Gutters Before a St. Louis Home Sale: What the Inspector Writes Down

A buyer's inspector walks the outside of a house before writing anything about the roof and gutters, and the notes on the gutter line often shape the first repair request a seller receives. The inspector is not usually grading the gutters as a finished product. They are looking for sagging runs, separated joints, missing end caps, downspouts that stop short of the grade, and fascia that shows water staining under the trough. If you are selling a house in St. Louis County or the city, or buying one and deciding how hard to press the seller, the gutter line is one of the cheaper items on the list to get right before inspection day.

What the inspector actually sees

Most gutter notes come from the ground and the ladder line, not from a close look. A sag is easy to spot from the driveway if you sight down the trough against the roof edge. A run that holds water between hangers shows as a dark band on the fascia below. Downspouts that end at a bend or a crimped elbow show as a wet patch on the walk or a bare spot in the mulch. Inspectors also check whether each discharge carries water a useful distance from the foundation, and the report usually describes the fix as a extension or a regrade rather than giving a measured target.

Two items trigger more follow-up than the rest. The first is fascia with soft spots where a hanger was pulled or where a joint has leaked for years. The second is a downspout tied into an underground line with no visible outlet, which the inspector cannot confirm. Neither is a reason to panic, but both should be known before the inspection, so the seller can get a quote and the buyer can decide whether the number is worth negotiating.

Gutters and guards

If the gutters are older aluminum with a guard on top, the inspector will look under the guard as well as at it. A guard hides the trough, so a sag or a worn hanger can go unnoticed until someone lifts the edge. Ask the seller whether the guard went on over a clean trough and whether the fasteners reach solid fascia. If the seller has no record of the guard install, a short note from a contractor who looked at the trough can tell the buyer's inspector what was checked.

Seamless runs with few joints usually inspect cleaner than sectional runs with many. Each joint is a place where a seal can fail, so a house with four sectional joints on one side has more to explain than a house with a single run. The joint count is not a grade. It only shows where the report will point.

Downspouts deserve their own line. Look at where each one ends. A downspout that empties onto a concrete walk sloping toward the house will be noted. A downspout that drains into a window well or against a basement wall is a larger item. A downspout tied to a buried line should have a known outlet, and if the outlet is unknown, the inspector will record that rather than assume it works.

What it costs

Most gutter items found at inspection are small, and the cost depends on how much of the run is affected. Resealing a few joints, replacing a few hangers, adding a downspout extension, or reattaching a loose end cap are quick fixes that a crew can often finish in one visit. Replacing a section of trough is a larger job. Replacing a full run with new trough and hangers costs more again, depending on length, height, and how many corners and downspouts the run has. Ask for each item as its own line so the seller and buyer can see which items were priced and which were not.

A fascia repair belongs on its own line too. If the inspector finds soft fascia behind the gutter, the trough is not the whole problem, and replacing gutter alone will not fix it. The fascia has to be opened, the rot cut back to sound wood, and the board repaired or replaced before new hangers go in. That work is priced differently, and it is often where a quote grows.

Keep the estimate for every gutter item in writing with the scope. A quote that names the trough length, the number of downspouts, the hanger spacing, and the fascia condition gives both sides something to check against the inspection report. A single number with no scope tends to start a second conversation after the walkthrough.

What to ask

1. Which gutter items did the inspector note, and which of them are sagging, leaking, or loose?
2. Where does each downspout discharge, and is any of them tied to an underground line with an unknown outlet?
3. Is any fascia behind the gutter soft or stained, and has anyone opened it up to check?
4. Was the gutter guard installed over a clean trough, and who installed it?
5. Does the written scope name the trough length, the downspout count, and the hanger spacing for each item?
6. Which repairs need to be finished before closing, and which can wait until the buyer takes over the house?

A contractor who writes the answers down and attaches photos of each item gives both the seller and the buyer something solid to work from. Keys Roofing can walk a gutter line for a homeowner who wants a written scope before the inspection, and the office at (314) 220-2333 can set a time. Keys does not handle the sale, the inspection report, or the buyer's negotiation, but the photos and the scope go to whoever needs them.