T18skyguy wrote:
As a buyer, look first to sellers that have their rig covered, and these folks probably also inspect regularly cause they care.
Not always true. There are many posts from folks who put their RV under cover and then never bothered to look at them until spring only to find a leak had destroyed the rig.
The ideal owner does regular maintenance to prevent leaks, checks out their rig throughout the rainy/snow season regardless of where it's kept to identify any leaks early, and takes action to stop any leaks as quickly as possible.
However, no matter how on top of things a owner might be, there is always room for a leak to happen - whether the owner got ill or injured, there was a death or divorce in the family, or maybe just got caught up in work... Sometimes life gets in the way.
I have found that a roof vent leak is an easy fix. If the owner catches it early (which is usually easy to do because it's right in the open), then it may show a small water stain still but had been dealt with promptly and effectively with some basic caulking.
A leaky seam or window is different. The water is more likely to have drained down the side of the RV, doing additional damage along the way. It's harder to see because you have cabinets, beds, couches, etc., blocking your view of the leak and so it goes longer before detection. And repair is a lot more involved.