Hey all,

Yesterday I did an inspection on a 1991 two story home. It was a fairly expensive home that really wasn't taken care of very well by the current owners. The overall curb appeal and interior of the home seemed very inviting, however the closer I got, the more neglect I saw.

Fascia and trim boards rotting out and just painted over.
Rotted out window sills also just painted over.
Broken seals on windows. 
Original A/C Unit, Furnace and Water Heater.
The A/C units vents were damaged beyond recognition. All of the fins looked as though someone had taken a butter knife and flattened them all out.
Missing insulation on the condensor lines. 
The furnace and water heater were both barely hanging on to service the current residents.
Walking around the poured slab foundation I noticed gobs and gobs of silicone squished into fairly large cracks.
In testing the receptacles, 2 outlets were found with open grounds.
Up in the attic, the exhaust vents from the bathrooms were allowed to just lay on top of the insulation and exhaust into the attic instead of the roof.
The ridge vent was covered by the roofing paper down the entire seam making for very minimal ventilation.
The current owner had replaced all of the bathroom fixtures, and they looked very nice, however none of the drain pulls worked due to poor installation method.

The list goes on and on....and this home is ONLY 17 years old! 

It seems to me that a lot of people just move into a home, use it for all it is worth without maintaining anything. Then they decide to sell the home, they "slap some lipstick on a pig" and call it good to go. Then the Inspector comes in and notates all of the items that are in need of repair or replacement, and all of a sudden everyone is unhappy with the Inspector.???? I realize that it all comes with the territory, but if the seller of a home just took the time and the little bit of effort it takes to maintain the home,  1) It would certainly sell a lot faster and 2) would help avoid some of the emotional roller coaster effect that comes with selling a home. A properly maintained home is everyones dream, and a home in need of lots of work is everyones nightmare.

I am sure the seller would want the same courtesy in their new home. So take care of your home people. Properly maintain it and you will get more enjoyment out of your home, and come selling time, more money out of it, and less headaches at the closing table for doing so.