The benefits of gutters:

Gutters have  a crucual job: to channel water away from your home. When it rains or snows, gutters collect the water running off your roof and direct it into downspouts, carrying the water safely away from your home’s foundation, siding, windows, and doors. Without this system, you could face serious and costly damages, including foundation cracks, basement flooding, and mold growth.

• Protecting the Home’s Foundation: Gutters divert water away from your home’s foundation, preventing water pooling that can cause cracks and weakening. Water pooling can also lead to basement flooding if any cracks already exist.
• Preventing Home Water Damage: By routing water away from your house, gutters protect your siding, windows, doors, and roof from water damage that can lead to mold and mildew growth. 
• Routing Water Away from Landscaping and Walkways: Properly functioning gutters help prevent soil erosion around your home, which can harm your garden and create uneven walkways. Pooling water can lead to soil-related issues like root rot, dead grass, and mold growth.

 The vast majority of homes will benefit from the addition of a gutter system. 

The disadvantage of gutters:

Gutters clog: Gutters can become clogged when debris like leaves, seeds, twigs, and moss collect in the downspouts and horizontal openings. In some cases, dead animals can also cause blockages.  Clogs/blockages can cause many of the same problems that gutters are inteneded to abate rendering the gutter system ineffective. The first line of defense against clogs/blockages is to install gutter covers. Which will be covered in the next lesson.

As with all aspects of the home, gutters require regular maintenance to keep them performing properly.  Which will be covered in later lessons.