Stained for Life

As a home inspector when we see stains on a ceiling it usually is a sign of past or present moisture intrusion, and in most cases it is hard for a home inspector to know if the stain existed before repairs. When a home inspectors sees a stain on the ceiling he will have to report it, and this can possibly delay closing until the problem is worked out. The problem with moisture stains is even after you re-paint they will bleed trough, unless you seal the area before you paint. When a client is selling their house, they should have a pre-listing inspection, so they will know what issues to address that could possibly be a red flag for the buyer’s inspector. The cost for the pre-listing inspection is well worth it because of all the problems it can eliminate.
Here is a good example of water stain problems:

The Client Wrote:

We have lived in our present house since it was built and have always taken good care of it. If there was ever a problem, we took care of it right away. We wanted to keep up the regular maintenance, so we can keep the value of our house up as high as possible.

About three years ago during the rainy season, we noticed water beading up on the ceiling in our dining room. We called some roofers the next day. After three estimates and lots of advice, we decided to replace the failed flashing that caused the leak, and to completely replace the now 20-year-old roof. We hoped the leak problem was solved for good. After three years and numerous spells of rain, we never noticed another leak.

Now we have our house up for sale. The stain on the ceiling from the leak long ago still shines through the mutable coats of paint we used to try to cover it up.



My Reply:

As I always say, if you have major work done that comes with a warranty, make sure that you can transfer it to another owner. A three-year-old roof is a good selling point, especially in your part of the country.

As for your stain, this is a commonly asked question. Your local paint store can help you with the products just for this problem. These products paint on like a primer, but unlike an ordinary paint, it will kill the stain forever. After this stain-killer primer dries, you can paint over it with your ceiling paint and the stain will not come back to haunt you.