Posted June 14, 2010 by

Take care of home repairs before tackling other renovations!

In the January/February edition of Money magazine there was a 2 page article on home repairs and renovations that really caught my attention.  I’m going to use this article as the basis for my next 6 blogs.

Rule #1 - Repairs get the biggest return.  This should go without saying!  The article states the obvious… “While buyers might appreciate enhancements like Jacuzzis and Sub-Zeros, they won’t tolerate a house with a leaky roof or antiquated plumbing.” 

When re-selling a house buyers just don’t add more money for the expensive upgrades as much as they quickly deduct and ask seller’s to pay for things like a new roof or foundation repairs.  Furthermore, with the current lending climate appraisers and inspectors are becoming much pickier about problems and what needs to be repaired.  I recently was shocked at an appraisers repair requirements for closing that has subsequently pushed the closing date a month. 

If you are preparing your house to sell making repairs should go without saying unless you are willing to risk a closing or pay for it once the buyer requests, but just like getting the oil changed in your car homeowners should add good routine maintenance items to their home’s to-do lists.

As if keeping up with monthly payments and all the things going on it life already isn’t enough being a new homeowner meant adding routine maintenance reminders to my calendar.  Change the A/C filter pops up every month and gets very annoying…. But I know it will pay off in the long run.  It will pay off in terms of keeping things running and working well, and more efficient. 

Other maintenance items that homeowners should add to their routine include:

• Clean the vents behind your dryer
• Vacuum refrigerator condenser coils
•  Have a chimney sweep give your chimney a cleaning once a year (in the spring after winter use) and inspect the flue and damper
• Get your AC professionally cleaned & checked before the summer heat starts
• Keep an eye on carpenter ants and termites that can do structural damage. Schedule a professional check and treatment.
• Store firewood at least 30 feet away from your home and make sure branches from trees don’t touch your roof – sounds silly but it can allow carpenter ants and unwanted pests a path to your home.
• Look for leaks or standing water under your house and keep tabs on mold growth as signs of a bigger problem (aka leak)
• Clean out gutters and downspouts
• Insulate pipes in your home's crawl spaces and attic before winter to prevent broken pipes
• Check exterior siding for rotting, or bricks for cracks or signs of foundation issues
• Have your roof inspected for potential leaks once every few years and stay on top of storm damage (especially hail in North Texas!)
• Inspect and clean dust from the covers of your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms and check their batteries
• Make sure the caulking around doors and windows is adequate to reduce heat/cooling loss
• Make sure that the caulking around your bathroom fixtures is adequate to prevent water from seeping into the sub-flooring and there is no mold build up
  

Garskof , Josh. “Six Ways to Ensure a Project Pays Off.” Money January/February 2010: 58-59.  

• Categories:
• home repair,
• maintenance,
• renovations