Repair now. Sell later.
A friend asked for a referral to repair 2 bathroom ceilings which led into a discussion of why the ceiling was peeling in the first place. And also why it should be repaired the right way now.
After seeing the photo below I asked:
Does everyone using the showers run the fans? (yes)
Do you know if the exhaust fan is venting to outside? (vents to attic)
Does it have sufficient draw? (fans are not very powerful, so probably not)
Along with the peeling ceiling plaster, see the rust on the combo light/fan? This is why I asked about ventilation. I suggested before repairing the plaster, that she replace the fans and have them vented outside the home versus the attic.
Bathroom Ceiling
I am not a licensed home inspector, building expert or code specialist, but I can say from experience that home inspectors look for ventilation problems and in particular they look for any bathroom or dryer vents that are not directed outside. Inspectors are looking for these problems because any excess moisture in the air could lead to a possible mold problem.
Venting into an attic seems to be pretty common - I don’t have facts & figures, but seriously this comes up in more home inspections than I can count. Usually the home seller responds “It has always been that way, why should I repair it now.” Often the seller agrees to having “possible mold” treated but doesn’t address the ventilation. This leaves the underlying problem in the hands of the buyer after purchase - and hope they remember to fix it because it is easy to say “we’ll get around to it eventually.”
My friend said “We probably aren’t selling for 5-7 years,” at which I responded, of course, but there is already a visible problem and this will come up then. Better to fix the ventilation now for your own safety - no one wants to find mold in the attic.
Bottom line: Make the proper repairs when they are discovered. It doesn’t matter if this is long before you are selling your home.
Which leads me to ask, what home or real estate questions do you have? Ask me anything!
