Staying on top of home repairs and cleanliness can be overwhelming. But an important aspect of homeownership is keeping your house in good shape year-round. Ignoring home maintenance tips will not only result in some costly repairs, but can also drastically decrease your home’s resale value.
But where do you start? The following are several home maintenance tips that you won’t want to put off for very long.
Regularly Check Your Plumbing
If you live in an area with harsh winters, ensure that exposed pipes have insulation to prevent them from freezing. At least once a year, hire a professional to perform a water heater check. This should include a flush to remove backed up sediment as well as a pressure-relief valve inspection.
In the meantime, watch what you wash down the drain. If you don’t have a garbage disposal, avoid rinsing food particles and coffee grounds down your sink. Additionally, make sure you are only flushing toilet paper down your toilet. Have a bad clog? Call a professional to treat it rather than picking a random chemical cleaner that might do more harm than good.
[Related: Important Tips for Millennial Homebuyers]
Service Your HVAC System
One major thing you shouldn’t avoid is making sure your HVAC system is in perfect working order. Your HVAC system, otherwise known as your heater and air conditioner, is something you and your family depend on year-round to keep you comfortable in your home. Regular checkups on this system enable the hot and cold air to be distributed more evenly and effectively and will also prevent problems with air quality.
Maintain Your Roof and Gutters
Small issues on your roof and in your gutters could potentially lead to larger issues in the future. If left unchecked you could even have to replace the entire roof. Get your roof examined by a professional every two or so years in order to keep tabs on any problems. One thing you can do yourself to help keep your roof in great shape is to regularly clean your gutters. Gutters clogged with leaves and other debri can cause a leaky roof, water damage, or mold problems.
Stay On Top of Landscaping
Landscaping doesn’t mean creating a magazine-worthy rose garden or artistic hedge structures — although feel free to go above and beyond! Simple tasks such as keeping your lawn mowed and watered, addressing weed overgrowth, and making sure you’re pruning your trees and shrubs are a great way to stay on top of your home’s landscaping. Clever landscaping can even help you save energy. For example, a well positioned tree can provide much needed shade for a yard-facing room.
[Related: Five Priceless Reasons to Save Up to Buy a Home vs. Renting]
Don’t Forget Your Attic
Just because you don’t use your attic as frequently as you do the rest of the house doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be regularly checked on and serviced. Here’s how to keep on top of your attic maintenance:
- Make sure your attic is well insulated to increase your energy savings and prolong the life of your rooftop. Insulation can get damaged or come loose over time, so check on it every year or so.
- Since attics are rarely lived in, it could take some time before you discover a leak or crack. Address these issues immediately to avoid larger complications down the road.
- Attics are a great space for nesting creatures such as birds, squirrels, bats, and insects. Check frequently and hire a professional to get rid of pests.
Build a Checklist For Your Home’s Specific Needs
Since every house has a different set of needs, you’ll have to figure out what areas need the most attention in your home and how often you should check on them. Create a list categorized by seasons (i.e. what to do in the summer and what is important right before the cold weather of winter months) and refer back to the list annually. The more often you perform home maintenance, the less likely you’ll run into bigger problems that could cost you a large chunk of change in the future.
Thinking of selling? You can expect to increase your home’s resale value by taking good care of it and following these home maintenance tips. Contact Seattle Mortgage Planners to discuss the right steps when preparing to sell your home, and for any help in your next home buying adventure.
