First, realize a synthetic stucco home will sell for less than a brick home with all other things being equal. Ask your Realtor® to help you determine a fair offer based upon sales of other synthetic stucco homes in the neighborhood.Since one day you may resell your new home, be aware that a synthetic stucco home will take approximately 20% longer to sell than a home that does not have synthetic stucco. This figure can go up substantially if it has problems that the seller will not address.

Why does it take longer to sell? Since a percentage of homebuyers in the market place will not consider purchasing a synthetic stucco home, it takes longer to get the same number of qualified prospects to see it.

ALWAYS hire a qualified EIFS inspector to perform a complete synthetic stucco inspection as part of your home inspection process. Do not rely only upon the opinion of your general home inspector.

STRONGLY CONSIDER a Moisture Free Warranty Corporation Stucco Bond. This will protect you, as the owner of a stucco home, from most potentially expensive future repairs. To qualify for this warranty, a stucco inspection must be completed per the specifications of the Moisture Free Warranty Corporation. Any corrective work specified in the inspection report must be performed and a re-inspection will follow. Once the home passes the re-inspection, the warranty term and amount of protection is selected. To learn more about pricing for this warranty, visit: http://www.moisturewarranty.com/newsite/pricing.html.

Be sure the suggested repairs are addressed during your negotiations with the Seller.

You should not depend on the lottery to fund your retirement any more than you should plan on a stucco settlement to fund repairs of your home. If you win a damage claim, great, but you need to purchase assuming that you and you alone will be responsible for any corrective action required after completion of the sale.

Information on how to maintain your EIFS (stucco) siding is available through the manufacturer. For a nice overview of the problem and moisture testing procedures, download this Moisture Testing Guide (Warning: This is a large file).

Jeff’s Note: If you thoroughly inspect a synthetic stucco home, get a Moisture Free Warranty, make suggested repairs, and properly maintain it, you should feel as comfortable buying synthetic stucco as you do purchasing any other type of home.