Sound Off: What are the most common maintenance pitfalls when selling or buying a home?

A: The market’s listings look great with the newly installed flooring, fresh paint and brand-new kitchen countertops. Staging furniture makes it look fantastic, but what’s really going on underneath it all?

Some of the common maintenance issues that get overlooked by consumers are drainage, the condition of the foundation, dry-rotted wood on rafter tails and windows, and rats in the attic and crawlspace.

Part of the reason the current sales prices are so high is almost every house goes on the market staged, painted, inspected, repaired and updated.

Buyers want the house to be in perfect condition because they are paying top prices.