right on target with this assessment of bank owned properties and weatherization. Myopic vision is the way banks look at their investments. Live for today and don't worry about tomorrow.