Ever wonder why things fall apart?
It seems that real estate is in a constant state of aging, and we all know what happens with aging! This is a picture of a bulkhead that was probably installed about 20 years ago. When it was new it looked great and now it doesn’t. Soil is eroding from the yard through the wall and into the water. It will need to be replaced soon.
There is a concept in physics called MAXIMUM ENTROPY. This means things go from organized (good condition) to disorganized (bad condition). For instance, if you drop an egg on the floor, it goes from organized in its shell to a disorganized mess on the floor. That’s nature, and it can’t be changed! It could be said that real estate is in a constant state of falling apart, unfortunately, that’s just how it is.
Of course, there are different materials that can be used with different expected useful lives, along with better designs and installations that can result in a longer expected useful life. For example, if the wall was made out of natural stone, and if it was installed correctly, it would last a long time, even 100 years, or more.
So, does this happen to every component in real estate? YES. But things deteriorate at different rates. Wood that is subject to moisture is prone to rotting quickly. Whereas AZEC (made of PVC/plastic) is not prone to rotting and can therefore last a long time. A cheap roof may be designed to last 10 years versus a slate roof which can last hundreds of years. Some water heaters may be designed to last about 10 years. Versus a high quality stainless steel water heater which may be guaranteed for life.
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