Your home is likely your largest (and most important) investment. Not only is a home purchase a huge financial undertaking, but your house keeps you safe from the elements and welcomes you home after a long day. To keep your home as comfortable as possible (and to protect your largest asset’s value) it is crucial that you understand the basics of home maintenance.
Here is your crash course on home maintenance 101.
Monthly to Seasonal Maintenance Items:
- Change HVAC filters (frequency need depends on pets and dust in your home)
- Test smoke alarms, carbon monoxide detectors and fire extinguishers
- Each season’s respective outdoor maintenance (including lawn and garden care)
- Vacuum lint from dryer vent
- Clean gutters
Each season will come with its own list of to-dos, and while it may be easy to push them aside until later, a small time investment now will mitigate the need for costly and time-consuming repairs in the future. With each season, be sure that you know the extra tasks you need to complete in addition to the ones listed above (such as covering spigots and wrapping pipes in winter).
Annual Maintenance Items:
- Roof Inspection
- HVAC Inspection
- Flush Water heater (You may need to do this as often as monthly depending on the mineral content of your water)
As you can see, annual maintenance involves a good deal of inspections to the more expensive components of your home. While you can go the DIY route, experts recommend that you hire a professional to check for any issues that a novice may have difficulty spotting. Issues like loose tiles on a roof can cause extensive home damage under the right circumstances; it can be well worth the investment to hire a professional.
