I've been meaning to write this blog for a while but I had forgotten about it. I was showing a home today and there was water everywhere in the laundry room at one of the properties. As I looked around I noted a small trickle at one of the laundry room washing machine faucets. The water was running down the wall soaking the sheet rock and puddling up on the floor. I made a quick call to the listing agent to let her know. 
It reminded me of a listing I had had in Frisco. The owner had painted the house and put down fresh carpet so it would look nice and sell quickly. She had moved out of state and the house was vacant. It was a slow time of year and there were not many showings. I dropped by the house one day only to find the new carpet soaked in water! I traced the source back to a dripping laundry room faucet that day as well. Luckily we were able to have the carpet dried and suffered no real damage other than the several hundred dollar clean-up bill for the seller and several hours of my time making sure it was taken care of.
I used to recommend that sellers vacating a property cap off the laundry room and ice maker faucets. After that day, I started providing my sellers with the caps. I purchase them at my local hardware store and a set of three costs about $10. Not only is it an added service but it might just save the seller a bunch of money and myself a lot of time.
Cap those faucets before you move!
Photo Copyright 2010 - Imaged2Sell
Source: http://www.thebranchteam.com/wordpress/2011/01/09/cap-the-faucets-before-you-move/
Tom Branch and Gina Branch, The Branch Team with RE/MAX Dallas Suburbs, service the greater North Dallas suburbs including Dallas, Plano, Allen, McKinney, Frisco, Lewisville, and Carrollton. While Gina concentrates on traditional listings and buyer/tenant representation, Tom specializes in assisting distressed homeowners to avoid foreclosure. Tom and Gina have published two books (Achieving Rock Star Status and The Field Guide to Short Sales) and are available for speaking engagements in the greater Dallas - Fort Worth Metroplex. Subscribe to The Branch Team Blog.
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Tom,
I had a small flood last week from a toilet cracking. Great post.
Please keep me in mind for your S. Calif referrals.
Mike Capobianco
Century 21 Beachside
www.buyandsellpropertyonline.com
Great idea, Tom! I recently visited a property that was totally flooded from a leaking laundry room faucet.
Good tip and reminder when a house is vacant. Probably good idea to shut off the water valve to the house when no one is there.
Hi Tom, If there isn't a shut off value, the cap is a great idea...imagine the mess we had in the second floor laundry..the water was coming out of the light fixtures on the first floor, yikes!
Tom, I didn't know about capping off the laundry room faucets. If anyone knows where I can buy the caps online, please let me know. I just looked and couldn't find them. Thanks for the great information.
That is great advice! Even when you are not selling your home, it's a good idea to put an easy to use lever shut-off valve on the water so you don't get a wet surprise one day!
Good Morning Tom, excellent advice, the small cost of a cap may prevent a lot of damage!
Good post. I had to do this a couple of times. One drip can lead to a puddle over time
Tom,
Such a simple and effective solution. Vacant houses seem to deteriorate pretty quickly.
Rich
Jen #5,
Here is a source for the washing machine faucets:
http://www.irrigationdirect.com/dd-hec/
Let me find one for the ice maker faucet.
Tom
Great idea Tom, I haven't actually had this problem before but have seen minor water leaks from hot water tanks especially. I did have one client who left her new home vacant for a year without shutting the water off. The toilet on that one broke in the winter causing the entire house to flood. She didn't discover that for days.
Water is a huge problem maker, especially for vacant homes and the problems vary around the country. I know in the south they will leave a outside tap slightly running to prevent a freeze, but in the north a dripping inside faucet in a vacant house in winter can cause a sewer line to have ice build-up, and freeze solid.
Tom, this is very good advice and an easy fix. Thanks for the tip.
I had no idea such a thing even existed! excellent advice.
Shutting off the water at the main, though? I was working in a home where they had shut off the water (because they found a small leak) and oh my the toilets SMELLED!!! You would gag if you went near any of the bathrooms. I was told without the water pressure, the water seeks its own level (gravity) and then the resident bacteria begins to grow. The water was off about 2 weeks when I got there. The owner had already purchased a new home and had moved out .. shut the water off on this one .. and now (2 weeks later) the prep team was in there getting the house ready to be put onto the market. FYI --- "Eau de Outhouse" permeated the airspace around every bathroom.
