Real Estate Marketing & Beyond
No matter where a person lives, the potential danger for home disasters will be a major concern for any responsible homeowner. Since people put so much time, money, effort, and pride into their residential dwellings, it would be tragic if a preventable disaster wiped out their most expensive asset.
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Unfortunately, when homeowners do not take the necessary steps to prevent these home-based disasters, they learn the hard way how expensive the outcome truly happens to be. The following are five of the biggest home disasters and some steps a homeowner can take to prevent them from destroying their home.
Basement Flooding
From cracks in the walls of a basement to issues with improper drainage, basement flooding is a major disaster which claims countless homes each year. Fortunately, there are steps a person can take to ensure water damage does not occur with their home.
One critical step is to observe how water gathers around the foundation of a home. This is especially important during and after a major rain or during first warm days after winter, when snow starts thawing. If water collects in puddles around the foundation of a home, then it is critical to fill holes and dips in the yard where the water gathers. This will keep water away from the foundation and prevent leakage into the basement. Clearing obstructed basement drain pipes and installing slump pump to remove water buildup will also work to prevent water from causing significant damage to the basement of a home.
Fire Damage
Another major cause of home disasters ends up being fire damage. Fire will burn its way through the structure of a home rapidly. If a person does not want their house going up in smoke, it is critical to take many preventative measures
Some of these preventative measures are as follows: properly storing flammable substances, cleaning grease away from the stove, maintaining the wiring of a home, removing brush and leaves away from the home, and installing properly grounded lightning rods.
Roof Damage
Not addressing issues with an old, worn out roof will inevitably lead to a home disaster. The roof of a home must stand up to wind, rain, hail, and the weight of snow in the winter. Over time, these environmental stresses will take their toll on the average roof. One way to extend the life of a roof is to install a metal roof, rather than a traditional shingle roof. Cleaning gutters to improve the flow of water off the roof will also help to improve the longevity of a roof and prevent leaks and mold damage.
Extensive Mold Damage
Although rain is an obvious cause of a lot of homes with mold, simply living in a humid climate is enough to cause mold to build up on and inside the walls of a home. Ensuring that a home has proper ventilation can prevent mold damage by helping to keep the inside of a home drier. Since mold does best in a dark, damp environment, ensuring that the inside of a home is getting enough sun exposure helps to prevent mold damage as well. Using a dehumidifier to make sure that the inside of a home is dry, rather than damp, will help keep mold from making a home from becoming uninhabitable.
Burglars Breaking in Your Home
A major disaster that a lot of homeowners do not adequately prepare for is being robbed. Burglars troll the streets and the internet looking for their next victim. From scanning comments on Facebook, in hopes of learning when you are going on vacation, to watching for signs that a home is not being properly attended and maintained, burglars truly start out with the upper hand.
To level the playing field, it is important to take measures to deter burglars. Even if a person is unable to afford a state-of-the-art security system, adding automatic lights, which make an audible beep, and smartphone app accessible visible cameras to the perimeter of a home is an excellent deterrent. Paying someone you trust to mow your lawn and canceling your newspaper service, when you are away, is another way to give an impression that someone might be home.
Just because a burglar operates in your neighborhood, this does not mean you should not keep them guessing. The clever steps you take to improve your home's security, when you are away, will certainly help prevent this kind of home disaster from occurring.
About the author: Philip Piletic is a contributing writer for Realty Biz News
Regrettably one cannot predict how natural disasters or burglars will damage your property. But depending on your location, the city you live in, it is common sense to make everything possible to avoid the most frequent disasters. For example - I live in London and I try all kinds of methods to protect my house from the rainy weather. I inspect the the health condition of my roof every once in a while and if anything is wrong I book a handyman immediately to resolve the problem as soon as possible. The more you wait the worse it gets.