How do I maintain my home?

Having purchased a house, it is important that you maintain it properly. Good preventative maintenance will ensure you are not hit with large unexpected repair bills later on, and will keep your investment safe.

There are several areas of maintenance to be aware of:

Visual Appeal

Structural Maintenance

Electrical, Gas and Appliances

Visual Appeal

The visual appeal of a home is of utmost importance. Good visual appeal indicates pride of ownership and allows you to feel that your home is almost a sanctuary from the outside world.

Keeping your gardens neat and trim enhances the visual appeal enormously, as does good landscaping.

Tell tale signs of a house not cared for include untidy gardens, peeling paint, torn insect screens and dilapidated fencing. It is amazing how many homeowners neglect to repair these simple things. A coat of paint can bring a sparkle to a tired looking house. Green lawns make it bright and happy.

Walk around your house regularly and take note of the small things that can be easily fixed, and then set aside a time to do these minor repairs. Repairs done now solve the problems before they become too costly.

Structural Maintenance

This is a little harder to keep up, however a regular process of examining your home could lead to discovering potential issues before they become big issues.

Major causes of structural damage include poor drainage and damaged roofing. We recommend that after each major rain you examine your gardens for pools of water that are not draining away. If they remain, and are near the house, it may be a sign that you need to check your foundations for damage, and improve the drainage on your property before the next heavy rains.

Likewise, roofing needs to be checked regularly for leakage. The easy way to do a quick check is to go up into the crawl space during the day. If you can see large areas of daylight shining through the roof, it may be an indication that your roof is not adequately water protected. This may lead to a problem with your walls and the internal framing of your house if left unchecked, and unrepaired. If you have any fears about your roofing, get it checked by a roofing contractor. Often, the cost of the inspection also covers a guarantee that your roofing is good for 12 months.

Another major cause of structural problems is pests. Termites in particular can destroy the structural stability of your house very quickly. Keep a close watch on pest infestations. If you see a large number of spiders or wasps, get a pest controller to do an inspection and eradicate them as soon as possible. Termites can often be found in damp areas such as under the kitchen and bathroom cabinets – check these places regularly and, if in doubt, get a termite inspection.

Finally, there is what we call the natural hazards. Floods, extreme heat or cold, earthquakes and severe storms are all capable of inflicting structural damage to your home. If you have been through any of these natural hazards, make sure you do a visual inspection of your house. You are looking for things like cracks in the internal or external walls, doors or windows no longer closing, uneven floors etc. All of these could indicate that some structural damage has been done. It is best to repair this damage as soon as possible before it becomes a major issue with the structural stability of your house. If you are in doubt about anything, get it inspected as soon as possible.

Electrical, Gas and Appliances

Your safety depends on the proper functioning of electricity, gas and appliances. Unfortunately these things do not last forever and if you own an older house, you will be more likely to experience problems in these areas than if you own a newer house.

The number one rule is – if anything is not working the way you think it should be, get it checked!

If you smell gas in or around your house, call the gas company immediately and tell them you smell gas. They will have a serviceman at your door in no time. If your electrical appliances make funny noises or don’t work properly, get them serviced immediately. Faulty appliances are a major cause of fires.

If your electrical circuit breakers keep tripping, get it checked – it could be a faulty appliance, or perhaps faulty wiring somewhere in your house. It is better to have it checked than to risk fire or injury to someone because you thought it was “no big deal”. It could be a big deal.

If you live in the Antelope Valley, refer to our homeowners section for a list of trades people and professionals we recommend to help you maintain your house in top condition. If you live elsewhere, we recommend you make inquiries with the local office of your mortgage lender or your realtor. These people, because of their employment, are constantly in touch with the right person for the job. Their recommendations are usually very good.

We hope this information has been helpful to you. If you are ready to start looking to buy a home, why not check out “Petersens Picks” which is a selection of Kent’s more interesting properties currently for sale in the Antelope Valley. If you would like to know more about the Antelope Valley, click here. You may find that the Antelope Valley offers alot more than you expected. We think it's a great place to live!