Buying a home? A 10-minute gutter and roofline check

At a viewing, walk the perimeter and look up, then down. Check the eavestroughs for sags, rust and stains; follow each downspout to see where it drains; look for peeling fascia, water marks on the foundation and soil sloping toward the house. Gutter problems are cheap; the water damage they cause usually isn't.

Why do gutters matter when you buy a house?

Because they are the first stage of the water system that protects the basement. A house where the gutters overflow and the downspouts dump at the wall has been watering its own foundation every rain, sometimes for years. The gutter fix is small. The question for a buyer is what that water has done in the meantime, and the outside of the house usually shows it.

What should you check in ten minutes?

1. 1From the street, look along each eave. Gutters should run straight; a dip or a section leaning away from the house means failing hangers or soft fascia.
2. 2Look for plants or seedlings growing out of the gutters, a sure sign they have not been cleaned in a while. The other clog signs.
3. 3Check the fascia and soffit for peeling paint, dark staining or soft, sagging panels, especially behind the gutter.
4. 4Walk to every downspout and follow it to its end. Look for extensions carrying water 1.5 to 2 metres away onto ground that slopes away.
5. 5Note downspouts that disappear into the ground. In Toronto they should have been disconnected from the sewers unless exempted. The Toronto bylaw.
6. 6Look at the foundation wall below each downspout and corner for water lines, white chalky deposits or cracks.
7. 7Check the grading: soil and paving should slope away from the house, not toward it. Look at window wells too.
8. 8Inside, in the basement, look at the walls under the spots you noted outside: stains, fresh paint in one patch, a dehumidifier running hard.

What red flags should you look for?

What should you ask the seller?

• When were the gutters last cleaned, and by whom? Are there invoices or photos?
• Has there ever been water in the basement? When, and what was done?
• Is there a backwater valve or sump pump? In Toronto, the City subsidizes both through its basement flooding program.
• Are the downspouts connected to anything underground?
• Are there gutter guards, and how old are the gutters and the roof?

Does a home inspector check the gutters?

A home inspector typically looks at the visible gutters, downspouts, grading and signs of water entry, and that is worth paying for. Many inspectors do not climb onto every roof or into every gutter, and they see the house on one day, in whatever weather it is. Your own walk-around, especially if you can do it in rain, adds context and gives you better questions to ask.

What should you do after you get the keys?

Start with a clean slate: a full cleaning with every downspout flushed, so you know the system works and have photos of its condition on day one. What happens during a professional cleaning walks through it. For most homes the price is $299 to $499 before HST, and minor repairs such as loose hangers and leaking joints are from $89, priced on site and approved first.

What does this look like in Ajax?

Ajax offers every kind of house a buyer might look at: post-war homes and bungalows near the lake, family two-storeys through central Ajax, and dense new two-storeys in Audley with tight side yards. The older south end sits under street trees big enough to fill a gutter in one October week, while the newer blocks shed less but have builder downspouts that clog fast. Gutter repair in Ajax covers the small fixes a new owner usually finds.