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What makes paint bubble and peel, how can I fix it?

JEANNE HUBER

SPECIAL TO THE WASHINGTON POST

Q: I am trying to figure out why paint is bubbling on a ceiling in my home. Could it be from sweating on the HVAC duct, which sits above the area where the paint is cracking and peeling? If so, what is the solution?

A: Moisture is probably the most common reason paint bubbles and peels, and it’s also the one possible cause that can lead to long-term structural and air-quality problems. So when paint peels and you’re trying to determine why, begin by asking: Could moisture be causing this?

In your case, you have a good idea that the problem might be moisture, and you know where it might be coming from. To confirm your hunch – or as a first step when there is no obvious explanation – use a moisture meter, such as General Tools’ pin-type digital model ($36.97 at Home Depot). Or get a pinless meter or one that switches between pin and pinless, such as General Tools’ combo model ($54.97). (Pinless operation is easiest for checking a general area; pins excel at pinpointing a problem.)

First take a reading where the paint is intact; it will probably be between 5% and 15%, depending on the relative humidity in your home that day. Then check the drywall where the paint is peeling. If that reading is significantly higher, check surrounding areas to map out where the ceiling or wall is moist and where it is dry. You might discover a trail of moisture that leads to a plumbing leak, a roofing issue or even a drainage problem outside your house. Whatever the scenario, fix the moisture issue before you deal with the paint.

Condensation forms on heating and air-conditioning ducts when warm, See Paint, Page 20

Market

From Page 7

purchase. “They don’t have to make a buying decision within a couple of hours, which is what it was like a year ago,” says Seth Neal, an agent with Silvercreek Realty Group in Boise. What’s more, they can conduct a proper home inspection; there’s no pressure to waive appraisal or financing contingencies either.

Offers using nonconventional financing, such as Federal Housing Administration and Veterans Affairs loans, or first-time home buyer assistance programs, now stand a chance in a way they didn’t during the buying frenzy (when sellers had their pick of all-cash offers or offers with conventional financing).

Nonetheless, buyers must still contend with high prices because sellers have one major bargaining chip left: The number of homes for sale remains excruciatingly low. The same economic uncertainty keeping a lot of buyers on the sidelines is also discouraging many would-be sellers from listing. The scarce supply of houses on the market is the reason that prices haven’t declined more dramatically. (Fannie Mae predicts an average home price decline of 1.5% in 2023).

One additional twist for buyers: Even with 7% interest rates, some are finding that renting isn’t any better. As of August, rents nationally had risen more than 12% over the past year, according to data from Zillow.

Middle-school teacher Binh Thai started looking to buy after his Brooklyn landlord raised his rent last summer by nearly 80%, from $3,100 a month to $5,500. When Thai began his search in August, lenders were quoting him rates of 4.9%. Now that he’s found a place, he’s looking at nearly 6.9%. But that monthly payment still comes out to less than his new rent.

“I have had moments where I was like, ‘Am I making a mistake?’ ” he says. “Ultimately, this is my one opportunity. I’ve always wanted to own a home. With a teacher’s salary, it’s been really challenging.”

What it’s like to be a seller

Sellers today have to hustle to make deals happen. “Listing agents and sellers are having to work a lot harder than they did in the last couple of years,” says Erika Levack, an agent with Compass in Austin.

Sellers are now assisting with closing costs and offering to make repairs. Many are helping their buyers cover the cost of “buying down” their mortgage rates (when you pay a fee at closing to knock down the rate).

Peter Anderson is getting ready to sell his home in Coeur D’Alene, Idaho. “We needed a new roof, which we went and did this summer, and we had to buy a new heat pump in the spring,” he says. “A year ago, we probably could have sold the house as-is and not had to do that.”

Levack worked with buyers who put contracts on new-construction homes last December, when rates were about 3%. The buyers who didn’t pay extra to lock in those rates long-term are now looking at monthly payments that may be unaffordable.

For one set of clients, Levack says she approached the builder to say her buyers would have to back out “unless you guys do something.” In return, the builder gave them $46,000 to buy down their rate. A year or two ago, Levack says the reaction would’ve been more along the lines of: “ ‘Fine, walk away. We’re going to sell this house for more money anyway.’ And now they are struggling to move their inventory and they’re offering all kinds of incentives.”

Some sellers have started advertising these sweeteners right out of the gate, including offers to help with closing costs in the listings themselves. Others need more convincing.

“I’ve seen a lot of people who have listed a little high based on prices from the summer, early spring, and [the listings are] just kind of sitting there,” says Mackenzie Grate, an agent with the Machree Group in New York. “They’re not quite willing to accept that the market has shifted.”

Levack has been warning sellers that the market is changing every few weeks. To arrive at a realistic listing price, she says, “We have to look at the data very closely.” What it reveals can be painful.

Levack currently has a listing in Austin with the same floor plan and finishes of a nearby home that sold for over $1 million last November. “We are in contract [for] way below that, and that’s just the nature of where things are,” she says.

Larry Frum, the Maryland seller who listed in August so he could move for a new job, finally got an offer on his townhouse in October. As part of the terms, Frum will have to pay the buyer’s closing costs.

When he gets to Seattle, he plans to rent.

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