When buying a home most people think it’s just investing some amount of money in real estate and turn from monthly rental payments to mortgage payments. However, owning a home means much more. Firstly, you should keep in mind that there are lots of payments in addition to home value. Secondly, besides financial responsibilities, owning a home will bring more responsibilities concerning its maintenance. Home ownership will make you spend more time and energy on your home. Like owning a car means periodical repairs or at least oil changes, home ownership requires some maintenance tasks to be done from time to time to keep you away from large repairs, waste of money and tense nerves. Sometimes owning a home may become a real headache. This doesn’t mean you should rent a home for ages. Just keep a home maintenance calendar for your family member and yourself to maximize your efficiency and actually get all of the home tasks done on time. Not to be overwhelmed, we strongly recommend jot down small, regular tasks for each day or weekend. There are also tasks to be done seasonally, monthly, quarterly or sometimes biannually. Keep in mind, home maintenance tasks are not a list of white paper with black written tasks on. You can keep your own schedules and/or follow some home maintenance specialists. So, prevent tomorrow’s problems and keep your home happy for years and years to come with this chart of tasks.
Monthly
HVAC filters: Inspect and change filters, if needed. Most experts say this is a need to be done monthly, but if there is no need, you may skip this step – but only after checking filters. For small families and the ones without pets, it’s quite ok to get to their HVAC filters every 2-3 months. If you inspect filters, and they turn to be lean, do not change them. Just don’t forget to inspect next month. Also, some people advise to use cheap filters and change them more often, instead of buying more expensive ones.
Fire extinguishers: If there are fire extinguishers at your home, we’ll assume you know how to use them properly. Inspect them monthly, be sure they are fully charged, recharge or replace them, if needed.
Sink/tub stoppers and drain holes: Clean them out monthly. There are many ways to do it, but the best solution seems to be vinegar. Well, this inspection doesn’t require more.
Check also: water softener, garbage disposal, air heating system, faucet aerators, showerheads, and furnace filter.
Seasonal
Seasonal inspections need to be done on time to get ready for the next season. This means that during spring inspection you should have your home ready for summer, during fall inspection bring your home to be ready for winter. First of all, this refers to cooling and heating systems.
Spring: Get your air conditioning system ready for summer. Has it serviced? This may depend on your individual home or which part of the country you live in. Some people just use window air units for cooling their homes. Still, the ones in Colorado, for example, may use big swamp coolers up on the roof. Give a quick Internet search to get all the info you need to repair and get it ready for summer. Take care of the windows. If there are broken screens, fix them. Also, clean your home exterior after long winter snow and rain. Spring is the best time for landscaping. Check trees, and replace plants if needed. If you have high trees, make sure to trim them with a professional. It’s not a good idea to try to trim high trees by yourself, especially if there is interference with electrical lines. Clean out gutters and at last refresh your siding’s paint, as well as repair possible holes in your brick. There might be some individual problems. You should just have a close look all around.
Summer: Start from bathrooms and kitchen. Check grout there and repair as needed. Inspect plumbing for leaks. Clean your garage. Check and clean dryer vent. You may need a professional for this. Don’t try to save money on home maintenance. The sooner you inspect and fix the problem, the less you will spend. Don’t let little problems turn into major and costly ones. If you have deck and/or patio, have it cleaned and repaired. Generally, this means a good cleaning/washing. If re-staining is also needed, do not skip it.
Fall: For home maintenance, this season is an in-between season. Now you will need to finish summer tasks as well as start preparing for winter. You can’t ignore winter preparation as cold, snow and rain will become a really big problem for your home. Winterize air conditioning systems and have heating systems ready for winter. Make sure heating vents are open. If you have a fireplace, do not skip it. Inspect and clean it as needed. Buy winter gear. Remember, in winter you’ll need sidewalk salt, good shovels and more. Have them ready as well. Check and repair windows and doors. If weather stripping does not seal, repair or replace it. Pay special attention to a thermostat and clean heat sensor points.
Winter: Time to get back to the things you’ve left for later. If you have any interior projects or maybe you were planning to build some shelves, winter is a great time for this.
Annually
Deep clean your home annually or biannually, if needed. Undoubtedly, cleaning your home is a task for each day or weekends. If you manage to do some small cleaning each day, you’ll not have to spend that long time on seasonal or annual cleaning. Clean and de-clutter your rooms periodically. Don’t let dust dirt and grime build up over weeks or months. Check and replace batteries in smoke/carbon dioxide detectors. This is so simple that we even didn’t want to include this point here. Still, this is really too important to leave out of attention. Batteries don’t cost much, and, in fact, you should change them when they start giving the low battery beeping noise. However, change them every 6 months – this won’t break your bank. In the end, let come to the septic tank. Have a professional check and pump it as recommended.
By: Hermine Aslanyan
Additional Resources:
Maintenance Tips for New Homeowners by Anita Clark
Your Summer Home Maintenance Checklist by Inlanta Mortgage – Pewaukee / Jim Snyder
8 Home Maintenance Skills Every Homeowner Should Master by Realtor com
Maintenance Checklists for Your Home by HomeZada
…Did I Miss Something? What Would You Add?
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