Maintenance – Repairs

First time homebuyers should keep in mind the importance of home maintenance.  One percent of the purchase price of your home every year to cover everything from painting to repairing gutters to caulking windows and maintaining routine system repairs and maintenance.

An older home may require more maintenance, although much will depend on how well it has been maintained over the years. Take the upkeep seriously, and budget accordingly.

Otherwise, your home’s value could suffer if you allow it to fall into a state of disrepair. Remember, too, that the cost of good home maintenance is usually minor compared to what it will cost to remedy a situation that you allowed to get progressively worse. For example, unclogging and sealing gutters may cost a few hundred dollars. But repairing damage to a corner of your home where gutters have leaked can potentially cost several thousand dollars. Regularly changing your furnace filters and getting yearly maintenance service done is far less expensive than replacing your furnace because you didn’t keep it maintained.

For a free home maintenance schedule and list of my preferred vendors go here.