By Maura Stevens
February 2025
Once you become a homeowner it is very important to keep up with home maintenance. While there are several aspects to home maintenance, it generally falls into two categories: big expenses and small expenses.
The big expenses include
- Replace your HVAC
- Install a new roof
- Replace the water heater; and
- Update your electrical panel
While these can be large expenses they are integral to the running of your home. Homeowners should try to be proactive about maintenance of the larger cost items. How? These items tend to have a certain life expectancy. If you are coming up against the end of the system life-cycle you can anticipate a replacement will be needed soon.
For example, if you have a roof with a 25 year life span and the roof is 24 years old then you should anticipate that you may have to replace the roof in the next year. This gives you time to talk to several roofing companies and determine which company has the best price.
Keep in mind repairs can come in a time of crisis. For example, your HVAC goes out on a 99 degree temperature day in August. Now you are dealing with maintenance under less than favorable terms and the repair or replacement of the system will likely cost more and take longer to schedule.
Keep in mind that while these larger maintenance items can be costly they will be selling features when selling your home.
Small maintenance items include things such as
- Repair rotted wood around your home
- Repair small leaks when they happen
- Repair chipping paint
- Caulk around windows and doors
- Remove tree debris and maintain landscaping
Repairing these small maintenance items do not cost a lot of money and if you maintain them now you will accomplish two things
- You will improve the condition of your home and
- You will avoid having those items cause further damage
We recommend that you walk around the exterior of your property twice a year to assess and repair any needed maintenance.
