Many people spend months or even years focused on how to afford a house and how to buy the right one for them, and then invest even more time into styling the property once they have it. While this is important, keep in mind that there are numerous things you need to do once you own your home to keep it in good order. Read on for some tips for looking after your property well so it costs you less money, time and stress in the long run.
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Set a Maintenance Schedule
For starters, make life easier for yourself by putting together a maintenance schedule each year. With the New Year right around the corner, this is the perfect time to plan for the coming 12 months. Your schedule should note which jobs need to be taken care of each month, ensuring you’re not overwhelmed with too many tasks to sort out per period. Some will only need to be done annually, while others will be more regular, such as quarterly or possibly monthly.
By putting a plan in place, you’ll ensure you don’t accidentally miss out on doing any important maintenance work. In turn, this will mean you catch issues before they turn into big, expensive ones. Think about documenting the state of your home with photos or videos. This makes it easier to see if things suddenly deteriorate, which can be indicative of a hidden problem (such as termites in the walls or an unseen leak).
It’s wise when creating your schedule to take time to look into insurance and warranty options. For example, check out home warranty reviews to find the best product for your needs, and ensure you’re covered against potentially major work or costly replacements which could be required over time.
Get an Electrician in to Service the HVAC
When it comes to maintenance jobs to complete around the house, a key one is getting your heating and cooling systems attended to. Unless you have experience in the area yourself, it’s best to call in a qualified electrician to service your HVAC systems for you.
This should be done twice a year in most cases. It pays to have a service completed in fall and in spring, so your unit is running optimally and all ready to go for winter and summer, when you will use it most. The filters in your HVAC need to be cleaned and replaced each year. Plus, get your electrician to check the ventilation of your system, and its condensation hose, as this will avoid the issue of leaks and expensive repairs in future.
Keep Pests at Bay
Keep an eye out, throughout the year, for signs of pests, such as timber that sounds hollow or has bubbled, warped doors and stiff windows, tunnels in wood and mud trails on the outside of your home. Also, consider getting a professional pest inspector in once a year to do a thorough inspection. They can also take steps to remove pests if you have an infestation and put barriers in place to prevent future attacks.
Ensure the Roof Is in Good Condition
It might not be something you look at often, but your roof is an essential part of your home and needs to be kept in good condition. Annually, have a professional roofer or other qualified person come and look at your roof to see if there are any issues, such as lifted or cracked tiles, worn down areas or vines, moss and other plant matter growing over or under tiles. A roofer can clean the area if need be, and make any necessary repairs while they’re at it.
Clean out Gutters
Each year, generally around once a quarter, you should clean out all the gutters of your property, so they don’t end up rusting out and developing holes. This job can get a little messy and be reasonably time-consuming, but if you do it every few months instead of waiting until everything is totally clogged up and set in, you’ll make life easier for yourself. Clear out twigs, branches, leaves and the like, and cut back any overhanging trees, so less material ends up making its way into gutters to begin with.