Houston newcomers need to know a few things when buying a stucco home
When buying a home, it is of utmost importance to have the properly inspected. This gives home buyers the most accurate assessment of a property’s condition, as well as making them aware of any issues that might exist and need to be addressed.
In the Houston area, the most customary inspections include mechanical, structural, electrical, plumbing, and wood-destroying insects. But, based on the specific features of a property, additional inspections might be warranted.
One of the most common is a stucco inspection, since the use of stucco as an exterior building material is very prevalent in Houston.
So, while stucco homes are very popular, it’s also important to understand the problems that can arise.
David M. Young is a broker associate with Douglas Elliman Real Estate, and he said that he often gets a lot of questions and concerns about stucco from people who are relocating to Houston. This is because they might only be here for a few years, and reselling the property is especially important.
“Relocation buyers have heard that stucco can have issues. So, the first concern is whether there could be a problem that they don’t know about that could cost them a lot of money. Then, the second is whether they will have trouble reselling the property in the future, if people are concerned about stucco,” Young said.
‘As good as any other exterior’
He added, “My opinion is that stucco is as good as any other exterior cover. I live in a stucco home, and the key is the proper use of materials and making sure that it has been flashed properly around windows and doors, so that it guides any water out that might get trapped behind the stucco. Then, the key is maintaining it.”
Young recommends having the stucco checked every five to seven years, and to reseal any cracks and to make sure that there hasn’t been any water penetration.
When buying a stucco home that is in need of stucco repair, Young said that it’s better for the buyer to ask the seller to have the repairs completed prior to closing, rather than asking for a credit for those repairs.
“We might have three quotes for stucco repair that range from $10,000 to $18,000, so how do we know which one is right? And, what if something else comes up? A $10,000 repair can turn into a $15,000 or $20,000 job. So, if the buyer is going to ask for a credit, it’s important to negotiate a proper credit, so that they can handle the stucco repairs after closing.
“Everything can be fixed; it’s just a matter of money,” said Young.
Tim Hedderman is head engineer and the owner of Hedderman Engineering Inc.
He said, “Most of the time, the problems that exist with the stucco are not the stucco, but rather what’s behind the stucco or what it’s attached to, which is the structural sheathing. So, when water penetrates through the stucco, that can cause problems, because the supporting sheathing can get water damaged.”
Hedderman added, “You typically cannot tell that this has happened by looking at it from the outside. It might look great on the outside, but there can be some real water penetration with resultant structural damage behind the stucco, and the only way to find that is to do an invasive test.”
Before performing an invasive test, Hedderman said that the stucco inspector will do a visual inspection around the windows and doors of the home, and look for things like cracked sealants, cracked or missing caulking, and problems with the flashing.
Once the visual inspection has been completed, he said that the stucco inspector will report on all of the anomalies seen in the stucco.
The next step would be the invasive stucco inspection, which tests the wood materials that are behind the stucco for moisture content and damage. The idea of an invasive test can sound daunting to both the homeowner and the home buyer, but Hedderman explained that it’s the only way to determine what’s happening.
“We drill two small holes approximately 2 inches apart through the stucco to get to the wood sheathing that’s behind it. Then, we insert a hammer probe into the holes, which will make contact with the wood. This probe is also a moisture meter, so we can get a sense of the moisture content in the structural sheathing, and tell whether there is an issue with it,” Hedderman said.
If it is determined that repairs are needed, the buyer or seller should then contact one or more stucco repair companies to get a quote on the work.