Q: I just want to get this off of my chest.

I'm so angry with my husband. We just sold our house. You represented the buyers and we don't have any complaints on how everything went. The buyers are really nice and I'm happy that they like the house. What I'm mad about is that I told my husband a dozen times that we needed to fix a tiny leak under our bathroom sink. He just kept putting it off. Well, as you found out during the inspection, that leak was causing water to run into the floor. I can't believe how much trouble it caused. We had to have the floor replaced, new floor covering put down, all of the insulation under the house had to be removed and replaced and there were even carpenter ants and rats. We had to have the ants sprayed and rats removed. This cost us a lot of money we could have used for other things.

A: You didn't really ask a question but your issue is important to share with others so I want to respond. Most people have no idea what a little water can do. I've seen situations like yours many times. A small amount of water runs down the back of a cabinet or wall and pools there. Slowly it seeps down through the floor. Over time the floor begins to rot and the water drops into the insulation under the floor. There it attracts rodents and wood destroying organisms like carpenter ants. Before too long you have a major infestation and the costs to repair can add up. You also have the added issue of mold and mildew which creates a very unhealthy environment. All of that from a tiny drip of water!

The lesson here is to never ignore a water leak, no matter how small. By replacing an inexpensive washer you could have saved a major expense. It doesn't take much water to cause a great deal of damage so get leaks fixed as soon as you notice them.