A home purchase is probably the biggest investment most people make in their lifetimes. As such, it’s vitally important that you take steps to maintain your home year after year. Handling routine maintenance will protect your home’s value as keeping your family safe and comfortable. If you don’t take care of small issues as they arise, they will surly become bigger problems. Easy repairs can become nightmares if left unchecked. Take care of your biggest investment by handling issues as they arise.
Keeping your home in great condition takes a diligent commitment of home owners. Just leaving things to luck is a recipe for disaster. You need to include home maintenance in your yearly household budget as a part of homeownership. That way. when issues arise, you can afford to pay for them and not go into further debt. Here are a few maintenance areas that will likely need to be addressed throughout your homeownership.
Prevent Water Damage
Pay attention to your roof. The elements can cause damage in small areas that won’t require an entire roof replacement. But those small areas of damage can cause big damage to your home. A leaky roof can cause damage to ceilings, walls, and flooring. Mold can be a hidden enemy. If you notice discoloration in ceilings or walls, it’s possible that your house has experienced errant water from some source.
Leaky windows can also cause expensive damage. Even small leaks around windows can damage wood window seals and cause swelling and discoloration. Window repairs can be something a homeowner can handle if it’s just a matter of recaulking and sealing. If your windows are old single pane windows you’ll need to decide if you want to repair or replace them.
One last way water can damage your home is by pooling around your foundation. Be sure to have your yard graded so that water flows away from from the home. This will help keep erosion to a minimum.
Maintain your HVAC system
One of the biggest energy drains on your home is your HVAC system. As such, it’s so important to keep it in good working order. A good idea is having a HVAC contractor come for scheduled maintenance at the beginning of spring and also when the weather turns colder. They will check that all hoses are connected properly and that no unknown damage has occurred over the past months. They’ll assure you that the unit is in the best working order.
As a homeowner, you need to be sure you are maintaining your system so that it’s not having to overwork itself. This means you should replace air filters on a monthly basis. This is the easiest way to be sure your unit it working at it’s optimum performance level.
Keep the exterior in great shape
Your homes exterior needs your attention as much as the interior. Be sure your siding is in good shape. There shouldn’t be any visible gaps between slats. Cracked and peeling paint needs to be repaired. The paint keeps the wood siding protected from the elements. A brick exterior should be free of cracks. Foundation problems will often reveal themselves as cracks in the brick exterior of your home. If your foundation is not secure, your entire home can crumble.
The bottom line is that you need to be mindful of all aspects of your home. Don’t ignore the warning signs of problem areas. It’s best to deal with issues as they spring up and not wait until disaster strikes. You don’t want to be careless with the biggest investment you’ll likely ever make.