Plan ahead for home repair
Whoa, doggies! It’s been a fabulous summer, hasn’t it? Not too
hot, not too rainy. Just about perfect for enjoying the outdoors.
Take advantage of it now, because it won’t be too long before the
kids are back in school and the temperatures begin to drop and the
days shorten and the leaves fall off. Oh, and the mud will be back,
too.
Plan ahead for home repair
Whoa, doggies! It’s been a fabulous summer, hasn’t it? Not too hot, not too rainy. Just about perfect for enjoying the outdoors. Take advantage of it now, because it won’t be too long before the kids are back in school and the temperatures begin to drop and the days shorten and the leaves fall off. Oh, and the mud will be back, too.
Now is the time to think about getting your home ready for the fast-approaching fall and winter. If you’re like me, you probably don’t plan ahead for this. But I’m trying to be more intentional about keeping my home in good condition. I found a spreadsheet of someone who is way more focused on it than I am. The web address is http://numsum.com/spreadsheet/show/21715. If you don’t have a computer but want a copy of the spreadsheet, give me a call and I’ll drop it into the snail mail for you. It is divided into what you should look at quarterly, in the fall, and in the spring.
I’m the one who used to wait until the first rain to say, “The gutters are overflowing! They must be filled with leaves.” But by that time I have to get out in the rain, the ladder is slick, and the leaves are all a little moldy and nasty.
Or I light the first fire of the season and notice within minutes (I’m a quick study!) the room is filled with dark smoke and I have to drop to the floor and crawl over to open a door. True story: The first time I lit a fire at a new house the room filled so quickly with smoke that I ran through a closed screen door and blew it off its track. It might have been better to have had the fireplace checked PRIOR to lighting that particular blaze. Just a guess.
When you take care of needed repairs or inspections in the “off” season, you don’t compete with everyone else who forgot to take care of it, too. My friend Dennis Conley died this year. He was a great guy, and also a great fireplace guy. He used to bemoan how everyone waited until the first cold day of the year to decide it was time to check the fireplace…kind of like the tax preparers who work 24/7 during the end of March and beginning of April for all of us who have procrastinated on what has to be the most thankless task in the universe.
The furnace is also a good machine to check ahead of time. Call today and get it ready for winter. Don’t wait until it’s cold and you need it and it blows out that weird dusty smell that reminds you of Great Aunt Gladys’ house.
And don’t forget about inspecting your home every year or two for evidence of termites, dry rot or wood-boring beetles. You’ll save money by catching a potential problem early on. When you figure out your budget, do you put in a contingency fund for unexpected repairs around the house? I never did, and the frost last year shattered some pipes in both house and barn.
I think this year I’ll start adding a figure in. If it isn’t the hot water heater, it’s the dishwasher, or the dryer blows out. And surely I’m not the only one who’s had a toilet clog while the in-laws are visiting or a disposal back up as I’m preparing for a dinner party. Whoever said the only sure things in life are death and taxes didn’t pay enough attention to the details. Stuff happens. We can’t control that, but we can control how we react to it. A little bit of foresight will ease the stress and strain of the curve balls life pitches us.
Proper home maintenance adds value to your home. As Realtors, we walk through tons of houses. A lack of attention to the little details (cracked plates on light switches, windows with broken seals, a dripping faucet with a stain below) makes us wonder what’s going on with the big systems.
Paying for maintenance on your home is about as exciting as changing the oil in your car or buying new tires. You finish it and it looks…the same. Definitely not as fun as a new pair of shoes or a set of golf clubs or that new CD or whatever floats your boat. But if you take care of your home, the dividends will pay off over time.
Need help finding electrical or plumbing contractors, painters or pest inspectors? Carpet cleaners or roofers or concrete specialists? Tile setters or house cleaners or handypersons? Call your Realtor. We have networks of trusted professionals. We’ll be happy to point you in the right direction for good service at a fair price. Your Realtor is a resource, not just during a transaction, but during all the actions of your home ownership and maintenance.
So be kind to your Realtor.
