Living in San Carlos: Owning a Home in San Carlos

Years ago, I was showing a waterfront home to prospective buyers when the seller’s agent described the property as “well maintained.”

I remember looking around and thinking: No, it isn’t.

The columns were swelling and the concrete was beginning to deteriorate. The rolling-shutter boxes were covered in rust. Tiles on the deck were chipped and starting to lift. The seawall was damaged. These were not hidden defects requiring an expert inspection. They were things that were readily visible if you knew where to look.

And those were only the things we could see.

That house was an obvious example of something every homeowner in San Carlos eventually learns: houses here need attention. Concrete has an impressive ability to look as though it will be there forever. Perhaps that is one reason deferred maintenance is so common. A wooden board announces that it is rotting. Concrete is more discreet.

Our climate is also harder on construction than it might appear. We are not dealing with snow loads or frozen pipes, but San Carlos moves from extremely hot and humid summers to winters that can be quite cool and very dry. Materials expand and contract. Sealants shrink. Waterproofing deteriorates. Metal corrodes. Near the Sea of Cortez, salt adds another element altogether.

None of this is alarming when it is dealt with as part of the normal rhythm of owning a home. The trouble begins when small jobs are postponed year after year.

A waterfront property provides a good example. Salt spray is more than something that needs to be washed off the windows. A small crack or opening in concrete can allow salt and moisture to reach the reinforcing steel inside. The rebar begins to rust and, as it does, expands against the concrete surrounding it. Eventually the concrete cracks and begins to break away.

By the time a column is visibly swelling and shedding concrete, what might once have been a relatively simple repair is no longer quite so simple.

The roof has its own advantage when it comes to being neglected: nobody looks at it.

Most San Carlos homes have flat roofs protected with tela and impermeabilizante. Unless there is a reason to climb up there, it is remarkably easy to forget what is overhead. Unfortunately, the first stain on the ceiling is a rather poor maintenance reminder.

The same principle applies throughout the house. Sealant around windows and doors deteriorates. Cement decks need protection. Metalwork begins to rust. Air conditioners work hard during our summers, making annual servicing an important part of routine maintenance. Individually, none of these things is especially consequential if it receives attention when it needs it.

The principle is simple: Maintenance is much easier when it's boring.

Do the roof before it leaks. Reseal the window before rain comes through it. Deal with rust while it is still on the surface. Repair the small crack before salt and moisture reach the rebar. Routine maintenance is not terribly interesting. The alternative can become very interesting indeed.

When No One Is Home

Many properties in San Carlos are second homes, but there is no single season when those homes sit empty. Some owners spend the cooler months here and leave during the summer. For many Sonorans, summer is precisely when the house comes alive, while it may see relatively little use during the winter.

Either way, the house continues to need attention when nobody is there.

Heat, humidity, dry weather, salt and sun continue to work on the property. Equipment ages. Storms pass through. A small leak or other problem that would be noticed immediately in an occupied home can remain unnoticed for weeks or months.

For anyone who leaves a San Carlos property for an extended period, a good property manager can be one of the smartest investments in protecting it. Someone is checking the house, arranging routine maintenance and noticing when something is not quite right. The point is not to have someone constantly fussing over the property. It is simply to have someone there when attention is needed.

Houses leave clues

When looking at an older home in San Carlos, its maintenance history is often there to be read.

Ceilings may show evidence of past leaks. The age and condition of the mini-splits matter. Termite tracks, salitre, deteriorating paint or cabinetry, older windows and shrinking sealant all provide clues. On waterfront properties, concrete, metalwork, decks and seawalls deserve additional attention.

None of those things necessarily means there is a serious problem. Houses age. Equipment wears out. Things need to be replaced. A 25-year-old house should not be expected to look as though it was completed yesterday.

What matters is the difference between a house that has aged while being cared for and one where years of small jobs have simply been postponed.

That difference eventually matters when it is time to sell. Fresh paint can certainly improve appearances, but it cannot reverse deterioration that has been allowed to progress. Buyers notice. Inspectors find more. Deferred maintenance does not disappear because a property has been put on the market.

A house tells you how it has been cared for, if you know where to look.

Fortunately, most of the things that keep a San Carlos home in good condition are neither complicated nor mysterious. They simply need to be done.

A San Carlos Homeowner’s Maintenance Checklist

• Roof and drainage: Inspect the roof regularly and maintain the tela and impermeabilizante at least every three years rather than waiting for evidence of a leak. Keep roof drains, scuppers and deck drains clear so water has somewhere to go.
• Doors and windows: Check sealants annually for shrinkage, cracks and gaps. Replace deteriorating sealant before the rains arrive.
• Mini-splits: Have units serviced annually. Clean filters, coils and drains and have the system checked for proper operation.
• Cement decks: Seal annually to help prevent moisture penetration and deterioration.
• Exterior walls: Watch for cracks, deteriorating stucco and failing paint. Repair the underlying problem rather than simply painting over it.
• Metalwork: Watch for the first signs of rust. Scrape, prepare and repaint as necessary rather than allowing corrosion to progress.
• Termites: Inspect periodically for termite tracks and other evidence of activity, especially around cabinetry, doors and other woodwork.
• Water systems: Check pumps, pressure systems, cisterns, tinacos and exposed plumbing periodically. A small leak can become a considerable problem in an unoccupied house. Where appropriate, consider shutting off the main water supply during an extended absence.
• Waterfront properties: Pressure wash regularly to remove salt spray. Watch for cracks or openings in concrete that could allow salt and moisture to reach the rebar, and check seawalls for cracking, movement, erosion or other deterioration.
• Electrical: Especially in waterfront homes, have exterior electrical fixtures and panels checked periodically for corrosion or deterioration caused by salt and humidity.
• Long absences: Arrange for a reliable property manager to check the home, oversee routine maintenance and respond when something needs attention.
• Before the summer rains: Take another look at the roof, drains, windows, doors and seals before the summer rains and the periodic tropical storm or hurricane. Finding the weak spot before the water does is considerably preferable.
• After a major storm: Even when there is no obvious damage from ground level, check the roof, drainage, exterior walls, windows and doors for problems that may have developed during the storm.

Every climate asks something different of a house. In colder parts of the world, homeowners learn to prepare for winter. In San Carlos, we learn to live with intense summer heat and humidity, dry winters, strong sun and, depending on where we live, salt from the Sea of Cortez.

Once you understand that rhythm, taking care of a home here is not particularly onerous. It is simply part of ownership.

The waterfront house from all those years ago remains memorable precisely because its problems had been allowed to become so visible. Most maintenance stories never need to become stories at all.

And that is rather the point.