4 Home Problems You Need to Fix

Save money later by paying to correct these problems now.

While you think you’ll just die if you have to fry one more egg on that avocado-green range, a new kitchen (or bathroom, or den) is a nice-to-have, not a need-to-have. It may improve the value of your home, but it won’t keep a structurally unsound house from falling down. Before you divert financial resources to a vanity project, make sure the rest of your home is standing strong.

Here are the top four issues—all costly in a worst-case scenario—that Peggy Mackowski, vice president of Quality Design and Construction, Inc. in Raleigh, North Carolina, urges homeowners to address before thinking about decorative remodeling:

A leaking roof
Faulty wiring
Defective plumbing
Structural problems

Your homeowners or renters insurance may cover some of the above if problems are due to natural disaster or catastrophic failure, so check with your Nationwide agent to see which coverage is best for you.