You got an inspection when you bought your property and you always fix plumbing repairs. But despite your best upkeep efforts, your siding is cracking because of something called dry rot. You could try to fix it yourself, but if the wood affected by rot has structural significance, you’d better leave it to the professionals. Dry rot repairs can get expensive. Is it worth it?
Some wood rot can be fixed quickly. On the other hand, if a large area of timber needs to be replaced, repairs can easily exceed $10,000. Depending on the state of your finances and what else is wrong with the home, you might want to just sell the home fast and start over somewhere else. That’s where California Family Homebuyers comes in. We will buy your property as-is, for cash, and we can often get you money within a week.
Here is how to spot dry rot and how to decide when to hold onto the property… and when it’s time to fold up and move on.
What is Dry Rot and How Can I Spot It?
First things first: how do you know if you have a home with dry rot in Sacramento? The name of this wood condition is a little deceiving. In reality, dry rot requires a moisture content of about 20% before it takes hold. Dry rot is the result of a wood fungus that makes your home’s timber brittle. There are four main stages:
- Microscopic spores that show up as fine orange dust.
- The spores grow into hyphae, which looks like fine white cotton strands.
- The hyphae will form a larger white mass called mycelium.
- Dry rot will eventually allow a large fruiting body to grow on your wood (kind of like a mushroom).
By the time you notice dry rot, it may be in one of the final stages. You may also spot it when there is a sunken area on your porch, wood siding that is cracking and chipping away, or wood panels that appear to be shrinking. Dry rot can occur where moisture naturally happens (like a porch that gets drenched with rain), or as the result of a plumbing flood. Either way, it’s bad news.
What Does it Take to Repair Dry Rot?
The first option when you realize you have dry rot is to call up a wood rot repair specialist in Sacramento. As we mentioned above, this can get quite expensive. Because dry rot comes from fungus spores, if you don’t remove the entire affected area, the fungus could regrow on new wood. So, you could need to treat a pretty big area to fix the issue even if the rot is only visible on a few boards. Still, if you love your home and you have the money — fixing the dry rot could be the right answer.
When Should I Just Sell My Home Instead of Fixing It?
If the sticker shock of dry rot repair has your stomach doing somersaults, there is another option. You can always sell your home as-is. If you have a Sacramento home with dry rot, you’ll want to sell it fast. There are two main choices:
- List your home on the market. You could find an understanding buyer who will consider the cost of dry rot repairs and offer you the fair market price for your home minus those expenses. But people may also take advantage of you. A buyer could use this existing damage to try and low ball you. Bottom line: listing a home with dry rot on the open market could mean it sits for sale for a long time — all the while, the dry rot problem is growing.
- Sell your home to a cash buyer. The good thing about selling to a company like California Family Homebuyers is that we’ve seen it all. We can buy your home, even if it has dry rot, on a schedule that works for you. You won’t have to deal with the repairs or face foreclosure because you’re unable to sell the property. If you’re tired of living in a home that is falling apart, give us a call or send us a message online today.
Living with dry rot is a problem that just gets worse over time. If you’re considering moving instead of repairing the damage on your home with dry rot in Sacramento, contact California Family Homebuyers. We’ll give you a no-pressure all-cash offer that you can use to decide the best path forward.