No homeowner likes to pay for roof repairs, but it’s better to get the work done quickly rather than face even more problems down the road.

Q: The home we have lived in for five years has a wood roof. Lately, we have noticed that some of the wood shingles are splitting and others are developing cracks. Is this something to worry about, or is this just normal wear and tear?

It’s difficult to answer your question, because your letter doesn’t state the actual age of the roof – whether it was brand-new when you bought the house five years ago, or an older roof that was installed by a previous owner. But splitting or cracking shingles often are signs that a wood roof is drying out. Such drying eventually can lead to more problems, from leaks to mold or rot.

Contact at least two or three companies that specialize in roof repairs and ask them to assess the issue. A friend who has recently had roofing work done can be a good source of referrals. So can a local real estate agent that you trust.

Most roofing firms offer free or low-cost inspections and will make a bid for any work that they think needs to be completed. Choose the one that makes you feel most confident about their expertise, after checking with your state’s contractors licensing board, department of consumer affairs and the local Better Business Bureau to make sure that the company is licensed and insured.

You have owned your home for several years and apparently have no plans to move, so you should get any needed work done before the rainy season comes in order to fend off more severe and costly problems. It’s like that old (and somewhat menacing) TV commercial that was sponsored by a company that urged regular oil-changes for your car in the 1970s: “You can pay me now,” the spokesman said, “or pay me later.”

Q: A red house is made of red bricks, a blue house is made of blue bricks and a white house is made of white bricks. What is a green house made of?

Typically glass, but sometimes vinyl. Sorry, but my son tricked me with that same question two weeks ago.

Q: I am planning to refinance my home, so I followed your recent advice by ordering a free copy of my credit report to make sure there are no errors on it. Everything on the report is OK, except that it lists me as being employed by a company that I left several years ago. Is this a major problem? Will the outdated information hurt my overall score?

No, the outdated information won’t hurt your credit rating. That’s because credit bureaus primarily use employment data to verify a potential borrower’s identity, rather than their creditworthiness. But if it will make you feel better, you can call the toll-free customer-service telephone number that should be listed on the report you recently obtained and ask the bureau to update your employment history.

Q: I have two small rental properties that I visit almost every day to cut the grass, make repairs and interview prospective tenants. I have always used the Internal Revenue Service’s standard mileage deduction for these trips when I complete my annual income-tax return to reduce the taxes on my rental income, but the rising cost of gas is killing me. What can I do?

For starters, think about visiting the properties less frequently. There’s no reason that you need to visit your rentals “almost every day” to cut the yard or make repairs, unless they have unusually fast-growing grass or they’re falling apart at the seams.

If you insist on going to your rental properties daily, a new rule adopted by the IRS will help save you some money.

At the start of July, the rate for calculating deductible costs of using your car for business rose to 58.5 cents per mile, up from 50.5 cents in the first half of the year.

The little-publicized change should benefit hands-on property owners like you, as well as real estate agents who must spend a lot of money for gas to shuttle their clients from one home to the next.

The rate for figuring deductible medical and moving costs also rose, from 19 cents per mile in the first half to 27 cents in the second.