How to Avoid Rotting on Siding When Home Buying

Seattle's I Got Smart Real Estate Podcast with Josh Pemberton

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Today's topic is siding, a very important part of the exterior of your home that can hurt your chances of selling.

Here in the Pacific Northwest we have had problems with a certain type of oriented strand board or LP siding. Essentially, this siding is made of a pressed, wood-like material with an exact pattern. It's not like the cedar siding you'll see on some homes where the patterns differ.

Because it's so moist here in the Pacific Northwest, this siding will start to wear if you don't keep it painted. If this type of siding isn't kept up, it starts to rot and will need to be replaced. When you're looking at homes, you want to take a look at the bottom of the boards to ensure that moisture isn't being absorbed and rotting the siding.

When siding begins to rot, moisture then gets between your exterior wall and your interior wall and gets on your insulation. This can result in black mold, which is a huge pain to deal with and can even be dangerous!

One of the best places to look around the exterior of a home is where the exterior of the fireplace is. Those areas tend to rot the most and the fastest. If you view a home that has rot occurring, you want to be very careful. Replacing LP siding can be very expensive, costing you tens of thousands of dollars.

So, if you're looking at homes with LP siding, be sure to call a professional to take a look at it. If you're selling your home, you probably want to do the same, as rotting siding may be a great way to scare buyers away.


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