Very good advice. . .peace of mind for under $2.00 in Home Depot
The ice maker is a bit more difficult. Here's a source for the cap:
http://www.hardwareandtools.com/Anderson-Metal-10081-04-1-4-Inch-Compression-Cap-u288381.html
There's no gasket in these caps so I always suggest using a little plumbing tape on the threads.
Note a true compression cap should not need the tape. What I usually find locally is a flat cap that requires the tape to complete the seal.
Tom
Great advice. I didnt know those things existed.
I too have never heard of these, what a trouble saver they could be!
Tom..
We ran into this a few weeks ago and several of the building supply stores were out of these caps, so I would advise keeping some in your inventory.
Shutting off the main water is ALWAYS done when the house is winterized. However then the toilets get emptied, have antifreeze dumped in them and get the lids taped shut with signs on them not to use them.
(The very finest smell from a bathroom occurs when you forget to tape down the lid and put the signs up and someone USES the toilet which won't flush and it sits there for half the winter! Dealing with this situation provides the listing agent with proper motivation to ensure that things are taped shut and signs put up properly for all future situations.)
Another solution for the laundry taps is to loop a single washing machine hose (that you KNOW does not leak) between the two faucets and leave them turned off.
Richard #19,
I had been purchasing locally them as needed.
As part of answering Jen's comment, I found some less expensive sources and will order in bulk next week. I suspect I can cut the cost in half and have them on-hand when needed.
Tom
Gold Team #20,
We do have some properties completely winterized in the cold season. In the Texas summer heat, we need to continue to water the lawns, landscaping, and foundations to prevent damage.
Tom
Thanks for the link Tom. I was searching for faucet caps instead of hose caps. This is a great thing to add to our listing tool kit.
Same thing happened in our high-end Canyon Crest listing. Good reminder for us all.
This exact problem tanked a Fannie Mae foreclosure deal for me about a month ago. What a nightmare.
Love the post today. Little things mean a lot as the saying goes.
I've bookmarked this for the future.
Patricia/Seacoast NH & ME
Tom - excellent idea! Will be sure to keep that in mind with our vacant homes and to keep and eye out for that! Have a great WARM Sunday!
Nick,
That's going to be hard to do today!
Tom
Tom, What great advice. I probably have a few of these faucets at home that could benefit from capping when not in use. The shutoff valve in many homes doesn't work properly causing some of the slow leaking in basement areas. Little projects that can cost thousands if not attended to. I'm going to bookmark this and later reblog. Roseanne
This is such a great idea. It really is the little things like this that set agents apart. I'll remember this one the next time I have a vacant listing.
Tom - very thoughtful service to give the sellers! Thanks for sharing this tip!
That is a great tip. I showed a property last winter that the owners turned the power off in and you guessed it, a drastic temperature drop, pipes froze and broke, water everywhere. Almost cost my clients a new home and me a sale. You can never be too careful.
What a bargain - a set for $10 versus major major problems later.
Like I have room in my glove box for faucet caps?
God's truth, I have never heard of this. I guess we winterize vacants by November but now I'll look for these in the future.
Pretty fun feature.
(Someone tell comment #1 not to put that kind of advertising in comments)
wow, a little thing like a cap can save the day. i've never really thought about that before, but i'll keep that for future reference. thanks for sharing tom!
Great advice! Capping the faucets is a great idea!
Now, if we can get the banks to winterize our short sales before all the plumbing bursts in the walls.
Tom, here in Colorado it is usually best to just winterize the house, and shut the water off all together at the street that way the house is totally protected from water damage. Extra work for buyer to get water on, but the house is protected! Good for you for finding the problem, how many listings are not "visited" by the listing agent? Best to you in 2011!
Tom: Thanks for the reminder. These shutoffs do tend to leak.
Dave #37,
I have a company who winterizes homes for $125. Many times the banks will not handle it so the seller has to...
Tom
Brilliant idea, Tom. I have seen many, many REOs with dripping faucets. Many regular home owners who vacate their houses leave the washing machine hoses attached. Unfortunately, hoses can burst; so your solution of capping them off is a great idea.
Great Idea, Thank You
Tom, thanks for the great tip....always helpful especially this time of the year.
