I am a Realtor and I also own my own home; I sold it to myself eight years ago. (I was very happy with my agent but that is another story for another time.) As I do with any other home I sell, I had several inspections and many deferred home maintenance issues came up.
At the time we requested that the seller correct the issues and we made sure that everything was done to our satisfaction as buyers and eventually took possession. The funny thing is, as much as I know about deferred home maintenance and as often as I see the same issues come up over and over again, I had not been doing any upkeep at my own residence since the purchase.
I decided to change that.
Buying a home is one of the most expensive and important investments a person will make in their lifetime, and it makes sense to protect your asset. Just as we keep our cars running smoothly and have regular oil changes and check-ups at certain mileage increments, our homes deserve the same attention.
Here are 3 easy home maintenance items that can be done now and on an ongoing basis, to maintain your home and potentially head off more serious issues in the future:
1) Have your chimney swept. 100% of the homes I have sold that had chimney inspections requested by the buyer resulted in findings that the chimney had a buildup of creosote (deposits inside a chimney from burning fires that can become several inches thick, creating a fire hazard and reducing the air draft in the chimney as well.) You should have your chimney swept once a year if you burn fires regularly.
2) Keep all of your smoke detectors working properly and install carbon monoxide detectors. Not only is it an important safety issue for you and your family, it is now required by law to have both of these devices in your home. If you do not have them now, you will be required to install them if you sell your home. But why wait? Check the batteries twice a year at daylight savings time, it is a good way to remember to do it.
3) Change the filter on your HVAC system. If you have not recently or ever had an HVAC tune up, now may be the time. Your service call should include explanation of where the filter or filters are and what kind you should buy, as well as when to change them. Mine are very inexpensive and need to be changed once per year. I just bought three of them and keep them handy, and change them at Thanksgiving, another easy way to remember.
These are three simple things can prevent complicated issues in the future. You paid enough for your home, why not take the best care of it that you can? Want more ideas for things you can be doing to keep your home in ship shape?
Partner’s Trust is located at 594 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena. For more information, call (626) 399-4696, visitwww.thepartnerstrust.com, or email aason.alms
