Home Maintenance Tips

DEFERRED MAINTENANCE - GUTTERS & DOWNSPOUTS

Gutters and downspouts are often overlooked until they become a massive problem. Preventative maintenance rather than deferred maintenance can save time, money, and potentially avoid property damage. Clogged gutters not only create water flow issues, but can also create places for mold, moss, and even unwanted pests to make their home. This can lead to invasive problems that affect roof components, siding, and windows. Misplaced water can also re-route to cause foundation problems or collect in areas that disturb the proper growth of flower beds, bushes, and trees. In winter, this can also lead to worsening conditions on sidewalks and driveways which can cause injury. While gutters and downspouts may seem like a small, mainly cosmetic item on the home maintenance to-do list, they can actually lead to much larger and more expensive problems in other areas of the property. Don’t neglect this often ignored home feature!

DEFERRED MAINTENANCE - CURB APPEAL

DEFERRED MAINTENANCE - PRESSURE WASHING

DEFERRED MAINTENANCE - CAULKING

DEFERRED MAINTENANCE - WATER HEATERS

What happens when water heaters are not maintained on a consistent basis? I recently had a client who purchased a home. The home inspection did not note any concerns regarding the water heater. The seller had no issues with the water heater. The installation date indicated that the water heater was relatively new, especially in comparison to the age of the home. My client, the buyer, had no issues with the hot water heater for the first two months, but unfortunately the water heater stopped functioning. I was surprised as was my client. After a service call, a new tankless water heater, and over $3,000 later, what we found as the culprit was a combination of an old unit being installed before the sellers had purchased the home (new but having sat in a warehouse for a long time) and a lack of routine maintenance. The technician who installed the new water heater made it clear that had regular maintenance been performed on the old unit, it would have functioned better and lasted much longer. He encouraged my client to study the manual, keep a record of maintenance, and either perform maintenance tasks or have a service call done according to the recommended schedule to prolong the life of the new unit and ensure proper function of the unit for it’s lifespan. I give you this example to highlight the importance of regular maintenance. My client and I did all the due diligence on the property and on paper, one would never have known that the water heater wouldn’t last as long as it should. Only upon examination of removal could a certified technician see the condition of the inside of the unit and note the complete lack of maintenance over the lifetime of the unit. Please don’t defer maintenance! It will not only impede function and potentially lead to more costs for you as the homeowner, but it can also detract from your home’s value if you choose to list your property! 

DEFERRED MAINTENANCE - EXTERIOR PAINT

DEFERRED MAINTENANCE - FIREPLACES/CHIMNEYS

DEFERRED MAINTENANCE - ROOF (SHINGLES/LEAKS/ETC)

DEFERRED MAINTENANCE - CRACKED WINDOWS

This week, let’s focus on windows! One of the first things to be noticed when a potential buyer drives up to your property, windows can either enhance or detract from your curb appeal. Broken, cracked, dirty, or even missing window panes may seem like a minor thing, but because it is such a visible issue and isn’t a major repair to make, the impact it can have on buyer is immense. Deferring maintenance on something so small tells a buyer to start looking for more issues with your home. Their thought process becomes, “if the seller has skipped such a preventable and small maintenance item, what other things have been neglected?” Your property may not have any other issue aside from that window, but that doesn’t mean that a buyer won’t become concerned open seeing it. So before listing your home, make sure that you have repaired and cleaned your windows and windowsills in order to make the best impression possible AND prevent larger issues from occurring such as moisture infiltration and mold growth, or rot development, or insect invasions occurring. Follow me on Blogger.com, Facebook, and Instagram for more helpful tips and content!