Don’t Neglect Home Maintenance

Paying a mortgage is just a part of home ownership. There are tasks that come up either yearly, monthly, or even weekly. Neglecting regular home maintenance can cost you in the long run. Some tasks seem miniscule in the grand scheme of things, but if not handled can become big expensive jobs.

Let’s talk about a few of those pesky home maintenance jobs we cannot afford to let slide.

Painting

Even if you live in a newly built home that is fresh and untouched, in time, you’ll be faced with having to paint the interior. This is expecially true if you have kids or pets. Dirty little hands running along the walls of hallways and living areas have a way of wrecking paint. I don’t care if you’ve used “scrubbable” expensive paint, it can only take so much abuse.

Puppies chew on the base boards and corners where walls meet and this, in turn, creates necessary repairs in time. Painting walls is also an easy way to completely change the look and feel of a room. If you live in an older home, it may be passed time to paint. Do yourself a favor; if you’re painting the interior yourself, tackle one room at a time. Don’t overwhelment yourself with the idea of painting an entire house.

If painting the entire house is your desire, it may be best to hire a professional painter to do it for you. That way the job can be done in a few days instead of a few weeks. Prepping several rooms for paint takes way more time than you think! Sit back and let the pros do it if you can.

Repair your roof

Your house’s roof is one of its most essential components. Think about it; the roof is what protects the entire structure from the elements. A good roof will last years and years, but, if you live in an area with lots of damaging storms, repairs are a given. Hail is one of the worst offenders when it comes to damaging your roof. If you’ve had recent storms you have probably met a roofing company or two. 

Before you hire any contractor to work on your home, do some research. Seek out reports and reviews on the company you choose. Getting a recommendation from a friend or family memeber is the best way to check out a potential roofing company. If those you trust have a great review for the company, you’re probably safe to hire them.

Clean your windows

One of the most tedius jobs around the house is cleaning your windows. But, having clean windows give your house a looks of freshness and helps the curb appeal. It’s also an opportunity to check the integrity of your windows. You’ll be able to catch any leaks or broken seals as you clean. This will alert you to important repairs that, if not addressed, will cost you in energy bills monthly.

Decluttering

Decluttering is an ongoing task for homeowners. It’s easy to accumulate things each week or month. If things are starting to stack up, start finding a place for those items. Many times it’s stacks of mail that cause that cluttered look. Most people have a table by the door where they drop the mail each day. Advertisements and sale papers can build up. To keep that stack to a minimum, continue on into your house to the trash can and immediately toss that unwanted junk mail. Purchase a pretty mail sorter to keep the mail that’s important in a tidy way.

Items of clutter are much easier to manage if that don’t get a chance to become clutter in the first place.

Lawn maintenance

One area of home maintenance that cannot be ignored is your lawn; especially in spring and summer. The spring rain causes your lawn to explode with growth. This can include pesky weeds as well as lovely grass.

Adding fertilizer and a weed preventer in the spring will go a long way to ensure a lush yard. Pull weeds as they appear so you don’t have a huge issue later in summer. Keep you yard mowed weekly. This will keep your house looking in tip top shape and will keep the neighbors happy as well. No one wants to live next door to an unkempt home. It reflects badly on the neighborhood and in turn reflects poorly on you as well. Pick a day each week and do what you can to keep a lovely yard.

Most of the maintenance jobs are easily done if they are handled in a timely way. Don’t let a small job turn into a bigger problem. Don’t neglect home maintenance jobs and you’ll be happier for it.