Homeowners Can Save with a Little Preventive Maintenance

Tuesday, May 01, 2007

Bound Brook, NJ- Many homebuyers focus primarily on mortgage rates when considering the affordability of a home; however, Kathleen Kuhn, president and CEO of HouseMaster®, reminds consumers that home maintenance costs should also be an important consideration. All homes require constant care. General estimates indicate that every home will require between 1 percent and 3 percent of the home's value in annual maintenance costs, and this figure does not necessarily include major or emergency repairs.

Prevention saves time and money
The ongoing maintenance of a home is a significant contributor to holding or increasing its value. According to Kuhn, "Homeowners should plan a solid preventive maintenance schedule, so problems can be fixed before they become more costly and damaging. Quite often when we inspect homes, many of the damages we find would have been preventable with some routine monitoring and smaller repairs. But left unchecked, minor concerns grew into more significant defects."

There are many other benefits for current and potential homeowners when they incorporate preventive maintenance into their annual planning. Preventive maintenance:

• Avoids expensive emergency repairs: Contractor fees rise in proportion to the urgency and the hour of the service call.
• Saves money and aggravation: Repairs planned for completion during off-peak times are less expensive and stressful.
• Minimizes homeowner insurance premiums: Correcting deficiencies before they represent an insurance claim will keep premiums reasonable.
• Eliminates costly consequential damage: When major home components, like a roof, fail, the damage to home interiors and furnishings can be substantial.
• Homes in good condition sell at higher prices than neglected counterparts.

Create a maintenance checklist
Every house is different, but there are some common elements every homeowner can include on a regular maintenance list:

• Check the grading and drainage around the foundation
• Seal driveway and walkway cracks
• Check fencing and gates
• Check and trim trees near the house
• Check for deteriorating/damaged siding
• Check for loose, damaged, or missing roofing and flashings
• Clean all gutters and leaders
• Check weather-stripping and seals on all windows and doors
• Insulate water lines that are subject to freezing
• Check condition of the water heater
• Check ventilation openings for nests, blockage

While this list is not comprehensive, it's a good start to identifying some potential trouble spots in any home.

Do your own research
In order to personalize your home maintenance checklist, it's important to learn as much about your particular home's operations. Many Web sites and newsletters contain valuable information and tips, and housemaster.com® contains a wide array of resources for homeowners, homebuyers, and home sellers such as a Home Defect Survey, A Preventive Maintenance Checklist, Common Home Concerns Overview, and Home Inspector selection guidelines.

Even if you are not comfortable making repairs on your own, simply learning more about spotting potential problems can help reduce the extent and cost of contractor repairs. Kuhn adds, "More and more homeowners are calling us to inspect the homes they currently own to help them identify potential problems and develop a plan of action for home maintenance. A home is a major investment. We tend to monitor our financial and investment portfolios quite closely, and it's equally important to monitor the status of our homes."

For more information about home maintenance tips, or to find a home inspector in your area, visit housemaster.com.

About HouseMaster: Headquartered in Bound Brook, N.J., HouseMaster is the oldest and one of the largest home inspection franchisors in North America. With more than 370 franchised areas throughout the U.S. and Canada, HouseMaster is the most respected name in home inspections. For over 30 years, HouseMaster has built upon a foundation of solid leadership and innovation with a continued focus on delivering the highest quality service experience to their customers and providing HouseMaster franchisees the tools and support necessary to do so. Each HouseMaster franchise is an independently owned and operated business. HouseMaster is a registered trademark of DBR Franchising, LLC.

For more information please visit www.housemaster.com or call 800-526-3939.

Back to News