One thing that many homeowners wish they didn’t have to deal with after buying their home is maintenance. Often, they think back to their days of living in an apartment or rental property where they just had to pick up a phone to let the property owner or manager know about a problem and it would get fixed. Now, the homeowner has to worry over every little thing that can go wrong with a home.
It doesn’t have to seem so dire. A good plan of action to take is to create your own schedule for handling home issues. Breaking it down into smaller chunks will make it morepalatable for you, and help you to identify small problems before they become big problems. Here are some tips on how to do that:
- Evaluate your home, inside and out. Make sure you start at the top and work your way to the bottom or vice versa. Take along a notepad and jot down lists of things that need to be fixed, might need to be fixed, and things that you might like to change when you have a moment.
- Take these lists of items, and create a calendar for yourself. This will allow you to get work done when it needs to be, such as having your heater and vents serviced before the fall or cleaning your gutters before the spring showers start.
- Start a home maintenance file or word document. This can be a good place to keep your information on when you have had your water heater serviced, your roof replaced, basement waterproofed, your dryer vent cleaned, your foundation checked or other important home maintenance issues that can be easy to overlook until something goes drastically wrong. Other things to keep in mind for this file would be things like new windows, cleaning or replacing your siding, driveway issues, fence repair, and upkeep on your mailbox.
- This is also a great time to note all the rooms that need a fresh coat of paint or you feel as though you need to liven things up and add some different colors. In addition to painting a room every month or so, think of ways to help decorate the room that will freshen it up. Throw pillows, finally framing some pictures that have been sitting in a pile to be framed, and wall decals are all great ways to make your space feel new again. A great way to save on these types of items are visit flea markets, garage sales and thrift stores. It may not seem like a good place to find quality items, but you never know what treasures you might find among the dross at huge savings.
Breaking down these items into smaller bite sized chunks has several purposes for you. One is that it makes it a little easier to keep up on as you will be aware of what needs to be done each month, and hopefully will prevent some small problems from becoming bigger more expensive problems. It will also help to allow you to spread out the money that is needed for your home’s upkeep. Following your new yearly plans will help to keep you comfortable and happy in your home.