Thinking about putting your home on the market?
Considering buying a new home, and want to make sure that the previous owner has done their due diligence? Maybe you’re happy with where you’re living now, and want to be certain you’re doing all you can to protect your investment.
No matter the situation, it’s always a smart idea to develop a preventative maintenance checklist for your home.
What belongs on yours? Keep on reading this post to find out.
1. Have Your HVAC System Inspected
First up on our preventative maintenance checklist?
Call in an HVAC professional to assess the overall health of your heating and cooling systems. This is an important step for two reasons.
First of all, a poor overall indoor air quality carries some serious health risks. If you’re breathing in too much pet dander, mold, and other airborne pathogens, you might feel groggy, confused, or even physically ill.
If this continues in the long-term, you’re looking at much more serious health consequences. These can include respiratory diseases, high blood pressure, and much more.
Additionally, an HVAC inspection belongs on home and building maintenance checklists because it can help you to save money.
If your system’s filter is clogged, it’s going to have to use twice as much energy (or more) just to keep temperatures consistent in your home. This leads to sky-high energy bills. Plus, it wears down your systems, so you’ll have to repair and replace them earlier than usual.
2. Check out Your Garage Door
No one likes the annoying sound of a squeaky, loud garage door opening and closing.
This is especially true if you work, build, or just spend time relaxing in your garage. Inspecting your garage door is one of the most essential home needs primarily because of your safety.
Garage door bearings and springs that are too rusted or worn down will eventually break. You don’t want to be standing underneath the garage door when that happens. Even if you’re not injured, we’re pretty sure you don’t want to have to pay to repair a car that’s been damaged by a faulty garage door.
Additionally, thieves love nothing more than an unsecured garage door. All they need to do is find a small gap, and they can slip underneath it or pry it open until it’s large enough for them to fit through.
It’s just not worth the risk — especially when the fix is so easy. Protect your family and your possessions with a garage inspection and potential repair.
3. Look out for Cracks in Doors and Windows
You should also be on the lookout for gaps and cracks between the walls and your windows and doors.
The last thing that you want to have to deal with is higher energy bills every month. However, if your cool or warm air is sneaking out through gaps in the windows and doors?
That’s exactly what’s going to happen. Plus, no one wants to experience inconsistent temperatures from room to room in their own home.
Additionally, it’s important to keep in mind that cracks around doors and windows could be an indication of some serious issues in your home.
In some cases, they might suggest that you’re dealing with a structural issue in the home. Cracks and splinters could also be an indication that you’ve got a pest control issue on your hands.
In either case, you want to be certain that you can begin to deal with the situation as soon as possible. That’s why inspecting the doors and windows for cracks and chips belongs on your preventative maintenance checklist.
4. Get a Roof Inspection
Last but certainly not least, you need to have your roof inspected at least once every few years.
If you live in an area that frequently sees intense storms, hail, and high winds? You may find that you need to have a professional roof inspection each year.
So, why is having your roof inspected so important? This helpful article explains why in greater detail, but it’s all about catching potential problems before they get worse.
If your roof caves in, you’re not only looking at a seriously expensive repair and replacement job. You may also suffer costly losses if furniture and other personal possessions are damaged.
There are a few things that you can do to determine if you might have a faulty roof on your hands.
Head up to your attic and look for signs of leaks. If you notice stains on the wallpaper or pools of water, you might have a leaky roof on your hands. The same goes if you notice light shining through your roof.
Notice granules in your gutters, or even pieces of shingle strewn about your yard? If so, that’s a sure sign that now is the time to call in a roofing professional.
Put This Preventative Maintenance Checklist into Practice
From making sure your HVAC system is in good working order to calling in a professional roofing company for a thorough inspection, don’t neglect the items on this preventative maintenance checklist.
Of course, the things listed here are far from the only things that you need to do to protect your home — or get it ready to sell. From upgrades that pay off down the line to understanding the best way to market your home, we’re here to help you upgrade your curb appeal.
To get staging and selling tips, real estate advice, and to learn more about home improvement projects, keep checking back in with our blog. Now is the time to turn your dream home into a reality.
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