Did you know that home maintenance has five main benefits for you, the owner? Is it so:
- enhanced home value
- saving money
- enhanced security
- Greater comfort
- Energy efficiency
Considering the benefits, it is definitely worth doing home maintenance on a regular basis. Failure to perform regular home maintenance can lead to illness, injury, and even death (carbon monoxide poisoning is one example). Some of the important areas you need to maintain are:
- Windows and doors that allow drafts to enter
- Subfloors that become spongy
- A furnace that may be producing dangerous levels of carbon monoxide
- An air conditioning system that will probably fail in the height of summer
- Smoke detectors with depleted batteries
Your home can be a much safer place for you and your family if you adopt a simple home maintenance plan. For example, changing the battery in a smoke detector could save your life or the lives of your loved ones, and it only takes five minutes. So, as you can see, doing a few simple fixes on some things, and inspecting a few others, on a regular basis, can pay big dividends.
Your home is a comfortable place to live because of the systems built into it. You may not have thought of it that way before, or you may have taken your home systems for granted, but either way, sooner or later, one or more of them will fail; resulting in, at best, great discomfort or, at worst, tragedy; home maintenance can prevent that breakdown.
For example, your home has a built-in electrical system that powers your lights, refrigerator, microwave, water heater, washer/dryer, and many other appliances. You may not think about this system every time you turn on the light switch, get milk from the fridge, or do a load of laundry, but you’ll soon find yourself without these things, and much more, if your electrical system breaks down. It will most likely also happen when you can least afford it.
Many of these systems have moving parts like motors, belts, and gears that put a lot of wear on them over a period of time. Some are simply made of materials that naturally degrade over time or are subject to attack by insects or mold. In any case, you can avoid the biggest inconvenience that can result from such a breakdown by adopting a simple maintenance schedule.
Whether your home is an investment, a place to live, or both, it is likely the single largest expense of your life. If you bought the house as an investment, hoping to make some money when you sell it, then it makes sense and pays big dividends to keep it in great shape. That way, you’ll keep it safe and comfortable for as long as you live in it, and you’ll get a good price if you sell it.
Real estate professionals have a phrase that applies to a well-maintained home: curb appeal. The value of a home is affected by its exterior appearance and that is what the phrase “curb appeal” refers to. Your home’s value is going to be higher if the roof is well-maintained, the doors and windows are tight, and the landscaping is clean, because potential buyers will find it more attractive, so you’re likely to command a higher price than if was otherwise.
However, you will need to keep your home, even if you don’t plan to sell it, just to keep your original investment. Even a task as simple as replacing the filter in your furnace can pay huge dividends when it comes to keeping your home’s value up. It is easy to see why this is true. When the filter is clogged, the motor has to work harder to push air through it, stressing the fan belt, bearings and other components, resulting in shortened fan life and the entire assembly needing to be replaced. from the fan. There is a big difference between a $2.00 filter and a $500 repair charge.
So, as you can see, it’s a lot less expensive, in the long run, to maintain than it is to fix when things break down. The first thing to do is identify those parts of your home that require regular maintenance and make a list. Inspect each of them periodically and make any necessary repairs. When shopping for materials, buy the best you can afford.
This will ensure maximum benefit and you’ll see yourself making repairs less often, saving you money in the long run and protecting yourself against inconvenience and even disaster.
Here are some things to check each year:
- gutters and downspouts
- Window moldings and door frames
- Battery Sprinkler Timer
- Oven
- Air-conditioning
- chimney spark arrester
- Water heater anode and immersion tube
- Burners, tank and chimney of the water heater
- fireplace and chimney
- Refrigerator Condenser Coils (empty)
- Smoke detectors and CO2 detectors
- Indoor Gas Line Connections
These are just a few of the many items you’ll need to inspect annually, or in some cases, monthly. There are many more areas that you need to inspect and repair, but they are beyond the scope of this article. So, as you can see, you have a lot of work to do; and there is no time like the present. Good luck. For more information, go online and look up home maintenance or check your local library.
