IMPORTANCE OF PROPERTY MAINTENANCE

Published by Pinnacle at 15 January 2014

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The Importance of Maintaining your home/property

For homeowners, it’s vital to maintain and care for your property, particularly if you’re looking to sell or let in the near future. As with cars and other assets, a minimum investment in maintenance and care can help you avoid bigger bills later on for extensive repairs. The importance of property maintenance.

The subject of home maintenance can be applied to any location regardless of the style and construction. Although, the construction materials of the home do necessitate the style of maintenance applied i.e. a brick home with or without a basement or a wood home with or without a basement. Maintaining a home, whether or not you are a first time buyer or buying your third house is a matter of great importance because of the effect poor maintenance can have.

One of the major aspects in selling homes is the condition of the property, and the condition of the interior and the exterior of the home itself. This means the electrical, heating and or air conditioning, the siding, paint, and general appearance of the home determine how easy and quickly the home may sell in a given market. Home maintenance is not that difficult unless a major storm blows the roof off, then pretty much most anything preventative the home owner can do.

As a home owner, and as new home owner, things such as new paint or upgrading light fixtures are things that can be accomplished generally without the use of a professional service. Some individuals love the yard maintenance such as manicuring the lawn and caring for the shrubbery or other plant life they may have installed. Sometimes, owning a home can be overwhelming, if you are new as an owner. It is time such as these when we begin to appreciate what our parents went through.

Nevertheless, there is that sense of pride one gets when they learn how to keep their home in tip top shape. However, the style of home maintenance will differ if you live in a condominium. There is no yard work and there is an association that takes care of the maintenance needs of the building for both the exterior and the common interior areas. In the instance where you are a home owner there are building supply stores that offer classes on the aspects of home maintenance at little or no cost.

When you rent a home, your landlord is responsible for repairs. However, if you own a home, you are responsible for maintenance and repairs. Maintaining your home may take more time and be more expensive than you think. Your roof may start to leak, or you may need to replace a furnace. Even the cost of minor repairs can add up. Your household budget should include money for both routine maintenance and emergency repairs.

Whether you move into a new home or an older home, it is important to know how everything in your house works, including the electricity, plumbing, large appliances, and heating system. In case of an emergency, you should know how to cut off the water and gas supply. You should also know where the fuse box and main electrical switch are located and how they work.

You can usually get this information from a home inspector. Before you close on the purchase of your home, you can hire a home inspector to check the mechanical and structural condition of the home and give you a written report on it. It is a good idea to make a list of questions for the inspector and to write the answers in a notebook.

To protect the value of your property – and ensure the comfort and safety of your family – it is important that you maintain the condition of your home. This will require both time and money.

To help you plan for home maintenance costs:

Set aside time and money. Once you move into your new home, you’ll need to ensure you plan for time and financial commitments to improve and maintain your property, such as lawn care, annual deck cleanings and duct cleaning.
Plan ahead for major purchases and home improvements. If you know your roof, or other significant feature, will need replacement in a few years, be sure to make this part of your spending plan now.
Take periodic inventory of your home’s appliances, roof, decks, etc. Take note of when warranties end, the age of certain features, and when some of their manufacturers recommend replacement.
Make sure your insurance is active and current. By maintaining an adequate amount of homeowner’s insurance (generally the cost to rebuild your home if damaged or destroyed) you’ll have the protection you need for serious damage or a disaster.