Up here in da tundra country, caping would be of little benefit. Our more common problem is frozen pipes that burst inside a wall. Now THAT'S an ugly problem! When a home here is going to be vacant for an extended period, the whole water system needs to be drained or better yet, blown out with compressed air. The water heater needs to be turned off and drained and potable antifreeze dumped in the toilet bowls (drain the tanks). Then the only thing you need to worry about is an agent or their client using the facilities anyway. :-)
I always recommend winterizing or at least shutting off the water; never knew about the caps. Thanks for sharing. I've seen water damage too many times and it can be really ugly.
I inspected a foreclosed home several months ago and during the inspection and near the laundry room I heard a gushing water and splashing sound. Got to the laundry room and this is what had occurrred. Both valves were in the off (closed) position and believe me the clean up was not fun!
Tom:
This is a darn good reminder to all that a property needs to properly "shut down" if it is going to be left even for several days. The comment just before mine from Gregg is a good example that different climates require different approaches.
Another gem from an AR member.
Tom - Added this to my checklist. It is amazing some of the smallest things that make their way on to my list. A cap instead of a phone call to someone telling them of a leak is a good investment.
Such good advice - I'm going to cap those vacant listings that aren't winterized - just as soon as I'm not snowed in! Then there's shoveling the driveway of the vacant home to think about... . I should weigh 98 pounds once this is over!! (Actually, what we worry about most here is ice over night, since snow tends to melt a bit then refreeze in the south. I'm not a big fan of snow and HATE ice!)
And all we've talked about in this post/comments is water!! Powerful element... .
Excellent reminder Tom, I've seen this leaky laundry room pipes before while showing homes.
Well I for one didn't know these caps existed! Thanks for the info!
Great information. I have seen this problem in vacant bank owned homes and didn't know that there was such an easy fix other than turning off water.
What a great suggestion. As a home inspector I saw uncapped faucets everyday and never thought about the risk, and so easily prevented. That's a Duh! moment for me.
Great idea - as is winterizing if the house is going to stand vacant.
When I was selling I handled Fannie Mae REO's and had to arrange for repairs after the pipes froze and broke. When homeowners vacated in September and the bank didn't get around to listing until December, the damage was done.
I saw horrible damage in one home that wasn't even a REO. The owner had passed away and his daughter decided it would be fine to just leave the furnace on low all winter. Unfortunately, it was a propane furnace and the fuel tank was quite a distance from the county road. I don't know if she just didn't think or if she assumed her listing agent would keep the driveway plowed so the fuel truck could get in. After all, she thought he would be showing the house, and what buyers want to trudge through three feet of snow?
(The house is in Idaho and the daughter is in Florida, so she had to rely on her agent.)
Anyway, when the fuel ran out the pipes broke. When the place thawed out in the spring the water from the upstairs bathroom completely flooded the main floor and the basement - warping the plywood under the carpets, and taking the sheetrock off the ceilings downstairs. They had to gut the whole place and start over.
Sure makes you wonder why that listing agent hadn't even been by to look at the place in all those months.
This was a great article. I'm adding it to my marketing plan for sellers.
Tom, this definitely deserved a feature! Thanks so much for the great information. I'll have to bookmark it just so I don't forget!
I went into a home one time, bank owned, and the pipe was broke. A river of water was coming out flowing downstairs and into the back yard on the hill. I could not find a shut off valve. I tried to call the agent and got one of those types with Voice Mail Hell and a call you back Tuesday kind of attitude. I think the got the message a couple of days latter, at least that is when they called me for more info.
Great suggestion! An ounce of prevention sure can save one from a ton of headaches!
Thanks for sharing this information with us. It would also be great for landlords who are inbetween renters and don't want drips all over when having the rental listed.
Linda,
Agreed! I cap all of my vacant homes that I manage in between tenants...
Tom
Tom thank you for this information. I never knew about these things, but now I know why I experienced some water damage in my own home from a dripping ice maker fawcett left by the previous homeowner. Margaret C.
This is good advice that I never thought of. There is so much that can go wrong in a vacant house.
Great Advice, had not thought of that. All to often the water supply develops a leak, whether in a laundry room or by the meter. Almost think you would want to manually turn off the supply with a note and tool for agents that need it on to show the house.
Tom, I had never seen or heard of a cap, but with two vacant homes listed, I will look into it